Composer's intent is important to know. The role of the composer is to provide music for the performer. I think that it is our responsibility to, within reason, perform this intent as clearly as possible. If we don't like it, we can always become composers ourselves or choose different repertoire. I think it's wonderful that we have so many scholars who expertly unpack the composer's intent and pass that knowledge to the performers. I also just think there's something exhilarating about seeing a work by your favorite composer in their handwriting with their comments and intentions right on the page.
The ideas of performance practice and period instruments are absolutely valid. I'm constantly in awe of natural horn artists, for example, who take great pains to perform the Mozart concerti or the Beethoven sonata as intended. I also believe in the validity of reinterpreting the classics. As musicians in an era that doesn't always appear to support the arts, we need to constantly reinvent our art in ways that will interest the general public. Some people might find fault with that statement, or see it as selling out. I don't think that choosing to reinterpret a classic piece is selling out if it allows somebody to find new meaning in art music. Times change and we need to as well. I also believe that art helps us to make meaning of life. The Declaration of Independence is in place to help our country's leaders run our nation in a way that remains true to our founding fathers. Perhaps a period in the Declaration of Independence could alter the course of leadership for our country. Art, however, has existed for an infinite number of reasons. What you do with it is up to you. Of course, understanding the composer's intent can and should inform your performance. If you choose to take a masterwork and make meaning of it in a way that wasn't intended by the composer, I think that's totally your call - art is an organic medium through which we express ourselves.
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