After the Concert: Choosing an Encore
DEBUSSY, CLAIRE DE LUNE, (PARTIAL)
As important as it is to choose the right repertoire for a concert, it is equally as important to be certain one chooses the right encores. They should, like all the other pieces, take into consideration the entire concert, the audience, and just as important, the general atmosphere and tone of the last work on the planned program.
In addition, I think that it is best to perform encores that are familiar to the audience and a part of established repertoire, so that there is a bit of a relaxed feeling for the audience that lets them enjoy more popular pieces they might already know.
For my next concert in New York, I am considering playing Debussy’s “Claire de lune” as an encore. In addition to it being well-known, it is a masterpiece of Impressionism that requires immense color changes to demonstrate its subject matter, moonlight. Changes in mood must be subtle yet intense, noticeable yet almost imperceptible, the same way that moonlight moves across the night sky. As I see it, one is not just playing, but using the notes to create brushstrokes, with feelings incorporated into the playing that will let the listener hear, and see, the changes inspired by the moon. Nature, so magnificent, so beautiful, is its own theatre, so when I play this piece I always want make sure I use the music to surround an audience with the scenery of sound.
For me, the performance of this piece should capture the brilliance of moonlight, the way in which it hides behind clouds only to reveal itself again, its reflection on the water, and the shadows it makes among the trees. There is no end to what Debussy allows a pianist to incorporate into this great work.
Music and art help us better understand the world around us, and how we fit into it. They reflect all of the nature that surrounds us, and help us to better capture, define, and understand our feelings. Whenever I look at paintings like Renoir’s Slightly Uphill Path in the Countryside or Monet’s Impression, Sunrise, I immediately connect them to my own feelings about music, Impressionism, and what I want to convey to an audience. When I play I want to share the inspiration they give me.
What are some of your favorite Impressionist paintings? Which ones do you like, and why? Please feel free to tell me about some of the ones you like best. Thanks so much.
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