Michael Hersch Quotes
Part of what makes music so interesting is the lack of consensus on just about any given topic.
While I believe there is certainly a phenomenon of timelessness in art, the people writing today can comment on today in an exclusive manner.
If people want insights, if they want to swim in the currents of their own time and share the experiences of their time, then it makes sense to engage with the artists of one's own time.
I don't think performance out of duty yields very much. Coercion is never the way to go.
My own goals center around writing the best music that I can, and only I can determine whether or not I've succeeded in accomplishing that.
Just as all pop music is not simplistic, not all contemporary concert music is complex. Often what a person connects with goes much deeper than generalized issues of simplicity and complexity.
Many critics have become de facto teachers. That is a lot of responsibility, and I think it should be wielded with care. Most people appreciate sincere guidance.
The best critics leave the reader curious to pursue something further, but still to let the reader have his or her own honest, unique opinion.
Mazur was a remarkable artist. During our time in Rome we became friends. I would often perform my works for him at the piano.
I was fortunate to work with Corigliano for a few years in the mid nineties. Meeting and working with him during those formative years was an important experience.
A critic can serve as guide. I think there's an understanding amongst the public that critics have their own preferences and dislikes.
As a young composer I had a particular fondness for Liszt's Beethoven Symphony arrangements for the piano, and to this day I enjoy playing non-piano music at the piano.
I write because the act of writing itself is what drives me. It's a private communication within myself - nothing more or less. This doesn't mean I do not want to share with people.
