Letting Your Interpretation Evolve

Does your musical interpretation evolve? Do you let it evolve in front of students?

Of course our musical interpretations do evolve. Over time, we discover new ideas about a musical phrase, or we uncover information as we get to know a piece better.

But in my experience, some conductors buy into an ideal of coming in with all their ideas fully formed, as the result of sufficient score study. In that situation, an evolving interpretation is a sign of weakness or failure in their preparation. This mindset doesn’t leave open the opportunity to let the music grow and change.

But the people in the room should affect the interpretation. The personalities, the timbres, the numbers – so many factors should change what musical decisions get made.

I believe that interpretive evolution should be done in public, and with the knowledge and input from students, as often as possible. They can have a say – they can have a musical opinion! And displaying that openness is modeling a way of working with the music that, to me, is admirable.