Ignaz Friedman (above) gave some valuable advice to Australian pianist Mack JOst:

"The way you create it is to hear the sound in the heavens, then try to reproduce it in your arm. The only way is to free them [the arms], and I can always remember him saying 'draw out the sound on the last one... think of drawing out the tone.' Not hitting the key. You're really thinking of hauling it out."

Indian dance

Just returned to Taipei after a 9 day trip to southern India. We watched a lot of Indian classical dance at the Mamallapuram dance festival.

The complexity of the dance steps, the arm and hand motions, the facial expressions, were impressive. But most of all, the very good dancers unify it all and convey a sincerity of expression that is very moving.
In piano performances these days, while the fingers, arms and pedalling are energetic and have a surface appearance of being difficult, nevertheless a sense of meaningful, sincere, expressive effect is often quite absent.
Why does Rachmaninoff write in octaves? He is expressing warm-heartedness and passionate sincerity. It is no good just playing octaves to be loud or to show off skill if there is no warmth.
There needs to be a connection between the outward expression of a thing, and the inner essence which is being expressed.
Piano recitals these days are like a digital image of the fruit peel, without any taste of juice, pulp or seed.