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22 MOZART
How has your conception of the sonatas evolved over time?
For me, seeking the truth in a score like seeking the truth in the content of a book.
The harder you work at it, the nearer you get to it. And that changes your view of
things, your understanding of the composer and his output. It’s not about coming
to hard and fast conclusions on the question of interpretation. This music always
remains open, always living matter. It’s interesting to listen to most of the great
pianists at various stages in their career. They are capable of playing the same work
in a completely different way at different ages.
For my part, I don’t approach the repertory in the same way today. My viewpoint
on the works has changed because my viewpoint on life has changed. I’m not the
same man. My attitude to existence, the way I breathe, the way I walk, have been
transformed. So it’s inevitable that I no longer play theway I didwhen I was twenty.
After all, I’ll soon be ninety-three, which isn’t something to be taken lightly!
‘As I get older, I take more risks’