Masaaki Suzuki on Interpreting Bach | Conversations with Tyler
Masaaki Suzuki talks with Tyler Cowen about interpreting Bach, learning to lead an ensemble, the connection between keyboard playing and conducting, and the slow work of understanding musical text. These notes cover selected music and career passages rather than the entire interview. Religious-history conjectures and audience generalizations are omitted. Suzuki's listening judgments and accounts of older performances remain his interpretations. Full official transcript: https://conversationswithtyler.com/episodes/masaaki-suzuki/ . Topic labels are untimed.
Executive Summary (TL;DR)
Masaaki Suzuki talks with Tyler Cowen about interpreting Bach, learning to lead an ensemble, the connection between keyboard playing and conducting, and the slow work of understanding musical text. These notes cover selected music and career passages rather than the entire interview. Religious-history conjectures and audience generalizations are omitted. Suzuki's listening judgments and accounts of older performances remain his interpretations. Full official transcript: https://conversationswithtyler.com/episodes/masaaki-suzuki/ . Topic labels are untimed.
Key Takeaways
A concert performance leaves space for listeners
Suzuki approaches the St. John's Passion as musicians seeking to do the sound and text well in a concert setting. He says listeners can receive it according to their own situation. His job is not to make every audience member interpret it identically.