Performance Exploring the Role of Pianists’ Emotional Engagement with Music in a Solo Performance

Abstract

This article aims to explore the extent to which performers emotionally engage with music during a solo recital, from the performer’s perspective. The research project was a qualitative study, using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). The research participants consisted of eight concert pianists (four students and four professionals), each of whom performed solo recitals lasting 60-70 minutes. The pianists were interviewed by means of semistructured, in-depth interviews immediately after their performances. The interview data was collated from the semi-final round of the 2011 National University of South Africa (UNISA) piano competition (student pianists), and professional performances in South African concert halls in 2011/2012 (professional pianists). The results suggest that performers experience two categories of emotions during performance: musical emotions relating to the emotional content of the music, and performance-related emotions relating to performance circumstances. Performers maintain strict control of both categories of emotions in optimal performance. Performers represent perceived musical emotions during performance. The research suggests that performers’ engagement with musical emotions (perceived and induced) during performance is incidental and does not play a significant role either in the successful representation of musical emotions, or the performers’ experiences during performance.