Now Playing: The Best Is Noise - Why Is It So Hard to Play Mozart? (feat. pianist Orli Shaham) (8/26/24)

The pianist Artur Schnabel, known more for his musical sensitivity than his virtuosity, once said that Mozart’s piano sonatas are “too easy for children, and too difficult for artists.” He explained in a memoir: “Children are given Mozart because of the small *quantity* of the notes; grown-ups avoid Mozart because of the great quality of the notes.”

It’s true. When you look at a score of a Mozart piano sonata, it beckons you to play it. It’s irresistible. You can hear it in your head, so it seems simple to play it. But his writing is bear, immediate, exposed. His silences are loud. Even Bach, whose counterpoint can sometimes distract from the imperfections of a player’s phrasing through its thickness, does not leave a pianist so vulnerable. Playing a Mozart sonata is like juggling two balls; it’s not the most difficult thing ever, but if you drop one ball, you’re not juggling anymore - you’re just tossing a ball between your hands.

But what exactly is this “quality of notes”? What is the secret ingredient to a great performance of a Mozart piano sonata? And why don’t more pianists play them? On this episode, we ask pianist Orli Shaham.

Shaham teaches at Juilliard, has served on the jury of the Cliburn Competition, is a co-host of "From the Top" on NPR, collaborates with @tonebasepiano, and is a Steinway Artist. In January, she released the final volume of her recordings of the complete Mozart piano sonatas. Few people in New York who have spent so much time with this music.

Together, we set out to redeem the legacy of these misunderstood masterpieces, which Glenn Gould once called "all cut from the same cookie stamp."

Take a listen, Glenn.