Title: Virtuosity and Ethics
Abstract:
A traditional (19th/20th century) concept of virtuosity has often underpinned the approach to the piano in the work of Simon Mawhinney. This talk articulates his recent interrogation of virtuosity from the perspective of ethics. This has led to the creation of some works that eschew difficulty, flamboyance and display. However, this reconsideration of virtuosity has coincided with some wider observations about musical culture, leading in turn to some unexpected conclusions...
Biography:
Simon Mawhinney is Professor of Composition and Head of Music at Queen's University Belfast. He has written works both large and small for all sorts of resources. They have been performed, recorded and broadcast all over the world. His most recent album is Transitional Objects, a single movement work that lasts 105 minutes. His hobbies include movement, talking and laughing.