"The great masters stimulate and refresh the awareness of the spirit. As everyone knows, there are no depths of unhappiness, tragedy, frustration, anger, and despair, that haven't touched Mozart, for instance, to the very core of his being; nor was there any nuance, any form of delight that passed him by. An inspired musician will wed his life to the essence of the 
piece, demonstrating the glow, the swiftly changing visions through the symbols that were Mozart's language. Some of our young pianists don't seem to let all this shine through the notes of the score. The emphasis by young performers seems to be on playing every note in its proper place, but without making a personal statement, showing no passionate involvement and taking no risks. It all sounds the same: slow, fast, soft, loud. But I want to hear concepts, not just notes. The emotional content of what is played must be in head and heart, not just in the fingers or on the sleeve."
"It was Goethe who said that we go through periods of history which are stamped either by spirit or the signs of technical progress. But the times that will be remembered are the epochs of spiritual enlightenment, lifting man Godward - not the technical achievements, even if they should be beneficial and spectacular. It would do our youngsters good to have these thoughts instilled in them."
Lili Kraus
Born in Budapest, Hungary, 1903-1986, Concert Pianist, student of Artur Schnabel, Zoltan Kodaly, Bela Bartok and Edward Steuremann Artist-in-Residence, Texas Christian University, 1967-1983
