MTPM

A Space for Reflection

MTPM Talks does not aim to be a musical court of judgement, nor a collection of verdicts.

It does not seek to establish, once and for all, what is right and what is wrong, who should be considered a great performer, or what the only legitimate way of understanding music might be.

It does not offer formulas for success, secrets for becoming a great pianist, or rankings of musicians and interpretations.

Music and interpretation are far too complex to be reduced to simple, universally applicable solutions.

The aim is more modest, but for me more authentic: to create a space in which we can examine our relationship with music, study, judgement and listening.

Not necessarily in order to reach a definitive answer, but to formulate more precise questions and perhaps become slightly more aware, both as musicians and as listeners.

The opinions expressed in this series arise from my personal and professional experience. They are therefore inevitably partial, open to discussion and open to disagreement.

They do not represent universal laws, nor do they claim to replace study, knowledge of the sources, individual teaching, or the freedom of each musician.

I believe that experience acquires value not when it is presented as authority, but when it is made available to others as an opportunity for dialogue.

Thinking About Music

MTPM Talks will address the piano, technique, sound, interpretation and practice methods, but above all it will reflect on the way we think about music.

Before we even place our hands on the keyboard, there is a text to understand, a language to recognise, a style to know, and a sound world to imagine.

Only then does the work begin of transforming that idea into something the hands can actually realise.

Playing is a concrete activity, made up of notes, rhythms, fingerings, articulations, dynamics, pedalling and technical difficulties. Yet at a certain point, we realise that none of this is enough.

We may play every note correctly and still feel that something is missing.

It is precisely at that point that some of the most interesting questions begin.

How is a sound created?

How is a phrase constructed?

How is a tempo chosen?

When is a difficulty genuinely technical, and when does it arise because we have not yet understood what we want to achieve?

What makes a choice necessary and coherent?

When does originality arise from an authentic musical need, and when does it become merely a desire to stand out?

Why can a technically perfect performance leave us indifferent, while another, perhaps less flawless, manages to communicate something essential?

The Musician’s Profession

The series will not focus solely on what happens at the keyboard.

MTPM Talks will attempt to examine the musician’s profession in its entirety.

Practice, memory, concentration, the preparation of a programme, the relationship with the stage, and the management of mistakes are all part of the same journey.

To these we must add examinations, auditions, competitions, juries, the choice of repertoire, expectations, rejection, comparison with others, and the construction of one’s professional identity.

Becoming a musician does not simply mean learning to play better and better.

It means becoming progressively more aware of what we do, of the reasons that guide our choices, and of the relationship we build with music, year after year.

An Open Project

I chose the video format because it allows for a direct and informal relationship.

MTPM Talks is not conceived as a series of academic lectures or systematic lessons. The episodes are organised reflections, born from experience and addressed to pianists, students, teachers, music lovers, and anyone who believes that music deserves not only to be performed, but also to be questioned.

In the future, the project may also become a meeting place for other musicians, performers and teachers.

The aim will not be to offer generic interviews or repeat the same questions each time, but to bring together different experiences, journeys and ways of living music.

Some episodes will begin with a score.

Others will arise from a lesson, a concert, a competition, a conversation, or a question suggested by those who follow the series.

MTPM Talks was not created, however, to maintain a constant social media presence or to produce content at any cost.

Each episode should exist only when there is a question genuinely worth exploring.

The series will continue for as long as I feel I have sincere subjects to share, while avoiding, as far as possible, repetition, manufactured provocation, and opinions expressed merely to attract attention.

When there is no longer anything truly necessary to say, it will be more honest to stop than to continue out of habit.

Ultimately, MTPM Talks is based on a very simple conviction: experience acquires value when it is not used to close a discussion, but to open one.

I did not create this project because I believe I have all the answers.

I created it because, after many years lived through music, I still have many questions.

Alberto Nosè