PATRICK DAILLY ON HOW TO PLAY OUR MORTAL WORLD

I suggest that you ‘get away from the copy’ at the earliest opportunity, in exactly the same way that a stage director expects and demands that actors inhabit the characters that they represent. Many players find playing by memory alone very challenging, and so where this isn’t possible, perhaps regarding the dots as an aide-memoire is a half-way step. But however it’s achieved, a good performance should seem to originate from within the player: they should make it their own piece, and should tell the story of the piece as if they are the author of it.

Technically, you should strive to achieve a uniform, legato surface to the piece, and allow the music to evolve unhurriedly. Around the cadence points, like a great comedian, you should make your audience wait for the resolution.