Music speaks feelings

I’m interested in what music gives us rather than some idea of genre. But a lot of music within the classical solo piano tradition deeply fascinates me. If I allow myself to be free from any sense of the elitism or pretentious mannerism that can sometimes be associated with the genre — I can find a particular kind of rich intensity: a glimpse into the heart of pure light, or into the darkest abyss. And as it unfolds within its flexible, unfettered groove, I enjoy delivering the musical story with straightforward honesty, in a way that is easy to follow, and that is full of awe and wonder. I love how it can become a deep inward exploration, like a mystical or psychedelic experience.

Access to a magical realm

One of my friends calls me “the music pusher" — because I’m so fascinated by the music’s ability to take us through a kind of doorway or over a threshold, into something more vivid, more magical than everyday experience. I marvel at how even the darkest feelings can become sheer beauty, whilst joy can become vast and all-encompassing, with every shade in between glowing and shimmering with meaning.  The way that complexity of feeling can be expressed excites me so much: rather than working out an interpretation that I stick to, I can just allow feelings to layer upon themselves, creating bittersweet multiplicity.

I’m interested in a kind of lucid dreamlike state that is possible. Held by the music’s strong but supple structure, I like to make a spontaneous leap into inner depths, whether improvising — as I love to do — or playing composed pieces. My hope is that the listener might follow the unfolding journey intently, so that the music may bring them profound solace and catharsis. I believe music can unlock things long buried — powerful feelings, whether singular or collective. It helps us become inwardly unfiltered, and perhaps even a little wild.