My teacher said that I couldn't understanding Mozart works...

[wilsonl]

Sorry for not active on pianostreet for a while. I have 3 homework from my piano teacher to be done. haha..
Now I'm currently learning Mozart sonata no.8 in A minor (half-way done at mov 1, sight reading work at mov 2)
I can play it perfectly although still reading notes, but... my teacher said that "Oh no, you really have no interpretation on this sonata, are you don't like Mozart?". Of course I was shocked for a little bit, and when I ask why, my teacher replied, "this is classic, not romantic". I'm still confused and don't know how to play this sonata at interpretation.

If I can ask, what's actually the background of this sonata and how it should be played? And what's the 'story' which is told from this sonata?

Uhm okay that I'm really like song and style from Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky Korsakov, Debussy, etc. So.. that's why I can't really understand the interpretation of Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Haydn works?

[pianoman53]

When I don't understand something, it's usually because I haven't listened enough on the composer. So take couple of hours every week, listening to all music you can find. Not only the piece you play yourself, but other sonatas, and also other genres; symphonies, chamber music. In my opinion, you can't read yourself to understanding.. at least not in that way. And listen to different eras. You can't imagine how different it sounded 100 years ago, compared to now.

So go insane on Spotify and youtube, and you'll learn!

[hmpiano]

There's no story.  It's about musical ideas.  If you mean K310 look at how he explores the ideas after the repeat in the 1st mov - that section of sonata form is called the development.

[counterpoint]

Sometimes teachers have a strange obsession how the music of a special composer should be played.
This is especially true with Mozart

So, if you understand Mozart different from your teacher, that doesn't prove, HE is right and YOU are wrong  

[landru]

I find with Mozart that you really have to obey every phrase mark, staccato, slur, dynamic change, etc. very literally and not "romantically". Mozart's "music" is shaped by the musical markings much more than the bare notes, more so than almost any other composer in my opinion.

I once read the score of K310 while listening to a recording (Claudio Arrau). Damn if that guy was following *everything* in the score to a T. I know, I know...this is what you are supposed to do, but I was gobsmacked that the music I thought was the artist's interpretation of genius, was in the score.

[keypeg]

If your teacher thinks you don't understand how Mozart works, then your teacher should teach you how it works.  That is what teaching is about.  Would it make sense for a grade 1 teacher to tell her students "You don't know how to add numbers." when the teacher is supposed to teach this to the students?

Addendum: I meant this in a general way about music, periods, composers and such.  But also specifically - before you practice a piece of music, to be given an idea about it by your teacher.  It doesn't make sense to me that a student comes back playing a piece in a certain style, and the teacher says "You don't understand how to do this." if it is part of the teacher's work to give this understanding.