Simple Question

[alistaircrane4]

As a pianist what is it that you find most challenging about a performance of a piece,
1. The individual technique required for the piece
2. The refinement of the piece such as the pedaling and dynamic
3. The interpretation
 As a pianist and I composer I try to be as faithful to the score as possible so interpretation is not something I much work on. I just follow the composers instruction. I would say pedaling is hardest for me honestly. How about you others?

[josh93248]

In my experience they can all be easy or hard, it depends on the piece, I couldn't even say if there was one area that was more often difficult either.

I suppose the biggest problem with your question (Though it is a fair question to be sure) is that I find that all these things are inextricably linked. Generally I am working with all 3 of these things in mind to some extent, even though my focus shifts as work continues. Even in performance I am thinking of all these 3 elements all the time.

I must admit though that I take the opposite view to you in regards to interpretation. I believe performances should be creative and be full of ideas. It is a very weird and backward notion that classical music has about "faithfulness" to composers. Composers were often not even faithful to themselves given the chance! Messing with other peoples ideas has always been a part of music and is part of keeping musical society healthy. Furthermore, many great recordings and performers follow the score, what is the point of being an artist but only recreating what has already been done when all these things already exist? Variety is better. Creativity is better.

[blackpianistjp]

Refinement

[piulento]

Definitely refinement. It takes a lot more focus and thought to really make the piece 100% than to just "get it" technically (which is mostly practice) or deciding on an intepretation (which mostly comes on its own). One of the worst things about my playing is that I sometimes quit when a piece is just 90% because it's hard for me to deal with the refinement part.

[klavieronin]

Refinement for me too, especially when it comes to phrasing and dynamics.

[distantfieldrelative]

The pedal will someday be the death of me.

[pjjslp]

Refinement for sure! Sometimes I can hear in my head exactly how I want something to sound but figuring out how to achieve that sound is the real challenge.

[alistaircrane4]

I'm very grateful for all the responses and I am personally relieved to find that many others have the same difficulties as myself. I've recently been spending a lot of time away from my piano and playing in general simply to improve my compositional ability. I think when I return, I will play better knowing my issues are shared.

[rmbarbosa]

Technic, interpretation and refinement are all linked each other, I think.
One must have an idea about what the composer wished to "say" when he/she composed that musical piece. But also about we feel. Without our own feeling, we risk to be very "mechanical" or "artificial". In the other hand, sometimes most of the indications about tempi and dynamics does not come from the composer but the editors. For example, in the Chopin etude "tristesse", the tempo wanted by Chopin is a little faster than the tempi indicated in many editions...
And the tempo choosed by many performers, when performing the Etude nr 1, is faster than the tempo wished by Chopin...
When each one of us plays one musical piece each one of us is "making" Art. That`s why the same piece is so different played by different performs. For example, you may wish to compare Valentina Igoshina playing the "Raindrop" with Marta Argerich... the same music but so different...
Best wishes
Rui

[lostinidlewonder]

Personally I think the choice of repertoire to perform is the most difficult task.