How to navigate a disagreement with your teacher on interpretation?

[mishamalchik]

So what's the most respectful way to tell a teacher who has 40 plus years of experience on you, who is very accomplished and who happens to be a bit of a Bach specialist that you disagree with their interpretation of Bach? When I say it like this it seems like even more of a bad idea, yet I don't see this particular prelude and fugue in the same way and can't see myself playing it as instructed. His interpretation is just that, it's his, and it doesn't fit the narrative and meaning I've structured around the piece. Does anyone have any advice or experience with this? As a beginning piano student in college, I want to be very careful not to seem rude or dismissive of his approach, but at the same time I feel very strongly about this and all value I place in our student-teacher relationship aside, he will be writing my grade! 

[keypeg]

Why would you want to?

[birba]

I myself, enjoy discussions like this with students.  Isn't that what teaching and learning are all about?!

[hardy_practice]

it doesn't fit the narrative and meaning I've structured around the piece.

'narrative and meaning' in Bach??  Sounds bonkers to me.

[zolaxi]

Agree to disagree and move on to something else. Beethoven, Chopin, Schubert, Debussy etc....

But, be prepared that you might, just might be wrong, or at least that your ideas may change in the future. Sure, your ideas are in some sort of opposition at the moment, but try to understand things from your teacher's point of view. Why are he/she adopting the position that they are? Try to get to the bottom of his/her thinking. What precedents are there for his/her interpretation? Are there any pianists, by way of example, who come close to his/her performance ideas? Gould, Richter, Schiff etc?

Don't close off your mind to their ideas. I am not saying they are right and you are wrong, but always keep your mind open to the possibility that there is something valuable to learn from a teacher you describe as a Bach specialist with 40 years experience.

I am also curious about your "narrative and meaning" ideas, and curious about the actual differences regarding interpretation you are having with your teacher. Are you able to provide details?

[mishamalchik]

'narrative and meaning' in Bach??  Sounds bonkers to me.

It sounds "bonkers" to me to play anything beyond exercises without meaning and narrative! What is the purpose of playing if not to share something beyond the notes that are written on the page? Anyone can do that with enough practice! I find Bach to have plenty of meaning in it, not the kind that I would pedal or add a lot of flair to, but meaning none the less.

Why would you want to?

Because I see things differently and as weird as this sounds it doesn't "resonate" with me to play it as instructed. It's not that I think he's "wrong" which is why I want to approach this carefully, but he sees it differently, which I'll explain below.

I am also curious about your "narrative and meaning" ideas, and curious about the actual differences regarding interpretation you are having with your teacher. Are you able to provide details?

      So the piece in question is the C minor prelude from WTC1. I think of it as a tribulation, a trial not as a matter of tempo but of articulation. C minor is a very striking key in my mind, and this prelude really presents to me as pianistic purgatory of sorts, with its modulations and then the shift into the fugue. My teacher has a more dignified and poised view of it, everything legato and relatively even in dynamic. We agree on most everything else about the piece, and we both agree on the tempo not being so fast that you lose the intricacies of the broken chords.
       I may certainly come around and I have before. We've had many discussions about fingerings and while I usually explore a bit I end up using his 99% of the time. Ironically, he gave me a lot more freedom with fingerings in this piece but due to my inexperience I actually asked him for help with that. I accept that I'm not the pianist today that I will be two weeks from now, so I'm very open to the idea that I might finish the piece and then change everything about its interpretation. Music is quite changeable to me and that's part of what makes it so exciting!

[quantum]

I myself, enjoy discussions like this with students.  Isn't that what teaching and learning are all about?!

Yes! Absolutely 

There is nothing wrong with having multiple interpretations of a piece.  You can follow your teachers suggestions in one reading of the piece, and follow your own ideas in another. 

[hardy_practice]

What is the purpose of playing if not to share something beyond the notes that are written on the page?

Here's Schenker:

 "A composition does not require a performance in order to exist.  Just as an imagined sound appears real in the mind, the reading of a score is sufficient to prove the existence of the composition.  The mechanical realization of the work of art can thus be considered superfluous."

Though I'd agree it doesn't apply to Chopin or Debussy it certainly does of Bach.    'share something beyond the notes' pah!

[mishamalchik]

I've never been able to understand why it's ok to take artistic liberties with Chopin and Debussy but not Bach. Bach actually gives far less instruction than these other composers and he leaves much more to the imagination, especially with tempo markings. It seems disrespectful towards Bach to not give his pieces the same level of thought and engagement that I would give a Chopin Nocturne. Granted, Bach has me thinking far differently than Chopin and some things, such as pedaling are not ideal for Bach, though I suppose if I thought it was necessary, which I don't, then I would pedal it.

A composition exists with or without the musician, however, music can only exist in tandem with the musician. Even if you are reading it in your head, your mind becomes the instrument as it creates the imagined sound.

Why is the logic applied only to Bach? I don't understand. We seem to come from very different ways of thinking and I'm curious about this.

[brogers70]

So what's the most respectful way to tell a teacher who has 40 plus years of experience on you, who is very accomplished and who happens to be a bit of a Bach specialist that you disagree with their interpretation of Bach? When I say it like this it seems like even more of a bad idea, yet I don't see this particular prelude and fugue in the same way and can't see myself playing it as instructed. His interpretation is just that, it's his, and it doesn't fit the narrative and meaning I've structured around the piece. Does anyone have any advice or experience with this? As a beginning piano student in college, I want to be very careful not to seem rude or dismissive of his approach, but at the same time I feel very strongly about this and all value I place in our student-teacher relationship aside, he will be writing my grade! 

I've had several such disagreements with my teacher, particularly about Bach. Usually she just says, "Well, go ahead, learn it the way you want to play it, and then convince me." Sometimes I actually do convince her that my approach is OK. Once she decided my interpretation was actually better than hers. Often enough, after working hard on a piece trying to make clear the difference between her view and mine, I've come around to her point of view. There shouldn't be any hard feelings in any case.

[dcstudio]

So what's the most respectful way to tell a teacher who has 40 plus years of experience on you, who is very accomplished and who happens to be a bit of a Bach specialist that you disagree with their interpretation of Bach? When I say it like this it seems like even more of a bad idea, yet I don't see this particular prelude and fugue in the same way and can't see myself playing it as instructed. His interpretation is just that, it's his, and it doesn't fit the narrative and meaning I've structured around the piece. Does anyone have any advice or experience with this? As a beginning piano student in college, I want to be very careful not to seem rude or dismissive of his approach, but at the same time I feel very strongly about this and all value I place in our student-teacher relationship aside, he will be writing my grade!  

In college, for a grade...you do it their way...play it your way on your time.  Structuring meaning and narrative...what exactly do you mean by that and as a beginner how can you be sure your ideas fit the prelude and fugue at all?  He is trying to teach you and you want to tell him you know more than he does about how to interpret Bach.  Study counterpoint and Baroque performance practices...Bach had a very firm idea of how this should sound. He also didn't write it for the piano which is why their aren't any dynamic markings.. that doesn't mean you get free reign to  structure your own meaning with Bach's blessing.  You have much to learn yet.   Work with your instructor not against him...if you want a decent grade.

Please describe this narrative and meaning that you speak of and maybe I will understand.  That statement is far too vague to be used as evidence that you have any ideas at all.  What exactly do you want to do with this P&F that you consider artistic liberty?  Also, how can you take liberties without first understanding the piece as it is intended to sound
Would you write variations on a theme you did not know ?

Forgive me if I sound grumpy...I don't mean to.  What you want to do now...what your feelings tell you to play is not bad.  Your instructor is just trying to show you what Bach intended. He is not trying to hold back your artistry.  


Students say "he's been dead for so long that there is no way anyone could know what Bach wanted so who's to say that my interpretation isn't better then my teacher's?"

Believe it or not...we do know. It's not a guessing game.

[keypeg]

Some answers dug out from the middle; (first answer was to me)

Because I see things differently and as weird as this sounds it doesn't "resonate" with me to play it as instructed. It's not that I think he's "wrong" which is why I want to approach this carefully, but he sees it differently, which I'll explain below.

      So the piece in question is the C minor prelude from WTC1. I think of it as a tribulation, a trial not as a matter of tempo but of articulation. C minor is a very striking key in my mind, and this prelude really presents to me as pianistic purgatory of sorts, with its modulations and then the shift into the fugue. My teacher has a more dignified and poised view of it, everything legato and relatively even in dynamic. We agree on most everything else about the piece, and we both agree on the tempo not being so fast that you lose the intricacies of the broken chords.   

I looked up the piece in question in order to have a point of reference and have pulled out this performance:

Gould

and this

The last one is quite controversial in the comments, and maybe goes toward your ideas of freedom of interpretation.  But each also has mastery of his instrument.  In general what I am learning is that before venturing out, one has to have control in a more basic way.  There are times with music (not Baroque for the moment) where my rubato ends up having poor underlying pulse, which I also can't hear.  And so I have to dial back to a technical level that I can hold on to.
I'm a bit troubled that your interpretation uses emotional words which don't translate into much musically i.e. practically.  "tribulation, a trial not as a matter of tempo but of articulation...  pianistic purgatory"  - do you have the knowledge and skill at this point to translate that into actual playing that makes sense musically and is still in control?  What is a trial expressed by articulation?  legato, staccato, and similar, while still managing to accent significant notes?  Or something else?  I'm imagining this needing a high level of technical mastery.  And also not done only via feeling.  Which brings me back to square one.  At present I'm not picturing it.
Are you able to play and record a couple of lines of your vision - I'm wondering if that might bring it across.

[mishamalchik]

DCstudio     I don't even begin to think that I know better then my teacher but as I'm thinking differently, I want to understand the merits of each way. If his way is better, I've learned nothing by just following for the sake of my grade. I want to learn how to apply this to future readings. I've always been a bit obtuse in this way, I have to understand the "why" of what I'm doing.


Keypeg: WOW! That last one is quite unusual, can't say I'm a fan but I can't say that I'd go out of my way to make a nasty comment about it either. I'll be recording the prelude and fugue at the end of the term, at which point I'll be sure to update you guys! My teacher wants the entirety of the prelude to be very legato, and I want to separate slightly at the first and fifth notes of each sequence. Not a staccato separation but a slight gap in the sound so that I can emphasize the changes in the chord progression, particularly in the return of the C minor sequences. We generally agree on everything else about the piece.

The piece is certainly a technical challenge but my teacher calls it a more inspired Hanon and I've been doing my Hanon

On a side note, I'm actually not a huge fan of this particular Gould recording, though I do quite like the Ishizaka recording! My plan is somewhat similar, but I think I'd take it just a tad faster. Generally speaking though, she has some fantastic recordings of Bach!

[dcstudio]

We each take our own path to understanding
...fair enough. 

I apologize that I may have been too quick to judge you and and I encourage you to push the boundaries of all that you play.   I mean that very sincerely...experiment to the fullest. Learning both is best.

Do you feel destined to play the piano? When did you first decide this was what you wanted to do this?

[lostinidlewonder]

Your teacher wants a more legato sound connecting all the notes every bar almost sounding as one part I guess, but I much prefer your stance of separation. I also disagree with the idea of keeping everything at the same volume. So instead of arguing on your terms I would ask your teacher to consider what Tovey and Samuel wrote on this prelude:

The initial tempo should be so moderate and the touch and pedaling so light (if any pedaling is admitted until the climax approaches) that the listener can suspect far more harmonic detail than one chord in the bar. This prelude..... gives separate harmonic value to almost every semiquaver in the bar.

On the clavichord this prelude is unintelligible if played with the forte energico conception of it now so much in vogue; and on the piano forte that conception is not only dull and ugly, but cuts away all possibility of making Bach's cadenza (beginning with the passage marked Presto) stand out distinctly.

Like most arpeggio preludes, this piece reaches its climax through a dominant pedal (beginning Bar 21). The first sign of an approaching important event is the downward step of the bass in the middle of bar 18. Here a crescendo is well in place and may be carried on to a big climax.

[mishamalchik]

DCstudio    I don't know that I'd say I feel destined to play piano but if I had no other classes it would be all I did in a day. Before I went to college I was in the foster care system and I never had the opportunity to play or take lessons but I always had a strong affinity for music. I've learned in the past months of lessons that I have semi-perfect pitch? I can identify any note with a discernable timbre but I can't produce notes because to be blunt, I just can't sing lol. I really wish I would have had the opportunity to start when I was younger but there's nothing to be done about it now!
     I decided when I was chosen from my audition to take lessons that I don't want to have any regrets about not really going for it, so as ludicrous as it sounds I plan to audition for conservatory in the coming years. I plan to shoot for the very top schools, to be blunt they're the only ones that offer the financial aid I'll need to go, and if I don't get in then it wasn't meant to be.
     I'm preparing to record the 2 Chopin Etudes my teacher and I have been working on and I plan to share it here, along with some tips about approaching the piano as an adult student. It's a process that leaves you in a constant pendulum between the irrational belief in your ability and crippling self doubt !

Lostinidlewonder: WHEW! That's some very dignified but still harsh criticism! I'll be sure to look more into that! I'm tempted to send my teacher an email with the  third and controversial youtube link from keypeg. An example of just how off the wall Bach interpretations can be that makes mine look mild!

[dcstudio]

OK...I am now rooting for you all the way. 

Some advice from someone who has been to music school. Have your own ideas but be teachable. 
Looking forward to hearing the etudes

[keypeg]

Keypeg: WOW! That last one is quite unusual, can't say I'm a fan but I can't say that I'd go out of my way to make a nasty comment about it either. I'll be recording the prelude and fugue at the end of the term, at which point I'll be sure to update you guys! My teacher wants the entirety of the prelude to be very legato, and I want to separate slightly at the first and fifth notes of each sequence. Not a staccato separation but a slight gap in the sound so that I can emphasize the changes in the chord progression, particularly in the return of the C minor sequences. We generally agree on everything else about the piece.

That description is something real I can put my teeth into.  Thank you.  You seem to have put a fair bit of thought into it.

[outin]

It sounds "bonkers" to me to play anything beyond exercises without meaning and narrative! What is the purpose of playing if not to share something beyond the notes that are written on the page?

I wouldn't take Hardy too seriously, he's half man half troll

Personally I would not use the word narrative, but that's just because it makes me think program music. But I see that's not what you mean.

If everyone would just do what they are told there would be little development and I don't think we need hundreds of similar interpretations of the same music. But how to handle this situation depends on the teacher. Some teachers can appreciate different ideas or even being challenged, others don't. You can test the waters carefully to find out how yours is and act accordingly.

[hardy_practice]

A composition exists with or without the musician, however, music can only exist in tandem with the musician. Even if you are reading it in your head, your mind becomes the instrument as it creates the imagined sound.

Why is the logic applied only to Bach? I don't understand. We seem to come from very different ways of thinking and I'm curious about this.

You misunderstand.  Bach doesn't require a physical plane.  Chopin and Debussy's notes transcend the page - they do.

@outin - troll?? that's not nice.

[themeandvariation]

Although i wouldn't necessarily disagree w/ your idea of where you would put in a slight separation of the line - (being that Bach hardly wrote much in the way of articulation for keyboard - ) but this is akin to deciding where commas and periods should be placed, emphasis, and the logic of the smaller compositional cells. Chopin said (paraphrasing) that if performers changed his phrasing, it'd be like putting all the punctuation marks in the wrong places, thus destroying the meaning.. There have been various ideas put forward to consider when working these questions w/ re: to Bach.. Some have suggested that to understand  Bach's sense of phrasing and articulation, one can look to his violin writing - and See where he Did write in these things, or to his choir music to understand his emphasis/accent and phrasing.. or to look at it compositionally - where one idea ends - and the next begins..
Also, always putting the staccatos (separations) in the same place in each measure - (at least until the recitative) can end up sounding a bit too mechanical, and simplistic.. and the idea of a subtle tweeek here and there can go a long way, especially along with some dynamic shading.
Mostly i am in agreement with the idea put forward here - to try to work with and integrate the ideas of your teacher - as they are there to Add to your own, (not necessarily to replace).

[dcstudio]

Like putting all the punctuation marks in the wrong place...

Exactly!

Maybe the OP doesn't realize just how popular this one is.
That it's been played this way for almost 300 years and he is not the first to try and convince his teacher to let him play it differently.

Would you play this your way if you were auditioning for conservatory?  Or would you take your teachers advice?

[vaniii]

Like putting all the punctuation marks in the wrong place...

Exactly!

Maybe the OP doesn't realize just how popular this one is.
That it's been played this way for almost 300 years and he is not the first to try and convince his teacher to let him play it differently.

Would you play this your way if you were auditioning for conservatory?  Or would you take your teachers advice?

I had a battle with a student who insisted on adding rubato to the last measure of of a phrase.

The problem was, this person had heard a recorded interpretation and was attempting to imitate it.  This was great, but as with all imitation, it can end up being exaggerated to the point of parody.


The professional recording they had heard was the end result of years of study (of the music, performing and contextual history).  What sounded subtle in the recording they showed me, sounded over stated in this students performance.  They fought me to the end.

In a performance, they managed to get almost every note wrong, with multiple pauses that broke cohesion, however ... they did manage to add the rubato as they wanted to.

The lesson they learned from this was not to focus on a minor detail over the substance needed for a performance.

[timothy42b]

Some advice from someone who has been to music school. Have your own ideas but be teachable. 

Yes.  They (and I mean the larger way) can respect differences of opinion within some boundaries, but getting a reputation for being difficult to teach is deadly. 

This isn't always easy - in the heat of battle you can lose control of your responses.  Gain that control, decide when to give in and when not.  At your stage, not should be rare if ever.  But ALWAYS make that not a decision and not a reaction. 

Out in the real world, being difficult simply means you don't get hired, or don't get called back.

[outin]

You misunderstand.  Bach doesn't require a physical plane.  Chopin and Debussy's notes transcend the page - they do.

@outin - troll?? that's not nice.

I'm not in the business of being nice

[hardy_practice]

I'm not in the business of being nice

You want to watch that.  You're liable to get a reputation for being difficult!

[visitor]

Just learn it perfectly both ways. The play it the teacher's way for evaluation and move on.  Play it your way on your own for you. I fail to see the issue, just do them both and be done with it.

[dcstudio]

Just learn it perfectly both ways. The play it the teacher's way for evaluation and move on.  Play it your way on your own for you. I fail to see the issue, just do them both and be done with it.

I agree.. where is the issue here?



OP

. it's okay to play it your way, post it your way and even go into a million dollar studio to record it your way. but you are trying to force it on your teacher in the hopes that he will tell you that it is acceptable and can be called "artistic liberty". That's the only place it's not OK.  Your motivation seems more geared to being heard, or validated instead of learning from this very experienced and educated professional   Let him teach you his way instead of trying to teach him yours.  That's why you take lessons from him.

[outin]

You want to watch that.  You're liable to get a reputation for being difficult!

I already have that sort of reputation, but never found that to be a problem. I guess I cannot help some of my natural charm to leak out and make people want my company...

[mishamalchik]

Just dropped off the face of the earth for a few days for midterms..... but generally speaking were I to audition with this piece I would play it however I thought it should be played. While I will hopefully have grown in the coming years, I see no point in modifying my playing in an audition because if I have to do that to get in, I'll have to struggle with it for the entirety of my time at that school. If a school would reject me for not playing within a specific paradigm for a piece then one of two things is happening. Either the school is not a good fit for me or I'm not at a level to pursue music in such a way, and in either case, it's probably for the best that I don't go to that school.

    I think I've developed a reputation for being a weird student to teach, given that I have massive gaps in my abilities. I'm working on opus 10 no 1 and opus 25 no 7 etudes with my teacher and both of these are considered more difficult than the Bach by a long shot but I struggled much more with the prelude and fugue! I can play some very difficult passages but still struggle to play the most basic of polyrhythms if they are isolated outside of a piece. I also have very little understanding of sarcasm (which is actually how I got into the Chopin etudes). My teacher suggested I work on Etudes over break to build technique but didn't actually give me a specific book, and I, too ignorant to understand how difficult the Chopin etudes are, started them. I also assumed that they started from the first one, so I thought it was supposed to be the easiest! A few weeks back I asked my teacher for octave exercises and he said (apparently somewhat facetiously) that I should look at opus 25 no 10, so I just started playing it. Every lesson I think is a bit mysterious because in every one I think we find something that I'm unexpectedly good at, and then an inexplicable weakness pops up just to level things out.

[vaniii]

Just dropped off the face of the earth for a few days for midterms..... but generally speaking were I to audition with this piece I would play it however I thought it should be played. While I will hopefully have grown in the coming years, I see no point in modifying my playing in an audition because if I have to do that to get in, I'll have to struggle with it for the entirety of my time at that school. If a school would reject me for not playing within a specific paradigm for a piece then one of two things is happening. Either the school is not a good fit for me or I'm not at a level to pursue music in such a way, and in either case, it's probably for the best that I don't go to that school.

The music of Bach, and modern practices in keyboard playing are worlds apart.  For one, it was not written for the modern piano; and another, practices have changed in music notation and performing.

It is more than likely that you started your musical journey with the music of some late more recent composer, full of 'emotion' and expression, expressing all over the place.  Likely the music had a title, and some intricate backstory as to why it was name this way.  I know this is speculatory, and most probably not true, however, we cannot forget we live in a post-beethoven, post-brahmes, post-rachmaninoff, post-scheonberg, post-cage, curently-einaudi/yiruma world.

In terms of cannon, your perception of what make a apiece of music by Bach, Bach's, will forever be tainted in the practices of modern keyboard playing, making it by default a world apart from Bach.  That is the true hurdle for playing music from over 300-400 years ago.

It is likely there is nothing wrong with your interpretation of Bach.  It is most likely a very nice rendition, however, when looking at music study at undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate levels, there needs to be at least some authority and maturity.  Angela Hewitt learnt all 48 preludes and fugues from WTC; she then relearned them all because she deemed interpretation was not sufficiently 'authoritative' or 'authentic' for recording.

It comes down to, who are you playing for:

Yourself and pleasant sounds?

The music, and what Bach wants?

[dcstudio]

, I see no point in modifying my playing in an audition because if I have to do that to get in, I'll have to struggle with it for the entirety of my time at that school. If a school would reject me for not playing within a specific paradigm for a piece then one of two things is happening. Either the school is not a good fit for me or I'm not at a level to pursue music in such a way, and in either case, it's probably for the best that I don't go to that school.

  

Then it's best if you don't audition for conservatory.     They are called "conserv"-atory for a reason.. music school is not a place where radical new ideas on how to play standard repertoire are embraced.especially in the piano performance department
As a professional pianist do you think you will not be asked to modify your playing to suit whomever is paying you?

All this artistic integrity is great...bit flexibility and a willingness to listen is far more important to your success

[mishamalchik]

I guess it all depends on how I'm convinced is the best way to play the piece, this I'm sure will change as I grow and become more aware to sound. Generally speaking, I play piano because I find fulfillment in it and in the process of creating sound. I'm flexible to try different ways of looking at the piece and after my most recent lesson, found that my teacher is open to it as well. I think that third recording with the unorthodox pausing in it has my teacher thinking quite fondly of my approach by comparison.
     As far as a career is concerned, I don't know what that really entails for piano. I enjoy working through the different ways to play a piece, but ultimately I tend to settle on something and once settled in my mind and memory, it becomes very difficult for me to go on stage and not revert back, even if I've made a conscious effort to change it. I'm still exploring the career side of things, but ultimately I just want to play piano, as a side note, I'm completing pre-med requirements too so you never know
     P.S anyone who has any advice about career pianists, do tell

[visitor]

[dcstudio]

I guess it all depends on how I'm convinced is the best way to play the piece, this I'm sure will change as I grow and become more aware to sound.

 Generally speaking, I play piano because I find fulfillment in it and in the process of creating sound.

I'm flexible to try different ways of looking at the piece and after my most recent lesson, found that my teacher is open to it as well.

 think that third recording with the unorthodox pausing in it has my teacher thinking quite fondly of my approach by comparison.

     As far as a career is concerned, I don't know what that really entails for piano

. I enjoy working through the different ways to play a piece,:)
     P.S anyone who has any advice about career pianists, do tell

Actually the recording is by far the most appropriate and creative avenue.  It also has the most potential mainstream acceptance.
 

Research and learn the purpose of conservatory
 They are granting you a degree which is a piece of paper that says you learned things their way.  You may add as much self-expression as you wish..after you do it their way.

As a pro part of my job is to play it the way I am getting paid to play it..   when I get home I play it however I want. 

[vaniii]

As a pro part of my job is to play it the way I am getting paid to play it..   when I get home I play it however I want. 

I would also call that musical maturity.

[lostinidlewonder]

I would often say to obey your teacher but this situation described is different. It is a pretty clear cut interpretation which has been written about exhaustively really. Unless the op has mistaken their teachers intentions I really don't think that they should obey the teacher in this case and the interpretation is not so wild that it would cause an upheaval! Personally I would run away from a music school that would chastise you over this little interpretation issue or get another teacher!

[dcstudio]

I would often say to obey your teacher but this situation described is different. It is a pretty clear cut interpretation which has been written about exhaustively really. Unless the op has mistaken their teachers intentions I really don't think that they should obey the teacher in this case and the interpretation is not so wild that it would cause an upheaval! Personally I would run away from a music school that would chastise you over this little interpretation issue or get another teacher!

I would like to hear the interpretation as performed by the OP before making that call.  An interpretation is not set it stone...or it shouldn't be.  It's not like learning to perform it the standard way is going to stifle his creativity or prevent him from thinking "differently"

As to the degree to which a conservatory would chastise a student for this sort of interpretation.. I don't think it would cause him to fail his senior recital...then again...I doubt he would be playing this particular prelude at that stage of the game.

[lostinidlewonder]

Yes would be handy to hear two recordings the ops idea and teachers. Just some words misham used to describe what their teacher wanted with this piece had a real bad reaction with me.