Playing Chamber Music without the Score?

[hannaconner]

Hello again,

So... I used to perform all chamber music without the score on the music stand. This performance of the Brahms first piano trio marks the occasion that all stopped. The truth is, I still memorize all the chamber music I play, along with all of the parts of the rest of the ensemble.

A Mannes professor came up to me after this performance and lectured me about how arrogant and wrong it is to not have the score up there along with the rest of the ensemble. Funny enough, I remember an Oberlin professor (and Cleveland orchestra member) coming up to me after playing the Mendelssohn 2nd piano trio and praising me for not using music. I guess people are divided on this topic.

Bernstein, Toscanini, Karajan, and others famously conducted without the score. I just fail to see how this is all that different from performing a concerto without the score up there with you. Clearly it offended this particular piano professor, after all, I was doing something unorthodox - But I certainly do not consider this practice as egotistical. For me, it's about respecting this great music in exactly the same way one does their own solo music. Of COURSE I should know every line in the music, not just the piano part - that's my stance. I can't imagine it any other way.

[lostinidlewonder]

"Hello again" with first post?

If you're rehearsing then I'd think sheet music is a must to communicate with one another, unless you've got photographic memory can can see the entire score and bar numbers in your head! For performance I don't think it matters anyone who says you should do this or that is being dumb.