A Great Sound Can Make Us Listen

For several days I have been reliving my profound emotion on hearing Horszowski play a recital at the Metropolitan Museum over 50 years ago.

It is curious that at the time I had no conscious idea of what was "good" playing.  Did he play well?  Don't ask me.  Was his Bach good?  His Beethoven?  Ask someone else.

All I knew for sure was that my life had changed.  Sound so compelling that I would not stop working on it until I figured it out.  How did he do it!

I can't tell, of course, whether or not my playing in any way resembles his: I refuse to judge by recordings for all kinds of reasons.  But I do know that people express to me reactions very similar to those I felt on listening to him so long ago.