Pianists and the Music of Their Time

Facing the Unknown

Zélia Chueke, Stephen Thomson Moore

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Hardback

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English

Rowman & Littlefield
11 December 2025

Keyboard instruments

How to approach or build a sound image from a completely unknown material? What decisions must the interpreter make to bring this image to life? In an attempt to answer these questions, Pianists and the Music of their Time: Facing the Unknown is based on a series of interviews with renowned pianists (Claude Helffer, Roy Howat, Ursula Oppens, Ian Pace, Anne Piret) responsible for the creation of works by Elliott Carter, Claude Debussy, André Riotte and Iannis Xenakis. The pianists' discourse is illustrated by musical examples, linking the visible, that’s to say, the score as a starting point and reference point, and the invisible, meaning the music transmitted by the composers to the performers. The individuality of their choices, and certain similarities, emerge: the combination of several analytical methods based on an unconventional approach; the implicit presence of gesture, crucial for the elaboration of the musical discourse in concert; the open-mindedness; the desire to discover the music composed around them; the availability to present it to the public. As these characteristics have been observed throughout history, a perspective is offered on the beginning of the 20th century, with the press of the time reflecting the important changes in musical language, but also in the criteria of listening and taste: by comparing the reactions and practices of the 20th and 21st centuries facing the unknown, the author guides the reader into the heart of a vast, unexplored universe of sound.

By: Zélia Chueke
Translated by: Stephen Thomson Moore
Imprint: Rowman & Littlefield
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9781666958096
ISBN 10: 1666958093
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 11 December 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Zélia Chueke is a pianist, associate researcher at IReMus (Institut de recherche en musicologie), permanent researcher at the Observatoire Musical Français, Sorbonne University (2002-2013), and founder and head of the Groupe de recherche Musiques Brésiliennes as well as the International Exchanges on Music Theory and Performance project.

Reviews for Pianists and the Music of Their Time: Facing the Unknown

""With vast erudition, Zélia Chueke presents a vivid account of 20th century pianists' involvements with new music. An indispensable book to understand the relations between composers and performers of the last century."" * Marc Battier, Emeritus Professor, Sorbonne University *