Piano Forte News: Many amateurs get terribly nervous about playing in public. What would you suggest to them to overcome their fear?
Gloria Cheng: One needs to keep things in perspective: a recital is not a life or death situation! Try to keep in mind that the audience is there because they like you and they've come out to share in a wonderful musical experience; so the nice thing to do is to just give them a good time. The other thing to keep in mind is that you are not important, the music is what is important. When I can forget myself and inhabit the piece and just become one with it, then my own problems, hang-ups and ego disappear, which is as it should be.
I think the musician
is important, but what Cheng is saying is that the goal's not to show off.
