There’s a signifigant amount of stigma among classical musicians when it comes to improvisation. But it wasn’t always this way. The Italian conservatories certainly taught improvisation in the fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth centuries (Episode 73). The composers from most schools of music learned to improvise. So its mainly performers who don’t take improv seriously. When a concerto soloist plays a cadenza he’s imitating the act of improvisation. So what’s holding us back from using improvisation in our concerts? Gabriella Montero is a classically trained pianist who improvises on her concerts. Brinton Smith is a cellist who constructs interesting cadenzas for his performances. These are two ways musicians can make classical music more engaging.
More in the show notes at https://accelerandocast.com/show_notes/