The question that should be posed at this time is the following: Does every artist have an audience? It is not so long since the era of totalitarian regimes, when many composers had almost no access or nearly no access to an audience. But ideally, every composition should have a chance to be presented to a wider public. At that moment, the composition is entirely dependent on its interpretation, which determines to what extent the audience will accept the unknown work. (...) The task of the interpreter is to lead the listener through an unknown musical landscape and convince her of the absolute necessity of the existence of this landscape. This occurs, however, only in the concert performance, and demands from the interpreter an extremely high degree of preparation, and from the listener the requisite measure of tolerance and openness. The interpreter’s encounter with a work in the framework of a concert performance leads to an even deeper understanding of the composition. The performer does not need verbal comments in order to perceive and react to the audience’s response. Thus, the artist becomes acquainted with the work from a completely different perspective—that of the audience. Through the repeated interaction between interpreter and audience, the work comes alive and becomes part of the stage and the musical experience. (shrink)