The Performer as Analyst

This paper presents five recordings of the fourth movement of Chopin’s Piano Sonata in B-flat minor Op. 35. Rather than looking at the performer as an instrument of the analyst, the author demonstrates the way in which the performer’s interpretive choices are themselves analytical. Expanding on work by Joel Lester, the author challenges theorists to consider how performers can both provide answers to our questions but can also, by challenging conventional interpretations, introduce new modes of analytic inquiry.