1) The 20th century split of composer and performer into two unique roles is a catastrophe. Whether György Kurtág’s piano-playing is more informed by his experience of writing music (and the “from the inside out” comprehension that comes with it) or his music is more informed by his (obviously loving, tactile) relationship with the piano, I cannot say: both effects are profound. Listening to him play Bach, I felt none of the usual distance between the music itself, and the performance (and performer) of it. It was two titanic musical personalities, effortlessly fused.

2) People often speak of concerts being religious experiences; it seems to me that this is a reference to the transformative power of music, the word “religious” a stand-in for “spiritual.” But to (nonbeliever) me, one of the most appealing aspects of religion, in its purest form, is the mindfulness - the sense of purpose - it aims to inspire in its practitioners: the sense that every act must have an intent, an awareness. While spirituality is hardly in short supply with them, it was in this sense that the Kurtágs’ concert tonight struck me as religious. To me, anyway, it acted both as an inspiration, and as a reproach, for having, on occasion, played a phrase with less than total commitment - without a sense of purpose.

3) Making art is, at its core, about giving love.