"Great music should be able to be ‘heard’ after it’s stopped sounding. Ultimately if we cannot take away an aura from music, however complex the piece or indefinable the emanation, I don’t think the music is really worth anything." #QotD

"For me, great music should be able to be ‘heard’ after it’s stopped sounding. The vibrations that were created in the air of the concert hall or on the recording must be ‘cherishable’. When we listen to music we want some element of the piece to become a part of us. It is like reading a book. If we close the pages and nothing at all remains of what we’ve been reading, it is not unreasonable to suggest that we’ve been wasting our time. Ultimately if we cannot take away an aura from music, however complex the piece or indefinable the emanation, I don’t think the music is really worth anything."

~ pianist Stephen Hough from his new book Rough Ideas: Reflections on Music and More, quoted in the article 'Everything you always wanted to know about classical music but were afraid to ask'
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