If Every Note or Word's Important, None Are

       Today I saw on TV a video documentary on pianist, conductor, teacher...true musician...Murray Perahia.  It closes with some words from Perahia that strike me as not only about music, but other arts and professions, perhaps the conduct of our lives:

       "We live in a culture where foreground is more important than, let's say, middleground or background.  Everything is on the surface.  But there has to be a hierarchy in the end.  One has to know which are the most important notes; otherwise, every note gets played the same or gets thought of the same....And I think that's very destructive.  That either makes very boring playing, or falsely expressive playing, which is I think equally bad....Nothing goes deep."