Metaphor and the Erotics of Interpretation

This doctoral research project explores the role of metaphor in interpreting 19th-century piano music, focusing on how metaphors transform musical perception and performance. Grounded in artistic practice, the project seeks to interweave experimental performance methodologies with theoretical perspectives drawn from semiology and psychoanalysis, particularly the works of Roland Barthes, Julia Kristeva, and Paulo de Assis.

The project is structured around three case studies: (1) “A Thousand Hammerklavier Sonatas”, involving daily reinterpretations of Beethoven’s Hammerklavier Sonata with varied metaphoric approaches; (2) “Transfigured”, an exploration of Romantic piano transcription as a medium for analogy; and (3) an application of Konstantin Stanislavski's "Magical If" technique to musical performance. These studies investigate the interplay between physical embodiment, imaginative processes, and symbolic interpretation in performance. Through an iterative process of artistic experimentation and introspection, the research seeks to challenge conventional interpretative norms and develop new frameworks for understanding the dynamic relationship between the intellectual and corporeal dimensions of musical performance.