Jonathan Biss: My mission to spread the word about Beethoven What eventually came forth is a fascinating and closely argued disquisition on playing Beethoven, from four angles. Firstly, it's to do with my own engagement with Beethoven, what he means to me, how my view of his music has changed over time. Then there's the relationship with the live audience and how I try to communicate what's on the page. The third element is the strange relationship with the microphone in the recording studio. I've been thinking about it a lot as I've just started a project to record all the Beethoven sonatas. Finally, there's my relationship with the amazing legacy of Beethoven on disc. That deep, many-sided immersion in Beethoven started early. Both of Biss's parents are distinguished violinists who teach at the renowned school of music at the University of Indiana. "Music was the spoken language in our household," says Biss. From the beginning I was aware of Beethoven as this giant who tussled and wrestled with musical ideas. By the age of 10 he'd already learned one of the Beethoven sonatas that features on his new CD. Given the fabulously rich performing tradition around these 32 sonatas, isn't it difficult to find something new to say about them? Biss feels that's the wrong question. I don't think it's the job of the interpreter to look for something new. These pieces are so vast and many-sided, they'll always show something new to each generation, and, if you have the personality of a performer, something personal will inevitably come out. If you say to yourself, 'I want to say something that hasn't been said before," you're observing yourself observing the music, which isn't honest. An intensity of sincerity is the most important quality a performer can bring to this music. After more than 20 years" immersion in Beethoven's sonatas, their sheer variety still astonishes Biss. The interesting thing about preparing the Beethoven sonatas is how little working on one sonata helps with the next, because it's always so totally different. That's why I don't really buy this idea of Beethoven's music being divided into three or four periods. You can find that spiritual quality of late Beethoven right from Opus 1. Biss is a remarkably articulate musician, but when I ask what that elusive "spiritual" quality consists in, words fail him. Oh Lord, if I knew the answer to that I wouldn't need to play the music! You find it above all in the slow movements, where he has this amazing ability to suspend time for pages and pages. There's something completely mysterious and alchemical in those passages that completely eludes me. So much for Biss's relationship with Beethoven's music. What about the reader? My model for the reader was someone who knew they loved music in general, but certainly not someone who would know how Beethoven's sonata Opus 109 goes. I didn't want to preach to the converted. I wanted to see if I could make a lightbulb come on in someone's head, so they think ,'Ah, I really want to hear that piece. If someone has that response, I'll be very very happy.