<p>It’s not about how hard the music is to play, although that can be impressive for a while. In the long run, it is very much about communication: having something to say and making every phrase convey the intended message regardless of difficulty. Some of those young prodigies have little more to say than, “Watch me do something you can’t” and that is reflected in their repertoire. It takes an artist with a more mature understanding of the world and a fuller experience of human emotions to put subtle, nuanced meaning into whatever they play or sing, even the simple pieces.</p>
<p>Personally, I think the best compliment a musician can receive is not, “How can you possibly play something that difficult?” rather, “How do you make that look so easy that anyone could do it?”</p>