ABSTRACT
The stage performance is a representation on different levels: as a playing occasion; as a process that evokes a reality; and as an indication of a totality that includes music and what it manifests. It does not matter if they wear a bow tie or jeans at home: the stage is a place of representation, and therefore of idealisation. It is a matter of tactfully treating the visual codes in the same way as the aural conventions. The structure of theatres, concert halls and festival venues imposes a stereotyped line of sight that creates an irreducible distance between the artists and the public. The market's internationalisation represents a new challenge for musicians who cannot rely on the support of social structures. Musician's fragile status is constantly questioned by changing fashions and representative stakes. However, is it not precisely in this ability to shape a real performance from the 'good use' of constraints that the nature of a true artist resides?.
