Prelude Op. 28 No. 2

During a single long shot, we see two people taking turns playing the piano and listening alternately. The piece is the same on both times - Preludi Op. 28 No. 2 by Chopin - but when the performer changes, the interpretation of the song changes along with the perspective from which the song and its performance are viewed. The uninterrupted playing and single shot capture the event in one temporal moment, but as the camera moves and two people change places, time is equally layered. The performer becomes the listener and the listener becomes the performer. In one of the key scenes of Ingmar Bergman's Autumn Sonata (1978), the mother and daughter take turns playing the very same Chopin's Prelude. It is a piece that both are familiar with, so they are able to settle into the position of the other as they listen and watch the other play. A situation like this raises questions about the sense of reciprocity, simultaneity and synaesthesia. Could the roles become mixed from viewer and listener to the object of the gaze and listening? When watching the other playing, can you feel your own hands and fingers on the keys?