This doctoral research investigates the function of analogy and metaphor as transformative tools in the interpretation of 19th-century piano music. Through artistic experimentation and theoretical inquiry, it explores how analogical thinking shapes interpretation, bridging symbolic and material dimensions of performance.
Drawing on the works of Roland Barthes, Julia Kristeva, and Paulo de Assis, the project situates itself at the intersection of musical semiology, phenomenology, psychoanalysis, and performance studies. Barthes and Kristeva’s theories of signification and corporeality inform an approach to musical perception that is both intellectual and sensuous, while de Assis’ work provides a model for experimental methodologies in artistic research.
The project introduces the tentative concept of transmutational metaphor - how analogy can reconfigure musical meaning and experience. A key theoretical strand, The Erotics of Interpretation, addresses the interplay between reflection and sensation in performance.
Three artistic case studies structure the research: A Thousand Hammerklavier Sonatas (daily metaphor-driven reinterpretations of Beethoven’s Op. 106); Transfigured (on Romantic piano transcription and analogical transformation); and Stanislavski’s Magical “If” in Music Performance (applying acting techniques to imaginative engagement).
This research rethinks the performer’s role as a generator of meaning, proposing an experimental, nomadic approach to interpretation.
Promoters
Prof. Dr. Bart Eeckhout, University of Antwerp, Faculty of Arts
Mr. Frank Agsteribbe, Royal Conservatoire Antwerp
Dr. Marlies De Munck, University of Antwerp, Faculty of Arts
Senior researcher Dr. Paulo de Assis, Orpheus Institute
Research groups
UP – Performance in Perspective, Royal Conservatoire Antwerp
Art & Learning, Det Kongelige Danske Musikkonservatorium (Royal Danish Academy of Music)
Update: April 2025
