Last summer I had an old piano delivered to the country and it was an experience that truly left an impression on me. The delivery men where struggling with the monumental task of moving this large structure under the unforgiving sun so after the put it eventually in place I offered them refreshing drinks and we sat in the garden to allow them to rest a bit after the 1000KM ride.
I learnt that a part of their job is to deliver rental pianos for concert performances and wait until the performance is concluded to bring the rental piano back; as such they had multiple occasions to witness virtuosi pianists performing some of the most intricate pieces of music (predominantly classical music).
I asked about their favourite classical piece and they said no particular piece in mind, when I interrogated how can they be indifferent about the subject their answer truly shocked me!! They said that they admire certain pieces by certain performers, they highlighted that no one alive was there to listen to Beethoven or Chopin performing their compositions and we all rely on transcriptions of their works. It's inevitable that the interpretation of these pieces varies slightly and that's very true.
They started counting pieces I know and some that I didn't know being performed by names (most of which I didn't know) and how their particular interpretation made an impression on them. It was such a model answer that I was left with an utter respect for the depth of their experience. They said that classical music was not their first choice at home, but having listened to countless performances they developed an appreciation of these very subtle differences.
It made me think of these differences, because the truth of the matter is that these differences are exceptionally subtle, a fraction of a second pause, a slight lingering in one note, stacking of the harmony or a twist in the arrangement...very small differences that we all perceive even if we don't realise it consciously. As such in life there are always these subtle differences that shapes our life, our personality and the path that we take in life.