The danger of virtuosity

This Afterword to the special issue on Virtuosity takes the main contributions to the issue as a starting-point for a discussion of the normality of virtuosity, the anxieties it creates for performers, and the politics of virtuosity. Conclusions from Izabela Wagner’s (2015) study of the training of violin virtuosi are outlined. The relationship between virtuosity and conformity is considered. And suggestions are offered for increased virtuosity of creativity in the performance of western classical scores