Grief is often linked to grandiose perceptions of life, but is that always accurate when performing a grief-ridden work of art?

Doesn’t the very act of writing a piece/song on a grief reveal that the composer was reveling in their misery?

I would say yes.

And to revel implies choice, and a choice to be in this grief implies pleasure.

It feels good to feel sad– and that is what should be performed.

Yes, there is a level of grief that is sacred and can’t really be touched by music because people inside this grief can’t touch music.

But the very act of making music while in grief indicates this level of choice to be in it.

In that way, performers should strive to show the pleasure of grief. To play with the way it makes them feel.

To lean into how good it feels to be in that space, by choice.