[slag banal]

I am convinced that great performers create an emotional atmosphere with each song. Achieving this separates great performances from merely well-crafted or error-free renditions.
Believing this, I more and more try to play to create an atmosphere or emotional state. The things in a song, such as solos, virtuosity, tricky bits of ear candy, and volume, are not important unless they contribute to the intended atmosphere.
As with the French impressionist Claude Monet, the hay stacks in the painting are not important. It is the atmosphere of it that is the subject.
Sure it’s easy to say a song is sad or happy, but much more complex atmospheres can be achieved.
For example, today I was struck by the eerily hollow and foreboding atmosphere of Sarah Slean’s version of the Christmas carol, “What Child is This.” Why isn’t this carol joyous and celebratory? I think the performance pushes the listener to confront not just the glorious birth but also how the story turns out (in Christian mythology).
Do you think about the emotional character or atmosphere of a song when you play it? If yes, can you give an example of a song and the atmosphere you try to create with it?