Something about the piano has always confused me. If somebody plays a piece flawlessly, as in, follows the timing religiously, and never strays from what the sheet music dictates...did that person not play the piece perfectly? In my eyes, I don`t see how there can be such a thing as "interpretation" or "emotionally evoking". Isn`t there only one true correct way to play a piece, exactly how the composer wrote it? I`ve been listening to multiple recordings of Beethoven`s "Moonlight" Sonata, 3rd Movement, to get an idea on how its supposed to sound, and they are all different. Can someone please help clear things up for me? I`m pretty lost here.

No one is going to play a piece exactly like someone else for the sheer reason that no two hands are the same and no two minds are the same. Even though the music instructs the player about time and tempo and expression, it is still open to interpretation in so many ways.

yap. I`m all hands on that. And u know what sets each pianists apart? Only 3 things. 1.) Technic
2.) Interpretation and feel. 3.) Style that comes as a product of the above 2.
That is what sets all orchestras apart also. Listen to Pachabel`s canon in D instead. Some ensembles will play it twice as fast but some slower. Why? Interpretation and feel. And THAT, sets them a class apart from each other.

I`ve always thought of perfectly playing something is playing it meccanico, like a computer. It doesn`t sound very good, but it lets you know that you can play the piece. Then you can put your personality into it. I`d run away from any performance that was played "perfectly."