in the heat of battle
Reading a profile of an ice-hockey goaltender, I come across this insightful formulation: [The brilliant goalie, Henrik Lundqvist, has nevertheless] “often struggled to find the elusive nexus of concentration and relaxation.” That’s exactly right. Too much concentration, and you are rigid, even paralysed. Too much relaxation, and you’re lucky to remember what composer you are performing, let alone whether the dynamic at this moment is piano or pianissimo. Kudos to Mr Cazeneuve for finding the perfect phrase to describe this mysterious balancing act.