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SHEET MUSIC FROM 7 INTERVAL STUDIES NO 4: FOURTHS BY JOHN RAMSDEN WILLIAMSON
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Contents InternatIonal PIano No 17 jaNuary/february 2013
18 Cover story Steven Osborne and his thirst for life
23 Wagner bicen bicentenar tenaryy The history of operatic piano tr anscriptions
26 In retrospect Alexander Brailowsky (1896-1976): a reassessment
30 Pierre Boulez The modern master on his pianistic training
5 letters
40 masterClass
Your thoughts and comments
Things that go bump in the night
6 news
43 helPIng hanDs
The latest news and events from the piano world
Building staccato technique 45 sheet mUsIC
10 letter from Us
13 Comment
From 7 Interval studies: No 4 – ‘Fourths’ By John Ramsden Williamson
Fifty shades of pianism
58 ComPetItIon rePort
From Russia, with talent
Jean Muller
The Honens Internationa Internationall Piano Competition
17 DIary of an
61 PIano makers
aCComPanIst
The domestic piano market
In which Michael Round meets a star, and a Planet
74 revIews
69 Summer schools
35 take fIve
88 mUsIC of my lIfe
Top residential courses to attend in 2013
The music of John Lewis
Alice Sara Ott
36 Poulenc’s legacy Marking 50 years after the French composer’s death a g e v o l a e N e b © e g a m i r e v o C
REGULARS
53 Symposium The modern-day ‘woman pianist’
64 Profle Frédéric Meinders and the art of arrangement
15 one to watCh
The latest CDs, books, DVDs and sheet music, plus international 32 rePertoIre Clélia Iruzun discovers Mompou concerts
Ssci t Internatio International nal Piano See page 86 for our special offer
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21
International Piano May/June
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2012
Welcome
O
n a recent wintry night in London, two pianists gave seminal recitals. Twenty-two-year-old Behzod Abduraimov made his hotly anticipated Southbank debut, while across town, Evgeny Kissin showed a packed Barbican crowd that his will always be a truly special t alent. Kissin, the former wunderkind, gave a sublime account of Beethoven’s Sonata in C minor, Op 111 and his Hungarian Rhapsody No 12 channelled Liszt in a way this writer has never seen done before. Abduraimov’s playing was reportedly a magnificent concoction of fire and poetry. We know – painfully so – that the art s world is in flux, but this double booking of stupendous artists on one night is not untypical in the capital – nor, indeed, in many international cities. The best way we c an show how greatly we value the arts is to vote with our feet – and both these events were sell-out aairs. But what about the pianists who aren’t (yet) household names? These are the ones who need our support if the next generation is to grow. So, make it your New Year’s resolution to go to an unknown artist’s recital; you might be surprised – and, hopefully, delighted. As we sing Auld Lang Syne, we usher in the next batch of musical anniversaries. In 2013, Richard Wagner’s bicentenary looms large, and in this issue, not wishing to be le out of the operatic celebrations, IP dons a party hat and highlights the plethora of piano transcriptions within his oeuvre (pp23-25). We also mark 50 years since the death of Francis Poulenc with a timely reassessment of the French composer’s piano legacy (pp36-39).
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May I take this opportunity to wish all our readers, contributors and advertisers a prosperous 2013.
Claire Jackson/Editor
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Letters IMPORTANT CORRECTION
Dear IP, It was shocking for me to read the article The Act of Touch by Michael Stembridge-Montavont in the last issue of International Piano [Nov/Dec, issue 16], in which six extended passages were lied word for word from my book, French Pianism, without any citation. I refer to portions of my interviews with Magda Tagliaferro, Vlado Perlemuter, Yvonne Lefébure and Pierre Barbizet. These interviews were not only done by me, but also translated by me. Mr Stembridge-Montavont used this material as though he had done all the work himself. The passages that Mr StembridgeMontavont plagiarised are from pages 103, 104, 106, 220 and 221 in the latest version of the book, published by Amadeus Press in 1999, and pages 81, 82, 84, 168 and 169 in the first edition (published by Pro/Am and Kahn & Averill in 1992). Furthermore, in his last two paragraphs, Mr Stembridge-Montavont lis two sentences from page 63 of the book. Charles Timbrell
The article did indeed li sections from Charles Timbrell’s book, and the way the quotations were presented would have led most readers to assume that the interviews had been undertaken by Mr Stembridge Montavont. This is unacceptable and we apologise profusely. The article has since been removed from the digital versions of the magazine. Mr Stembridge-Montavont would like to point out that the published article was an excerpt from a larger piece, due to be published online, which included a bibliography. FEEDBACK: ISSUE 16
Dear IP, Joe Laredo [Candid Camera, Nov/Dec, issue 16] worries about ladies being promoted on the basis of their looks rather than their pianism. Oh dear – sex
Write to International Piano, Rhinegold House, 20 Rugby Street, London, WC1N 3QZ, email
[email protected] or tweet @IP_mag. Star letters will receive a free CD
rears its ugly head. But, like it or not, performers are in the entertainment business, and glamour is an inescapable part of it. Liszt exploited it, international with salons full of swooning admirers. Paderewski built a career on a huge NIKOLAI female following. LUGANSKY Arthur Rubinstein, SHEET MUSIC by his own as well as others’ accounts, spent as much time playing roving Lothario as he did playing world-class pianist. Jean-Yves Thibaudet has been photographed in a sweetheart pose with Renée Fleming for a CD cover. Raymond Lewenthal swirled his black cape as well as his fingers. Elisabeth Schwarzkopf’s LP sleeves bore fabulous portraits by Fayer. Christian Steiner photographed Beverly Sills in a very slinky black dress for her Vienna album. Elvis Presley wore his jeans distinctly on the tight side and Sir Tom Jones gets knickers thrown at him. Eileen Joyce changed her frocks from time to time. Hélène Grimaud is very beautiful. Yuja Wang has a great pair of legs. Lang Lang dresses the part and is seen in the right places. Stephen Hough wears funny hats and Valery Gergiev has the best-trimmed stubble in music history. Barbara Strozzi bo osted her fame by publishing her works in single-composer volumes. That’s show business. Finally, I was most interested in Michael Round’s piece on orchestrations of piano music. Some of them were familiar, but the arrangements of Ravel’s own piano pieces by other hands are all new to me. The whole concept of arrangement is most fascinating, and I’m a great fan of piano arrangements from orchestral originals, as well as the other way round, as discussed.
Dear IP, I enjoyed reading Nikolai l Demidenko’s perceptive remarks about Rachmaninov’s pedaling [Symposium, July/August, issue 14]. Demidenko’s claim that ‘Rachmaninov could create a huge volume of sound by colouring his tone with an extraordinary darkness and depth, giving the impression of huge power even when the decibel level was still piano’ led me to ponder what the ‘forte’ dynamic actually means. According to my musical dictionary, forte means loud. Bach didn’t write any fortes, leaving it to the performer’s discretion; Mozart wrote a single forte in his piano compositions; Beethoven two, Liszt three, Villa-Lobos four, Albeniz five and Tchaikovsky nine. As pianos have become louder and brighter, and actions ever faster, I feel pianists have followed down the same evolutionary path. My question is this: is it possible to teach pupils to achieve a great volume of sound through sonority and colouring, rather than decibels, or is this just the preserve of geniuses such as Rachmaninov or Ogdon?
Douglass MacDonald
Robert Warwick
WELL ORCHESTRATED
Dear IP, Michael Round’s absorbing round-up of orchestrated piano music could not hope to be complete, but Stokowski’s myriad arrangements surely deserved more attention, ranging from Bach, Beethoven and Chopin to Scriabin, Debussy, Rachmaninov and Mussorgsky. Of the orchestral arrangements of Debussy, André Caplet’s Children’s Corner Suite (Cala CACD1024) merits a special mention. Incidentally, Weingartner’s 1930 recording of his ‘Hammerklavier’ orchestration is readily available (except in the US) on Naxos 8.110913.
NO.16NOV/DEC2012
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READING RACHMANINOV
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news events conference launch: london InternatIonal PIano symPosIum UK The rst in a series o three-day piano
conerences will take place in London in February. The event will be hosted by t he London International Piano Symposium (LIPS), ounded by Cristine MacKie, and held in association with Steinway & Sons. IP is the symposium’s media partner. The LIPS conerences will welcome everyone interested in the perormance o piano music: artists, scientists, academics, teachers and ans. There will be opportunities to hear papers, lecture recitals and debates on the art and science o piano perormance by distinguished researchers and practitioners.
During the rst conerence, which takes place rom 8 to 10 February at London’s Royal College o Music, leading researchers and practitioners will examine interdisciplinary, evidencebased directives to enhance modern piano perormance practice. They will assess research into inspirational perormers and teachers, and present scientic models o perormance reecting recent developments in perormance science, including neuroscience, psychology and physiology. www.londoninternational pianosymposium.co.uk
tsar PIano loaned to musIcal Instrument museum In arIzona The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) in Phoenix, Arizona, has acquired three rare 18th-century pianos including an 1826 Tischner Grand Fortepiano, one o only three known to ex ist and believed to have belonged to Tsar Nicholas I. The instruments have been loaned by Vladimir Pleshakov and his wie Elena Winther. The pair have also provided a 1788 Longman & Broderip and a 1799 John Broadwood. US
Pleshakov and his wie have made recordings individually and together or Orion, Dante, Naxos, Marquis, L’Empreinte Digitale, De Plein Vent, Sonpact and Vita. Their discography includes some 85 works recorded or the rst time, including compositions by Rachmaninov, Balakirev, Medtner and Shostakovich. The couple gave a perormance at the MIM Music Theater to celebrate the loan o the pianos.
JulIa cload 1946-2012
UK/FRANCE English pianist Julia Cload,
recognised as a leading interpreter o Bach and Haydn, has died afer a long illness. Those who knew her will remember her great musicality and her delightully witty humorous side, which ofen came out in her playing. Cload was born into a musical amily. Her ather John, a viola player, was a ounder member o the London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) and her mother was a violinist and later a teacher. As a student at the Royal College o Music in London, Cload won the LPO Concerto Competition. She made her debut with the orchestra playing Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto under Sir Adrian Boult. She went on to win a three-year scholarship to the Liszt Academy in Budapest, studying under Lajos Hernádi, a student o Bartók and Schnabel. She continued her studies with Maria Curcio and Hans Keller, soon making her much acclaimed Wigmore Hall debut, which led to her playing with most o the major British orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic and the Hallé. Based in France, Cload became a regular recitalist at London’s major concert halls and recorded regularly or the BBC as well being invited to play all over the world. One o the highlights o her career was playing Bach’s Goldberg Variations at the 2001 Besançon Festival. TONY BARLOW
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International Piano January/February
2013
pleyel and peugeot unveIl new pIano
FRANCE Piano maker Pleyel has teamed
up with manuacturer Peugeot to create an instrument that aligns cover and keyboard to allow audiences to see the artist perorm rom any viewing angle. Working with Pleyel’s engineers, Peugeot Design Lab replaced the traditional piano lid prop with a sel-supporting lid mechanism
that can be raised with one hand – an idea borrowed directly rom a car’s tailgate. The piano body and soundboard are made o wood, and the lid and leg have been made o carbon bre. The piano was launched in Paris over the summer ollowing 18 months o design and development.
IdIl BIret records her 100th dIsc Turkish pianist Idil Biret’s latest recording, a disc o all ve works or piano and orchestra by Hindemith, marks an impressive milestone: the two-CD set, to be released on her own IBA label next year to mark the 50th anniversary o Hindemith’s death, will be her 100th recording. The ve works include his Piano Music with Orchestra Op 29, or lef hand alone. This work was commissioned by Paul Wittgenstein, rejected by him, subsequently hidden in his study and not discovered again until afer his widow’s death in 2002. O her 99 other recordings, among those she eels closest to are her discs o Schubert songs transcribed by Liszt and the second version o her two recordings o Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique, again in Liszt’s piano
transcription. She said: ‘Liszt’s Beethoven Symphony transcriptions, which I recorded or EMI in 1985/86, the Chopin Mazurkas, Liszt’s Grandes Etudes, Rachmaninov’s Second Sonata (rst version), the three Boulez Sonatas and the Ligeti Etudes are some o my personal avourites among the many proessional recordings I have made since 1959.’ Biret recently nished recording two solo piano works by the Turkish composer Ertug ˇrul Ogˇuz Firat. Afer the Hindemith, she is planning discs o the two books o Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier , Scriabin’s Sonatas and other works, as well as some o Mozart’s piano concertos. A 10-CD box set o all her recordings o 20 th-century composers is to be released in 2013.
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SHEET MUSIC
I Bif RNCM tuRNs 40 To celebrate its 40th anniversary, the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) is welcoming back some of its most distinguished alumni. Over the past few months, the School of Keyboard Studies has been visited by current cover artist Steven Osborne, Christian Blackshaw, Vovka Ashkenazy and Jin Ju. Stephen Hough was scheduled to work with students on 10 December, and Peter Donohoe, Mark Anderson, Martin Roscoe and Ian Fountain will all participate in recitals, masterclasses and departmental ac tivities in 2013. Play Me, I’M youRs Cambridge University’s Faculty of Music was disappointed to discover that a piano intended for members of the public to play had been dragged across a park and abandoned after the wheels fell off. The instrument was one of 15 that had been decorated by local artists and placed around the city for the university’s Festival of Ideas. The project, called ’Play Me, I’m Yours’, was the concept of the British artist Luke Jerram. aPPassIoNato exhIbIted Stephen Hough has exhibited his ‘Appassionato’ series of paintings at London’s Broadbent Gallery. Hough said he found painting ‘a great release from the tension of practising’. ‘On the keyboard, I love thinking about colour and transparency of texture: how you can hear different lines through the use of the pedal and the tone, and how those different lines each have an independent rubato, an independent life,’ he said. ’It’s similar with paintings: I’m interested in abstract art where you see many different layers, rather than just blocks of colour.’ Examples of Hough’s visual artwork appear on his website www.stephenhough.com.
EXCERPTSFROMSOUNDSKETCHES BYGRAHAMLYNCH WITH ONLINEVIDEODEMOS - ct c v r fi
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Highlights of the Year Debussy
Complete Works for Piano Collector’s Edition
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet’s vivid and personal interpretations of Debussy’s complete works for piano are presented here in a five-volume Collector’s Edition box set. AWARDS:
Best Instrumental Recording (Gramophone Awards) Best Instrumental Recording (BBC Music Magazine Awards) Best Instrumental Recording of Standard Repertoire (International Piano) Editor’s Choice (Gramophone) Pianist’s Choice (Pianist) CHAN 10743(5)
) 3 ( 0 2 7 0 1 N A H C
6 3 7 0 1 N A H C
HAYDN: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 4
BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1
) 4 ( 5 9 6 0 1 N A H C
4 1 7 0 1 N A H C
CHOPIN: Nocturnes and Ballades
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International Piano May/June
2012
RACHMANINOFF: Moments musicaux Études-tableaux
BRAHMS: Works for Solo Piano, Vol. 1
2 4 7 0 1 N A H C
2 7 6 0 1 N A H C
BEETHOVEN: Complete works for piano and orchestra
www.chandos.net www.theclassicalshop.net
6 1 7 0 1 N A H C
4 2 7 0 1 N A H C
ENESCU: Piano Quartets, Nos 1 and 2
DELIUS: Piano Concerto – original 1897 version
STAY IN THE KNOW
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New releases Reviews Special offers Artist features •
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c o m p e t i t i o n s , awa r d s French award for Grosvenor
& s i g n i n g s
acclaimed Kindred Spirits album. She is no stranger to high-profle awards: her 2006 album Melting Pot was nominated or the Mercury Music Prize.
the audience prize, young audience prize, the Breguet special prize and the
Sony signs Igor Levit Sony Classical has signed an exclusive recording deal with German-Russian pianist Igor Levit, aged 25. His frst recording or the label, to be released in 2012, will eature solo works by Beethoven. A current BBC New Generation Artist and 2012-13 Air France KLM special prize, which consists o a return ticket to one o the 230 worldwide destinations in the airline’s network. Twenty-eight-yearold Mikhail Sporov rom Russia won second prize and Aya Matsushita, also 28, came third. The Georges Leibenson Special Prize, awarded by the jury – which included Dmitri Alexeev, Janina Fialkowska and regular IP Symposium contributor Christopher Elton – went to Rachel Cheung and Chulmin Lee. A ull competition report will be published in the next edition o IP.
Benjamin Grosvenor has won the ‘Jeune Talent’ award at the Diapason Awards 2012 or his debut CD on Decca (Chopin, Liszt and Ravel, reviewed in issue 9). The 20-year-old pianist was presented with the prize rom the leading French classical music magazine at a ceremony in Paris in November, which was broadcast on Radio France. Earlier in 2012, Grosvenor received two Gramophone Awards: Young Artist o the Year and Instrumental Award or the same recording. He also won the Classic Brits Critics’ Award in the same week. Grosvenor’s latest Decca CD is reviewed on page 80.
European Concert Hall Association Rising Star, Levit took our prizes at the 2005 International Arthur Rubinstein Piano Master Competition.
Zoe Rahman scoops a MOBO
Joyce Yang joins 21C Media
Pianist Zoe Rahman beat tough competition rom other nominees – the Mercury-nominated Roller Trio, cellist Ayanna Witter-Johnson, singer Zara McFarlane and guitarist Femi Temowo – to win the prestigious MOBO Jazz Award. Rahman, an occasional contributor to IP, spent 2012 touring her
21C Media Group has announced that it will be handling public relations or Joyce Yang, silver medallist (and the youngest contestant) at the 2005 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Yang was awarded an Avery Fisher Career Grant – one o classical music’s most prestigious accolades – in 2010 at the age o 24. Her 2012-13 season eatures debuts with the Toronto and Detroit Symphonies under Peter Oundjian; she also makes her German debut with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, led by James Conlon, and returns to Australia or a concert with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
Soulès triumphs in Geneva French pianist Lorenzo Soulès has won frst prize at the 2012 Geneva Competition. The 20-year-old also took
Plowright records Brahms
British pianist Jonathan Plowright has commenced a recorded cycle o Brahms’s works or solo piano with the BIS label. The frst disc, released in December, comprises the monumental Piano Sonata No 3 in F minor, coupled with the celebrated Handel Variations, two o the major landmarks in the 19th-century solo piano literature. ‘I am absolutely thrilled to have established this new relationship with BIS Records to record Brahms, a composer whose music has always been close to my heart, and these two giants o the piano repertoire are a very good place to start,’ said Plowright.
Janu ar y/Fe bru ar y 2013
International Piano
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l e t t e r r om U . S .
From Russia with talent th ins pianisic an h cunis h Svi Unin cninus unabad, ps US cspndn Stephen Wigler
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ga han n ng dayd and nay gaid – spciay whn i supasss a xpcain. Such was h cas n 2 ocb, in Suy Ha a h Bsn Cnsvay, whn I nay g ha a Cuban pianis wh I had s had abu han 30 yas ai: a a unch wih Jg B, duing his visi rchs, NY, p and cd h w lisz Cncs wih David Zinan and h rchs Phihanic ochsa B had bn aking abu h Cuban pian adiin, whn I nind y adiain Haci Guiz, wh had f Cuba a h ag 13 in 1961 wih his aiy bcaus Cas’s accssin pw a w yas ai. ‘Yu knw, vn Cas hasn’ pvnd Cuba pducing and pianiss,’ B d . ‘th’s anh Cuban by, vn yung han Guiz, abu wh I’v bn haing ga hings.’ Accding B, his ‘by’ – wh, unik Guiz, had aind in
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International Piano January/February
2013
Cas’s Cuba wih his aiy – was cnsidd s and ha h had bn awadd a schaship sudy in russia a h mscw Cnsvay and had cny bn awadd h s piz in h psigius lng-thibaud Cpiin in Pais. I k n his na, Jg luis Pas, and hpd ha i wud n b ng b I g a cha nc ha hi. I g ha chanc – n a cding, a as – shy haf. In 1980 h Dusch Gaphn ab in is nw ng discninud ‘Cncus’ sis, which inducd winns ipan cpiins, asd h hn 23-ya-d Pas’s cdd dbu – pancs Bhvn’s Snaa N 28, Schuann’s tccaa in C and rav’s Gaspard de la Nuit ha I cnsidd cpaab h bs n cds. Sady, i was b Pas’s as asiy avaiab Wsn-ad cding a ng i – han 30 yas. I was a abu ha i ha DG as bgan cding anh pian cpiin van, as xacy Pas’s ag. Inicay, h was as a ign-bn pianis wh had wn a schaship sudy a h mscw Cnsvay and h had bn Pas’s a in Pais 1977 whn hy cpd in h lngthibaud Cpiin and wh h a aid g pas h sina und. m inicay si, h was h Caian pianis, whs aiu g pas h si-na und h yas a in Wasaw ad hi n h s aus pianiss n h pan: Iv Pgich. Pgich’s cbiy hpd ak his cds bsss and and hi ca banch a DG. Insingy, Pgich’s ais ass aud py ah
siia ha n Pas’s sn--b u-pin DG abu: a Bhvn (pus 111) and Schuann’s tccaa in 1982 and rav’s Gaspard in 1983. I hugh a hs pancs, whi ‘snsaina’ in s spcs, uch ss saisying han hs Pas. Bu whi Pgich njyd supsad han 15 yas, vy i was had Pas. Pas’s pb was pay ha, as a sidn Cuba, h avd n a Cuban passp ha ad ping ipssib in h US and dicu in s Wsn eup, hus cnning his ca agy lain Aica. tha bgan chang a w yas ag whn Pas, ang wih his aiy, vd miai. A cia in h 2007 miai Innaina Pian siva was cdd n vid by VAI and is xadinay pancs h Bach-lisz Pud in ugu in A min, Sciabin’s 24 Puds, op 11, rav’s Gaspard , in addiin ncs by lcuna, Cvans, mszkwski and Wagnlisz, sud in inviains p a h Vbi siva, in Asda’s Cncgbuw Pian Sis u cnscuiv yas and a cnac wih Dcca, which cny issud Live in Zaragoza , an undid anscip h Spanish-lain Aican pga Pas gav ay in 2011 in h nw ha in Zaagza, Spain. Ahugh Pas’s xnsiv py incuds s h aj wks by Bach, mza, Bhvn, lisz, Chpin, Schuann, rav, Dbussy and h russians, wha I had in Bsn was a ‘Spanish’ Goyescas , pga: Ganads’s Gu’s Suite Havana. Busni’s Chab-anasy n Biz’s Carmen and h pics (Corpus Christi en Sevilla, Jerez, and Lavapies) Abéniz’s Iberia.
l e t t e r r om U . S . I hav nv had b pancs any hs pics – n by Aicia d lacha vn by Nsn i – h pianis wh Pas ss sb s in h as his a-ncpassing chniqu, ipvisay d, pic iaginain and uncanny and unshakab sns hyh.
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lIttle more tHAN tWo wks a (18 oc) I und Bsn ha Nikai lugansky ( pictured, right ) p rachaninv’s Cnc N 3 wih h BSo and cnduc Chas Dui. tw yas ag in Nw Yk whn I had lugansky in h sa cps’s Cnc N 2, his oypian dachn ad cpa hi his Nwgian cnpay, li ov Andsns. A haing lugansky n his ccasin, I sand by ha cpaisn – xcp ha I nw hink h’s vn c han Andsns. this is n say ha h is a cd pianis – ahugh h knwdgab inds wih wh I andd h cnc disag wih . Bu i evgny Kissin (wih his adak wah xpssin, his snus and singing yicis and his axd and spacius phasing) ccupis n nd h russian pianisic spcu, lugansky (wih his bjciviy, his whiwind, -ik ps, his ighnss uch and az-shap pcisin) ccupis h h. I can’ hink anh cun pianis wh csy sbs rachaninv his. Wih ps in h s vn f han any his cnpais, lugansky was ab i h hid cnc’s yica hs a in a ann ha schwd han-sv snin. I is as n accidn ha unik s day’s pianiss h cs pay h sh, ss shwy cadnza. H bui i a cncusin ndus c and wigh wihu haning h vn’s achicu, which h ng cadnza can d. th scnd vn, as akn a a as han usua p, igh hav shchangd h usic’s bding in, bu h cuia ighnss h cnasing idd scin cud n hav bn n. th na, hugh payd a a na phnna p,
nv ad in is sadiy accaing nu and cncudd in a cay aicuad baz gy. S h bs ‘russian’ pianiss a acuay Ggia. this is u such nw sni gus as eiss Visaadz and eisabh lnskaya, ach h w v 70, and h swha yung Axand tadz (bn in 1952). ths ipan Ggian-bn pianiss, hwv, cncudd hi sudis in mscw. tw uch yung and uch akd-abu Ggians, h 25-ya-d Khaia Buniaishvii and h 31-yad Nina Gvadz, nv tbiisi ih mscw S Psbug; hy pcdd saigh cas in h Ws. Anh wd-cass Ggian pianis, wh sisd h pu h russian cuua cns, is h 47-ya-d Axand Ksania, wh wn s pizs in 1988 a h Sydny Innaina Cpiin and in 1995 a h rubinsin Cpiin in t Aviv. A ca as a b h pian acuy a as n a usic sch as h Nw engand Cnsvay in Bsn, wh h nw aks his h, is nhing sn a, bu Ksania dsvs b b knwn. His a-Bhvn pga a h cnsvay (Jdan Ha, 22 ocb) was w pannd and spndidy xcud. I aind in Bsn uni 8 Nvb s ha I cud nay ha Danii tinv, h biggs pizwinn h 2010-11 sasn (hid piz in Wasaw and ss in t Aviv and mscw). Wih Gianca Gu cnducing h Bsn Syphny (Syphny Ha), h gav h ns panc tchaikvsky’s Pian Cnc N 1 ha I’v had in cn yas. m han any russian pianis sinc h anaby sh-ivd Yui egv, h 21-ya-d tinv’s paying vks a vca ah han a puy insuna d. th vaiy his uch and his asy na shading cbin wih an ipvisay d xpssin suggs a vic in figh. this is why h can ak bavua passags, such as h avaanchs dub cavs s pianiss div as i hy w sudid dcaains, sund ik buss unxpcd sng.
Dspi h fd and pianiss h a eas, Yuja Wang has said, ‘russia’s cninus b h wd’s p-inn pian sch.’ Sh us b igh – h fw ins ans h cunis h Svi Unin cninus unabad. on wk a tinv, I was in back in Bai ha 26-ya-d Dnis Kzhukhin ( pictured, lef ), wh ca in hid a h 2006 lds and s a h 2010 Busss, p h Bahs Pian Cnc N 2 wih h Bai Syphny and usic dic, main Asp. lanky and axd, his ng bnd hai pud back in a pnyai, Kzukhin aways sd b njying his. And gd asn: h has a h chniqu in h wd. H ad Bahs’s giganic, aping chds and an-kiing is sund ik chid’s pay. His sund – cu whn ncssay, bu nv hash pcussiv – is bauiu a a dynaic vs. H bugh u h Bhvnik gandu h s vn, s a bacing p in h dnic schz wihu sacicing is dais and inn vics, ad h gn Andan sing picay and pd h payu na wih cisp aicuain and chky gac. H ay hav issd a w h ag sucua dais h cnc, bu his was si an accpishd panc n h py’s s iniidaing bhhs – a akab achivn by any pianis, paicuay n s yung. Januar y/Fe bru ar y 2013
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NEW PIANO RELEASES NEW YORK CITY Jerome Rose, Founder & Director Julie Kedersha, Festival Director With the Par ticipation of at
MANNES COLLEGE THE NEW SCHOOL FOR MUSIC
h n ni v e s r a y r Se a s o n 1 5 t A Concerts, Lectures & Masterclasses Nikolai Demidenko, Marc-André Hamelin Andrea Lucchesini, Jerome Rose, Jean-Efam Bavouzet Massimiliano Ferrati, Alexander Kobrin, Steven Mayer Yuan Sheng, Mykola Suk, Jerey Swann Ilya Yakushev, David Dubal, Emanuel Krasovsky Nina Lelchuk, Michael Oelbaum, HaeSun Paik Victor Rosenbaum, José Ramos Santana, Boris Slutsky Eduard Zilberkant, Nina Tichman, Jed Distler, Noam Sivan Asa Blasberg, Gabriele Leporatti, Gesa Luecker
Prestige Series Magdalena Baczewska (MacKenzie), Seong- Jin Cho (Tchaikovsky) Federico Colli (Leeds), Kotaro Fukuma (Santander) Dudana Mazmanishvili (MacKenzie) Momoko Mizutani (MacKenzie), Quy nh Nguyen (MacKenzie) Hélène Tysman (MacKenzie), Andrew Tyson (YCA)
This 58th volume of the Romantic Piano Concerto series presents two composer-pianists who contributed to Liszt’s piano extravaganza Hexaméron. Thalberg also famously took part in a pianistic ‘duel’ with Liszt, and was acclaimed as the greatest pianist in the world during his lifetime. Johann Peter Pixis is completely unknown now—these are premiere recordings of his charming Piano Concerto and Piano Concertino.
CARL PHILIPP EMANUEL BACH
Keyboard Sonatas – 2 A welcome second volume of CPE Bach’s startlingly original and inventive keyboard sonatas, performed with authority and style by pianist Danny Driver.
DANNY DRIVER piano ”
ERNO DOHNÁNYI
The Complete Solo Piano Music – 2
MODEST MUSORGSKY
150 West 85th St., New York, NY 10024 Tel: (212) 580 -0210 ext.4858 Fax: (212) 580 -1738
www.ikif.org •
[email protected] i
International Piano January/February
2013
CDA67908
A second volume of Dohnányi’s deeply appealing yet neglected piano music, performed by the living master of the repertoire: Martin Roscoe. A highlight of the album is the Variations and Fugue on a theme of EG , Op 4—a monumental work that would soon be hailed by the Viennese press as ‘the most valuable enrichment of music literature since Brahms’.
PARTICIPANTS MAY COMPETE FOR $10,000 USD SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS
IKIF at MANNES COLLEGE
CDA67915
HOWARD SHELLEY piano TASMANIAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
MARTIN ROSCOE piano
Scholarships & Columbia Univ. Dormitories Available
i
Pixis & Thalberg
Ilya Rashkovsky (Hamamatsu)
Complete Institute (July 14 - 28): $950 USD Tuition per Session: $590 USD Session I (July 14-20) • Session II (July 21 - 28) $50 (non-refundable) application fee Application Deadline: April 15, 2013 Tuition Due: May 15, 2013
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THE ROMANTIC PIANO CONCERTO – 58
Pictures from an Exhibition
CDA67932
SERGE PROKOFIEV
Sarcasms & Visions Steven Osborne has become one of the most valuable pianists recording today. His recent complete Rachmaninov Preludes release was critically acclaimed as the greatest modern version since Ashkenazy. Now he turns to further cornerstones of the Russian repertoire in this recording of Musorgsky’s Pictures from an Exhibition , and two sets of Prokofiev’s miniatures.
STEVEN OSBORNE piano
CDA67896
FEBRUARY RELEASE
MP3 and lossless downloads of all our recordings are available from www.hyperion-records.co.uk
comment
Fifty shades of pianism Benjamin Ivry ofers an antidote to the piano sadism in the recent bestseller Fify Shades o Grey
The EL James trilogy has sold millions of copies; the books were followed by EMI’s Fifty Shades of Grey: The Classical Album , also a bestseller
T
HE SPLENDID PIANIST AND delightul writer Ar thur Loesser (18941969) physically resembled a garden gnome but, as he would tell his students at the Cleveland Institute o Music, whenever he played the piano he was more beautiul than the comeliest damsels in his class. As Art hur Rubinstein’s memoirs state and Harvey Sachs’s rollicking biography (Grove Press) o the keyboard virtuoso conrms, although Rubinstein was no Don Juan either, he enjoyed an exuberant romantic lie, with his piano playing proving a seductive orce. In our literal-minded age, artistic beauty is sometimes sidelined in avour o more visually quantiable gratications. And thus the novel Fify Shades o Grey and its sequels have sold millions o copies, ollowed by EMI’s Fify Shades o Grey: The Classical Album. The CD, itsel a bestseller, is heavily weighted with piano music, since the book tells the story o the relationship between Anastasia, a student, and Christian Grey, a billionaire and amateur pianist. O Grey, readers are assured: ‘He’s not merely good looking – he’s the epitome o male beauty, breathtaking.’ Fify Shades author EL James somewhat ambiguously inormed the Daily Telegraph that Grey was a ‘talented but not particularly gied pianist’. Listeners will note that the EMI CD eatures an odd mix o selections. Two Chopin pieces by the alcoholic, amphetamine-popping Frenchman Samson François sound understandably medicated and distracted, while Rachmaninov is played absently by Cécile Ousset. Bach by Maria Tipo is both trivialising and tubby-sounding. Two urther t racks evoke the character o the sadistic plutocrat Grey, whether consciously or not: Bach played by Alexandre Tharaud in a cool, emotionally distant Gallic way is echoed by the coldly mechanical Alexis Weissenberg. O all these pianists, Moura Lympany evokes the most sympathy, as a worthy artist captured or eternity in the wrong repertoire: a Debussy rendition which was not her nest moment. Piano lovers can only hope such a compilation will encourage consumers to urther investigate the works included; they might discover more rewarding perormances o the same works which, in the age o YouTube, are but a ew clicks away.
Examples might include Edwin Fischer’s spiritually intense perormance o JS Bach’s Concerto No 3, BWV 974, an adaptation o an Adagio rom an Alessandro Marcello oboe concerto. Or Chopin’s Prelude No 4 in E minor played with stark emotional impact by Rudol Serkin on a recent Sony CD reissue. Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No 2 is well represented in discography by a perormance with the composer himsel as soloist, while Moura Lympany should be allowed to redeem hersel with her admirable rendition o Chopin’s Nocturne No 1 in B at minor. Bach’s Goldberg Variations have been recorded by many ne artists, among them Murray Perahia and András Schif. Debussy’s ever-popular The Girl with the Flaxen Hair has been perormed with apt tenderness and innocence by Youri Egorov (on one o the many excellent EMI archival recordings which, mysteriously, were not chosen or the new compilation) and Gaby Casadesus. To ully plumb the grace and exaltation o JS Bach’s Jesu, Joy o Man’s Desiring as transcribed by Myra Hess, why not listen to Hess hersel, or Dinu Lipatti, yet another EMI artist? Hearing a variety o diferent – and perhaps better – perormances o these long-appreciated works reminds us o what is primordially important: the music, not the marketing. Consumers who buy erotica are most likely out or instant gratication, yet as any sybarite knows, there are degrees o renement even in wanton sel-indulgence. Sadism and the piano seem inexorably linked in the public’s mind aer screen epics such as The Seventh Veil (1945), The Piano (1993) and The Piano Teacher (2001), which all eature sadistic elements. The piano has been saddled with this image perhaps because the notion o a sadistic ddler or tuba player would be overtly comic even to the most humourless author o erotica. An ideal answer to such grim and glowering images, domineering and paininducing, would be some o the more joyous and loving interpreters who have rightly won audience allegiance over the years – the same audience which has the artistic imagination to reject pianists, even those who are the ‘epitome o male beauty, breathtaking’, i they are merely ‘talented but not particularly gied’. Janu ar y/Fe bru ar y 2013
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ip exClusive Courtesy of J Mr and Fm we are offering International Piano readers the opportunity to download two tracks from Jean Muller’s latest release. C Rc, 2011 © Fondamenta
Tracks available to International Piano readers: C – Ballade No.1 C – Mazurka in C Major •
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to ClaiM youR FRee download, visit www.Rhinegold.Co.uk/ ipdownload
s e r a o S e n e l r a M ©
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2012
O N E T O W AT C H
Onwards and uPwards Both o Muller’s parents are musicians. His mother is a viola player in the Philharmonic Jean Orchestra o Luxembourg. His ather, Gary Muller, a piano proessor at the Conservatoire de Luxembourg, is one o the strongest infuences on his playing: ‘I have to say his infuence was always not direct, meaning that he was never my ormal teacher – which was probably a wise decision. He put me into the class o a colleague at the conservatoire, Marie-José Hengesch.’ Muller was six at the time, and only a year later made his rst public appearance, premiering a work by his compatriot Alexander Mullenbach. He remained at the conservatoire until the age o 15, when he began studies at the Academy o Music in Riga. ‘But during all these years, my ather guided me a lot, sometimes encouraging me to do crazy things which my piano teacher would not have,’ he says. ‘For instance, when I was seven years old, I absolutely wanted to play the study in thirds by Chopin. Everybody said I was cra zy, which I probably was, but my ather gave me the score and wrote down t he ngering. I learnt it – o course I didn’t play it very well, but I got round it. Musically and technically, what he says to me is still ver y important. Now, we are colleagues. I work at the conservatoire with him.’ Muller has been active on the competition circuit or some years but there is, he agrees, a time to stop. ‘Unortunately, it doesn’t oen bring as much as you would dream o. That’s something that younger pianists may not be aware o. It might bring you something but it can be deceptive. Let’s put it that way. It’s certainly not the best way to improve musicianship.’ Although not yet a big name in the proession, Muller is well known in his own country (‘But then, my country is very small!’). In 2007, His Royal Highness Grand Duke Henri o Luxembourg made Muller a Chevalier de l’Ordre de Mérite Civil et Militaire d’Adolphe de Nassau. It is something o which the pianist is immensely proud – quite rightly, as it’s an award that is usually only given to much older people. ‘I had been playing at quite a ew state visits and somehow they must have liked my perormances,’ he says modestly. The date is set or his next recording: Liszt’s Transcendental Etudes in July 2013. ‘I’ve been working on them or two years,’ he says. ‘I’m still a little nervous but I now k now what I want to do with these pieces. I’m also doing a tour o the pieces on my Chopin disc. So there is plenty to do.’
Outside his native Luxembourg, Muller’s profle has been airly low – until now. Jeremy Nicholas fnds out why
J
EAN MULLER, BORN IN 1979 IN LUXEMBOURG, has won 12 piano competitions since 1994 and made a number o recordings. His latest, a terric Chopin recital (Fondamenta, FON1005008) has received wide critical acclaim, with one reviewer declaring that ‘ew pianists o any age or nationality have recreated the storming codas o the First and Fourth Ballades [...] with such brilliant ury’. So why haven’t we heard o him? ‘Well, lie is complicated and things don’t always kick o like they should,’ he says. ‘And also, I have to coness that my rst priority has always been the quality o my playing and not the development o my career. So maybe that’s why it was long time beore I had the condence to be more known and play in other countries [outside Luxembourg]. I did play in some, but perhaps not with the same energy as I have done in the past ew year s.’ Muller edits all his recordings himsel (‘I eel that, as an artist, one shouldn’t give something one has invested so much time in to another hand’) but has not been tied to a single label. Is that a good idea? ‘That’s probably not a good idea!’ he laughs. ‘Nevertheless, I have to say that the latest, Fondamenta, have been very encouraging since I’ve been with them.’ One o his previous discs was devoted to the music o Stéphane Blet. ‘He is a modern French composer who was a pupil o Byron Janis and also had several lessons rom Horowitz in the 1980s,’ Muller says. ‘I think he’s a very interesting gure, maybe not mainstream but more so than you might expect or a modern composer. His music carries some intensity – that’s what interested me in his work.’ It’s not a choice o repertoire that is a strong commercial proposition. Blet, I suggest, is not going to sell many discs. ‘Yes. I have oen taken decisions which go against what people advise me. Even when I recorded IP readers are invited to download a selection of tracks from the Ballades o Chopin. But o course it’s very encouraging Jean Muller’s Chopin disc, courtesy of Fondamenta. Visit when, later on, it transpires to have been the right choice.’ www.rhinegold.co.uk/ipdownload and click ‘download now’. Januar y/Fe bru ar y 2013
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International Piano January/February
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Diary of an accompanist In which Michael Round meets a star, and a Planet Am to AccompAny tV si, iig r -sree ar a ia. musi alread reeived b rle urier: hughul tV a rvide sae, hugh sarel eessar i his ase, beig sil oebah a-a hee, srawled lai aer wih had-draw save. Reah tV sudi, leverl buil reseble derei igh-lub ad raed wih as lus sud, lighig, eleris, aera, wardrbe, hair, akeu ad sage aagee rews. Lae rduer i êlée, aserai ue ad usial requirees. n hurr: whle a break, awaiig ariais (sar see). Wader baksage, lae aerers, lear d ad drik all ree: ease waderig. prduer alls r rehearsal: ii disahed lae sar. mii reurs, rers sar urrel i dressig-r seekig isirai i a Guiess. c a wais aiel, a ialulable exese. Sar all lurhes i view: a sarled regise as edia r several geerais ag, lg hugh dead. csue iludes illuiaed bw-ie, aivaed b sar hisel ad ieded revlve as he delivers uhlie see. Rehearse. pla a-a ue. prduer asks, ‘ca usi be re Flies-Bergèrish?’ Have ever bee asked ha bere. mearil lussed, he resar wih ue a ave higher ad aaie srighlier. prduer adds, ‘…ad slwer.’ Slw dw: ue suds awul hus bu rduer leased s d argue usial ieies. Rehearsal resues, eds. Break bere rs ake: wardrbe, hair ad ake-u rew desed en masse id u as, like x-ekers herd rhi. MONDAY
d n u o r a l u s r u © n o I I t a r t s u l l I I
Firs ake ges well, u uhlie: sar rges wrds ad a read auue. Break: ii brigs re Guiess, wries uhlie i big leers bard be held i view sa r bu u sh; x-ekers reaear, desed, disaear. Sed ake: sar delivers wrds bu bwie ails revlve. Break: Guiess ad x-ekers re-eerge, lus sall rwd eleriias aalsig bw-ie. Rer all saisar, read r hird a ke. Bwie agai ails revlve, eleriias uzzled: ar esses had rge aivae ue. Da reeds, reahes seveh ake bere rduer saised. Jb de: subi huge ivie. G he,
Producer asks, ‘Can music be more Folies-Bergèrish?’ derig s er iue whle rje, ad beig glad was reeivig ed se i. A la elese i Hls’s Planets: alwas a j, hwever hakeed he iee. Rehearsal ges well, uld ish earl: aiiae exeded eal-break wih riedl lleagues, e.g. beauiul hariss. Sar Neptune the Mystic: have alwas arvelled ha -sage hirs sa s well i ue wih pp -sage rhesra s ar awa, bu urre hir rves exei, wiigl fa ad wa behid he bea. Rehearsal eds: reare esae r eal wih hariss bu a asked sa behid r eerge hir rehearsal. A reverel haded dg-eared val sre, arhive rari daig aarel WEDNESDAY
r Hls’s ie ad labelled ‘this usi is irrelaeable.’ Beg dier: ais ia redui a all, sil vie ars wih ew ues. Glad kw iee well: jeis ie ad la ia aaie b ear. Bu hir iurabl fa, ad lae: eager baksage elee, ailiar as rer viliis, ers eh isrue r he ad hel u b laig ag he i errae. cdur deserae: agrees. Hasil dear i searh eal (ad hariss) bere a be asked aa vili rehearsal. perrae. Neptune arrives, hir’s rs erae di, lus disa vili, rl bea bu ahead hir. cdur wies, re s as hrus ars ve, all--audible vili w eig ever air es wih ldashied rae. Ee deidedl -si: rhesra lar begis shake wih sile laugher. cdur hisses ‘S hi, sebd.’ Uuied erussiis vlueers, leaves lar: rereaig baksage ses learl audible i geeral pp. musi reeds regardless. o-sage vili ss abrul i id-hrase; -sage rhesral errie sreads audiee. chir ades, usi eds – iereibl, as Hls wre, bu wih disi suds rl lsed dr ad dred sage vili. Iri heers igle wih alause, ssibl a rs wih his iee. theare audiis. See ailiar ae, ji r ee break. Reall: was exra i mda’s tV lig. cha, arvel aresh a exravaga s, elae ssible reea ees. ‘oh, did’ u hear?’ sas exra. ‘the u he see. the direr did’ like i.’ FRIDAY
Janu ar y/Fe bruar y 2013
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c o v e r s t o ry
‘I don’t want to sound immodest, but integrity has always been enormously important to me’
a keen intellect sih piani Steven OSbOrne ha mniu pi a ha xnd fm Bhn Bin f impiain – ju dn’ ak him pla chpin. B Jeremy Nicholas
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International Piano Januar y/Februar y
2013
COVER STORY
‘
OH, I WAS WRONG. SO WRONG!’ LAUGHS STEVEN Osborne. I’ve just shown him, in the interests of continuity, the final quote from his last interview in IP (Sept/Oct 2007), when he announced his intention to record Ravel’s complete piano music. ‘I’ve just got Gaspard to learn,’ he had volunteered cheerily before adding, ‘I wish I’d done Gaspard before, but my feeling is that it’s not quite as hard as it’s made out to be...’ What had made him think Gaspard, one of the literature’s most challenging pieces, was a piece of cake? ‘It’s so lucidly written on the page, but what he asks you to do is very, very
taxing physically – I mean simply playing the notes – and I underestimated that,’ he says. We are sitting in Osborne’s dressing room at the City Halls in Glasgow. Later in the day, he will rehearse Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto with Andrew Manze and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra for performances here a nd in Perth. He’s dressed in his trademark T-shirt, casual trousers and trainers. He celebrated his 40th birthday last year but could easily pass for one of the many students who crowd the city centre at lunchtime – though few would be organised enough to have an umbrella and a bottle of water loaded into the back of their rucksack, as Osborne does. With a pepper-and-salt wig, he might be Simon Rattle’s younger brother: the two have an uncannily similar smile. Osborne laughs oen and generously, but in conversation, he is among the most thoughtful and serious of musicians. You sense he is never happier than when analysing a musical problem. Since that earlier interview in IP, his career has gathered pace. There have been recordings (all for Hyperion) of Tippett (nominated for BBC Music Magazine and Gramophone awards), Britten (winner of a Gramophone Award), Rachmaninov Preludes (nominated for the Schallplattenpreis and a Gramophone Award), Beethoven Sonatas, Beethoven Bagatelles and Messiaen’s Turangalîla Symphony. ‘And the Schubert duets with Paul Lewis,’ Osborne reminds me. ‘That was a lovely record to make. So fun. It was quite interesting to see how someone else works in the recording studio. He’s much more relaxed than I am. I tend to be quite obsessed and go for every last deta il. He wanted to just do something that felt satisfying. We finished in the middle of the aernoon on the last day, which has never happened to me, and I really learned a lot from it. I hadn’t played duets for a while, and when you’re used to filling the musical space yourself, filling only half of it – or maybe not even that – is really, really di cult.’ His first recordings for Hyperion were of piano concertos by fellow Scots Sir Alexander Mackenzie and Sir Donald Tovey, Kapustin’s Preludes in Jazz Style and – the one which brought the pianist to international attention – Messiaen’s Vingt regards sur l’enfant Jésus. Is there a pattern, a long-term plan behind his eclectic choice of repertoire? ‘I feel I’m very omnivorous. I choose by instinct. There’s a never-ending stream of masterpieces to learn. It depends on what I a m aching to do.’ Osborne has a distinctive, transparent sound, one which suits some composers better than ot hers. ‘More and more, I like digging in,’ he says. ‘One of the most important piano lessons I ever had was about three years ago with Alfred Brendel. Ever since I was quite young, I’ve found his playing magnetic and I now realise what it was that drew me to his playing: his ability to characterise. Not just the sound of it, but the rhythm. There was a strong sense of what the music was about and I was curious to know how he did it. So he agreed to let me play for him and it was fascinating.’ While Brendel and Osborne may not be peas in a musical pod, what they do have in common is their love of the intellectual rigour of music. ‘Yes,’ he agrees. ‘But not for its own sake. It works in something like Tippett, where certain things are very complex, but where the complexity is part of ⌂ January/Februar y 2013
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COveR STORY ⌂
th charactr and th motion o th pic. It’s th sam with Dos h ha any sympathy with popl lik Michlangli, Bthon. Brndl kpt talking about gtting to th bot tom o canclling concrts bcaus th piano was not to his liking? ry ky – on o th most basic things, but so asy to orgt. ‘Wll, I think it’s probably a way o transrring your nrs That crats a antastic projcting sound, a way o ngaging onto somthing ls,’ h says. ‘I’m not compltly dismissi o popl lik that bcaus you’ got to nd som way o with th kyboard that rally spak s. ‘You also ha to ha an intrst in rything ls that’s daling with thos things – but I think you mak your li going on – all th supposdly rdundant nots in a chord, mor unhappy.’ Dos h gt nrous? ‘I’ bn lucky. I don’t or instanc. You’r actually ngagd with all o it. Normally, rally sur rom thm. I I ha, thn it’s only bn or a short at music collg, you practic in a sho box but you ha to priod. I I’m ling nrous on th day o a c oncrt I gnrally play with our tims th intnsity in a concrt hall. It’s hard to try to tak a long bath and quitly mull it or. Nrs ar ry train yoursl to do that bcaus it sms so uncomortabl, irrational. Thy don’t corrspond with rality. I play bttr so loud. I ha quit an arag piano at hom – dlibratly whn I’m not nr ous. I don’t agr with popl who say you – bcaus it hlps so much coping with dirnt pianos. It’s nd adrnalin to play wll. Playing a concrt in conict, trribl i you ha a wondrul piano at hom, bcaus thn you can’t ha a conrsation with th audinc. Th bst you’r always disappointd whn you’r tralling around! I’m conrsations ar whn you ar rally rlaxd. O cours it’s airly unussy. A piano has got to b rally bad bor I gt difcult in a concrt to ha th sam outlook as you would at upst about it.’ two o’clock in th morning talking to on o your bst rinds, but that’s what you ha to aim or.’ Oh dar. That’s th troubl with a good talkr lik Osborn. W’ bn chatting or hal an hour, wandring ngagingly up and down th byways, and I’ orgottn that what I’m hr to talk about is his latst rcording: Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition paird intriguingly with Proko’s Sarcasms and Visions fugitives. ‘Pictures is such an amazing shap and concpt or a pic and so incrdibly don,’ h says. ‘I playd it at collg and sinc thn I’ probably playd it mor than any othr pic. It ls rally part o m. ‘On a suprcial ll, I thought it would b nic to pair Pictures with Visions fugitives, but I rally wantd to rcord th Proko. Not an obious coupling, but thr is somthing in th rst o th Sarcasms which corrsponds with Mussorgsky – that kind o light brutality.’ I ask him i h is happy with th rsults. His rply is admirably honst. ‘ You nr gt rything that you rally want. Th problm is how you gt somthing rally iscral lik a concrt prormanc. Th rst tak usually has it, but th longr you kp on, th mor difcult it is to rtain that initial intnsity.’ Raisd in Linlithgow, Osborn has a solidly middl-class background. Both his parnts playd th piano a bit and shard a lo o duts. ‘My dad was a ciil nginr but h playd th organ as a locum in arious churchs. My mum was a pharmacist.’ H has a brothr, a coupl o yars oldr, who startd out as a cllist. ‘W both wnt to th Royal Northrn Collg o Music [RNCM] but h got an injury in his arm. H wasn’t sur, anyway, whthr h wantd to do music as a prossion. H ndd up training to b an accountant. H’s now had o nanc and administration at th Royal Scottish National Orchstra. It’s rathr nic. H pays my chqus!’ Th momnt whn a child rst shows xcptional musical talnt is always mmorabl. Osborn clarly rmmbrs picking out by ar th tuns o nursry rhyms and playing thm with on ngr. And thn thr wr his parnts’ rcords. ‘Thr was a mixtur: Oklahoma; th ‘Pastoral’ Symphony. I I had to tak on disc to my dsrt island, it would b th ‘Pastoral’. I can’t har it and not l happy. ‘Whn I was about sn, apparntly I told my mum that I couldn’t li without th piano. Whn I was 10, I wnt to St
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cover story
Ma’ Mui shl [in edinbugh, aahd h ahdal]. on h ah h had had m in a mpiin whn I wa igh nin and am up m mh and aid: “yu huld hink abu mui hl”. I wa an amazing pla – nl abu 40 pupil – wih a l inunial ppl h, bu hi Nigl Mua, h had mui, n h h all inpiainal gu. H had uh a bad iw mui and wha mui wa abu. H had hi wa making u uiu. ‘A ha I wn h rNcM, wh I had an amazing ah – rihad Bauhamp, a Nw Zaland, a muial man and ind in h phial -up, philg, hw d u wk b wih u mul u’ n wking again hm.’ (obn, b h wa, an h a 10h ‘ an 11h a a puh’). ‘rnna Kllawa wa m main inun,’ h ninu. ‘sh wa ga. sh all g dwn h nigi hw u nghn u ng and hing lik ha. sh ga m m h l I ndd. I h ng an’ ng u ha mpna wih u am – ha ighn up and u’ all limid.’
‘There’s a neverending stream of masterpieces to learn. It depends on what I am aching to do’
A obn’ uu ding, all h saink wk pian and ha a alad in h an. A h nd h a h’ll b ing dwn rahmanin’ snd snaa and clli vaiain, and Mdn’ B a min snaa. Awa m h laial pi, obn ha alwa had an in in jazz. Bu wha h i m paina abu i impiain – ‘wh u a alling wihu knwing wha i ging happn’. ‘I’ dn qui a bi ha in n,’ h a. I auall augh impiain a h Unii cnniu abu 10 a ag. W ad ju impiing n impl md, xpimning wih din hhmi and uual appah. I’ ainaing bau u all anpanl wha mn’ lik whn h impi. And i’ bn all impan m laial u. I’ bn muh m in uh wih m muial pnali, pak, a a ul.’ Hw d h dn ha pnali? H dn’, I b, lik ipp hphnad mp, and, unuuall a piani, ha n afni wih chpin. ‘I wan g h n mhing,’ h a. ‘I wan pla mui ha i dil ngagd – lik Bhn. A a pm, i migh und pniu bu h a w main piall: n i ha u l hibl n h p and wid u’ ging mak a l ul; and h h i ha u ju l bing lkd a and u hink u’ anai. Bh h u h pibili mmuniaing.’ can h ll m wha h hink mak him u m hi p? F n, hi un alk i ummxd. H anw hianl. ‘I dn’ knw hw muh hi diinguih m and I dn’ wan und immd, bu ingi ha alwa bn nmul impan m. I’ alm niul un awa m hap hing, muial gimmik a pin. tha’ pal wh I’m aad mplx mui.’ Steven Osborne’s Mussorgsky/Prokofev disc is out now on Hype rion January/Februar y 2013
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JeroMe rose n Mdici Claic & YuTub New on Blu-ray Disc SCHUMANN VOLUME II LIVE IN CONCERT
Davidsbündlertänze, Op 6 Fantasiestücke, Op. 12 Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13 Kreisleriana, Op. 16 Sonata in G minor, Op. 22
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Beethoven: Sonatas Op. 101, 109, 110, 111
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Schumann: Carnaval, Fantasy, Humoreske
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Liszt: Transcendental Etudes
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Schumann: The Complete Piano Sonatas
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Liszt: Sonata in B minor, Don Juan Fantasy Mephisto Waltz
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WA G N E R B I C E N T E N A R Y
Wagner bicentenary January marks the beginning of bicentenary celebrations for RICHARD WAGNER, the pioneering opera composer whose works continue to inspire devoted followers throughout the globe. Risto-Matti Marin examines the history of piano transcriptions within this oeuvre Translation by David Hackston Wagner for seasoned pianists and amateur musicians
I
N THE 19TH CENTURY, ARRANGEMENTS OF Richard Wagner’s operas and orchestral works were produced for all manner of ensembles. The photograph on the right, of a catalogue of Wagner arrangements printed on the back cover of a Breitkopf & Härtel publication, serves as an excellent illustration of this. On the le is a list of t he piano scores of entire operas, intended either for practice purposes or as a way of acquainting the user with the works. The catalogue then lists arrangements of individual orchestral works or opera fragments and various potpourri fantasies. There are even some arrangements for pedagogical purposes ( Leichte Stücke für den Unterricht ). In addition to works for solo piano, there are also arrangements for other standard ensembles, from violin-piano and cello-piano duos to arrangements for wind instruments, organ and larger chamber ensembles. Notably, the catalogue features a wealth of arrangements for the harmonium and for piano-harmonium duos, harking back to the time when the organ harmonium was a standard feature of many homes. The one category missing from this catalogue is that of concert transcriptions, generally produced by the great piano virtuosi. Most significant among these, from Wagner’s perspective, was Franz Liszt.
Franz Liszt and his students Franz Liszt (1811-1886) was by far the most significant pianist and piano arranger in Wagner’s social circle. Liszt’s impact on Wagner’s life and career took various forms. They had a personal friendship (albeit, at times, a problematic one) as well as a musical relationship: Liszt organised concerts dedicated to
Wagner’s music and, as one of the most influential musicians of the day, did much to further the cause of Wagner’s operas. Indeed, his 15 piano arrangements of Wagner’s operatic music form an integral part of Liszt’s work. In the 1840s-60s, Liszt was a far more renowned musical figure than Wagner, and the scores of ⌂ January/Februar y 2013
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Wa g n E r B I c E n T E n a r y ⌂
his emets wee widel dist ibuted thouhout Euope. Liszt’s emets e exmples o oet tsiptios, the elite mo pio emets. The wee iteded to be peomed i publi d ot to be used meel s ptie mteil o o peome t home like the emets listed i the Beitkop & Hätel tloue. The ide o pio emets s substitute o soud eodis, otio pevlet to this d, did ot ppl to oet tsiptios, whih wee oeived s idepedet tisti etities with sttus septe om tht o t he oiil wok, thouh lik to the oiil tull existed. I this teo o emet, the pesolit o the e is bouht to the oe. We’s ull-bodied, olouul ohesttio pesets et hllees to e, who, usi the pio’s somewht moe limited mes, must spie to epodue expessive plette equl to d s divese s tht o the smpho ohest. Liszt’s exeptiol ommd Wagner at the piano o the kebod d o the pio’s expessive possibilities is exemplied i his We emets. Published i 1849, his emet o the ovetue to Tannhäuser is towei exmple o his skill; hee, he sueeds i mki piisti ewoks oi pt o the oiil’s sublime pthos. Liszt’s We emets evel muh bout his ow stlisti developmet. The 1859 wok Phantasiestück über Motive aus Rienzi Santo Spirito cavaliere is losel elted to the tsies tht Liszt podued bsed o Itli d Feh opes, whih he peomed eull t the heiht o his ee. I this wok, Liszt iopotes o bvu tehiques om pid otve psses to ‘thee-hd illusios’ i the me o Thlbe. I we ompe the Rienzi ts to Liszt’s l We emet, the Feierlicher Marsch zum heiligen Gral aus Parsifal (1882), we see the illumited setiism o Liszt’s lte stle shii thouh. I the Parsifal emet, thee is o loe te o piisti billie o billie’s ske; the, Liszt’s whole ppoh to We’s musi ow seems moe itospetive d pooudl itimte. This sme simple beut be hed i Liszt’s Am Grabe Richard Wagners, witte i memo o We i 1883, whih lso be see s ts o motis om Parsifal . I ll o Liszt’s We emets, Liszt’s ow voie is lws peset. Sevel o Liszt’s pupils lso wet o to beome otble We es. O his el studets, Kl Klidwoth
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(1830-1916) d Hs vo Bülow (1830-1894) e pehps the most losel ssoited with We. Klidwoth peped the st pio soes o m o We’s opes, while Hs vo Bülow’s We tloue iludes both pio soes d oet tsiptios. Klidwoth’s emets wee iteded solel o pesol stud d ptie. Fo this eso, he ws uble to devite om the oiil soes o dd piisti deotio. The sme setiism pplies to Bülow’s pio soes; eve Bülow’s oet tsiptios e touh too litel d soud the stu i peome. cl Tusi (1841-1871) quited himsel with Bülow’s pio soe o Tristan and Isolde while visiti We’s home. Tusi ws lte to pepe his ow spledid thee-pt suite o pio o themes om the sme ope. Tusi is ofe osideed to hve bee Liszt’s most omplished studet, d he ws dmied ot ol b We d Liszt but lso b Johes Bhms d his et pto Edud Hslik. Tusi’s We emets ombie deep udestdi o the oiil woks d the eedom to itete piisti utios ito the textue. all the piisti eets used e i peet ble with the stutul iteit o the musi. Fo iste, i his emet o the Ride of the Valkyries, Tusi develops iesil itite textues to led the emet sese o expessive bude. Thouh the utios mk dil deptue om We’s oiil, the lws emi i le eltio to the ovell om o the wok. The et esedo towds the ed is eted simpl thouh the eletless motio o evedese textues. Tusi’s emets e tehill hllei, but the We emets o Liszt’s Bohemi studet auust Stdl (1860-1930) e, i ples, lmost impossible to peom. as well s studi with Liszt, Stdl ws lso pupil o othe siit pio pedoue, Theodo Leshetizk, d studied with ato Buke. Stdl’s tloue o emets is immese, et it hs bee lmost etiel ootte sie his deth. He podued seve We emets i totl, i om the stdd pioedutio stle o his solo pio emet o the Wesendonck Liede to the hihl hllei d vituosi tsiptio o the Ride of the Valkyries.
Wa G n E r B I c E n T E n a r y Other notable 19th-century Wagner arrangers Thee wee otble Wge ges outside Liszt’s immedite ile, too. O getest iteest is pehps Louis Bssi (1840-1884), the Belgi studet o Beethove’s studet Igz Mosheles. Bssi ged ve-pt pio suite om the Ring tetlog, ompisig the movemets Walhalla, Sigmund’s Liebesgesang , Feuerzauber , Walkürenritt d Waldweben. Bssi’s gemets e oeived i moe o ‘slo stle’ th those o Liszt o Tusig d do ot ppe to stive towds ohestl weight o soud. The displ two pevlet etues: stl, the e metiulousl ostuted s egds the phsilit o the kebod d the hds, mkig them plest to pl. Seodl, Bssi highlights the soi dimesios o Wge’s musi, so muh so tht t times the musi souds lmost like the pio musi o the Impessioists, ledig his gemets exeptiol shee. Bssi’s gemet o Feuerzauber ws the st Wge gemet eve to be eoded, whe the leged piist Jose Hom pled it o to phoogphi oll i 1896. Lte, i 1923, he lso mde studio eodig, whih ks mog the getest ommeil eodigs he eve mde. Like Bssi, Moitz Moszkowski (1854-1925) d Eest Shellig (1876-1939) lso stove towds gemets tht exploed Wge’stimbl dimesios while emiig tehill egoomi. Moszkowski’s gemets o the Venusberg musi om Tannhäuser d Isolde’s Liebestod ome lose to Liszt’s gemets i the shee ihess o thei soud. Shellig’s gemet o the ovetue to Tristan and Isolde is like otted impovistio. Shellig, studet o Ig J Pdeewski, mkes otble deptues om the oigil soe with egd to piisti gutios, d tul sueeds i mkig this idepedet wok o pio. Pdeewski’s eodig o Shellig’s Tristan gemet is oe o the most toweig peomes o Wge tsiptio.
The opening of Gould’s transcription of the overture to Die Meistersinger is written for two hands, but about halfway through there appears a part for a third hand levels o tehil diult e delibetel kept to miimum, these gemets e well fed; ve subtl, Godowsk mkes the pio soud moe ull th his simple ottio suggests. Though these gemets, the studet ot ol hs ess to exellet musi but deepe his o he udestdig o the pio’s soi possibilities. Godowsk’s Wge gemets deseve to e-estblish themselves s stdd pedgogil mteil.
From Glenn Gould to the present day
afe the Seod Wold W, gemets seemed to disppe om musil lie. a hge i esthetis otwithstdig, oe eso m be the dvet o dio d the eodig idust. reodigs soo epled sheet musi s the pim method o musi dissemitio, d the ptie o ‘domesti musi-mkig’ beg to dwidle. The tditio o gig, howeve, otiued s peome’s t, lbeit oe tht ws osideed o less vlue th ompositiol t. Howeve, umbe o iteestig Wge gemets wee podued fe the Seod Wold W. Pehps the most impott mog them e those b Gle Gould (1932-1982). Gould’s pssio o the possibilities o studio teholog be hed i his Wge gemets, eoded i 1973. O these, ol his tsiptio o the Siegfried Idyll be pled Wagner arrangements at the Fin etiel with two hds. The opeig o his tsiptio o the ovetue to Die Meistersinger is witte o two hds, but de Siècle Two o the most sigit piists o the lte 19th etu, bout hlw though thee ppes pt o thid hd. Gould oigill eoded these septel usig multitk Feuio Busoi (1866-1924) d Leopold Godowsk (18701938) lso elt the iuee o Wge’s musi. Both mde teholog. The gemet o Siegfried’s Rhine Journey lso Wge gemets, though Busoi podued ol oe. etues thid hd. Gould’s Wge gemets divide opiio, ptl beuse o his use o studio teholog. Still, I his outh, Busoi ws somethig o Wgei, though lte i his ee he mde le bek with Wge’s the om itegl pt o Gould’s tist. His peomes stle. Busoi’s gemet o the uel mh om o Wge – like his Bh eodigs – evel h is udestdig Götterdämmerung is oe o the best Wge gemets o o polpho d ste hthmi stutues. ll time. Like Liszt d Tusig, Busoi uses the ull gmut o The ge o Wge tsiptios is ot ove, though plet piisti expessio i ojuig his ow visio o Wge’s o eodigs o the oigil woks e vilble. Suessive oigil. Busoi’s geig solutios, gutios d geetios o piists ethuse ove Wge’s musi d wish ‘ohestl’ ppoh epeset the sme deep udestdig to she thei ow visios though gemets. It would ppe tht piists still wish to itepet gemets b o the pio’s idiossies tht he developed muh lte i his volumes o Klavierübung . Liszt, Tusig d othes i oet. Moeove, the pio I dditio to igeious vituoso gemets, Leopold soes b Klidwoth d othes still help musiis quit Godowsk’s oeuve eompsses both oigil woks d themselves with Wge’s opes just s muh s whe the welth o pedgogil mteil. Godowsk ged volumes wee st published. Usig these d, s, Godowsk’s o opeti d ohestl epetoie o his studets, d his pedgogil gemets, mteu piists d oug ples Wge gemets belog to this tego. Though thei ow hve ull ess to Wge’s wold. January/Februar y 2013
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i n r e t r o s pe c t
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amentabLy, the pubLication dd g l alxd blwk’ dg (Sovereign Command , IP, s/o 2002) d v ld ’ l, gl dv d vd ll d. F xl, Wkd l g blwk d z w w wld w d lg ddd l d vl l ll gg d. i , J m-cll v l d dl blwk’ New Grove Dictionary , g ‘ w l d d g v l g d lg ’ d ldg ‘ll ld g d l .’ o v dd blwk w v w ll-d l wk bv d s. s b, d blwk, vd d v dl’ gl -lll d wllg l dggl dv dg dl g blwk w l d ll. p dv d wldg g dvg l blwk. t lg w x
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I N R E T R o S PE C T given their anecdtal knwledge the cmpser’s perrmance practices. The schlarly cus these pianists was cnned largely t explring a cmpser’s mind-set and milieu t illuminate the meaning underlying the ntes. An bsessin with textual matters wuld have been cnsidered pedantic. Brailwsky’s attitude tward the interpretatin Beethven and ther mnumental cmpsers was by n means cavalier. He cnsidered knwledge the scres Beethven’s symphnies and string quartets an essential underpinning r interpreting the pian snatas. He had als been inuenced by hearing Busni in Beethven. Bernstein might well be astnished t learn that Brailwsky ’s debut in 1919 was nt in ne the hackneyed virtus vehicles but in Beethven’s G majr cncert under Camille Chevillard. Fr many years he als pndered including the Hammerklavier snata in his recital repertire. The related miscnceptin that Brailwsky was preccupied with the virtusic side pian playing t the detriment musical values, which is als Bernstein’s assumptin, is a regrettable cnsequence the pian legend’s reluctance t speak abut his artistic cnvictins. Frm the inceptin his career, Brailwsky, in varius publicatins, vehemently denied that rutine scales and exercises were part his daily practice regimen. He asserted repeatedly that technique shuld always be subrdinated t musical expressin and nce lily described the virtus as ‘a missinary the musical gspel.’ As the llwing excerpt rm The Training of a Pianist (The Etude, February 1949) substantiates, his principles were largely in accrd with Bernstein’s: The pianist wh spends hal his lie training his ngers t eats strength, speed, and skill des nt necessarily make himsel a musician. During the average cncert seasn, ne is made all t aware, alas, the number yung aspirants wh give the impressin having a splendid technical equipment – a well-develped means vicing musical utterance – but with nthing t utter in a musically revealing way. Bernstein, wh n dubt regarded Brailwsky as a ptential wellspring
pianistic and musical insight, und his quest r such knwledge thwarted by the veteran perrmer’s apparent ineectuality as a teacher. Brailwsky rarely did mre than demnstrate his wn cnceptins the wrks Bernstein presented r cmment and, when asked r the secret his s-c alled dimensinal tne, wuld reply unhelpully, as i he had been asked t explain smething ineable, ‘What d yu mean, hw d I prduce my tne? It is an expressin my sul!’ Similarly, Arthur Rubinstein nce prclaimed t a BBC interviewer wh pressed him r the secret his expressive tne, ‘Quite rankly, I dn’t knw hw I d it!’ What cmes t light thrugh Bernstein’s encunters with Brailwsky is the cntrast in attitudes tward pedaggy between virtuss rted in the 19th century and thse ur era. Like his riend Rachma ninv, Brailwsky believed pianistic ability t be innate and thus nly minimally imprvable thrugh teaching. These sentiments derived rm gures such as Leschetizky, Liszt, Busni, and Antn Rubinstein, wh did nt espuse specic methds but cused slely n encuraging talented pupils t becme sel-reliant interpreters. Althugh Bernstein was the nly pianist Brailwsky, despite his disinclinatin t teach, was willing t hear a ew times each year r tw decades, he als cunselled r wrked intensively r shrt perids with William Kapell, Ja de Suza Lima, Yara Bernette, Le Nadelmann, the French resistance ghter Francis Lang, Eve Curie and Raymnd Lewenthal amng thers. He nce even discussed an apprach t an accord glissando in ne the Brahms Paganini Variatins with Rudl Serkin. During these mre limited encunters, Brailwsky, in cntrast t Bernstein’s experiences with him, reprtedly was willing t impart specic technical and interpretative advice. The persnality each pupil apparently dictated his apprach. The Swiss pianist Le Nadelmann, wh sught Brailwsky’s insights int the cmplete wrks Chpin in 1940, recalled spending ‘three unrgettable weeks’ with the renwned Chpin interpreter during which ‘we played Chpin rm mrning t night,
Seymour Bernstein’s autobiographical Monsters and Angels: Surviving a Career in Music the sequel to this pianist’s major pedagogical work With Your Own Two Hands, is a telling exposition o the oten brutal realities conronting those who pursue careers in music – a proession ‘raught with rustration, deception, and heartache’. Nevertheless, as both books compellingly demonstrate, music has intrinsic values that transcend these mundane considerations. Bernstein’s gallery o monsters and angels is populated by several o the 20th century’s most distinguished perormers and pedagogues, including his esteemed mentors Sir Cliord Curzon and Alexander Brailowsky. The observations on Brailowsky are noteworthy because they rescue a particularly generous musical angel rom relative obscurity more then 35 years ater his death by rightly recalling not only that his popularity rivalled that o Arthur Rubinstein and Vladimir Horowitz but that his amiable personality, in contrast to some o his colleagues, was inormed by an unailing graciousness and selfess concern or others.
examining his cmplex wrks ver and ver again.’ In pint act, Brailwsky presented highly articulate statements n rtatinal mtin, pedalling, and tne prductin in varius interviews. Indeed, in the llwing excerpt rm An Approach to Chopin Playing (The Etude, February 1944), he was less reticent abut tne prductin than he had been with Bernstein: While it is extremely difcult t er any general cunsels n the way in which t secure tne quality, I may say that the thing t watch r in attacking Chpin’s chrds and ctaves is the apprach. D nt let the attack all nisily rm abve, with ull bdy weight cncentrated in the shulders r upper arms. D c ncentrate the bdy weight in the rearms and the wrists and hands, allwing the attack t reach the keys rmly, rceully, yet with that sense sinking deep int the keys that precludes all hardness. In Master Secret of a Great Teacher (The Etude, June 1925), Brailwsky reerred t ‘a natural w energy t the keybard, thrugh the arms, rm the shulders’ with the ngers prepared in advance each attack rather than permitting the ‘hand t jump spasmdically and hysterically tward the keys in a kind ⌂ musical epilepsy.’
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I N R E T R O S PE C T Finally, Bernstein raises the issue o what some perceived as a decline in Brailowsky during the 1960s and speculates about the possibility o senility or some specic malady. Having enjoyed several extended conversations with the pianist in the mid-1970s, I can attest that, aside rom the eects o sciatica and osteoporosis o the spine, no debilitating illness or neuropsychiatric impairment was evident, and Brailowsky’s brother-inlaw o 40 years, the eminent neuroscientist Alexander G Karczmar, MD, PhD, has conrmed my impression. Indeed, whenever I would have the pleasure o visiting with Brailowsky, he would with great wit and animation regale me or hours nonstop with detailed memories o his career interspersed by demonstrations at the piano. There was, however, an aspect o Brailowsky’s psychological makeup that may have eluded some observers and may not have been evident to Bernstein given the time limitations imposed by Brailowsky’s renetic touring schedule. Although invariably congenial, he would oen extricate himsel rom socially awkward or embarrassing situations by becoming aloo or appearing to enter a trancelike state as a deense mechanism. He once described himsel as being ‘intriguingly withdrawn’ and spoke o deliberately cultivating such a state. Conductor Massimo Freccia reported that Brailowsky at a luncheon that caused him social discomort began going through the motions o playing Mozart’s K 488 concerto on a tabletop and became entirely oblivious to the other guests. What also belies the notion o deterioration is the sheer scope o Brailowsky’s proessional activities in the 1960s and beyond, or he continued to concertise extensively throughout Europe and North America during the 1960s, oering substantial recital programmes as well as several abbreviated Chopin cycles or the composer’s sesquicentennial in 1960. He also returned to t hen Soviet Russia in 1961 or the rst time in 50 years or recitals and concerto perormances in leading cities and was even oered a proessorship at the Moscow Conservatory. His artistic activities extended into the 1970s and included perormances, interviews with
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capable o perorming at a high level aer 1960 can also be cited. For example, a tape o a noteworthy April 1962 collaboration with Louis de Froment and the Luxembourg Radio Orchestra in the Schumann concerto evidences technically secure, emotionally engaged, and expressive playing that surpasses what can be heard rom the documentation o a September 1955 traversal o the same concerto with Adrian Boult at the helm. The nale o the concerto in the 1962 version is dispatched with a verve and artistic commitment that would have ‘The pianist who been unattainable by a pianist on the spends hal his lie verge o senility. On the other hand, the March 1967 training his fngers to Carnegie Hall Chopin recital discussed eats o strength, speed, by Bernstein did not exhibit the more uniorm excellence o the New York and skill does not programmes given in 1962 and 1965. necessarily make Nevertheless, I still vividly recall his stirring account o the concluding himsel a musician’ Andante spianato and Grande Polonaise From The Training oF a PianisT, and the thundering ovation it elicited The eTude, February 1949 rom the capacity audience. The image o his literally sprinting unto the platorm fuency and level o musical inspiration and pouncing at the keyboard to repeat fuctuated perplexingly throughout the Op 25, No 12 ‘Ocean’ Etude ollowed his career. Bryce Morrison, who has by a dozen encores remains indelibly conceded Brailowsky’s ‘immense ame impressed in my mind. A survey o Brailowsky’s recordings and stature,’ concurs with this view and has characterised the artist as reveals a similar pattern o fuctuation having been ‘wildly inconsistent.’ Some in quality rather than continuous commentators ound his playing at times decline. Despite the prevailing opinion headlong and percussive in the late 1940s that Brailowsky reached the acme o through the 1950s, whereas the post-1960 his success as a commercial recording period was perceived as being marked by artist in the late 1930s, his muchgreater mellowness and renewed artistic vaunted 1938 London HMV discs are commitment recalling the best playing o arguably outstripped by some o his last his earlier years. In March 1959, Harold recordings or RCA in 1957 and 1958 Schonberg lauded Brailowsky’s ‘dashing as well as, perhaps, by one or two o account’ in Carnegie Hall o the Liszt his Schumann interpretations and the B minor sonata and the ‘high degree o Saint-Saens and Rachmaninov C minor nuance with phrases careully built up concertos. A 1958 encores compilation and released’ that inormed his diverse contains, or example, the most program. A reviewer in the British convincing o his three recorded versions o Scriabin’s tumultuous D-sharp minor Times also extolled a 1958 Brailowsky perormance o the Liszt sonata in Festival etude, and the purling legato in the Hall ‘as a magnicent interpretation … passagework o Chopin’s trifing Trois o a richness o keyboard orchestration Ecossaises evident in the 1958 recording and pungent phrasing rarely heard on makes the execution o the same pieces the concert platorm,’ although minor in the 1938 production seem laboured reservations were voiced about other by comparison (some o these recordings rom the 1950s were reissued on BMG portions o the programme. A ew broadcast recordings 09026-68164 and 68165). Interestingly, substantiating that Brailowsky remained the rhythmically robust account o Radio Canada, and adjudication at the Queen Elisabeth Competition, where he had previously served on the piano jury in 1956 and 1964, in 1972 at the age o 76 in the company o Gilels, Fleischer and others. Another contention is that the alleged erosion o Brailowsky’s psychological and physical health was paralleled by a precipitous downturn in pianistic prowess and interpretative insight. In point o act, Brailowsky’s keyboard
I N R E T R O S PE C T Chopin’s Andante spianato and Grande impression o nonchalance. Brailowsky Polonaise rom Brailowsky’s nal prized virtuosity and could always Columbia Masterworks sessions in April summon the requisite brilliance when he 1963 (reissued in France in 1989 on CBS elt disposed to do so, but his paramount CD MPK 45554) ranks among his best aim was to communicate with his studio eorts. Also notable is the unissued audiences through music – to musizieren material recorded by French Philips rather than to wow his listeners with between 1959 and 1961 or Columbia tawdry pianistic stunts. The quest or Masterworks that now has allen into achieving perection in sterile recording obscurity because most o the master studios thus did not always engage his tapes and session inormation appear interest. RCA producer Richard Mohr to have vanished. On the other hand, described Brailowsky as once leaving a some o the mid-1950s RCA recordings session in some displeasure and asking intended to display Brailowsky’s anity the engineer to select the take with or Liszt seem curiously lacklustre and the ewest mistakes. Gyorgy Sandor commented that recordings could wanting in the pianist’s usual assurance. What actors may account or the never convey the highly individualistic variability that inormed Brailowsky’s approach o a Brailowsky. As an audience-oriented musician, playing rom the inception o his career? Rumours o Brailowsky’s Russian Brailowsky’s deepening awareness o proclivity or heavy social drinking a major transormation in the nature circulated in the late 1920s and early 1930s o perormance over the course o his during the period o the pianist’s contract career undoubtedly contributed to the with Polydor. Henry Chwast, a Polish pensiveness and nostalgia he sometimes riend o the Karczmar amily living in maniested in his later years. In the early Paris, accompanied Brailowsky on a tour decades o the 20th century, recitalists o Scandinavia beore his 1931 marriage and audiences interacted directly, and to Ela Karczmar and reported that both the primitive recordings o that era he and the pianist had spent many were regarded as mere momentos o an nights ‘drinking mightily’ throughout artist. Brailowsky averred that ‘I have the tour. It is imperative to emphasise, a passion or my art and the taste or however, that there is no evidence that communicating through it with others.’ Brailowsky, unlike Jose Homann, was He elaborated on the nature o that aicted by alcoholism. By dint o sheer communion by noting that ‘There is no discipline augmented by stern post- such thing as an unresponsive audience; marriage measures imposed by his new dierent people respond to dierent wie, the pianist was transormed into a things. The pianist must make them virtual teetotaler and was able to pursue respond! It is up to him to make the his career without disruption. He is not audience understand what he is tr ying to known to have relapsed, and I perceived say. I he doesn’t have that “sparkle,” that no signs o alcohol consumption during special ability to communicate, he ails my conversations with him. Any lapses, to make contact with his listeners.’ By the 1950s, however, recordings however, would inevitably have had had substantially altered the personal, short-term deleterious eects. Ela Brailowsky once observed to creative dimension o this interchange by me that her husband possessed such a supplanting the concert experience with phenomenal musical acility that he was a medium that invited listeners to analyse seemingly able to assimilate reams o and compare the minutest details o music almost instantaneously without interpretations and to place perormers always immediately seeking to hone in hierarchies accordingly. The ability thorny passages to the highest level to ediy and uplif through the concert o Fingerertigkeit beore beginning experience came to matter less. As stated in my 2002 article, Brailowsky to experiment with perormance possibilities. Brailowsky’s mother would had a chameleonic susceptibility to sometimes chide her son or a lack o his environment when playing. The Sitzeisch in his practising or ear this presence o receptive listeners could elicit tendency might give some observers the moments o breathtaking brilliance and
spontaneity rom him. I still vividly recall his illustrating passages rom Chopin’s B-at minor Nocturne, Schumann’s Humoresque and rst Novelette, and the Grieg sonata when he was in his late seventies. I marvelled at his uncontrived rubato and expressivity and mused that he would have elt more constrained and sel-conscious in some perorming or recording situations. Bernstein aptly described Brailowsky’s demonstrations at the piano as creating the sense ‘that the music was playing him, and not the other way around.’ Brailowsky’s Ampico roll o Chopin’s ubiquitous Op 9, No 2 Nocturne, which eatures more sensitive, less constrained agogics than are evident rom his three commercial versions or the phonograph, gives some sense o his capabilities when he was most inspired and uninhibited. In a brie interview rom the 1972 Queen Elisabeth Competition excerpted or a DVD ( A Queen’s Competition, Cypres 1105), Brailowsky, when he was asked i piano playing had ‘evolved’ and young pianists had come to play ‘dierently’, replied that he believed this observation to be true but perhaps with a tinge o irony implied that it was technical prociency that had evolved without commensurate development in musical expression and the cultivation o a strong interpretative personality. He would ofen lament to me that pianists – particularly highly gifed competition victors – who had no ability to engage the interest o concertgoers were est ablishing careers solely through recordings. Whatever else may be said about Brailowsky, he derived as much pleasure rom communicating through the piano as his audiences did in hearing him. The aphorism ‘Happy is the man whose vocation is his hobby’ he requently quoted in relation to himsel is especially telling in this context. The piano was so much an extension o his being that he seemed to embody the notion that ‘playing the piano is experienced as a Gestalt, a totality o activity enjoyed rom childhood as naturally and unconsiciously as any other orm o play’ (Harold Taylor, The Pianist’s Talent , Taplinger, 1982). He admirably embodied Bernstein’s ideal o sel-integration. e
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Perhaps the pianist who is most amiliar with Boulez’s working methods and closest to his heritage is Pierre-Laurent Aimard, who was or many years a member o Boulez’s Ensemble Intercontemporain and has a mix o technical wizardry and inside understanding that ew can match. That doesn’t mean Boulez’s work comes easily to him, o course. ‘It’s extremely challenging music,’ Aimard comments. ‘Boulez loves complexity, diculty, virtuosity. It is one o the hardest musics to play because you have every dimension in it: the hypersensibility o a great artist, the superior thought o one o the most marvellous brains in the history o music, and this taste or challenge and virtuosity. So this mix means that the real pieces by him – not pieces like Notations for Piano, which is a youthul piece that he didn’t intend to be printed – are very oen among the hardest. And, by the way, they are very little played.’ The Second Piano Sonata, he remarks, is ‘a nightmare’. ‘That’s really one o the hardest pieces ever composed. It has a level o architecture to render, and a length also [around 30 mins] which makes it one o the most demanding o all piano compositions.’ Boulez’s mind, it seems, never stops probing at new pathways, whether they are directly musical or concern music in the practical sense – the ways, means and settings with which and in which to perorm it. His electronic works, and the pioneering studio he ounded in Paris in the 1960s, IRCAM, broke new ground in the eld, opening up a world o sounds that would have been unimaginable to any prev ious generation. But the piano is not exempt rom his explorations and he has intriguing ideas about how the instrument itsel could be urther developed. ‘I tried to interest Steinway – but they were not interested – to enrich the piano like the harpsichord,’ he says. ‘To have, or instance, stops – a stop that mues the strings, as the harpsichord has, or to allow some notes to resonate more than others. But as long as the piano does not sell to everybody, they are not interested to do that. This I regret. We can make this modication to the sound with a computer, but it is not a direct sound;
it is a sound through a loudspeaker, which is dierent. Also, I would like to try to make certain things easier, or example, to transorm the tuning o the piano. Again, we can do this through the computer – immediately you can have everything at your disposal. But I would like much more a mutual infuence between computer technology and the old instrument technology.’ Boulez has never worked rapidly, and his Third Piano Sonata still remains unnished. Will he write any more piano music? ‘Maybe,’ he replies. ‘I am not sure. In Sur incises I’ve given an example o what I think the piano can be: virtuoso in the sense that there are a lot o notes per minute, but also in terms o the piano resonance.’ This work (written in
years later, sometimes decades later. He may reuse the material in another work, make developments, make experiments, try things, achieve something, or not. Or then take the material and make something else.’ The old image o Boulez as a nearincendiary iconoclast was very much o its time. His most controversial statements – his declaration that opera houses should be burned down even saw him added to a terrorism blacklist – date rom the 1950s and 1960s. It is not that Boulez is less o a rebrand today – but he is, o course, older, and also wiser. ‘I was not more radical than now,’ he refects. ‘But I was, I suppose, more rank than now. Now I see that maybe, sometimes, given the situation, you have to be less direct
‘I write for the piano much more easily than for other instruments, and even more easily than for the orchestra, because it was my instrument when I was young’ 1996-98) is scored or three pianos, three and more eective in yoursel. But when harps and three percussionists and is a things are wrong, or insucient, or not powerul example o Boulez’s ascination exactly the way they should be, then you with timbre and resonance, musical have to say so. And I did tell it, sometimes elements that oen lead him to choose with paradox or provocation – all right, instrumentation that might never occur but I did not stay at this point. I am not speaking now o doing or writing the to a more earth-bound imagination. The virtuosity o resonance, he says, is way I was in 1950. People think generally something that ‘I did in my Third Sonata o me as a man o 1950 and not a man o also. And that’s why I did not continue today. I have to accept that.’ ‘He’s an adorable person,’ says Aimard. with the Third Sonata, because I looked at what I had written in the other ‘He’s very generous with his time, very movements and it was too close to what I dedicated to what he does and a very had written in the t wo movements which noble soul – which is not what his image are nished.’ Only two movements has been.’ Boulez has been phenomenally and a ragment o the third have been misjudged, he eels, ‘by people who just published. He kept working on it up to look at this in a supercial way. One 1963, but he doesn’t seem to have written picks up a couple o sentences o some o entirely the idea o completing it, text rom the youth o somebody who some 50 years on. ‘Maybe i I reach 103, is polemical – and that’s all? That makes no sense. I think one should look at the like Elliott Carter, then I will do it.’ ‘Creators are not always people who complete picture o what somebody has constantly speak about how they are done – and then the evidence is so high creating,’ remarks Aimard. ‘But Boulez that there is no discussion any more.’ Can such a composer have a successor? has spoken, and taught, and written. It’s not a secret that he always comes Aimard believes not. ‘I think that back to previous pieces to recompose somebody with this strength and them. There are ideas or materials that multiaceted constructed world, and he prepares; he starts to work on them with this originality, has certainly no and gives up and comes back to them successor. And should not have.’ January/Februar y 2013
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RepeRtoIRe
Discovering
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t sounds somethIng o a l . h v r clicé, b I wlc rlr l, b vr cr . i cri W L h y, “J ly r . I’ Brzili ii Cléli Irz l, i’ j lii.” si r b R, r i wl ic lr – rr lbl, ici s aric wi r r v vic – I wr b cl. Irz l wl ik, wy I yi i? ir crbl ic y, “I’ r y,” wl y. ar wic i ll wi brc siwy. ii I wrk wi w Jcq Kli. I i ll, cvri w h’ vry wll kw i Brzil, ily Brzili cf, b w rl ii’ ii. ty cvri vryi r riv wr y cr i w ll vry ic cii r irl, b I w xrly lcky ily r l rcri v c r ri l i bii y vl.’ m r s lbl. a iic r Ir z’ xiv ‘I’ r v vry iri ici,’ y. ‘W rcr cvr s aric I w 13 I nl rir, w cr. ‘a r I j w lwy b r i. I ly r ly ll Ric wrk, bi i i i i Ri i y ccr – lik vry y ii, I iri i wic iily . I ly Vill Lb
REPERTOIRE others, but I didn’t realise just how much good music there was. Perhaps I had to leave Brazil in order to look back from another perspective and see what it had to oer. ‘In London, when people asked me if Brazilian music was any good, my pride was a little dented. I thought I must investigate more and began listening, researching. Now I have a whole library of scores, most of which are out of print. Of course I play lots of standard repertoire in concerts, which I love, but it’s much more useful if I record things which are less well known, especially from my country. I would say it’s almost a mission.’ Iruzun is the dedicatee of a number of works by contemporary South American composer Marlos Nobre and the late Francisco Mignone, with whom she struck up an artistic kinship at the tender age of seven. She smiles fondly at the memory. ‘I met Mignone by total coincidence. He was staying in
the same hotel where I was holidaying Pessebres and the Chopin Variations, a with my family. The place was run by canon that is still woefully underplayed. priests and they had a church with a little ‘I don’t know why this is,’ she says. ‘His two-pedal harmonium. I was a curious music is so special. I don’t find it at all child and wanted to play it, so one of unapproachable: I hadn’t played it in my the priests said, “Okay, you can play in young years, but I immediately saw that the Sunday mass.” I couldn’t even reach he has a unique, intimate language; he’s a the pedals; someone sat beside me and master of emotions. ‘The atmosphere of Mompou’s operated them while I played a short piece by Mignone called Japanese Toy. Mignone music goes beyond even Impressionists happened to be there and aerwards told like Debussy or Ravel. It’s like there’s me he was the composer of the piece I’d a complete stillness sometimes, a directness – he start s to remove bar lines, just played. ‘Years passed then, and my piano to break away from any structure that teacher in Rio, Mercês de Silva Telles (a may restrict freedom. But this is dicult. wonderful lady and a pupil of Claudio You have to free yourself completely from Arrau who knew Mignone very well), all that accumulated orthodox learning: said she would teach me one of his we are told to respect bar lines, not to famous waltzes and take me to play it for lose tempo or break lines; suddenly, him. When I did play for him, we had you have to break with this in order to a connection straight away – he was a do justice to the music. It’s challenging: lovely, gentle man. Months later, his wife with Mompou it’s a journey of learning.’ I suggest we are very fortunate to called my mother and said that he had written a suite of five children’s pieces have the composer’s own recordings as a for me, which I premiered in Rio. He reference point. ‘Yes, they are beautiful even came to the concert. Actually, his – a great inspiration and you have to birthday was one day aer mine. On my respect that reference. He was a fantastic 15th he celebrated his 81st along with pianist and really knew how to write for me: we blew out the candles on the cake the instrument. He probably had very big together. I still have the photos.’ hands. I have reasonably big hands for my Iruzun’s latest recording project is a size, so normally I more or less manage, recital disc of Mompou’s early Impresiones but his music has large stretches and Intimas, the first six Canciones y Danzas, chords. You have to get your hand loose and the balance right so you can li some harmonics and try to hear more things coming through. You can lose yourself experimenting with the sound. That’s why, when I listened to my first take of the recording yesterday, I thought, one could go on forever with Mompou – reading between the lines there is so much.’ Between being a mother to two children, giving concert tours, masterclasses and performing with the Warwick-based Coull Quartet, will there be time for more recordings? ‘Yes, there will be at least one more recording of Mompou as I want to complete the second book of dances and some other pieces. I’m also thinking of doing some Ernesto Nazareth and there are many, many other things I want to play. Lots of notes to learn!’
‘With Mompou it’s a journey of learning’
Clélia Iruzun’s disc Federico Mompou, Selected Works Vol 1 will be released on 17 December on the SOMM label
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the 4h manheser Inernaional Piano conero copeiion for young Pianiss Chetham’s School of Music & University of Manchester
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The London International Piano Symposium February 08-10th, 2013 in association with Steinway Hall, London Welcome to The Art and Science of Piano Performance: an interdisciplinary symposium for the enhancement of teaching and performance in the twenty-first century. The first of three, three-day London International Piano Symposiums will begin on the 8th, 9th & 10th February, 2013 at the Royal College of Music, London UK, We warmly welcome everyone interested in the performance of piano music: performers, scientists, academics, teachers, young people, and all those who love just to listen. For the first time this symposium will provide an opportunity to hear papers, lecture recitals and debates on the art and science of piano performance by distinguished researchers and practitioners on the 8th & 9th February. On the 10th February, workshops with the Royal Ballet and Prof Kneebone of Imperial College, a recital by Sofya Gulyak, the winner of the Leeds International Piano Competition 2010, and a round table will offer a rich experience for the professional and lovers of piano performance alike. To book for the conference on the 8th & 9th go to: www.londoninternationalpianosymposium.co.uk To book for the 10th February go to the Royal College of Music Box Office:
020 7591 4314 or in person 10.00am – 4.00pm (weekdays only) and u p to one hour before the event. Or, http://www.boxoffice.rcm.ac.uk
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International Piano January/February
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John Lewis recording at the Broadcast Studios in Geneva on 5-6 July 1972 (Photo courtesy of Jean-Jacques Becciolini/Jazclass)
IP’ jzz lut Graham Lock uggt lut rrdg b John Lewis
J
ohn Lewis has many cLaims t . o ur, ’ rbrd 1. One Never Knows, from r t t t mdr No Sun in Venice Jzz Qurtt (mJQ), t grup -ld by the MJQ (Atlantic, r r t 40 r. yt v br t 1957) mJQ rd 1952, ’d pprd 2. Skating in Central tbl rrdg, ludg crl Park , from Odds Against Prr’ Parker’s Mood d ml Dv’ Tomorrow by the MJQ Birth of the Cool , t trbutd (Blue Note, 1959) Rouge. 3. Two Degrees East, Three a prl pr, rt gl Degrees West , rgrdd r r Rgr Vd’ l from The Wonderful World No Sun in Venice (1957) d Rbrt w’ of Jazz by John Lewis trllr r Odds Against Tomorrow (1959), (Atlantic, 1961) d ltr b ldg gur t 4. Gemini, from Private Trd str vt t rl Concert by John Lewis 1960, trv t b lt (Emarcy, 1991) jzz d eurp ll u – 5. Django, from Evolution prjt L d tptd p by John Lewis (Atlantic, u Vendome d Three Windows, 1999) trdud ugu d utrpt t t mJQ’ rprtr. Ftd prtulrl b brqu u, t 1980 rrdd vr B’ Goldberg Variations d The Well-Tempered Clavier . L’ rt lv, vr, jzz; tpd bbp, blu d g, l prrl prvr, g t rtr L L tt vr rt ut tg pld l: ‘i vt t p prt t. Fr , prvt t ttrt.’ h vr bt r dtrtv prrr; lgt, tl, rt cut B’ drt utl, Take Five
Ta k e F i V e drtd trd t grtr t u. T br t mJQ bdd t lltv dl, bl t prv tgtr t t d plp tr r td t ll trg qurtt. Tug rtd b r t rlt d eurp u (trvrl prd bl ulturl tl t r), t mJQ prvd xtrl ppulr d t tl br jzz r t t. Tr r vrl mJQ rrdg r t 1950 d 1960 i uld rd, but i’ll lt l t jut t prl vurt. One Never Knows, r No Sun in Venice, td t b vrld, prp bu t d’t ud vr ‘jzz’-l (t’ t prvd vrt), ltug t ll t utgl butul: rgt ld r d t l lgt tr L d vbt mlt J t tur t rt t tu. Skating in Central Park, lltg ltz r Odds Against Tomorrow, ( t rd rt Gutr sullr) ‘ rvl ul tgrt d tut’; L, ‘t prt prd pt’, bt upprt J’ l d gg lbrt trpl, p d vb g tgtr t rt t sullr ll t ‘lt gl, luu rt’ tt t mJQ’ uqu gtur. Tr r ltr lv vr t, tug r , t grup’ rgl Blu nt rrdg v tl p d rpprt. L jd lr ft t gutrt J hll, turd dul t lbu t pt d r t mJQ, tbl Grand Encounter d The Wonderful World of Jazz. L rt Two Degrees East, Three Degrees West r t rr, but i prr t lttr’ r g, pld t. h g t prd pt, dlgu t hll’ pllud gutr, d r dd prlg l , t rlxd g ( L t rdr) t dl tp r t urb blu. w t mJQ br up 1974, L bg t xplr tr rtv vu, u br jzz l-up t vl d ut (k ct Br) d du prtrp t ll pt h J (a evg t T Grd P); t, 1981, t mJQ rrd d t lbu r ttlg gpt t rd t t. a ltrtv pt L dd tu t puru t l rtl, d 1990 t st t t rtll ut n yr’ cur t a t rrd Private Concert , glgt bg r-t-jr pt Gemini . Tr, utg ld, pu t pt g – g t er st d t blu. h l l t, Evolution, dt r lt dd ltr, jut t r br dt 2001. L rvt vrl ld vurt, tug l t dt d rgur t; Django, bt- r ( trbut t gutrt Djg Rrdt, rt rrdd b t mJQ 1954), b gulr, ttutd tg, bt b tg hdqu pu. T rrg l xprtl d vldtr t t t, uru bld t dg d t rpuulr tt uttrl pllg. Graham Lock has written several books on jazz, including Forces in Motion, Chasing the Vibration and Blutopia
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P O U L e n C a n n i v e r s a ry
Poulenc’s Piano legacy W Francis Poulenc’ po wok bd bld tm b? a w c t ft o t c compo’ dt, Benjamin Ivry cll o mt
T
he iTieTh anniversary o t quttll c compo c Poulc’ dt o t ttck o 30 Ju 1963 good xcu o lookg t pdoxcll plg po lgc. a gd pt ml, Poulc wot qutt o wok o po olo ddto to cocto d cmb muc wt po, but opl dlkd m o tm. Poulc’ ttmt umbguou, cug om poblm c, w compo’ ou t totll dold o woll ud, mkg t d o lct cmt dcult o om Gllc po lo. T lo t gl quto o wt compo cl t bt judg o ow cto. a optctd uto uc Poulc, wo wot dlgtul book – publd egl tlto 1982 b Dobo Book but l log out o pt – xplg w dod t muc o emmul Cb, w mo cut ctc o muc, cludg ow, t m ot mo ï o gull compo o po. rd o Poulc’ lucd Journal de mes Mélodies, egl tlto o wc, Diary of My Songs, w ptd b K & all Publ 2007, o olumoul wtt ltt, publd b L dto d Correspondance, 1910-1963 1994, c ol dm l-w bot m d compo. ad Poulc w qut op d bo-bod wtg bot o publcto d ltt to d
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International Piano Januar y/Februar y
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tt lt olo po wok w dppotmt. T pot o w mptcll ot d b om dmg lt, d Wld Mll’ Francis Poulenc (Oxod Ut P, 1995) mk mpttc, ot tl cocg, c o lkg to wok dgtd b Poulc. Ucompomgl, Poulc wot: ‘it pdoxcl, but tu, tt m po muc t lt ptt g m output.’ T pdox l t ct tt Poulc w tmtl old po oud, pupl o t gd tuoo rcdo vñ, pog pom o wok b Dbu, rl, d ot. Poulc td to xpl t o o wt w lu to compo woll tg olo po wok: ‘M o m pc ld bcu i kow too wll ow to wt o t po... oo i bg wtg po ccompmt o m og, i bg to b ot. smll, m po wtg wt oct o cmb mbl o dt od. it t olo po tt omow cp m. Wt t i m ctm o l ptc.’ T oto tt obudc o kowldg o udtdg bout t po ld Poulc to wt bdl o t tumt m cop-out t bt. yt w c dw om wod t uul tougt tt w lo w tt om o mot cctul d zt wok clud t po, wt 1932 Le Bal Masqué , ‘po ctt’ o
bto, po d cmb mbl; 1937 og ccl, Tel jour telle nuit ttg pom b Pul Élud; 1946 Story of Babar, the Little Elephant ( Histoire de Babar, le petit elephant ) o to d po; o 1957 lut sot. i ll o t, t wtg o po mtull collbot d ddull xp t t m tm. T ultcll wllul bupt o le Bal Masqué – t to wld pom b Mx Jcob – cd b t t tmop o t po pt. o Poulc, ccompld compo o cd col wok, t po m to b motl po tumt to xp woldl plu – dd t le Bal Masqué . stll, ot, lo wok uc Tel jour telle nuit , wc t dltc Élud ddd topc om omtc lo d tu to botl cto, Poulc c mtpcl dt uuul po wtg, ddg kbod potlud wc Gm Joo ptl comp to t potlud tt robt scum wot o t pt 1840 og ccl Dichterliebe. Poulc blogd to gto om o wom – ollowg t xmpl o J Coctu wo, dpt ot bg muc, pod dcttol opo bout muc – xplctl jctd t Gm topct cool o po compoto. Bto ot w cod b Coctu ‘muc ou to lt to oldg ou d ou d,’ t tougt o p, wd-
p o u l e nc a n n i v e r s a r y
‘It is paradoxical, but true, that my piano music is the least representative genre in my output’ January/Februar y 2013
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PouLENC ANNIVERSARY lking keybard snatas was inherently ridicls. Despite sch ashinable strictres, Plenc wld create rened and sensitive pian writing r sng texts he geninely adhered t, sch as Lis Aragn’s cmparably idealistic C, with its allegrical reerences t the wartime Nazi ccpatin France. Expressing an entirely dierent Babar emtinal spectrm, is particlarly rewarding r a pianist with a strng stage presence and a sense hmr. Thse rtnate engh t hear the French pianist Billy Eidi, a ppil Magda Tagliaerr, perrm Babar alngside the great Swiss tenr Hges Cénd as narratr will never rget the experience. Sch wrks by Plenc are theatrical witht being spercial; indeed, their innate theatricality is prndly pleasing becase its candidly pen-hearted emtinal genersity and hmr. They share these permanent qalities with Plenc’s best sngs, sch as Le Bestiaire (settings rm 1918 and 1919 pems abt diverse ana by Gillame Apllinaire), nt cincidentally als bringing the animal wrld t lie via keybard characterisatins, mch like Babar . This vivacity is als present in Plenc’s wrks written r pian, sch as his 1953 Snata r Tw Pians, where a cmbinatin slists cndcts a cnversatin. Plenc was srely c apable writing ephemeral msic r tw pians, as sch Le Voyage en Amérique and L’Embarquement pour Cythère, bth rm 1951, which nly mean t please and scceed well engh in this limited ambitin. Hwever this is the exceptin, rather than the rle, r Plenc’s wrk r tw pians. When he wrte r a single pianist, even i the reslts were as charming as Les Soirées de Nazelles ( Evenings at Nazelles) written rm 1930 t 1936, the reslts can resemble lightweight saln msic. Even thgh Plenc’s inspiratin r Les Soirées de Nazelles was scial, as a recllectin pleasant evenings with riends gathered arnd the pian as he played, the msical mnlge ramewrk still prevents any enlivening spark which wld trn a placidly pleasant wrk int a mre bitingly pinted ne. Plenc was particlarly
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harsh abt Soirées de Nazelles, eeling the need t ‘cndemn [it] witht reprieve.’ Given these tendencies, it is nderstandable that Plenc’s 1932 Cncert r Tw Pians ( Le Concerto pour deux pianos en ré mineur ) is a jy t hear and perrm, with its sassy mtal nderctting, as well as call and respnse between the slists. As a devtee interchanges as a grp msical statement, Plenc was inspired in part r his Tw Pian Cncert aer hearing a Balinese gamelan rchestra at the 1931 Paris Internatinal Clnial Exhibitin. The gamelan, as an ltimate jangly expressin rban grp endeavr in Asia, was nderstandably attractive t Plenc, the Parisian bon viveur . This aspect is especially adible in the recrding – a perrmance als lmed mney t his richer riends, and r French TV and psted in part n cmplaining that he had t ‘wrk r YTbe.cm – in which Plenc is a living.’ I well recall a chat in Paris partnered with his ld riend and ellw decades ag with the charming French gay denizen Parisian high sciety, the pblisher Gérard Wrms, hsband champagne-dry pianist Jacqes Février. the gied athr Jeannine Wrms, The kind scially based exchange wh en dined t in the 1950s with which is ndamental t this wrk can Plenc and Jean Cctea (n separate be sensed in perrmances by ther evenings). Wrms exclaimed, ‘Neither artists, and mst have been present even them [Plenc r Cctea] ever picked in 1945 at Lndn’s Ryal Albert Hall, p a cheqe!’ when Plenc perrmed his Cncert Whether sch stinginess ever translated r Tw Pians with the cmpser/ int a lack emtinal genersity in pianist Benjamin Britten, with whm he Plenc’s pian wrks is a mt pint. was barely acqainted at the time. Mre pertinent is that beynd the high Characteristically, Plenc saw his 1949 sciety setting Plenc’s lie – aptly Pian Cncert as a disappintment, engh he drpped dead in his fat in ne althgh it was indbitably n r him Paris’s pshest neighbrhds, n t perrm. Plenc privately reerred the re de Médicis jst acrss the street t his Pian Cncert as the Concerto rm the Lxembrg Gardens – Plenc en casquette, r Concerto While Wearing a was, mre than a mere scial btterfy, a Cap. Dring its amsing passages verging devtee interpersnal cmmnicatin. n brlesqe, the slist was meant The eminent chral cndctr Rbert t impersnate an athletic, naghty Shaw nce tld me that Plenc adred wrking-class hmrist sch as the gssip: ‘He was like an ld wman!’ yng Marice Chevalier, whm Plenc Shaw chckled. Plenc’s nest wrks admired. Althgh it is still perrmed by invlving pian cnvey an ara avid aspiring slists, it clearly lacks the depth and mch-relished discssin, whether Plenc’s Cncert r Tw Pians. spicy discrd r mtal emphatic cncrd amng instrments, sch as his 1926 Tri ouLENC WAS FIRST AND r obe, Bassn, and Pian; his 1931-32 remst a sciety cmpser in Sextet r Pian and Wind Qintet; and the bradest sense the term. his 1962 Snata r Clarinet and Pian. In these wrks, the pian, as well Brn in 1899 t wealth as an heir t what became the Rhône-Plenc chemicals as sl instrments, seem t speak in and pharmaceticals rtne, Plenc hman vices. As a great reader French lived his lie in cshy circmstances, literatre, Plenc knew that examples althgh cnstantly crabbing abt breathless gssip elevated t the rank
P
n o i t c e l l o c r e t t o p y l l u t © s o t o h p l l a
P O u L E N C A N N I v E R S A Ry the ne arts distingished some highl An esiel oral tpe, Polenc esteemed writers, rom Saint-Simon and alwas made mch o his appreciation Tallemant des Réax to Madame d o gormet delights and the wine Deand. In its intensit and rgenc, aailable in the region o his contr gossip or ‘baardage’ to se the French estate otside Tors. Reportedl a longterm, cold be the basis or permanentl time criser at ga pickp sites arond Paris, Polenc rther indlged his admirable artistic statements. Perhaps becase o their oralit, wind oral inclinations, as his now-pblished instrments were particlarl attractie priate letters ampl state. All o these to Polenc, whereas he was less drawn tendencies point to a composer who to string instrments. Harsh on his solo became himsel when srronded b piano works, Polenc elt comparable and commnicating with others. A social dislike or his sonatas or iolin and cello, being, he might hae concrred with the with some jstication. His 1929 Aubade poem Lauds b Wstan Aden: ‘Men o (sbtitled as a ‘Choreographic concerto’) their neighbors become sensible:/ In is a hbrid work that scceeds more in its solitde, or compan.’ In Polenc’s best chamber aspects than in solo writing or works, the piano is actel sensitie to the piano against an orchestral palette. its neighboring instrments, and the His earlier 1927-8 Concert champêtre, onl solitde that reall sits Polenc intended or Wanda Landowska’s bilt-p is indeed the kind that trns ot to be a Pleel harpsichord as solo instrment, has orm o companionship. One exception is Polenc’s Mouvement oen been perormed b a solo pianist instead. Een when the piano soloist Perpétuel No 1 (1918), a consciosl was Polenc himsel, or a keboard simple eort in the Erik Satie ein b artist as accomplished as Emil Gilels, a ong Polenc that gained celebrit the reslts cold sond ngainl. Nor is b its inclsion on the sondtrack o Concert champêtre among Polenc’s most Alred Hitchcock’s 1948 Hollwood commnicatie works, een when plaed thriller Rope. Hitchcock scholars hae b a harpsichordist, althogh it is oen long noted the director’s intermittent perormed as one o the ew palatable cinematic obsession with the sbtext o modern works or that instrment. homosexalit, and or this adaptation Poulenc: a selective discograPhy
Compiled by Benjamin Ivry Francis Poulenc Plays Poulenc and Satie (1950 recording), CBS Masterworks Portrait reprinted by ArkivCD Composers In Person, EMI Classics, includes
Poulenc’s recordings rom the 1920s and 30s o such works as his Nocturnes, Novelettes, Improvisations, and Aubade for Piano and 18 instruments Pierre Bernac & Francis Poulenc , Preiser Records , includes songs by Poulenc,
Chabrier, and Ravel
The Essential Pierre Bernac, Testament Records , reprints the recordings Poulenc
made with baritone Pierre Bernac, rom the 1930s and 40s, their artistic peak as perorming partners
Poulenc: Concertos, EMI Classics, includes
the recording by Poulenc and Jacques Février o Poulenc’s Concerto or Two Pianos in D minor conducted by Pierre Dervaux Walter Gieseking – A Retrospective Vol 1, Pearl Records, includes Gieseking’s 1930s recording o Mouvements perpétuels Rubinstein Collection Vol 7 , RCA Victor
o a 1929 pla abot two real-lie ga child-killers, the notorios Leopold and Loeb, Hitchcock hired ga athor Arthr Larents to write a screenpla or two ga lead actors, John Dall a nd Farle Granger, as the mrderos do. Granger, who portraed a pianist in the stor – keboard talent oen being a Hollwood screenwriter’s tipo that something sinister is abot to occr – plas Polenc’s Mouvement Perpétuel No 1. Practising this piece een when interrogated abot the mrder b a sspicios isitor, Granger at the keboard speeds p the tempo to indicate his emotional distress, in a tpical Hitchcock toch. Despite this dramatic sage, Polenc made no major claims or his Mouvement perpetual , classing it in Me and My Friends, a 1963 book o conersations with Stéphane Adel, among his ‘modest beginner’s works, airl inantile.’ Like the beneolent Wilrid Mellers, we ma retain a t rife more aection or Polenc’s piano compositions than he himsel did, while admitting that with his cstomar acmen, he ma well hae been correct in his jdgment abot them. And een i inantile, Polenc, as composer and man, alwas plaed well with others.
Red Seal, reprints Arthur Rubinstein’s 1938 recording o Poulenc’s Mouvements perpétuels
and L’embarquement pour Cythère among other works major and minor
Rubinstein Collection – Works By Ravel , Poulenc, Faure, Chabrier, RCA Victor Red Seal, reissued on ArkivCD. Contains
Theo Bruins 1929-1993, Globe Records,
Poulenc’s Intermezzo No 2 in D fat major and No 3 in A fat major, as well as Mouvements perpétuels as interpreted by a ellow bon vivant Horowitz – Legendary RCA Recordings, RCA Victor Red Seal, includes Poulenc’s Presto
or Piano in B fat major (written in 1934) recorded in 1947 by Vladimir Horowitz
Vladimir Horowitz – The HMV Recordings 1930-1951, EMI Classics Références reissued on ArkivCD. Includes 1932 recordings o
Poulenc’s Pastourelle and Toccata
Andor Foldes – Wizard Of The Keyboard, Deutsche Grammophon, includes
Poulenc’s Nocturne or Piano No 4 in C minor Bal fantôme Shura Cherkassky – The Complete HMV Stereo Recordings, First Hand Records, reprints
contains a live 1974 perormance o Poulenc’s Pastourelle rom a recital at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, by his ellow composer/ pianist the Dutchman Bruins Poulenc: Aubade, Concerto Pour Piano, EMI Classics reissued on ArkivCD. Includes
1960s recordings by the Février student Gabriel Tacchino Legendary Treasures – Sviatoslav Richter Archives Vol 16, Doremi Records. The great Richter as soloist in Aubade and with Elisabeth Leonskaja
in Poulenc’s Concerto or Two Pianos in D minor may be like putting borscht in champagne, but is a must-hear at least once Kaleidoscope, Marc-André Hamelin, Hyperion Records, includes Poulenc’s
Intermezzo No 3 in A fat major
Cherkassky’s 1950s recording o Poulenc’s Toccata
Gilels, BBC Legends, includes Emil Gilel’s perormance o Poulenc’s Pastourelle
Poulenc: Works for 2 Pianos, Jacques Février, Gabriel Tacchino, EMI Classics reissued on ArkivCD. Includes the Sonata or Two Pianos
Poulenc: Le Bal Masqué , Decca Records ,
eatures Pascal Rogé’s propulsive perormance o the piano part in this vocal work
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masterclass
Things that go BUMP in the night Even playing is a vital skill for a pianists’ CV. Murray McLachlan outlines some useful techniques
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Prolifc concert and recording artist Murray McLachlan is head o keyboard at Chetham’s School o Music and a tutor at the Royal Northern College o Music. He is also artistic director o the Chetham’s International Summer School and Festival or Pianists
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e all knoW that aWul ig pwrssss c cm p s w w ry py vy, b d p ccid pr – v i ms simp pssgs. accs, bmps, xpcd sics d v js c b ms disccrig r b pyr d isr, y r vry rry discssd i xbs ciq. I c b ry sig d w iid mp pianissimo i rivy sy pic (sc s pig Dbssy’s Clair de lune r v smig s mds s edwrd McDw’s To a Wild Rose) c d dissr, wi s iig sd, r s iig sd s vy d cry s idd. S w c w gr crd wi ‘sp’ w w dprss ys? hw c w vid jrrig cc i midd pianissimo prs? Big b cr sds ims s b p pririy w bidig sccss d rib ciq. l’s css r misps – r ‘bmps d bs’, s sp – d ry d sm prcic sis s y c b vidd s mc s pssib. lc cr i is ss is ciy csd by siss i wris s d bws. I is vi rmi xib d spp i b, s w s i sdrs d c. irm gr wr rm cs dwwrds is ssi r rib rici, b ms b c-rdid d sycrisd wi rxi rm rs bdy. o crs, wywrd isrms wi pr rgi c b w msvs,
International Piano January/February
2013
b dds big b cr sds r md mr vrb w pyr is b dp w rqisi cic pricips r bsic y d rib piism vs. Bgi by prprig s i dvc; vr c ys rm bv. tis wi imi prcssiv sriis rm p, srig rm d bdy r dircy ivvd i prdci sd. tis ciq c b dscribd s ‘c d prss’ pprc, d immdiy srs sds r big crd by mc mr mr grip briic. I y r ig cri b wr r s wi ‘sp’ w y mp dprss m, i c b s b p bgi ‘c d prss’ ciq wi sm pwrd ‘bcswig’ – pig grs sc ys ims – s y v mr vrg. a prcis mm (s) ds sp, spci cr sr yr wriss d rrms r i prc igm, rmig srig i. avid css wriss sic ir pwrds r dwwrds. tis is viy impr s i is y rg xc crdii bw wriss d rms y c b grd cr vr yr pyig. exmp (brs 1-4 scd mvm i Bv’s S i D mjr, op 10 n 3, ‘lrg ms’) is xcpiy brd mp d s rqirs cd cr d xc c-rdii i ‘bmps d bs’ r b vidd. try sig ccrd rm mvm vry rs. t ‘c d prss’ ciq dscribd bv wi b bi sds mrg, d c six s i c crd sd sd wi pprpri sd rsc i y ry sm bc swigs i yr prcisig s ms wrds prc smb pyig c crd. M sr yr wriss d rrms r i prc igm pi wic y is dprssd y. us mirrr xmi wr yr wriss d rms d p fr c qvr is src. exmp w (brs 1-2 Cpi’s ‘ai rp’ ed i a op 25 n 1) c b risy rd r sds ris civy. t f, s rmi si
s e l p m a x e
example 1
exm on: Bthovn pino sont in D mjor, O 10 No 3, cond movmnt ‘lrgo mto’, br 1-5 example 2
exm two: Choin etud in a ft O 25 No 1, br 1-2 example 3
exm thr: lizt ‘soizio’ rom ann d pring voum two ‘Ity’, br 1-4
aer they have been played, leaving holes in the texture or the listener and a sense o real bewilderment and rustration or the pianist. It is all too easy to rush over the less vital arpeggiated accompaniment ourishes in the treble and bass parts o this Etude by ocusing exclusively on the h nger notes in both hands. O course, h nger notes are vitally important here, but in order to play everything in the texture (rather than omitting literally dozens o notes!) it is essential to listen out when practising or everything. Try stopping at the end o each bar and using your ears to detect i there are any notes missing in the beautiul chords that you sustain with the pedal aer every beat. I you
notice holes, then you can concentrate your eforts when practising by using a little arm movement on every single semiquaver. When you have nished working in this way and are ready or a perormance, try using the momentum o one single arm movement rom each h nger note as you play through every beat in the study. Try and keep your ngers as close as possible to the keyboard. Ideally, you should also adopt the ‘touch and press’ technique here, along with a subtle rotary movement as the arpeggios gently oscillate. Example three (bars 1-4 o Sposalizio rom Liszt’s Anneés de Pèlerinage, book two) shows a much more Spartan texture than the Chopin Etude – but therein lies
the problem. Oen, a shortage o notes means that the player becomes more concerned than ever about mishaps and a lack o control. Bars 1-2 can be mastered by gently swinging rom one note to the next with economical but concentrated wrist movements. Use clockwise rotary movements to rmly navigate your accent-ree path down the pentatonically avoured le hand ragment. In contrast, bars 3-4 can perhaps best be viewed as a musical sigh. Take each three-note phrase as a one-movement gesture. Relax and enjoy sinking into these delicious sounds; the other notes will oat efortlessly out rom the impact you have created via relaxed, co-ordinated arm movements. Jnur y/Fbr ur y 2013
International Piano
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DE HASKE HAL LEONARD 17/18 Henrietta Street Covent Garden London WC2E 8QH
[email protected]
MGB HAL LEONARD Via Liguria 4, Sesto Ulteriano 20098 S. Giuliano Milanese (MI) ITALY
[email protected] www.mgbhalleonard.com
FRENCH VERSION
ENGLISH VERSION
Ballades Opp. 23, 38, 47, 52 SLB 3833 [Fr] Ballads Opp. 23, 38, 47, 52 SLB 3834 [En] Etudes (12) Op. 10 SLB 3798 [Fr] Studies (12) Op. 10 SLB 3799 [En] Etudes (12) Op. 25 SLB 3821 [Fr] Studies (12) Op. 25 SLB 3822 [En] Impromptus (4) Opp. 9, 36, 51 - Fantaisie-Impromptu Op. 66 SLB 3830 [Fr] Mazurkas (21) Vol. 1: Opp. 6, 7, 17, 24, 30 SLB 3844 [Fr] Mazurkas (14) Vol. 2: Opp. 33, 41, 50, 56 SLB 3845 [Fr] Mazurkas (15) Vol. 3: Opp. 59, 63, 67, 68 posth. SLB 3846 [Fr]
Nocturnes (10) Vol. 1: Opp. 9, 15, 27, 32 SLB 3838 [Fr] Nocturnes (10) Vol. 1: Opp. 9, 15, 27, 32 SLB 3839 [En] Nocturnes (8) Vol. 2: Opp. 37, 48, 55, 62 SLB 3840 [Fr] Nocturnes (8) Vol. 2: Opp. 37, 48, 55, 62 SLB 3841 [En] Polonaises (7) Opp. 26, 40, 44 - Polonaise héroïque Op. 53 - Polonaise-fantaisie Op. 61 SLB 3828 [Fr] Préludes (24) Op. 28 SLB 3816 [Fr] Preludes (24) Op. 28 SLB 3817 [En] Rondos (3) Opp. 1, 5, 16 SLB 3886 [Fr]
Scherzos (4) Opp. 20, 31, 39, 54 SLB 3836 [Fr] Sonate Op. 35 SLB 3852 [Fr] Sonate Op. 38 SLB 3853 [Fr] Valses (14) Opp. 18, 34, 42, 64, Op. 69 n os 1-2, Op. 70 n os 1-2-3, Op. posthume en mi min. SLB 3831 [Fr] Waltzes (14) Opp. 18, 34, 42, 64, Op. 69 nos. 1-2, Op. 70 nos. 1-2-3, Op. posthume in E min. SLB 3832 [En] Œuvres posthumes SLB 3887 [Fr] Pièces diverses Vol. 1 SLB 3829 [Fr] Pièces diverses Vol. 2 SLB 3885 [Fr] Introduction to the Cortot Editions of Chopin (selected pieces) SLB 3818 [En] [Fr] French Edition / [En] English Edition
42
International Piano January/February
2013
helPIng hands
Many pianists struggle with articulation, but, as Mrry MLl explains, it’s never too late to develop detached playing
Buii tccto tciqu
B
UILDING AN EFFECTIVE AND leggiero sounds in Mozart through to the be practised on the lid o the piano or reliable staccato technique takes heavy, detached but resonant sounds in on a worktop surace. Stiness can make patience and co-ordination. It Brahms and later composers. Obviously, wrist staccato challenging, to say the can prove a rustrating process i le or we need to adjust our technical set-up in least, and though loosening o the wrists too long – and this is oen sadly the case, order to cope with stylistic demands, and can prove challenging, progress will be as many teachers reuse to teach staccato with this in mind, it is useul to identiy possible when work is taken at a calm in the earliest stages. From certain and work at three basic staccato touches pace, with a gradual build-up in terms o both quantities o notes and velocity. viewpoints this is understandable, as rom the earliest stages o work. The excerpt below comes rom the examination boards do not require scales Let’s begin with ‘close staccato’. This to be played with staccato articulation can be introduced by placing your 10 Gavotte in JS Bach’s French Suite No 5 in until aer Grade 5. Teachers oen fngers over 10 notes on the keyboard. G major, BWV 816 (bars 16-20). The lemention that legato playing is essential Imagine they are literally held down by hand quaver runs require concentration in order to make the piano sing, and superglue and cannot move o the keys. and economy o movement i they are that staccato playing is in many ways Try and play staccato with each fnger in to be realised eectively with a delicate contrary to this, causing stiness and turn. This version o staccato technique leggiero staccato touch in perormance. tension. I would argue that staccato is is very useul or specifc musical eects Finger independence and the ability a basic touch, is required in music rom in perormance, as well as or acilitating to keep the hand still while adopting lateral arm movements up and down t he the earliest grades, and is more easily more technical control. Next try ‘leggiero staccato’. As in keyboard are necessary or an accurate mastered when tackled sooner rather than later. Stiness and tension can be close staccato, work can begin here realisation o passages like this. It does avoided in staccato playing through by again placing your fngers over 10 not matter i you decide to play all o the good monitoring rom the teacher and notes. Keep both hands still and draw notes staccato or choose to mix slurred intelligent awareness rom the student. each fnger towards your body in a notes with short groups o staccato notes. As in most technical work, progress is scratching movement as you play. This Whatever you choose to do will require best made through small sessions o touch can be built up to a ast speed and a concentrated non-legato technique. daily practise rather than with irregular is extremely eective in baroque music, This can be eectively developed marathon stints o work. Economy and certain scales in Mozart and ornamental through careul and regular staccato concentration o movement are essential fligree passages in Chopin, to give a scale practice. in this technique. When you play staccato ew examples. Finally, there is ‘wrist staccato’, an try not to move your entire arm on every note. Focus on your fngertips. approach which can perhaps best be Beore analysing how staccato can described as a vibrato technique. It Visit the be eectively achieved, it is worth involves rapid fre, concentrated ricochet RhinegoLd shop foR mentioning that there are all kinds movements rom the wrist. These work sheet o dierent staccato touches in the most eectively when the fngers are Music and repertoire, rom the most delicate close to the keyboard. The technique can MoRe
Januar y/Febru ar y 2013 Itrtio Pio
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The Pia Pian no M usic of
J ohn Ra Ram msden Williamson www.jrwilliamson.com
Discover New Piano Repertoir Repertoire! e!
The re read ader er may fi find nd it un unbe beli liev evab able le whe when n I wri writte tha thatt all all of of the the mus usic ic which I have seen is immediately individual, instantly recognisable as J oh ohn n R . Wi Will llia iam mson rat rathe herr than than any any other other compo poser ser.. It is ce cert rtai ainl nly y highly unusual in contemporary music music that such a late, l ate, intensely prolific flowering as this can also be regarded, whatever subjective opinions on the quality of the music may be, as unique, extraordinary, but true. Murray McLachlan ‘Unsung Heroes, Piano’ (Rhinegold Sept/Oct 2004) Publications: 11 Preludes Pr eludes, (vols (vol s 1 & 2), Sonatina, Sona tina, 2 Part Par t I nventions, 7 Inte I nterr val Studies, Sonata Sonata no. 7 (www.dacapomusic.co.uk) Discs: 3 Volum V olume es of of Piano P iano Works - M urr urray ay McL ac achlan, hlan, piano piano Divine Div ine Art L a e - www. www. ivin ivine e-a -art.c rt.co. o.u u For extract or purchase visit DIVERSIONS ddv24144
Selected Selec ted Wor orks ks in Mss: M ss: c160 Pr eludes, 9 Sonatas, 5 Pft Conce C oncer ti
Sound Sketches An exciting new series of graded piano pieces by Graham Lynch that will appeal to pupils of all ages.
Dances of Our Time A collection of new pieces for piano by 75 composers from 26 countries 350 pages ISMN: 979-0-001-19144-9 ED 21470 · £ 33,50 Tese ‘sound images’ are evoked through strong melodic ideas which hide their technical challenges within a sense o the delight that can be had rom conjuring music rom the keyboard. Pieces to be enjoyed, and perormed!
For videos, programme notes and details on this unique project, log on to
‘Volumes ‘V olumes 1-3 now available, with other volumes ollowing so on on’’
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‘What is special here is that Lynch succeeds triumphantly in realising his noble ambition of writing relatively easy music that has substance’ International Piano Vol 3
o purchase, or fnd out more, please visit: www.soundsketches.co.uk
44
International Piano January/February
2013
international
SHEET MUSIC
Seven Interval Studies, No 4: Fourths
By John Ramsden Williamson
Abo Ab out th the mu music This study is one of a collection of s e v veen pieces that focus Throughout the history of music, composers have used on basic intervals, f r f rom octa v vees to seconds. The basis of its technical devices – canons, inversions, augmentations and so harmonic construction is not the major or minor modes, b ut on – as a means to create satisfactory musical expression. In the k ey-c -ceentred modes. modes. Th The k ey-c -ceentred mo modes re relate to to pentatonic construction of this study, and many of my other works, every and palindromic features in chordal and melodic structures. device used has a musical purpose. My style of composing evolved gradually from imitation The opening t w t wo o -b -baar ph p hrase us u ses bo b oth of o f th t hese ideas, with contrar y motion between th t he hands, showing mo m o v veement s of of traditional methods and use of traditional harmony. An chords in f our ths th t hrough shiing progressions. progressions . This me method earlier work – 12 New Preludes – illustrates my first successful of composition ma m ay appear mechanical, mechanical , but the re r esult is of of attempts to be free from the two traditional modes. musicalss atis musical atisfact faction ion.. Following the establishment of well-tempered tuning, The basic chord of these harmonic movements is heard at composers aer JS Bach have continued to develop the page one, line four, bar 2; this cadence produces a palindromic traditional 24-key system as a formal design; so we have the chord – CFGC – characteristic of all more complex harmonic 48 by Bach; the famous 24 Preludes by Chopin; t he more of Shostak o vich’ vich’ss 24 Pr Preeludes and structures. In performance, any a ny voice may be expressed at will, contemporar y approach of Fuggues. The Debussy Et Fu Etudes go par t of the way in numbers be it in the lower or inner parts. The unresolved fourth, originally a suspension to the third, two to to five, five, with pieces exploiting thirds, fourths, sixths a nd octa v vees. My My constructions in the Interval Studies s ho w a to t otal follows a trend in harmonic evolution: discords were usually veelopment of the interval th t hroughout all parts, parts , again with derived from suspensions; modulations between keys have de v found new resolutions. This study in fourths is not modulatory the us use of of i nv nverte erted d an andp alin alindro dromic mictt ech echniq niques ues.. I am most indebted to t o Murray Mc McLachlan f or recording and does not relate to traditional harmonic progressions. work as as pa par t of of vo volumes on on the Divine Art label; label ; th the three Note th t he ne ne w tr t reatment of the middle section on o n pa page t w t wo o: this wo the fourth is au a ugmented, sounding a contrasting mood using vo volumesc on ontai tain n a v aried ariedss el electi ection on of of my my ot other piano w orks orks.. antiphonal inversion. Note also the final eight bars, showing palindromic chords sounding the same in rising or falling Visit www.divine-art.com for a sample extract | Diversions arpeggio fashion. DDV241 DDV 24144 44 Piano Music Vol Vol 2, track 21
© John Ramsden Williamson
This music is copyright . Photocopying is ILLEGAL and is THEFT.
© John Ramsden Williamson
This music is copyright. Photocopying is ILLEGAL and is THEFT.
© John Ramsden Williamson
This music is copyright. Photocopying is ILLEGAL and is THEFT.
© John Ramsden Williamson
This music is copyright. Photocopying is ILLEGAL and is THEFT.
© John Ramsden Williamson
This music is copyright. Photocopying is ILLEGAL and is THEFT.
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rhinegold MUSiC SUPPleMenTS
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Essential music supplements offering practical advice and key information for students, parents, teachers, performers and enthusiasts.
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SyMPoSIuM
VIVE LA DIFFERENCE! With distingished gests, Jeremy Siepmann explres the rle, and the experience, the mdern-da ‘wman pianist’
a k s w o k l a i F a n i n a J l l ; a g k r c e a b l l b h n a e e i b s © s u s a w © a r g e o p o o k o i c r n o e n ; g e o l r M i e ; b e M o d c . n r g e n i b r © r t e t h i t w t e a h M / a g l e n i g r n r a e ; h l t s t n a a h M l i © h n c s o l i t e a a r h t c s i u M l l i ©
THE PANEL
(left to right): Imogen Cooper, Janina Fialkowska, Angela Hewitt, Noriko Ogawa, Susan Tomes
JEREMY SIEPMANN: ‘A womAn’s
ANGELA HEWITT: We certainl have
preachig i like a dg’ alkig hi hid leg. It i t de ell; but yu are urpried t fd it de at all.’ Thu pake e Eglad’ great igyit, Dr sauel Jh. Ad a a’ playig? It i t ly de ell; it i te de upreely ell, ad e huld’t be i the leat urpried. But i it be t le i quality tha that e (thi 18th-cetury tu i catchig), herei lie the explaati it der’ cparative eglect i ccert erie ad recrd catalgue arud the rld? Explrig thi vexed tpic bel are fve the bet i the buie, ad they begi by gig back t baic. Are there, i act, ay dierece betee the playig ale ad eale piait?
mre stamina. I was part a grp we had in Canada, called Pian Six – three wmen, three men – and whenever we rehearsed a wrk r six pians, which crse wasn’t all that en, the three wmen – Janina, Angela Cheng and msel – were all still ging strng when the men began t wilt.
IMOGEN COOPER: There mst be!
Wh else, when a wman pianist cancels, d prmters lk r anther wman?
JANINA FIALKOWSKA: Bt ne has
nl t sit n an internatinal jr and listen t hndreds pianists, ne aer anther, t ntice immediatel that the vast majrit men have a higher vlme level than their emale cnterparts. There are exceptins, natrall, bt n the whle, i a ‘nrmal’ male pianist attempts a lng, rtissim ctave passage, he’ll generall fnd it easier t d and will achieve it with a lder snd than a ‘nrmal’ emale pianist. Becase this (and r ther reasns) mst emale pianists have gravitated t the wrks the classical and barqe cmpsers and the
French Impressinists. I’d like t sa that wmen have a certain delicate sensitivit in their plaing that eldes mst male pianists, bt then m mind immediatel cnjres p pictres Rad Lp r Mrra Perahia. I d think, thgh, that there are certain cmpsers r whm wmen seem t have a special and niqe nderstanding, which translates itsel int their perrmance – Bach and Schmann being the tw biggest examples. NORIKO OGAWA: I’ve nticed, t,
that sme male pianists enj learning and plaing acrbatic and ver athletic repertire – Hrwitz transcriptins, r example. This is ne feld I’ve never been interested in, and I’ve cme acrss ver ew wmen pianists wh are. As r msel, I never tr t excse r explain anthing becase m gender. It never ccrs t me. As it happens, I’m phsicall qite s trng. I’m nt int weight-liing, bt lckil I’m strngl bilt.
Jan uar y/Fe bru ar y 2013 International Piano
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SYMpOSIuM
u o l u o d o T s i r h c s i r h c © o T o h p
SUSAN TOMES: I really don’t think
there’s any direct correlation between hysical size, gender and the sond made at the iano. How ianists se their natral orces has mch more efect on their sond than whether they’re male or emale. We’ve all heard lenty o men with a eeble, indistinct sond and lenty o women with great ower and control. However, my amily has noticed that when male ianists come or a lesson at or hose, on my iano, they do tend to generate a higher volme level than I do.
‘She sholdn’t lay with her hair ’ and ‘She’s been arond a while’, and this jst made me rios. I mean, they woldn’t have said that kind o thing abot Richard Goode or Alred Brendel. The whole idea that a emale artist shold be sexy and have long hair and look like she jst came ot o the shower or the bedroom is disgsting. And o corse it can work against emale artists. It makes it harder or women who allow themselves to be ortrayed in that way to be taken seriosly as artists.
come rom a more traditional society, where, nnily enogh, 90 er cent o active ianists are emale. Lots o little boys are discoraged rom contining their msical stdies at an early age. To do msic isn’t ‘roer’ or a man. Bt while boys grow with social ressre like that, girls haily contine ractising and make their way to the to. They’re mch more imaginative and ambitios. I know Jaanese women have a gentle image, bt don’t yo believe it! We’re a strong and determined secies.
JS: Are there particular challenges
OGAWA: And then there’s what yo
FIALKOWSKA: Good managers hide
facing women pianists that male pianists don’t experience?
might call the stalker/groie actor. I’ve received letters and emails rom some men with comletely misgided, over-the-to eelings towards me. Lots o male ianists robably get similar things rom assionate ans too. Bt when one is a woman, one eels mch more vlnerable and scared.
public. Have you experienced much in the way of so-called ‘gender discrimination’ among colleagues and agents and so on?
eisodes o ‘gender discrimination’ rom their clients. Bt there have been a cole o glaring excetions in my case, one being a critic in Montreal who trly loathes women. More dangeros to me ersonally, thogh, were a cole o owerl orchestral managers who considered the term ‘misogynist’ a comliment! When I was starting my career in the 1970s, many romoters elt that the blic reerred to hear male ianists. Nowadays, thogh, I think this kind o discrimination has virtally disaeared.
OGAWA: I’ve been lcky to eel very
COOPER: It seems that a lot o men
little discrimination in my career. I
can’t coe with ‘strong’ women and,
FIALKOWSKA: Wardrobe! COOPER: Oh god, the late-night ironing
sessions on eves o deartre, the realisation that yo’re ot o that vital hair rodct! Grrrrrrr! Mr X or Y or Z doesn’t have to deal with this!
JS: So much for promoters and the HEWITT: In these days o emhasis
on ‘image’, women have a mch more comlicated time o it than men. When I was looking or a new agent some years ago, my American agent came over to London to talk to some o the big agents over here, and one o them told him,
54
International Piano
January/February 2013
SYMPOSIUM
‘I never try to excuse or explain anything because of my gender. It never occurs to me’ Noriko ogawa
to go to bed with the conductor. But having brought sex into the discussion, this might be the time to ask whether amily lie poses special challenges or women pianists.
FIALKOWSKA: The younger men tend
to tease or to irt; some o the older ones, in my past, tried to dominate; very ew harassed me unpleasantly, but basically it ollows the patterns o everyday male-emale relationships. Come to think o it, rather a lot o younger male conductors now like to conde in me – I have reached motherly middle age!
FIALKOWSKA: For younger women it’s
TOMES: I’ve never played a concerto
oen unknowingly, use condescending language that gently keeps us in our place – language they wouldn’t dream o using with men. And it would seem that i you come over too directly or seductively, you’re a nymphomaniac, and i you’re seen as more compliant, you’re patted on the head as i you were a child. I’ve had this experience, intermittently, rom every corner o the proession. HEWITT: When I was a competitor
in the Bach Competition in Toronto in 1985, one o the judges marked me down or playing the Brahms F minor Sonata (even beore I began to play!) on the grounds that no woman could play Brahms. I know this because one o the other judges told me so. And another time, when I played t he complete Chopin Nocturnes in Europe, a very misogynist German declared that women could never understand male romanticism! JS: Do conductors, who are still mostly male, treat emale pianists dierently rom male pianists?
under a emale conductor, but I’ve certainly had some strange psychological vibes with male ones. The worst was when I elt rustrated with a conductor or not saying all kinds o things to the orchestra that I elt really needed to be said. Time was very short, and I asked his permission to say a ew things mysel. Very sarcastically, he pretended to hand me his baton with a ourish, and stood back with arms olded, looking at the ceiling while I said my bit. From that moment on he made lie as difcult as possible or me, though whether this was because I had crossed a boundary o orchestral etiquette, had insulted his ego or was a woman (or the last two combined), I don’t know. OGAWA: I’ve come across some
conductors who wanted to get to know me away rom the piano – which I absolutely hate. But usually, these days, they’re straightorward. Once, a edgling conductor told me that men preer having lady soloists rather than males, because they look nice on the stage, are more un to work with and are less problematical or argumentative. So, they’re usually ‘nicer’ to us.
COOPER: Russian ones, yes! Almost
universally. HEWITT: Isn’t that interesting? The
two worst cases o that kind o thing that I’ve known both involved Russian conductors, who were quite clearly trying to intimidate me. Both, by the way, were trying out or positions with the orchestras I was playing with, and I complained very strongly to the management about their attitudes, because I really think that kind o behaviour is inexcusable. Neither o them, I’m happy to say, got the job.
JS: But there are some (there used to be very many) whose ‘niceness’ is in act quite the opposite, and comes into play beore rather than at or ater the engagement. I have it on the good and disgusted authority o a highly experienced agent that it defnitely goes on still. On one occasion, his wie, already a very successul pianist, was actually propositioned by a conductor in his presence. And I know o more than one occasion on which a promised engagement was actually withdrawn when the soloist reused
denitely a problem. Until relatively recently, a great many women pianists only began to achieve renown aer their 50th birthday or so, once their childbearing and child-raising years were over. In act, I was told by my rst manager, at the venerable Hurok agency in New York (now long gone) , that I should expect my career to be a struggle but i I could hang on until I was 50 I’d be a ‘star’. JS: Which brings us inevitably to the question o children. How difcult is it to combine having and raising them with practising, preparing or concerts and being on the road? FIALKOWSKA: Only superwomen can
manage this one. I can think o no man who has single handedly been able to raise children (not to mention the act that they avoid the pregnancy part!), practise and tour . A ew women have done – I think o Clara Schumann, Teresa Carreño, Martha Argerich, Alicia de Larrocha, Maria João Pires and my extraordinary colleague Angela Cheng, who’s crucially supported by a wonderul husband. But so many o us are childless because it’s just such an impossible combination. I don’t care what anyone says, nding a husband willing to stay home and devote his lie to kids, house-cleaning, ironing and cooking is still extremely rare. OGAWA: This really is the biggest
problem every woman pianist has to ace. I could never see mysel having children. Since I go back to Japan on average 12 times a year, it could only be a disaster. Ever since I made my debut in 1987-88, Japanese people – audiences, ans and promoters – have asked me when was I getting married and having children (it’s perectly normal or Japanese people to ask such personal, threatening questions, in total innocence). I give away very little o my Januar y/Fe bru ar y 2013 International Piano
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syMPosIuM
pernal lie becae there’ n ther pianit in Japan (male r emale) wh travel a mch a I d. COOPER: I knw very ew wmen
wh haven’t agonised ver thi deciin. Fr me it mean nctining in a g r a ew ear while the rt t the dilemma, impl being le ced than a man wld. Cming t term with thi i a majr challenge in itel.
happen in the evening. Thi make r wrking hr ar mre ncial and diclt t rganie than r 99 per cent wrking parent. I had cntle babitter wh tld me that the’d be happ t ta ntil the al 11pm r , bt nt ntil 2am t allw me t get back rm a cncert in anther twn, and certainl nt vernight. Thinking back abt all thi till make m bld prere ar. JS: And returning to the strictly
TOMES: I cld write a bk abt
thi! I wa a lne parent r 10 ear while tring t tick with m cncert cmmitment, cping thrght with what eemed like an endle erie natiactr a pair and childcare arrangement, and the tre level wa intense. A each ear ended, I nd mel thinking, ‘I gt thrgh t hat, bt cld I d it again?’ M daghter kept aking wh I cldn’t have gt a jb a a baker r a librarian wrking dwn the rad. The wrt apect i that cncert
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pianistic: what about small hands? Is this a liability? TOMES: I have mall hand, and
there’ certainl me repertire which i literall tide m cpe. Lizt, Rachmaninv, Tchaikvk, certain piece Chpin and Brahm. T tretch enrm interval r chrd, I have t ‘break’ them, and the nd ann me aer a while. There are, hwever, qite a ew ‘big wrk’ which I have gradall nd a wa t pla, all
b lateral extenin and metime heer willpwer. Bt lckil, the piece I can’t tretch t tend t be the rt piece which dn’t interet me anwa. I’m happ t leave the am warhre t peple wh nd them exciting and cnvincing. HEWITT: It ct bth wa. Wmen
with rather mre delicate nger are en at an advantage in plaing lt ligree tf, and thing like the C harp majr Fge rm bk ne The Well-Tempered Clavier , where mch the plaing i between the black ke. Pianit with big hand, mtl men, are en at a disadvantage when it cme t writing that kind. OGAWA: I’m rtnate t have big
hand r a Japanee emale. I can reach a 10th all right. Bt in the end, how we wrk r hand i the mt imprtant thing, I think. M technical hrtcming have nthing t d with the ize m hand!
syMpOsIuM
FIALKOWSKA: One beat o being a
ianit i that the reertoire i o hge that it can accommodate all kind o hand and mind. Bt o core the hae and trength o the hand dictate the kind o reertoire one la, whether one i male or emale. In general, a mall-handed eron wold be wie not to attemt the Brahm B at concerto – bt then there’ Ahkenaz, and Gina Bachaer and Roaln Treck and ome other, o it’ rik to generalie.
the can aroach the intrment with lighter toche and can ndertand the comoer’ mind with more intition. And mabe ome o thi i tre, bt again, there’ a wealth o male ianit at and reent whoe laing highlight all thee qalitie, o it’ hard to generalie.
eaking – ntil the cancer in m le arm a ew ear ago – the reertoire I didn’t eel to hicall wan’t o mch interet to me. The iece that were conidered more or male that I did wih to la (iece o Brahm and Lizt), I laed withot rob lem. The t me hicall jt ne. I’ve never reall thoght abot being a woman when I actall la. M interretation ha ver little to do with what ex I belong to. It’ what the mic a to and how we exre it.
JS: And fnally, any ideas why there
are still ar ewer emale pianists who’ve gained international recognition than male?
JS: What role, i any, does being a
woman have in your playing? COOPER: At one level, none at all. I’m
a mician. On another, deeer level, a great deal. I’m among thoe who believe that what o are on tage i what o are o it (there are thoe who believe there’ no connection whatoever), and a I believe women are caable o a broader overview o lie than men, that the can be more intitive, look more or connection in everthing, I eel that when m own inner channel o commnication are clear, I can ritll bring thi to what I do. FIALKOWSKA: For me it la no
role at all, to tell the trth. Generall
TOMES: I think thi ha a lot to do
JS: Do you think you can hear the
with amil matter and the act that it’ till not acceted – not even within the amil, ometime – that a woman need to ll her talent. Even when it For me, it’ more o i acceted, man women themelve FIALKOWSKA: a qetion o the individal and not nd it excrciatingl difclt to walk whether the’re male or emale. When awa rom little one who hate to ee them going ot o the ront door I hear Imogen on the radio, or Angela, with a itcae. Looking arond, I ee or Martha Argerich, I recognie their male colleage who are ond ather laing immediatel, bt not becae o their gender. Great ianit can all bt don’t eem to exerience the be recognied b their niqe ond ame viceral longing to be with their qalit. It wold be temting to a that children. The never agonie abot whether or not to accet concert, women ianit are more btle, have more ianiimo color in their alette, becae the know their wive will be at home with the kid. M riend oen are more enitive to the delicacie and hading in their interretation, that aid to me, ‘What o need i a wie!’ dierence between a emale and a male pianist? Is there a dierence i n sound, colour, power?
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COmPetItIOn RePORt
Honens HigHligHts t riil Honens InternatIonal PIano ComPetItIon ors os susil priz oy o circui, u, s Harriet Smith rpors ro Clgry, ir rps r grr rrs jus cs
R
emembeR that weekend cr soig coprl i Clgr y. pr c ors ol r, i ls my og o t s c i 1991, i rs cocro couig or or 30 pr c £500,000 ssiolly copiio occurrig yr lr. I s l 10 pr c coig ro l 14-yr-ol cllis jus £2,000? oly o hos liv o s – s irvi – prsuly priculrly Pusy is or aslig rc i v ys r l, g 89. uig prospc or os os rs uic o rou 14.5 illio s t ls o ls copiio oo lgug s o eglis. t cr rou s ig, oo, i coic y o Britain’s Got Talent , gr plc i Ocor 2012. t ir o hos is r o r progrs urig ors suc ro pgs o ll lois olloig y. Lur v r hij’s ccol ‘Priz Lur’ s Scu’s Sco Violi So, cosirl civ i iig Ca$100,000, os susil priz mlsso’s Sco Cllo So bbC Youg musici o Yr s, o copiio circui. bu r’s sogs y coposrs s ricy s dussy, y cors, rly ory o lo or o hos oy. a brig, Scorg wol. I i o cs priz crr vlop cross y i pross i is i colu ic. t’s pop culur, you ig suris, progr iclus orli rg o ls os’ cssrily qu clssicl usic ill lys ic g or r yrs, s o gr piis – igi Sur r or. bu os i v o li ? jor vus, rsicis ry Crssy, arci Voloos or Grigory w pps i you v copiio b Cr, rcorig i hyprio Soolov ig s o o suc igs. is o siply ou group o youg orsip ro riss icluig bu, o cours, is is ru o hos’s riss oig l u gs ir J-ef bvouz (isl hos cocp o ‘copl ris’. w s vry vi ro ciy i i? w i you c so lur) Sp houg, you o ir li-cgig su o c s y is pcg – si o ospr urig v s oy, plus suppor o uil o ir or rou l illio Ci copiio s co sourc o prois? w i you loo or ris ollrs – rcs so o s l civic v iol pri. I yrs go y, Clgry s r o or is o is o jus sy-gr cpl ro rou orl. o rillig, u cr usici s toug i’s o ply usiol ul Sp is proxiiy o or copiios o i y’r Rocis or is culurl crils. uc s solois? ts r ll qusios v looig or x supr-viruoso, muc o cri or cgig us o or y hos hos gos urr os i is go o copiio’s xroririly Iriol Pio Copiio, l qus o ll-rou usici. rgic ri prsi vry r yrs i Ci ciy Ls yr’s sv-srog jury cosis o risic ircor Sp mchol. h o Clgry. t copiio isl s o oly our cocr piiss u lso s esr hos’s visio ricil o rrl esr cllis, coucor, sivl ircor roug i rly io 21s cury, hos. S s sl- illioir a&R spcilis ro rcor il siulously rigig ogr i pssio or pio, o s iusry. a si-liss o rs usiss i vry nor V Cliur copiio or o oly solo rcil u cr aric y, i pl igly o or For wor i o o, oo. ts o c cou or 30 visil sposorsip. t ol ciy
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m i K g n o D © s o t o h p l l a
COMPETITION REPORT seemed to take on a estival atmosphere, with music going on late into the night at Le Bison Noir, a Calgarian take on New York’s amous Poisson Rouge, where members o the jury and laureates could be heard playing everything rom Schubert’s mighty E at Piano Trio to Dudley Moore’s devilish take on Beethoven. Horowitz’s amed Steinway D was also in town, and you couldnot only see it but touch it, too. There were screenings o Bruno Monsaingeon lms and a touching photography exhibition dedicated to Glenn Gould. But the key question is: did it work? The eventual winner was the Russian pianist Pavel Kolesnikov (afectionately known as Kalashnikov, though there was nothing brutal about his playing), a
Roberto Minczuk, who led the Calgary Philharmonic in the ve concertos, later told me that once he heard Kolesnikov’s reading o the rst-movement cadenza he was convinced that he was a great artist in the making. O the other our nalists, three perormed Brahms’s First Concerto, which made or ascinating comparison. First up was the Italian Lorenzo Cossi, the only player to choose t he Fazioli over the Steinway. The perormance sounded slightly underpowered; it was almost as i this wasn’t the right choice o work, though he clearly loves Brahms, having programmed him in earlier rounds. On the second evening, 30-year-old Maria Mazo rom Russia went or the epic and coaxed rom the keyboard some
Pavel Kolesnikov with the Calgary Philharmonic
was ull o panache, glee and wonderully imaginative touches. To hear two such compelling perormances o this warhorse in a single evening perhaps demonstrates how strong the line-up was. The remaining nalist, American Eric Zuber, had the unenviable task o going rst. His Rachmaninov Concerto No 2 was not lacking in virtuosity but it was not the most characterised o perormances and at this stage it did eel as i the orchestra was still getting into the swing o things. Did anyone slip through the net? Perhaps one: Zenan Yu, rom China, who produced some particularly outstanding Debussy in the semi-nal and whose ‘Hammerklavier’ proved he had power and drama running through his veins. The fnalists
Lorenzo Cossi
baby-aced 23-year-old who is currently studying in Moscow (at the State Conservatory) and at London’s Royal College o Music. His perormance o Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto played down the work’s barnstorming qualities and emphasised its poetry. The sounds that he produced rom the Hamburg Steinway were suitably poetic, though to my mind it wasn’t an entirely joined-up perormance in terms o piano and orchestra. Conductor
truly ravishing sounds: although such an Olympian approach was not to my taste, she almost convinced me, such was the belie in her interpretation. She’s a pianist o great variety: in the previous round she’d given an outstanding reading o Boulez’s Notations. In complete contrast, Jong-Hai Park, the 22-year-old South Korean pianist, seemed at times determined to break the speed limits in his Brahms D minor. But, though at times too mercurial or its own good, it
So did Honens get it right? On balance, yes. And it will be ascinating to ollow Kolesnikov’s career over the next ew years. It will also be interesting to see how many other talented pianists this competition will attract in 2015 and beyond. Gilles Vonsattel, a Honens Laureate from 2009, will be making his Wigmore Hall debut on 5 April 2013. This concert is part of his prize from the Honens
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Peregrine’s Pianos Piano dealer Concert & domestic hire Music rehearsal rooms
exclusive dealer in London
137A Grays Inn Road, London WC1X 8TU Tel: 020 7242 9865 www.peregrines-pianos.com
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pianO maKerS
capital gains a oo o so v, os o k s g y. B o o loo’s ss os sso o sy o os. By Claire Jackson
O
nce upOn a time, the pianO ruled the oos. i s oy bs oo o os, y gy by y s. t o s s y v s v, b s o soy s vovg. i os y, s ooo gg os s s s . F sss s os s oo o oss’ s. how o o s ss k vyo gs – b s vos – s og wos gg bs ? dg y 20 y, w o ws s o o ss k, w o 100 s-s os woksos loo o. t os y v ov o o xo s, b s boss vy w g o o sos. a vs o so o loo sowoos ss ow ogsos sog o v-gg wo o o ss, ow, w ooy os o o kok ssg o os, sos o g s bk o o. no-s s g w sg o o osg; g o o b bg, wo v o so sv, o wo’ b o gvg y sg g s. W s s qy g, y s ow o y-oy ss, of o s s £500 y, g vy. po Wos s o 600 os os o o s, ogso s sog os o g s k g o. ‘W vy yo,’ sys g m Wo. ‘W go o o o wy o k o oob. a o o s ’ ss y ogg o k o, b g. W y o b y ob; o’ , wo w b o-byg b gos o o?’ as w k oy’s wy o Ws G b ( so ows ss Sbo), yog g os o o sso so’s oo. po Wos s s s bo sos, ssos ss o oy. t s s o b sowoo – , Wo bog y 1990s – b
po Wos ook sv -wk bg og o o oo o os o 100 os ( pictured, overleaf). i’s bg, wog, y ss os g os o Y, Kb, Wb, Sy, ro o s ss Kzw, o wo oy s ow so sbo. Fs so w o ov mkso pos rg’s pk. t sowoo s a’s v o s ss, w so os o bygo s; s s b i- Fs Bs g w oswoo s. t so w ss o s oo, g g os. t oy s b oo o 100 ys s ss s bos by vg v sv (mkso pos s ss eg roo roy ab h y o Ws e s, o x), o (wok s k uK po). t s os o s ss; o woks o wy so g s ws s o ps o x o gy o eo Jo. i , ’s j-k o k o – b , ’s o s . Bo s-
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Our competitive edge is rather blunt At Grand Passion Pianos we don’t have the biggest showroom for our selection of Steinway, Bösendorfer, Pleyel and Rönisch pianos. In fact we don’t have a showroom. We don’t have the slickest sales team. Actually, we don’t have a sales team. We don’t have the widest range or the biggest advertising budget (as you can see). What we do have on our side is the most powerful force in business – love. We’re driven by an inborn passion for rescuing forgotten luxury pianos and painstakingly hand restoring them to their former glory, piece by piece, day by day. Find out more or book a viewing at www.grandpassionpianos.co.uk Grand Passion Pianos – pianos for pianists by passionistas.
perform live at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS APRIL 13, 2013 www.worldpianist.org 62
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PIANO MAKERS
time buyers and connoisseurs stand a strong chance o nding are acoustically checked beorehand,’ Shah says. ‘Some people nd piano showrooms intimidating, and because we aren’t a a special ‘one-o’ piano here. The sales environment couldn’t be more dierent rom shop we can allow people to practise in private, even at, say, that at Steinway on Marylebone Lane or Blüthner in Berkeley 9pm on a Sunday.’ Not having permanent premises allows Grand Passion Square. Both showrooms are, unsurprisingly, presented with impeccable taste and oer the highest levels o customer service. Pianos a certain economic reedom that the owners are keen But then, their customers regularly spend upwards o £70,000 in to pass on to their customers. One gets the distinct impression one sitting. The two shops ocus on their own branded products, that a lot o time and love has gone into the project; one o the but Blüthner also supplies Haessler, Irmler and Rönisch pianos. partners is pianist Daniel Grimwood, who demonstrates the Director Peter Corney explains that Blüthner clients seeking a instruments to interested parties, and is amenable to oering piano with ‘the golden tone’ expect and deserve to be treated complimentary recitals to the winning bidder – a cultural sales with class. The shop is situated in the most exclusive postcode in bonus that bets the ‘boutique’ nature o the business. Elsewhere, other piano dealers have chosen to specialise the country – its neighbours include Bentley and Porsche – and its practice room is the only one in Mayair, upstairs in Blüthner’s in certain brands. Peregrine’s Pianos on Gray’s Inn Road is roomy two-storey suite. There is no sales patter and customers the exclusive London dealer or German maker Schimmel benet rom additional services, such as extra visits rom piano (as outlined in issue 13, May/June 2012) and Jaques Samuels technicians and ree delivery. Maintenance and repairs are done on Edgware Road has a specially created room – complete with temperature and humidity settings – or Italian-made in-house, in the UK. While many o us can only dream o spending such amounts on Fazioli pianos, amously supported by Angela Hewitt. Both a piano, there is a strong argument in avour o mid to top-priced Peregrine’s and Jaques Samuels oer a range o other pianos, acoustics, simply because these instruments will last a lietime, i as well as practice rooms, but have gained credibility through looked aer properly. O course, new students or amilies may not specialisation. ‘For most people, purchasing a piano is an want to make such a commitment, but or serious amateurs and event that they do not oen go through and the dealer should proessional musicians, it is an important investment. Recently exercise the integrity to advise the customer properly,’ says launched Grand Passion Pianos specialises in Rönisch, Steinway, Dawn Elizabeth Howells, proprietor o Peregrine’s. In a similar Pleyel and Bösendorer, and director Muzz Shah agrees that you vein, Chappell o Bond Street promotes Yamaha instr uments, get what you pay or: ‘You’re buying the Rolls-Royce o pianos and including Bösendorer and Kemble, and a large selection rom the company’s digital range. it will probably last longer than a sports car.’ This study o mainstream piano shops in the UK capital Grand Passion Pianos doesn’t have a permanent shop foor. clearly has its limitations, and it would be useul to repeat the ‘The key part o our business is that we don’t use traditional showrooms,’ says Shah. ‘We display pianos in private homes exercise elsewhere in the country, and urther aeld, in order and art galleries. We only exhibit one piano at a time so that to gain a detailed picture o how piano sales are developing. we can ocus all our attention on rebuilding and researching It would also be relevant to compare and contrast actual sales the instrument to the highest level’. The company has already gures rom each store, although or obvious reasons dealers had healthy interest in its current oering, a rare Bösendorer are reluctant to release such sensitive data. But this research model 180, which is displayed in a trendy east London does provide a broad overview o the dierent approaches piano sales teams are ocusing on today, loosely split into the warehouse apartment. ‘In a showroom, you can’t get a good idea o what the piano ollowing categories: amily riendly; elite service; new wave; will sound like in your home, so we use intimate settings that and specialist brand k nowledge. Januar y/Fe bru ar y 2013
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profile
Weaving melodies Cms and anst Frédéric Meinders ts Leandro Ferraccioli hw a bus aangmnt nd th d t an absbng wd tansctn
Frédéric Meinders at the home of friends in the Hague. Photograph by Leandro Ferraccioli
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proile
ine, i’ll admit it: i am a transcription juk. a y h x h y x h wh éé m. p, wz, h bby h b-k h w, g y Bz v uh Gy’ Huu v, whh kyb k uh y k uvy. Wh w th Hgu, m’ v y, h y gh wh gy bu gy, w gg wh u gh, vy wh b, h w. i k why, 15 y g, uhg , h u h gh B Hz, uh- Bz. ‘my w, wh Bz, w uyg th Hgu w w u u h. Bu w xhug: i w hg yg uh, wkg h – h w y wh i gv v 80 . s, wh y w w bk v h h, wh w uw, i hugh yb i u hg Bz . ‘i w y g , bu w . i i’ y H i wu hv gv y bu, hy, g wg u k h h g. Wh y hy ? th wy hg wh yu y,“ah, u hv b b”. Bu yu hv yu’ wh yu v v h , h yu’ y hy. Wh y , yu hk: “oh g, 40 u w g bu i y hb .” th b .’ Wh w k m’ v y, w u gu g: duh ( c G u) J m Gg-ru h nk mg. ‘mg h y gh yg – hg mh [agh], wh u h, y. i w yg vy h , h , h ugh bu h “h bk” h . H gv x h h yu hv b wh (whh y ) i u h vy y. i’ uu h ch’ s s, whh fu vyby: h ch y h w h v. nw i y whu y b, whh w’ wy h . ‘J m, h h h, ugh hg bu hqu bu h i u h; h u . x, h i y h lz s (i w 17 hg), i h , “oK, y h ”. s i . “n,” h . “ty g. a g.” H bu h hu ju hw h hu u. H : “i y y ’ yhg. Yu u y ’ h h gh: yu’ b, ’ gh h u wy; yu’ y h yu h kk. Yu u y i b y, “my g, wh bh h ?” a wu !’ i b i h vy g wh c G h wk b kg h sb o [1972]. i h i w z k h
y H. d G w y g bu vy g b, h kw uh bu u. th w sb’ h bu h w h uy . a – i’ v g h – h k wh h ’ g u ? W, i h h. , wh yu hk u ?’ H qu h gu: gv h g wk’ u vu sb, wh ‘g’ h u, i u u b b h u y. a h h u vu ugh, h wy g h x’ guy. ‘W, G h sb h g y wh wk h , y, h h h g h wh u [h h ’ g kh u h kyb] – h wh sb w w! i’ h ju zg y? Bu h yu y k h; yu y yu “i’ y g h ” yu hv y h wu – yu ’ h. Bu by h v bu h b; h by kw G y bu h w G.’ d hg ug h w , wh h ’ - G ag, m V Hwz ax Wbg w h g x h . Bu h bju gu wh h y, wh h ? ‘sh Hugh , u, a V. i h Volodos in Vienna [sy c] h y h v thkvky’ Lullaby in a Storm. i b h g g g y n , bu i hk V’ v uh g; ’ . i wh rhvk h, bu V g uh. th’ h w – ’ y Hwz – wh z uh, y bu b. H h, hw h w – h g h a rhv’ c s ju zg.’ a h -b, i k h bu y h . ‘c wh h , y uy, V buy m G. thugh h h wh i hv g : e p. H’ v h . i h h Uh yg shu’ Davidsbündlertänze, whh w ju zg – h i y: h h c.’ m h h vy ( z K’ Schön Rosmarin) w uy ‘ vg’; w h th ry cvy h Hgu’ v-g , wh b h yg K wh v u --y . H g h y h huzh. ‘Y, i v K’ u – h’ ju . i wh h bu i v h rhv Liebesleid Liebesfreud . i i bw y w u , wh c G h y Schön Rosmarin h , “W, v hu bu yu y h ub h b h v.” jan uar y/Fe bru ar y 2013 International Piano
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profile
Contrapuntal studies for two hands by Frédéric Meinders. Full version available to download from www.international-piano.com
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www.fredericmeinders.com
PROFILE What ascinated me when I heard Rachmaninov was that he was transcribing music or two instruments onto one piano. And why did he do it? Because he loved these pieces and he loved Kreisler as a musician.’ For pianists seeking new repertoire, Meinders’ website is a veritable Ali Baba’s cave: a brie perusal reveals a staggering catalogue o 750 or so works, consisting o originals and transcriptions. Around 150 o these are or the le hand alone. So what is his ascination with this pianistic ‘straitjacket’ – the technical test? The compositional challenge? ‘Both. I have sold many le-hand scores, so don’t orget there are actually more people than you might imagine who cannot play with the right hand. I have also been invited to perorm in the Evmelia Festival in Greece in 2014 and the director, Dino Mastroyiannis [a ormer pupil o Roberto Szidon], asked me to compose a piece or le hand and chamber orchestra based on Greek songs. ‘I played many Godowsky le-hand works or the radio in Holland and, compositionally, I was very inspired by him: I think this technique where a person can play with the le hand alone but make it sound as i there are two hands is just antastic. The le can play bass, melody and harmonies, so in your mind you get a better idea o the piano. You can learn a lot, too: when you are writing, you try it and then say,“Oh, this is possible, how antastic!” So you enrich yoursel in the process.’ Putting aside the supercial consideration o keyboard tightrope-walking, I wonder just what it is that Meinders the transcriber admires about Godowsky the transcriber. ‘Well, the rst thing is the harmonic aspect. I you divide music into three components – melody, harmony and rhythm – I would say harmony is the most important, perhaps even more so than melody. And I think this may be the case or Godowsky, otherwise why would he transcribe Bach’s Cello Suites and Violin Partitas? He wanted to put in the implied harmonies. And i I listen to a Bach Partita, where the violin plays a single note, I eel the harmonies on the piano. In his reworking o Chopin’s Etudes, I believe he wanted to modernise them; this is what I love in his work. There are moments where you wonder how it is possible to n d this amazing harmony or that counter theme. For instance, where he takes the Third Nouvelle Etude and discovers an absolutely gorgeous melody.’ Purists tend to take a dim view o such tinkerings, and one o Meinders’ avourite musical tricks, guaranteed to raise ur text hackles, is the so-called quodlibet. This is the technique o interposing a second melody (usually a popular tune) with a classical theme as counterpoint or a second melodic line – requently to humorous eect. Bach did this, notably in the last o his Goldberg Variations, and another example o just how beautiully this ‘sacrilege’ can work is Meinders’ delicious reworking o Somewhere over the Rainbow, with no ewer than our counter-subjects. The arrangement begins with an or iginal theme, which orms a counterpoint with the Somewhere over the Rainbow song; then, alongside this, appear Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring and two themes rom Chopin’s Impromptu in G fat. You can try it or yoursel, as the score is reproduced here and on IP’s website, with the composer’s kind permission. ‘You see, counterpoint is or me something ascinating – as it was, o course, or Godowsky. His 53 Studies on Chopin’s
‘Compared to the rest, pianistically and musically, Volodos is still absolutely Mr God’ Etudes opened my eyes and infuenced me a great deal, because then I also noticed this aspect in other Etudes – where Chopin didn’t explore it so explicitly. For example, in Op 10 No 11 I realised that you can combine other Etudes as a sort o counterpoint. Or even a Chopin Impromptu in the le and a Chopin Etude in the right.’ (Meinders has, in act, written a remarkable set o elaborations on Op 10 No 11 and others on the Second Nouvelle Etude.) ‘Well, i you see these things in Chopin then you can go completely crazy – you start to put “Happy Birthday” in a Beethoven sonata!’ I laugh, thinking this is merely rhetorical. But no: to prove it he makes or the piano and, with subversive glee, proceeds to weave the melody into Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring , then Beethoven’s Sonata Op 110, ollowed by Chopin’s Etudes Op 25 Nos 1, 2 and 9. I get the eeling he could keep going all aernoon. A avourite discussion point or Meinders, which has sparked many an exchange o ‘email tennis’, is the issue o style, both in interpretation and transcription. ‘What is allowed and what is not is an interesting question. I can’t explain why, in some Schubert songs, you can go urther – as Rachmaninov did, or instance, in Wohin. It depends also on the person who plays or listens to it. For example, my teacher thought Rachmaninov was wrong, but I’m more modern and believe what he did with the chromaticism is ascinating. However, i you take another Schubert song and do the same, it might well be horrible. So I can’t explain why this “modernising” works with some Schubert Lieder and not others. It comes down to what you eel.’ In terms o style, I suggest that the great pianists o the past did things with which people wouldn’t necessarily agree, but did them with such conviction that one is compelled to listen. ‘Yes, “magic” is the word pianophile Farhan Malik uses or Horowitz and I can see what he means. Yet my wie nds Rubinstein more magical than Horowitz and, while I also love Rubinstein, or me it’s not “magic”. Horowitz is really a pianist or pianists, I think. Sometimes he seemed to b e out to prove to other pianists that they couldn’t play like him. He was a one- o.’ As well as composing tirelessly, negotiating with Schott to publish his latest transcriptions o Gieseking’s (unortunately unknown) songs and preparing or concerts, Meinders has lately been ocusing more on the music o Bach. ‘These days I’m coming back to Bach, whom I never loved when I was young; I’m listening a lot to Rosalyn Tureck. Some pianists play Bach as i it’s all about sound-making, as in Chopin. But Bach’s music has nothing to do with creating a beautiul sound on the modern piano – it’s the structure that has to be shown. So I am learning rom Tureck as well as listening to old music; one is never too old to learn.’ Jan uar y/Fe bru ar y 2013 International Piano
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Alfred Brendel Patron
András Schi President
Marios Papadopoulos Artisti c Director
Oxford Philomusica
Piano Festival and Summer Academy
28 July - 6 August 2013
Masterclasses and Concerts in Oxford Artists to include
Federico Colli Mahan Esfahani Peter Frankl Rustem Hayroudino Niel Immelman Yoheved Kaplinsky Stephen Kovacevich Tessa Nicholson Marios Papadopoulos Christoph Prégardien Menahem Pressler Andrs Schi
Tel: 01865 980 980
[email protected]
www.oxfordphil.com
How well do you stand up to the world’s best? Find out this summer.
July 3-Aug. 2, 2013 • Calgary, AB Canada Program highlights include our International Concerto Competition where nalists have the privilege of performing in concert with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra! Cash prizes are awarded — rst prize includes a $2,500 cash award.
MMB alumni include international concert artists like Yuja Wang and Ning Feng; members of the New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, London Symphony, Vienna Philharmonic, Montreal and Toronto Symphony Orchestras; and top prize winners of the Tchaikovsky, Paganini, George Enescu and Wieniawski Competitions. Applications must be received by Feb. 15, 2013
mtroyal.ca/musicbridge
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International Piano January/February
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Summer SchoolS
S is in in Wi t nts ay sggst twis, s wi b bf w knw it – and it’s nv t ay t pan wi sidntia ss t attnd. IP ists t bst pian s ss f p-pfssinas and aats f ass t gb Switzerland
Verbier Festival Academy 19 July-4 August 2013, Verbier All pianists play in solo masterclasses with two distinguished teachers and participate in a piano quartet as part o the chamber music programme. Closing date for applications: 21 January Fees: CHF2,500; scholarships available Age/ability Age/abil ity level: Pre-proessionals aged up to 27 Faculty: Christian Thompson, academy director Tel: +41 21 925 90 60 Email: academy@verbierestival.com www.verbierestival.com/academy UK
Aldeburgh Festival/ Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme 7-23 June 2013, Suffolk The Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme orms an integral part o the Aldeburgh Festival as well as oering a year-round programme o concerts and events. In 2013, programming celebrates Britten’s centenary. Closing date for applications: 3 December 2012 Fees: Various Age/ability Age/abil ity level: Advanced music students; no ormal age limit but applicants are usually aged 19-30 Tel: 01728 687100 Email:
[email protected] www.aldeburgh.co.uk Chetham’s International Summer School and Festival for Pianists 14-20 and 20-26 August 2013, Manchester
Residential and non-residential piano courses or pianists o any age – young children, amateur adults and aspiring young proessionals. Individual lessons with international aculty o over 50 teachers. Extra courses in jazz, improvisation, organ, composition and piano duets. Closing date for applications: 8 June Fees: One part £595. Discounts available or multiple bookings Age/ability Age/abil ity level: Courses or all ages and abilities Faculty: Murray McLachlan, artistic director Tel: 01625 266899 Email: in
[email protected] www.pianosummerschool.com
chamber music, and inormal perormance opportunities. Tuition rom worldrenowned pianists. Closing date for applications: Various, according to course Fees: From £600 or a week or ull board accommodation, courses and concerts; fnancial assistance available Age/ability Age/abil ity level: All ages and abilities Faculty: John Woolrich, artistic director; Emily Hoare, creative producer; Esther Robinson, administrator; Sophia Sheridan, bookings administrator Tel: 01803 847 080 Email:
[email protected] www.dartington.org/summer-school English retreat: The grounds at Dartington
City Lit Various, London Courses or adults all year round in piano and other instruments, mainly at City Lit’s premises in central London; all levels accommodated. Closing date for applications: Various, depending on course Fees: Various, depending on course Age/ability Age/abil ity level: Adults 18+ Faculty: Janet Obi-Keller, head o music Tel: 020 7492 2630 Email:
[email protected] www.citylit.ac.uk Dartington International Summer School 27 July-31 August 2013, South Devon Five-week summer school eaturing various piano masterclasses, workshops and courses. Opportunities or solo, duet, ensemble, accompanying and
North London Piano School From 11 August 2013 at the Purcell School, London Summer school and competition; ensembles, accompaniment, one-to-one lessons, masterclasses, lectures,
Janu ar y/Feb rua ry 2013
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JERSEY INTERNATIONAL FESTIV FEST IVAL AL for AMATEUR PIANISTS
Chetham’s International Summer School & Festival for Pianists Artistic Director: Murray McLachlan
Part One: 14–20 August 2013 Part Two: 20–26 August 2013 The Friendliest Piano Summer School in the World! Faculty includes: Elena Ashkenazy, Philippe Cassard,
Peter Donohoe, José Feghali, Carlo Grante, Harry Harris, David Horne, Eugen Indjic, Nikki Iles, Matthias Kirschnereit, John McLeod, Noriko Ogawa, Artur Pizarro, Vladimir Tropp. Tropp. With daily concerts, lectures, improvisation, jazz, composition, intensive one-to-one coaching, duets, organ and harpsichord.
For further information call +44 (0)1625 266899 or email
[email protected] www.pianosummerschool.com
Summertrios A vibrant musical experience ofering chamber music or amateur and proessional musicians
June 2013 Bryn Mawr and Chambersburg Application Deadline: March 1st 2013 Unique piano-centred chamber music summer school Premium, regular and concerto programs available
001 212-222-1289
[email protected] www.summertrios.org
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25th MAY – 2nd JUNE 2013 Masterclass / Student Class by
idil biret Individual and Group Tuition Extensive practice facilities - one piano per person Introduction to the piano method of Alfred Cortot Many opportunities to perform Closing Public Concert to be recorded by BBC Radio Jersey Option of staying with host families
www.normandypianocourses.com
[email protected]
Summer SchoolS CD recordings on site, preparation or solo recitals, competitions and auditions, daily concerts. Gala concert at the Royal Academy o Music. Closing date for applications: 31 May Fees: From £470; £470; some bursaries available
or students Age/ability Age/abil ity level: Grade 6+ to
postgraduate level Faculty: Proessors rom the UK and abroad. Michael Schreider, Schreider, artistic artis tic director; Lesley Willner, executive director Tel: 020 8958 5206 Email:
[email protected] www.learn-music.com/nlps2 Oxford Philomusica International Piano Festival and Summer Academy 28 July-6 August 201 2013, 3, Oxford
An international orum o per orming artists, pedagogues and students, celebrating all aspects o the instrument. Featuring public masterclasses and concerts, lectures and classes with internationally recognised artists. Closing date for applications: May (TBC) Fees: Approx £200-£800 (TBC) Age/ability Age/abil ity level: Grade 8+ Faculty: Past members have included
Dame Fanny Waterman, Marios Papadopouloss and Christopher Elton. Papadopoulo Marios Papadopoulos is artistic director Tel: 01865 987 222 Email: sophie@oxordphil.com www.oxordphil.com/piano
+1 970 925 9042 (box ofce) Email:
[email protected] http://aspenmusicestival.com Boston University Tanglewood Institute Young Artists Piano Program 16 June-10 August 2013, Massachusetts
In association with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the course oers private lessons, daily masterclasses and select chamber and large ensemble opportunities. Two three-week programmes; some students stay or all six weeks. Closing date for applications: 8 February Fees: From $2,805 including
accommodation, depending on leng th o accommodation, stay; scholarships available Age/ability Age/abil ity level: Ages 15-18 Faculty: Sharon Boaz, director Tel: +1 617 353 3386 Email:
[email protected] www.bu.edu/ca/music/tanglewood California Summer Music 6-29 July 2013, California
A chamber music estival eaturing solo and chamber perormances, masterclasses, collaboration with student composers in premieres o their works, daily chamber music coaching and individual lessons. Closing date for applications: 23 January Fees: $4,200 or tuition, room and b oard Age/ability Age/abil ity level: Ages 11-25, advanced
students Faculty: Timothy Bach, Lori Lack, Julie
US
Aspen Music Festival and School 27 June-18 August 2013, Colorado
Programmes in collaborative piano, solo piano and chamber music. Piano programme eatures masterclasses, workshops, perormance opportunities; also includes a estival o music events throughout the summer.
Nishimura and Hans Boepple Tel: +1 415 753 8920 Email:
[email protected] www.csmusic.org
Golandsky Institute Summer Symposium and International Piano Festival 13-21 July 2013, Princeton, New Jersey
Seven-day programme ocusing on the Taubman approach or pianists and string players. Private lessons, masterclasses, technique clinics, perormance opportunities, concerts and more. Closing date for applications: TBC;
check website Fees: TBC Tel: +1 877 343 3434 Email:
[email protected] www.golandskyinstitute.org Universty of Houston’s International Piano Festival 1-3 February 2013, Houston, Texas
Festival run by the Universty o Houston’s Moores School o Music. Students must apply to participate in masterclasses with artists. See website or more inormation and details o how to apply or masterclasses. A number o guest artists perorm recitals during the estival. Closing date for applications:
4 December 2012 Fees: Single masterclasses rom $5 Age/ability Age/abil ity level: Three levels: ages 13-14, 15-17 1517 and 18-graduate 18-gra duate Faculty: Markus Groh, Alberto Reyes, Abbey Simon Contact: Alan Austin, director o special projects Tel: +1 713 743 3167 Email: tm@uh.edu www.music.uh.edu/pianoestival
Institute ounder: Edna Golandsky
Closing date for applications: Varies
according to programme Fees: $3,200 per course plus $3,300 room and board; scholarships available Age/ability Age/abil ity level: Advanced students; young musicians Johnston, vice president president Contact: Jennier Johnston, and dean o students Tel: +1 970 925 3254 (ofce); Jan uar y/F y/Febr ebr uar y 2013
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CHAUTAUQUA MUSIC FESTIVAL
AIMS INTERNATIONAL MUSIC SCHOOL at Eastbourne College AUGUST 18th – 25th 2013
June 22 – August 8, 2013
PIANO
CHAUTAUQUA, NEW YORK
CLASSES FOR STUDENT PIANISTS The seventh Summer School for Singers run by Neil & Penny Jenkins will take place once again in Eastbourne. David Willison will again be running the Piano accompanists course, and will give every student pianist at least 2 solo sessions. Pianists are encouraged to form partnerships with the solo singers on the Singers’ course, and accompany them to their sessions. Please indicate if you need to be paired up, or if you have partnerships already in place. Tere will be group sessions every day, when the accompaniments to selected repertoire will be studied with either David, erence Allbright or Eugene Asti. In 2013 the songs of the featured composers Britten & Poulenc will be particularly studied. Tere will be a visit by Julius Drake on Monday 19th August for a special masterclass; and at the end of the week there will be an Informal Concert. Te week will commence with a Gala solo Recital by Catherine Wyn Rogers accompanied by Eugene Asti. Comments from past students include: “...I am an AIMS ‘virgin’ - my rst time, but certainly not my last. I was totally inspired and in absolute heaven!” “...Once again it was a wonderful week of learning, performing, and appreciating wonderful music and wonderful singing.” “...Theatre critics would have the heading’Triumph’. I cannot but totally admire the administration: it is faultless ...” “...The concerts have been wonderful, the masterclasses enlightening, the warm-ups and vocal technique classes huge fun. Thank you for making the week such a fullling experience...”
For details of fees for Residents and Non-Residents contact: Address: A IMS, Barn E nd, Castle Lane, Bramber, West Sus sex, BN44 3FB
Rebecca Penneys, chair www.rebeccapenneys.com
XVIII Chautauqua Piano Competition
First Prize: $7,500 Second prize: $3,000
Application deadline: March 15
To apply, visit our website below. Signifcant fnancial assistance available
http://music.ciweb.org The Chautauqua Institution uses Steinway pianos xclusively for its festival. The family of Steinway esigned pianos at Chautauqua are facilitated by Denton, Cottier & Daniels, Buffalo, New York.
Telephone: 01903 879591 Email:
[email protected]
Full details are shown on the website: www.AIMS.uk.com
CHAUTAUQUA INSTITUTION • CHAUTAUQUA, NY
International Music Course 11th - 18th August 2013 hosted by the Purcell School STRING PLAYERS, PIANISTS, VOCALISTS Soloists, Duos, Accompanists, Ensembles ASSOCIATE TEACHERS INVITED Tuition by professors from world leading conservatoires Concerts and masterclasses. CD recording on site Individual schedule for everyone
Gala Concert Sunday 18th August Contact : Dr Michael Schreider 78 Warwick Ave. Middlesex HA8 8UJ, United Kingdom Tel. +44 (0)20 8958 5206 / 8363 3858. Fax +44 (0)560 312 4864 e-mail:
[email protected] Website: Learn-music.com/nlps2
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The IP wishlist Essential – and non-essential – items to take on this year’s residential courses 1 iPhone case Show your allegiance with this piano keys case, available for iPhone 4/4S/5 Price: $17.99 (c.£11.53) | iCaseSeraSera
1
www.etsy.com
2
2 Lanyard A stylish way to keep ID cards and keys safe while travelling from dorm to masterclass Price: £5.45 | SewMuchDetail www.etsy.com
3 Diary 2013 This bestselling music diary features composer anniversaries and events so you won’t forget a thing. Cover design based on The Rite of Spring manuscript Price: £6.99 shop.rhinegold.co.uk
4 Piano Manual Know about the ‘Hammerklavier’ but less about the hammers? Expand your knowledge of piano care with the classic Haynes manual Price: £19.99 | ISBN: 9781844254859
3
www.haynes.co.uk
5 Shower gel Brighten up someone’s washbag with this piano-inspired novelty shower gel Price: £3.50 shop.rhinegold.co.uk
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5
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Stifters Dinge – revisited Heiner Goebbels University of Westminster, London 4-18 Nove mber
Heiner Goebbels is a multimedia artist whose works, such as Hashirigaki , Eislermaterial and Surrogate Cities, combine classical, jazz and popular genres. Some have been released on disc, particularly on ECM – notably Stiers Dinge, in 2012. But Goebbels’ home is the theatre and his works really need to be experienced live. Stiers Dinge, a homage to Austrian nature writer and poet Adalbert Stier (1805-1868), is realised over 70 minutes by a ‘piano sculpture’ of five pianos without pianists, mechanically rigged to produce a huge range of sounds and set against recorded montages of elemental sources including wind, water and ice, and speech and music. Having experienced the wonderful Hashirigaki three times live, I eagerly anticipated this ‘performance without performers’ or ‘performative installation’, and it didn’t disappoint. The production took place in the work’s original 2008 home, the cavernous Ambika P3 underneath Marylebone Road, where concrete was tested for the Westway flyover and which is now a University of Westminster art project space. Artangel, sponsor of work by Brian Eno, Michael Landy, Rachel Whiteread and others, commissioned Stiers Dinge in 2008, and under their aegis Goebbels transformed this vast concrete box into a site for a compelling multimedia experience. The five stripped-down pianos – we are told all are gran d pianos but only one seems to be – are mounted on a stage, which is set on rails and can move towards and away from the audience; two instruments have had keyboards removed, their strings now
‘played’ by means of various mechanical Sonata was the centrepiece of Hodges’s contraptions, and all of them are operated recital, an incandescent performance of through computerised player-piano controlled explosive brilliance. The Sonata mechanisms. In front of the stage is an is Barraqué’s ocial Opus 1, but earlier area of illuminated floorspace. The event works were discovered recently in a lo begins when two stagehands – the only in Paris. The recital featured a selection, visible human presence throughout – all short or relatively so, and written sprinkle salt over this area. Wall-mounted in 1945-49. Retour is tonal; Intermezzo pipes are struck mechanically and water is transitional to 12-tonal. None were falls over the powder to create an arti ficial forgotten masterpieces, but they provided illuminated lake. interesting historical background to the The scene is now set for The Trees, full composer’s mature output. of foreboding, featuring a long – perhaps Philip Thomas’s project Canada overlong – recorded reading by Bill Connections features Canadian and Paterson of The Ice Tale from Stier’s My British experimental composers. His Great Grandfather’s Portfolio. (The only recital presented three pieces focusing possible slight misjudgment by Goebbels.) on irregular progression and sustained With a fluidity that marks the transition sounds: Christopher Fox’s L’ascenseur , between scenes, The Storm builds from Martin Arnold’s Points and Waltzes and Nancarrow-ish multiple piano glissandos Cassandra Miller’s Philip the Wanderer , as dry ice rises from front of stage. The dedicated to Thomas. By ‘progression’ I Rain sets an interview with a pessimistic don’t mean ‘development’, which these Claude Levi-Strauss, against Bach’s Italian pieces avoided. The pianist pointed out Concerto on one of the pianos, and aerwards that similarities between the sounds of flowing water. The Thunder pieces were accidental, as they were all new begins with cavernous industrial sounds, commissions – world premieres, indeed. on which William S Burroughs’ gravelly Arnold is a Toronto-based composer monotone gradually intrudes; a quicker who studied with Rzewski, Cage and cross-rhythm introduces Malcolm X’s Andriessen, and makes his living as a stirring declamation. Almost human, the landscape gardener. His delightful Points pianos take a concluding ‘bow’, moving and Waltzes exhibits a subtle, indirect forwards, backwards, then forwards propulsion, imitating the ‘wonderful, again. In this ingenious setting, Goebbels non-narrative polyphonic meander of creates a unified eect from disparate Elizabeth fantasies’, as the composer puts collage elements – music, sound, staging it – a ‘point’, in 16th-century England, and lighting, all beautifully judged. was a piece of counterpoint. Arnold’s ANDY HAMILTON composition is not a set of pieces, but an extended reflection expressed through the medium of the slow waltz. It begins Nicolas Hodges/Philip Thomas minimally as two single lines in the middle Huddersfield Contemporary Music and upper registers, a quixotic discourse Festival St Paul’s Hall/Phipps Hall that eventually dissolves into hypnagogic Huddersfield 17/22 November musings that at times suggested Ran At this year’s Huddersfield Contemporary Blake’s oblique jazz harmonies. Music Festival, two solo piano recitals Christopher Fox is a real musical thinker, a conceptual artist in the best stood out. During the first weekend, Nicolas Hodges presented the work sense. L’ascenseur exploits an obvious but of Jean Barraqué (1928–1973), still a ingenious and engaging idea, creating a neglected modernist despite the early kind of process music of jagged, apparently advocacy of André Hodeir; the jazz fumbling, eortful-seeming rhythms. writer and composer who argued that The composer’s surreal musical wit – bland and inscrutable as a Thelonious Beethoven and Debussy, Barraqué’s Monk smile – informed proceedings. idols, had only one successor – Barraqué himself. The composer’s six works are Equally obsessive rhythmically was all substantial; for him, artistic creation Philip the Wanderer by young Montreal was a Promethean act ex nihilo. Like based Cassandra Miller, an adaptation of fellow Messiaen student Pierre Boulez, traditional music from Mozambique. The he followed the path of total serialism. piece punctiliously follows the original But the formidable 40-minute Piano rhythms, filling them out harmonically Sonata (1952) opposes that strict, almost to create a rich, multi-faceted, larger-thanautomatic tendency with a freer style. The life portrait. AH ,
,
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REVIEWS
Books, DVDs & software
Oxford-born Lennox Berkeley (1903-89) composed delectable music for keyboard, including Three Pieces (1935), Paysage (1944), Six Preludes (1945) and his Piano Concerto in B flat major (1947/48). As anyone who knows the recordings by Colin Horsley and Margaret Fingerhut (on Lyrita and Chandos respectively) will be aware, these works are urbane, charming and pleasurable. Lennox Berkeley and Friends is lovingly edited by the British composer and pianist Peter Dickinson, author of The Music of Lennox Berkeley (Boydell) as well as studies of Samuel Barber, Aaron Copland and Lord Berners. Berkeley’s writings reveal the same kindly, urbane and by Lennox Berkeley and Friends: Writings, Letters and Interviews no means undiscerning personality that is heard Edited by Peter Dickinson in his music. Boydell Press, 344 pages, Pianistic matters are central to his imagination £45.00 ($90.00) and, at a 1930 concert at which Walter Gieseking
Schumann Davidsbündlertänze , Op 6; Fantasiestücke , Op 12; Etudes symphoniques, Op 13; Kreisleriana , Op 16; Piano Sonata No 2 in G minor, Op 22 Jerome Rose (pf)
Medici Classics M60079 (Blu-Ray), 134 minutes, PCM stereo
Pianoteq 4 Pro From Modartt
From €29 | ww w.pianoteq.com
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played Beethoven’s ‘Emperor’ Concerto, Berkeley has this to say: ‘The piano seemed to have more variety of tone colour than the orchestra.’ A yea r later, Berkeley praised further performances by Gieseking for their ‘utter absence of show and exterior eect [...] one had the feeling of listenin g for the first time to things that one knew by heart.’ Vladimir Horowitz was another favourite: as Berkeley was finishing his Four Concert Studies in 1939, he wistfully wrote to Nadia Boulanger that Horowitz would be ‘needed’, but unlikely to embrace the new works: ‘Like most virtuosos, he’s probably not dying to play modern music.’ Friendships with other composer-pianists, from Francis Poulenc to Benjamin Britten – the latter a one-time lover – only helped deepen Berkeley’s lifelong fascination with the instrument. BENJAMIN IVRY
There is nothing worse than over-excitable, over- line that underpins the whole structure. Without interpreted Schumann, so it comes as something resorting to extremes of dynamic or articulation, of a relief to encounter this second volume of this is a reading that emphasises the ‘symphonic’ favourite works from Jerome Rose, who absorbs rather than the ‘etude’. However, there are the composer’s free-flowing imagination into technical triumphs along the way too, not least compelling musical paragraphs. Even when in Etude 10, where Rose manages to despatch the flights of fancy come thick and fast, as in the toccata-like figurations against continuously Davidsbündlertänze, one is le with the sensation sounded dotted rhythms without using the of supreme logic binding everything together. sustaining pedal. In the Op 12 Fantasiestücke, not a single ugly note Kreisleriana is another magisterial conception is sounded. No matter how awkward and fatiguing that refreshingly avoids outbursts of mannered Schumann’s figurations – most infamously in interpretative rhetoric, yet it is the Second Sonata Traumes Wirren – Rose maintains a remarkably that really lis the roof o, with its combination relaxed action, so that at times it looks as if he is of high-velocity agility and velvety sonorities. merely flopping his fingers gently onto the keys The recording and pin-sharp picture quality and somehow sounding the right notes. capture Rose’s eortless playing to perfection, Not surprisingly, the Etudes symphoniques and the direction rightly focuses our attention (without the posthumous numbers) respond on where it needs to be – those amazing hands. particularly well to his ability to sustain the long JULIAN HAYLOCK At the 2012 Frankfurt Musikmesse, Modartt’s Niclas Fogwall joked that his team of programmers were ‘too good’; the release of Pianoteq 4 was delayed because the developers kept suggesting improvements to the existing design. So, aer three years in the making, does the finished product live up to expectations? Modartt has been making ‘virtual pianos’ for use on home computers since 2006. A Steinway D grand piano from Hamburg serves as the reference for the new D4 preset range, while the latest upgrade oering is a Blüthner Model 1 addon, authorised by Blüthner and the world’s first physical model of its prized concert grand. While I’d hesitate to make a judgement as to whether Modartt has captured that famous ‘golden tone’, the preset sounds are imbued with a real warmth and surprising depth, capable of achieving everything from treble twinkles and shimmers to crisp staccatos and sonorous bass. There are no sampled sounds here; everything
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is based on physical modelling with real time response – but at the same time, the entire package is only 20MB in size, making it extr emely economical in terms of both cost and space. There’s the freedom to adjust up to 22 parameters, from the tuning, shape of the soundboard, hammer hardness and damper control to the position of the lid and even the mic placement. The note edit window allows you to edit the parameters of each individual note, allowing for limitless customisation. One handy new feature is the automatic save. Even if you haven’t clicked the record button, your last performanc e will be saved on file; useful for those moments of inspired improvisation. It’s a thoughtful addition, but a loop playback button would be an even more welcome component. All in all, this is an excellent new oering, and at just €29 for an upgrade to version 4, existing Pianoteq users will find real value here. LOUISE GREENER
REVIEWS
CHOICE
Glenn Gould on Television: The Complete CBC Broadcasts, 1954–1977 Glenn Gould (pf/narrator)
Sony 8697952109 (10 DVDs, 19 hours 12 minutes)
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DVDs
The polemic Gould is found in purest Released in celebration of what would have been Glenn Gould’s 80th birthday (he was form is his talk ‘I detest audiences’. The born in 1932), this deluxe 10-DVD set oers reaction from a young Zubin Mehta says it Gould’s Canadian television broadcasts over all: ‘I think he’s out of his mind’. Gould on nearly a quarter of a century. Although much music in the USSR is highly stimulating a nd has been previously available, the present set his reading of Prokofiev’s Seventh Sonata creates an opportunity for proper reappraisal is the antithesis of Pollini’s mechanistic of Gould’s art, while simultaneously take, yet no less powerful for it. And how reminding us of his unique genius. amazing to find him extemporising a fugue The earliest foot age here is of Beethoven’s on ‘Doe, a deer’ from The Sound of Music in First Piano Concerto, captured in December the exemplary lecture ‘The Anatomy of the 1954. Though it’s in grainy black and white, Fugue’ before he traces the fugue from its with the orchestra sounding none too clear, prehistory (Marenzio, Lasso) through Bach, there’s an unmistakable vivacity to Gould’s on to Hindemith and beyond. Gould’s talk ‘Richard Strauss – a Personal reading (he plays his own cadenza, which is unsurprisingly highly contrapuntal). Even View’ finds him describing himself as at this early stage, Gould’s mannerisms addicted to Strauss as some people are ‘to are in evidence, most notably his mobility chocolate sundaes’. Lois Marshall gives on the piano stool, his swaying made even a tremendous Cäcilie, as well as the three more giddying by a camera that seems of the more progressive Ophelia-Lieder ; Oscar Shumsky is superb in the first loath to stay still. Sharing the first disc is a 1961 broadcast movement of the Violin Sonata. The talk entitled The Subject is Beethoven, with Gould ‘Anthology of Variation’ (including an assuming the roles of both performer and astonishingly beautiful Sweelinck Fantasia) educator for the first time (it is preceded is remarkably informative, focusing on by a passionate studio recording of the the canonic variations from the Goldbergs ‘Tempest’ Sonata of 1960 that tests the tape before springing o to Webern. He is most sonics to their limits; there is also a 1967 persuasive, perhaps, in the final two DVDs, performance in better sound later on in where he persuasively presents music by the box). Throughout his commentaries Scriabin, Walton, Poulenc, Křenek and and interviews, Gould manages to mix Casella, among others. We also see Gould also as conductor approachability with nuggets of great insight. His enthusiasm is infectious – his talk on and pianist/director. He conducts Mahler Beethoven that precedes the performance (‘Urlicht’ with Maureen Forrester), of Beethoven’s Third Cello Sonata (with although in truth it looks as if he is directing Leonard Rose) is compelling, closed by an trac. He directs a luscious performance emphatic ‘Let’s just play it’, which leads to a of Bach’s Cantata BWV54 (Russell Oberlin, remarkable example of true chamber music, countertenor; Julius Baker, flute and Oscar Shumsky, violin). There is fun here, too: with two great artists in complete accord. That is more than can be said about the the 1974 commercials for Musicamera encounter between Gould and Menuhin, with Gould as Sir Nigel Twitt-Thornwaite, a striking example of two musical minds Dr Karlheinz Klopweisser (no relation to not meeting (in Beethoven’s Op 96 Sonata, Stockhausen, surely?) and Myron Chianti. ‘That magnificent non-conformist at least). More enlightening is Gould in conversation with Humphrey Burton, Johann Sebastian Bach’, as Gould refers to which includes the pianist’s take on him, and with whom his name is forever recording and the death of the concert hall: inextricably linked, forms a thread running Burton’s incredulity forms the bedrock through the set. Among the many items is from which Gould’s flights of fantasy take a programme that finds Gould playing a wing. The second interview centres on rather strange hybrid, the ‘harpsipiano’, in Beethoven: Gould’s Columbia recording of the Fih Brandenburg Concerto (where he the ‘Emperor’ with Stokowski is invoked, is joined by Isaac Stern and Oscar Shumsky). with the idea that it ‘sounds as much like ‘Pay no attention to critics, ever,’ Gould the “Eroica” with a descant piano as we says at one point. Perhaps pay attention could’ (there is, incidentally, a Toronto to this, though: this is a remarkable performance of the ‘Emperor’ included box covering territory from Sweelinck in this set); and two more films explore to Webern, Walton and Hindemith via Schoenberg and Richard Strauss. Gould’s Bach that oers the most eloquent tribute love of Strauss is palpable and reinforced by imaginable for Gould’s 80th. a 1967 Toronto performance of the Burleske. COLIN CLARKE
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REVIEWS
Weinberg Volume 9: Piano Sonatas: No 1, Op 5;
No 2, Op 8; No 3, Op 31; 17 Easy Pieces, Op 24 Divine Art dda25105, 71 minutes Weinberg Volume 10: Piano Sonatas: No 4, Op 56; No 5, Op 58; No 6, Op 73. Divine Art dda25107, 67 minutes Murray McLachlan (pf)
Here are Volumes 9 and 10 of Divine Art’s ever-enterprising Russian Piano Music Series. My colleague Colin Clarke reviewed a rival Grand Piano Weinberg sonata CD for IP in July/August, and supplied some background. There is now a Grand Piano sequel (GP607), coupling the Fourth Sonata with the Sonatina, Op 49 and the 10-movement Partita, Op 54, placing the two labels in more direct competition. First impressions of Mieczysław Weinberg (1919–96), alias Moishe Vainberg? Shostakovich without the jokes, you may think. The sound-world is bleak and oen frenzied, unsurprisingly recalling Shostakovich, given the older man’s friendly (and on one occasion life-saving) influence. The humourlessness is understandable, given Weinberg’s hounding by – successively – the Nazis and Stalin, and is summed up with artless understatement in the note writer’s comment, ‘A Jewish artist in the Soviet Union did not exactly enjoy an easy life’. Weinberg composed indefatigably, however: just six piano sonatas (1940–60) but, among his total of 154 opus numbers, there are also 22 symphonies and 17 string quartets and a Trumpet Concerto that piano accompanists may already know. The best entry for newcomers – be they listeners or players – is the Fourth Sonata (premiered by Gilels, no less), the most wellknown and arguably finest piece in these two volumes. Murray McLachlan’s performance, here as elsewhere, is brawny, relentlessly energetic and fully committed, encompassing the slow movement’s gigantic stretches with enviable ease. Nervous listeners should warm up on the 17 Easy Pieces, all very short, enticingly harmonised and many of them ripe for early-grade exam syllabuses. Both discs were originally recorded in Sweden in 1996 and issued on Olympia: the recorded piano sound stops just this side of twangy. MICHAEL ROUND
A Tcherepnin Sonatas: No 1, Op 22a; No 2, Op 94 a; Four Préludes nostalgiques, Op 23a; Prelude, Op 85 No 9a; Moment musical; Petite Suite, Op 6b; Rondo à la Russe; Entretiens,
Op 46b; Polkab; Scherzo, Op 3b; Expressions, Op 81b; La Quatrième Alexander Tcherepnin, Mikhail Shilyaev (pfs) Toccata Classics TOCC 0079, 80 minutes
A Tcherepnin Complete Piano Music, Volume 1: 10 Bagatelles, Op 5. Sonata No 1, Op
22; 9 Inventions, Op 13; Sonata No 2, Op 94; 10 Études, Op 18 Giorgio Koukl (pf) Grand Piano GP608, 63 minutes
A Tcherepnin Complete Piano Music, Volume 2: Sonatine romantique, Op 4; Petite Suite, Op 6; Toccata No 1, Op 1; Pièces sans titres, Op 7; Nocturne No 1, Op. 2 No 1; Dance No
1, Op 2 No 2; Nocturne No 2, Op 8 No 1; Dance No 2, Op 8 No 2; Scherzo, Op 3. Message, Op 39 Giorgio Koukl (pf) Grand Piano GP632, 63 minutes
It is 14 years since Alexander Tcherepnin’s centenar y (not celebrated at the time as widely as it should have been) and 36 since his death so the appearance of three discs of his piano music in rapid succession is as welcome as it is unexpected. The Toccata Classics disc opens with archival recordings made by the composer in New York in March 1965 (produced by the composer Philip Ramey, a former Tcherepnin pupil and subject of an earlier Toccata Classics release) of the two sonatas, Préludes nostalgiques and the ninth of his Op 85 Preludes. The performances are the most exciting of any under review here and have been remastered very finely under the auspices of the Tcherepnin Society. The greater part of the disc is made up of a deliciously varied selection of his smaller pieces (the earliest, the Moment musical of 1913, dating from his midteens) and sets of miniatures – the early Petite Suite (1918–19), Entretiens (1920– 30) and 10 Expressions (1951) – all played with compelling assurance by Mikhail Shilyaev. With the exception of the Expressions, all the pieces performed by Shilyaev are
CDs
first recordings. The second of Grand Piano’s two releases, between them initiating a series devoted to Tcherepnin played by Giorgio Koukl, would have been almost entirely of premieres had not Toccata Classics pipped them to the post with the Scherzo and Petite Suite. However, the Op 1 Toccata was recorded by Murray McLachlan for Olympia in 2000. On Koukl’s Volume 1, the 1921 Inventions and 1920 Études also appear for the first time on disc; note the misleading opus numbers, respectively 13 and 18, do not reflect the sequence of composition; the Études originate from the same period as the Bagatelles (1912– 18). Indeed, both Grand Piano volumes focus on early works, the exceptions being the Second Sonata (1961; Volume 1) and the essay in rhythmic virtuosity Message (1926; Volume 2 – how has this not been recorded before?). The early sets that rework juvenile miniatures do so with considerable acuity and char m, not least the Bagatelles, Petite Suite and Pièces sans titres. The Op 1 Toccata and Op 3 Scherzo (Koukl’s account a touch slower than Shilyaev’s but better characterised) foreshadow the later creative giant while the pairs of Nocturnes and Dances Opp 2 and 8 indicate the range of influences on his then still-forming creative personality. Koukl – fresh from his revelatory recordings for Naxos of Martinů’s complete piano music and concertos – proves himself a most sympathetic advocate for Tcherepnin’s music, whether on a small or large scale. It is instructive to compare his interpretations of the sonatas with the composer’s somewhat wayward ones: Koukl may not achieve the same fury in the First Sonata’s opening Allegro commodo but his pacing and structuring of the movement, while subtly dierent, is just as convincing; and his playing as a whole, especially in the Second Sonata, is much more precise. The sound for both discs is top-notch. GUY RICKARDS
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REVIEWS CDs
Play Braxton Marilyn Crispell (pf); Mark Dresser (bass),
Gerry Hemingway (drums) Tzadik TZ 7640, 40 minutes
From 1985 to 1994, Marilyn Crispell, Mark Dresser and Gerry Hemingway were three-quar ters of the Anthony Braxton Quartet, one of the most exciting and innovative groups in jazz, which explored new kinds of structur e and fresh approaches to improvisation. The trio re-formed in 2010 to play at Braxton’s 65th-birthday festivities, whereupon Tzadik invited them to record this disc. Given the trio’s familiarity with so much of Braxton’s enormous oeuvre, the CD’s meagre 40-minute duration is inexcusable; however, the playing itself is top notch and the works chosen, though all written pre-1985, do indicate the variety of Braxton’s innovative forms, from Composition 23C’s catchy ‘additive repetition’ to Composition 116’s layered, synchronised ‘pulse tracks’, sounding here like a spiky, demented march music. As before, the trio deal expertly with the music’s technical complexities and rise to its more poetic moments, such as Composition 110A, once likened by Braxton to ‘the sensation of “blowing winds and trees” (on an island experiencing a rainstorm)’. They bring their own fierce clarity to the music too, showing it can stand apart from its creator; with his reeds absent, Crispell’s piano becomes the lead voice, hammering an intense improvisation from Composition 69B’s ‘language music’ and skipping gaily through the bebopinspired Composition 40B. Dresser and Hemingway are just as superb in what is essentially democratic ensemble music. So, though it may only be half a CD, it’s definitely half full rather than half empty. GRAHAM LOCK
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Rhapsody in Blue: Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto No 2 in G minor, Op 22; The Swan (trans. Godowsky); Ravel Piano Concerto in G; Prélude in A minor; Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue (original jazz band version, arr. Grofé); Love Walked In (trans. Grainger) Benjamin Grosvenor (pf); Royal Liverpool
Shostakovich Complete Music for Piano Duet and Piano Duo, Volume 1:
Philharmonic Orchestra/James Judd Decca 478 3527, 66 minutes
Vicky Yannoula (pf), Jakob Fichert (pf) Toccata Classics TOCC0034, 75 minutes
Symphony No 9 in E flat major, Op 70; Waltz and Polka; Korzinkina’s Adventures, Op 59 – No 3, The Chase; Suite in F sharp minor, Op 6; Tarantella, Op 84d; Merry March, Op 84c; Concertino in A minor, Op 94
This is Benjamin Grosvenor’s first concerto When Shostakovich graduated in 1925, disc. The programming is exemplary, with he was regarded as a pianist first and each major piece followed by an intriguing, foremost, who also composed. That brief encore; in two cases, transcriptions perception changed with the First add another musical voice to the mix. Symphony’s premiere a year later but he Grosvenor’s way with Saint-Saëns’s Second wrote for the keyboard throughout his Piano Concerto is most aecting, capturing life, not least with four-hand reductions not only its fantasy but also its Bachian of his symphonies. Toccata Classics’s new inspiration. The major competition here series devoted to his complete works comes from Stephen Hough (Hyperion), for piano duo and duet opens with the and if Grosvenor does not quite match Ninth Symphony and it should be no Hough’s lightness of touch in the central surprise that it transfers remarkably well Allegro scherzando, he certainly gives him to the keyboard. The early F sharp minor a run for his money in the breezy finale, Suite of 1922 is much less characteristic, where fleet fingerwork and fizzing trills stylistically – with ambition outstripping li Grosvenor’s performance to another technical ability – yet its four movements level. The filigree of Godowsky’s Swan make a considerable cumulative impact, transcription takes the music’s trajectory suggestive of the symphonist to come (the closer to Ravel. suite may have originated as an abortive He gives a fine account of the Ravel attempt at a symphony). concerto too, if not quite scaling the Vicky Yannoula and Jakob Fichert heights of Michelangeli’s legendary provide sparkling interpretations reading. The recording allows for plenty of throughout their hugely entertaining orchestral detail and Grosvenor highlights programme, which concludes with the the intimacy of the first movement, thus A minor Concertino (1953) that followed linking it to the heartfelt central Adagio hard on the heels of the 10th Symphony. assai (where the pianist is eclipsed by a Older listeners may recall the composer’s heartbreaking cor anglais solo). But it is 1956 recording with son Maxim (at one in the finale that he finally hits t rue form. time reissued with Shostakovich and The 1913 Prélude is a blissful encore. Weinberg performing the four-hand The clarinet’s sliding glissando that opens version of No 10), which is over twothe Gershwin is alone worth the price of and-a-half minutes shorter. Yannoula the disc. The sound stage for the jazz band and Fichert are less hectic but what they is generally convincing, although there is lack in sheer excitement is made up for some spotlighting. Nevertheless this is a in superb precision and a genuinely bright and breezy account, full of felicitous rethought interpretation. Punctuating touches from Grosvenor, complementing the main works are a handful of lighter rather than eclipsing Previn/LSO’s full-fat pieces, the pick of which is The Chase from Gershwin. the film music to Korzinkina’s Adventures (1940). Recommended. GR COLIN CLARKE
REVIEWS CDs
Mozart Piano Concertos: No 17 in G major,
Mozart Piano Concertos: No 17 in G major,
K453; No 22 in E flat major, K482; Rondo in A major, K386 Kristian Bezuidenhout (fp), Freiburger Barockorchester/Petra Müllejans (violin)
K453; No 26 in D major, K537, ‘Coronation’ Ronald Brautigam (fp); Die Kölner Akademie/Michael Alexander Willens BIS BIS-1944, 55 minutes
Harmonia Mundi HMC902147, 73 minutes
In 1802 music theorist Heinrich Christoph Koch praised Mozart’s concertos for their ‘passionate sense of dialogue’ between soloist and orchestra. His remark appears in the notes to Ronald Brautigam’s CD, although it’s the South African pianist Kristian Bezuidenhout and the Freiburger Barockorchester (FBO), on their first disc of Mozart piano concertos, who bring this sense of dialogue gloriously to life. Key to their success, as Bezuidenhout explains in his own CD note, was an experimental recording set-up – strings in a semi-circle behind him, winds in a line facing him: a layout designed to bring the winds ‘to the fore of the sonic picture’ and to allow ‘more natural and vivid interplay’ between piano and winds. These priorities ar e historically appropriate, reflecting the more innovatory aspects of Mozart’s later piano concertos, not least K453, one of the first to assign to the winds a prominent role, and K482, the first to feature clarinets. The result, as Bezuidenhout notes, is ‘the piano, playing both solo and continuo, darts in and out of the lush orchestral texture’; the listener is there too, in the midst of the action, hearing the music as if from the inside. Perhaps it won’t be to all tastes, but I found this immediacy thrilling; the extreme textural and dynamic variations give the music terrific bite, especially in K482, with its extrovert tutti flourishes and pockets of hushed intimacy (enhanced by the reduction of strings to one-per-part). And if Bezuidenhout sometimes risks compromising the bigger picture in his scrutiny of the closeup – particularly striking in the Andante of the G major, where he turns gentle
pathos into near despair – his playing is always imaginative and constantly engaging. He’s vivacious in the A major Rondo, delightfully zest ful in K453’s bua finale and subtle yet expressive throughout the dark-hued and brighttinted contrasts of the magical E flat major work. Bezuidenhout plays a recent copy of an 1805 Walter fortepiano, which is technically 20 years too advanced, but has a clear and pleasant tone. Ronald Brautigam’s fortepiano is a modern copy of a Walter from c1795; its slightly thinner, more pinched tone is presumably closer to Mozart’s own Walter (c1782) – but is his disc any closer to that Mozartian spirit of interaction? Certainly he and Die Kölner Akademie enjoy a good rapport (this is their third disc of Mozart concertos), though I’d describe it as a courteous rather than passionate relationship, and one that exists more between pianist and orchestra en bloc than between individual players. Die Kölner Akademie’s orchestral sound is smooth and more homogenous than the FBO’s, and their sculpted phrasing complements Brautigam’s own: everything is nicely shaped and crisply articulated, if a little detached. I enjoyed their brisk, coolly measured take on the relatively lighthearted G major Concerto, although a similar approach to K537 made its stylised elegance seem overly chilly and inscrutable. The disc will have its admirers, but that ‘passionate sense of dialogue’ is more fully embraced by Bezuidenhout and the FBO, who revel in the colours and dramas of Mozart’s richly volatile music. GL
Nebra Desde el silencio / From silence Moisès Fernádez Via (pf) Verso VRS 2118, 60 minutes.
The music of the Spanish baroque remains a largely unexplored treasure trove, especially on record, hence the evocative title for this selection of Nebra’s long-lost sonatas and toccatas for keyboard, although to open the disc with a track of symbolic silence is possibly to labour the point. José de Nebra (170268) – or Joseph Nebra, as Verso call s him – was the most celebrated member of an influential musical dynasty, famous chiefly for his many zarzuelas, operas and sacred works, though renowned also as an organist and teacher (his pupils included his nephew Manuel Blasco de Nebra and Antonio Soler). Nearly all the pieces on this disc are manuscript copies unearthed in private collections and archives; most are undated and devoid of tempo and dynamic markings, which suggests Nebra used them for teaching. Though probably intended for clavichord or harpsichord, they sound perfectly suited to the piano on this superbly recorded live recital, and, didactic or not, they make delightful listening, full of darting rhythms, vivacious flourishes and ingenious harmonic twists. The young, prize-winning Spanish pianist Moisès Fernádez Via makes a persuasive advocate, keenly alert to Nebra’s finesse and lively idiosyncrasies, from plangent yearning (Toccata in C minor) and skipping gaiety (two Toccatas in G major) to the serene calm and de filigree of the Grave on the 8th Tone. Via closes his recital with a rapt improvisation on a fragment from a lost Grave; it’s a lovely gesture, cajoling new beauty from old as he draws Nebra into the 21st century. GL
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REVIEWS CDs
CHOICE
In Brief... Beethoven The Piano Concertos Daniel Barenboim (pf); Staatskapelle Berlin
Decca 478 3515 (3CD), 183 minutes
These 2007 performances have been previously available on DVD and are Barenboim’s third Beethoven cycle in which he appears as soloist. The first thing to strike the listener is the wide recording range and involving soundstage. The orchestra is superb, too, with a gloriously warm sound, and Barenboim’s rapport with the players is palpable. In the First Concerto he plays his own cadenza (the remaining concertos feature Beethoven’s own). Barenboim projects the melodies of the slow movements to perfection (try No 1’s Largo, for instance, with its superb sense of dialogue). If No 2’s orchestral exposition sounds almost Mozartian, it is to match Barenboim’s grace and clarity of articulation; but on the whole he sounds less involved in this piece than the First. The final two concertos are puzzling in that No 4 is the weakest of the set (uninvolving, with some irritating agogics), while No 5, full of energy a nd depth, is its crowning glory. CC Pixis Piano Concerto in C major, Op 100; Concertino in E flat, Op 68; Thalberg Piano
Concerto in F minor, Op. 5 Howard Shelley (pf), Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
Hyperion CDA67915, 70 minutes
Johann Peter Pixis (1788–1874) was a respected virtuoso in his day, perhaps best known for his contribution to Liszt’s collaborative work Hexaméron (to which Thalberg also contributed). The soundworld of Weber looms large both in Pixis’s Concerto, both in its scintillatingly virtuoso passages and in the dark, forestlike atmosphere of the Adagio cantabile. The music can sound over-decorative in places, but its sheer vivacity holds it all together. The earlier Concertino is extremely charming, with some gloriously imaginative scoring.
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Sigismond Thalberg (1812–71) is somewhat better known, and there exist alternatives to this recording by Francesco Nicolosi (Naxos) and Michael Ponti (Vox). Ponti has plenty of charm but the recording and orchestra let him down; Nicolosi gives a grand and thoughtful reading that complements Shelley, but it is the new Hyperion disc that is most consistently convincing. Perhaps the finest movement is the gorgeous Adagio, with its Chopinesque arabesques. A superb disc. CC Schubert Fantasy in C major, ‘Wanderer’,
D760; Four Impromptus, Op 142 (D935); Four Impromptus, Op 90 (D899) Viviana Sofronitsky (fp) Avi Music AVI8553250
Equally excellent are the production values on Avi Music’s new disc of Schubert on the fortepiano featuring Viviana Sofronitsky, whose father Vladimir will be familiar to older pianophiles. The rather clattery tone of the instrument takes a bit of getting used to and, in a Wanderer Fantasy executed a touch faster than usual, does not always help clarity of articulation. Matters are easier in the two sets of Impromptus with their more lyrical, at times lilting, melodies. The variation-form B flat major Impromptu (D935 No 3), based on one of Schubert’s best-known tunes, is very neatly done. Sofronitsky’s strong interpretation of the set seems to support the view (first put forward by Robert Schumann) that this is in fact a free-format sonata. The D899 tetralogy is scarcely less cohesive a design and is delivered with panache. GR F Schmitt Complete Original Works for Piano Duet and Duo, Volume 1:
Trois Rapsodies, Op 53; Sept Pièces, Op 15; Rhapsodie Parisienne Ivencia Piano Duo (Andrey Kasparov and Oksana Lutsyshyn, pf) Grand Piano GP621, 54 minutes
The music on this disc highlights the highly perfumed world of French composer Florent Schmitt (1870–1958) and
presents two world premiere recordings. Only the three Op 53 Rapsodies of 1903–4 for two pianos are otherwise currently represented (on Dutton Vocalion), although they were previously recorded by Robert and Gaby Casadesus in the 1950s. The central Polonaise has an energy and ferocity that seems to prefigure the wildness of Ravel’s La valse. Schmitt’s finale, itself a waltz (‘Viennoise’) is harmonically adventurous and the duo bring great swing to its later stages. At over 30 minutes, the Sept Pièces was Schmitt’s first large-scale cycle for piano duet and it exudes a mood of sweet reminiscence. The Rhapsodie Parisienne, with which the disc ends, is again for piano duet and is currently unpublished. The Invencia Duo’s nonchalant delivery perfectly matches the spirit of the piece as they track the harmony’s sweet twists and turns with exquisite precision. CC Schumann Complete Piano Works, Volume 3: Charakterstücke I: Abegg Variations,
Op 1; Papillons, Op 2; Drei Romanzen, Op 28; Intermezzi, Op 4 plus shorter pieces Florian Uhlig (pf) Hänssler Classic CD98.646, 76 minutes
This is the gem of my selection for this issue. Uhlig has embarked on a project to record all of Schumann’s piano pieces on 15 discs. He is a true visionary (as anyone familiar with his Black Box CD Venezia, featuring music by Wagner, Chopin, Galuppi, Alkan et al., will know). In Papillons, Uhlig seems alive to every nuance. His playing is full of cheeky staccatos and evinces a great sense of fluidity, line and texture. There follow an exquisitely planned sequence of short pieces related in various ways to Op 2, forming a magical musical appendix. Every item in this enterprise, no matter how small, is clearly a labour of love. The Op 28 Romanzen find Schumann focused on weightier matters and again they are ideally shaped by Uhlig, while Op 4 adds drama and virtuosity to the mix. CC
REVIEWS CDs
In Brief... Debussy Children’s Corner; Suite
bergamasque; Danse; Deux Arabesques; Pour le piano; Masques; L’isle joyeuse; La plus que lente Angela Hewitt (pf) Hyperion CDA67898, 80 minutes
Angela Hewitt’s previous recordings of Bach, Mozart and Ravel – with their combination of rigour, precision and poetry – stand her in good stead in her new recital for Hyperion, which comprises the essential Debussy piano music outside the Préludes, Études and Images. Children’s Corner is delightfully light and airy, with some remarkably delicate touches, culminating in a rollicking Golliwog’s Cakewalk. The playing in the Suite bergamasque is near ideal, Clair de lune weaving its subtle magic but as a part (for once) of a convincing whole. The Arabesques, Masques and Pour le piano sparkle in her hands but it is in the Danse (originally the Tarantelle styrienne, later orchestrated by Ravel) and L’isle joyeuse that the most sublime playing is to be found. La plus que lente completes a hugely enjoyable disc. Hyperion’s production values are superb. GR Le Bœuf sur le Toit – Swinging Paris Miniatures and arrangements for piano Alexandre Tharaud (pf), Frank Braley (pf), with Bénabar, Jean Delescluse, Juliette, Madeleine Peyroux, Natalie Dessay (vocals), David Chevallier (banjo), Florent Jodelet (percussion)
Virgin Classics 5099944073725
Alexandre Tharaud’s new Virgin Classics album Le Bœuf sur le Toit is a 26-track evocation of ‘Swinging Paris’ built around arrangements or compositions by Clément Doucet and Jean Wiéner (who between them contribute 12 pieces, including four joint arrangements for two pianos). Doucet’s Chopinata is a fun foxtrot based on Chopin themes as is his Liszt skit, Hungaria. However, Isoldina trivialises its Wagnerian material, showing poor musical judgment.
Ravel Sonatine; Gaspard de la nuit , Menuet Milhaud’s title-track appears only by virtue of the ext racted Tango des Fratellini antique; Le tombeau de Couperin Paolo Giacometti (pf) (its most famous passage, for sure) as does Caramel mou, one of several tracks Channel Classics CCS SA 31612 (2CD), 134 minutes to include guest performers: here tenor Jean Delescluse. An ethereal- sounding Each work here is performed twice, on Natalie Dessay turns up in Wiéner’s Blues an Érard and on a Steinway. Ravel had chanté and Madeleine Peyroux gives a experience of both and composed using mannered and tedious rendition of Cole the French instrument. The older piano is Porter’s Let’s Do It . Tharaud’s playing, featured on the first disc. The Érard has a when the music gives him anything dulcet, even ethereal timbre and is slightly interesting to do – as in the Gershwin fuzzy (perhaps because it was recorded in a songs – compels attention; otherwise church) but it has an attractive sound, with this is no more than frothy wallpaper no excessive brightness in the treble and music, pleasant enough in a hotel bar, with a dry bass that that doesn’t obfuscate but I could not wait to return to Debussy, Ravel’s textures. It’s a little waterySchubert and Tcherepnin. GR sounding at times, somewhat tinkling, but that is analogous to the refined sound world that Ravel conjures. Gaspard de Rachmaninov Piano Sonata No 2 in B flat la nuit is perhaps the biggest test of the minor, Op 36 (1913 version); Morçeaux de Érard’s potential. This is not the most fantaisie, Op 3; Variations on a Theme by powerful account around, but it’s certainly Corelli, Op 42 vivid, not least in Scarbo, brought o by Alessandro Mazzamuto (pf) Arts SACD47761-8, 71 minutes Paolo Giacometti with dash and drama. The Steinway, unsurprisingly, oers a This is a remarkable debut disc from wider dynamic range, a growly bass and the young Sicilian pianist Alessandro a dazzling treble, all of which is exploited Mazzamuto, who was born in 1988. by Giacometti while remaining sensitive The booklet notes talk of Mazzamuto’s approach being closer to that of an older to Ravel’s unique aural imagination. The sound-image has a greater clarity, the era of pianists (something that is oen Steinway having been recorded more said about Benjamin Grosvenor, too) closely and in a dryer acoustic. It might and it is easy to see what they mean. Although Hélène Grimaud on DG opts have been better if the same venue had for a slightly dierent, hybrid text of the been used for both instruments. Overall, Giacometti is a sensitive and innate Second Sonata, it is still instructive to performer, giving shapely, thoughtful and compare the two and it is Mazzamuto who triumphs in his remarkably fluency. vibrant interpretations, responding to and working within the pianos’ respective He balances the textures impeccably qualities and oering subtle dierences in (though perhaps the bell-like descants the same works. However, Ravel’s music are slightly under-accented) and the seems less magical and less involving Non allegro is tender without a hint – heavier, in fact – when heard on the of wallowing. This is a thinking man’s Rachmaninov. Even the famous Prelude Steinway, so in this particular contest it is in C sharp minor (from Op. 3) becomes the Érard that wins the day!
a miniature tone-poem. The Corelli Variations (given as one track) unveils itself mysteriously in playing that belies the pianist’s tender years. CC
COLIN ANDERSON
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ARondo lle gr oB-dur h- mo ll Opus für Klavier 8 und Orchester WoO 6 · Klavierauszug Allegro b majorforPiano and Orchestra Rondoin inbBminor op.8 WoO6 · Piano Reduction
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Beethoven Rondo in B flat major for Piano and Orchestra, WoO 6 (Edited by Hans-Werner Kuthen, fingering by Andreas Groethuysen, reduction for two pianos by Johannes Umbreit) G. Henle Verlag ISMN 979-0-2018-1149-9
Beethoven produced four versions of his Second Piano Concerto (which, in fact, was his first). This delightful Mozartian Rondo was originally the final movement of the piece and it is the earliest surviving example of a Beethoven orchestral score. Though heavily indebted to Mozart in terms of structure (it seems modelled on the finale of Mozart’s E flat Concerto, K271, as both works have slower central sections in opposing rhythmic metres to their outer ones) it is far from anonymous. Indeed, there are lots of welcome bravura passages for the soloist, including challenging figurations in 10ths and some cadenza-like flourishes. But overall, there is less rhythmic energy and melodic memorability than in the eventual last movement of the Second Concerto. The orchestral writing is also much more conservative. Nonetheless, the piece deserves to be much better known and could be useful material for younger pianists and school orchestras to use. Solo Tango Vol 2 Solo piano arrangements by Gustavo Beytelmann Universal Edition UE 35029 ISMN 979-0-008-08406-5
The first volume of Bey telmann’s solo tango arrangements was a treasure trove of contrasted delights. In this follow-up anthology, we are oered a further seven highly individual, oen quirky transcriptions that are full of intrigue, originality and provocation. Agustín Bardi shows vivid and unexpected twists of harmony, texture and mood in his highly energised Qué noche!. In contrast, Melodia de Arrabal by Carlos Gardel works as a slow crescendo, leading to an extremely invigorating climax. Heightened expressivity and intense sentiment are hallmarks of Francisco de
Caro’s Flores negras, while passion really lets fly with abandon in Gardel’s Por una cabeza. In total contrast, the minimalist textures and sparse non-pedalled sounds of Don Juan by Ernesto Ponzio are impressive, while the almost philosophical quiet musings of Bardi’s Nunca tuvo novio, complete with its memorable melodies, make for a poignant conclusion to the collection. Warmly recommended. Mendelssohn Rondo capriccioso, Op 14 (Edited by Ullrich Scheideler, fingering by Hans-Martin Theopold) G. Henle Verlag ISM M M-2018-0919-9
Ullrich Scheideler’s painstakingly researched new edition of Mendelssohn’s beloved party piece involved no fewer than three autograph scores, three first editions and two later editions during its preparation. As someone who has performed this work for many years, I was pleasantly surprised, therefore, to find that there are no major dierences on oer from what has been presented in the past from other houses. But Scheideler’s workmanship exudes authority and it is fascinating to read his footnotes, where alternatives are given to the precise placements on the score of ‘a tempo’ markings following ritardandos. Precision in terms of pedalling in the opening Andante is also most welcome here, and it was interesting to note just how few peda l indications Mendelssohn actually wrote. Excellent background notes on the gestation of the piece are included, while Hans-Martin Theopold’s fingering is both practical and intelligent. Edward Gregson An Album for my Friends (2011) Novello NOV 100452
Edward Gregson (born 1945) has an idiomatic understanding of the piano, and this is impressively on display in this charming suite of baroque dance movements. Each movement is dedicated to a particular friend, and cunningly modelled on a particular piece from one of
the Bach French or English suites. For example, Adam’s Allemande (dedicated to composer Adam Gorb) is extremely close motivically and in character to the Allemande from Bach’s G major French Suite. Gregson’s harmonic vocabulary makes use of sequences, dissonances and lots of superimposed fourths, but always combined with a populist appeal. These pieces will be extremely useful to talented younger players in particular as they search for material to present in competitive festivals and school concerts. It would be wonderful to juxtapose the original dances with these charming new pieces in performance, though they can equally stand on their own. ° La revue de cuisine – Bohuslav Martinu Version for piano from the concert suite, edited by Christopher Hogwood Leduc AL18 054 ISMN-CZC-0-046-18054-5
Those who enjoy Martinů’s Etudes and Polkas will find this jazz-influenced reduction from his ballet score La revue de cuisine surprising. Though perhaps less individual in style than his piano concertos and arguably less idiomatic in terms of pianistic layout than his most famous solo pieces, this newly edited version by Christopher Hogwood of the composer’s own solo piano suite certainly makes for enjoyable sight-reading. Martinů made his arrangement for solo piano in 1930. The ballet itself shows influences of popular music, including jazz, tango, foxtrot and Charleston, as well as shades of Poulenc, Stravinsky and possibly a little of Martinů’s teacher Albert Roussel. Perhaps too much of it sounds like a reduced orchestral score when played on piano for it to be included in recital programmes, but this music will certainly provide lots of stimulation in private study. In this sense, it can be favourably compared with the reductions for solo piano of the great Debussy orchestral scores such as Jeux and Prélude à L’après-midi d’un faune. MURRAY MCLACHLAN
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Music of my life Alice Sara Ott The German-Japanese pianist shares her favourite recordings
I
T’S VERY DIFFICULT FOR ME TO talk about music. I’m doing music because I am not a person who can express her feelings very well in words. It’s easier with the piano! My first teacher didn’t support the method of teaching a child with Czerny or Hanon studies. He thought I should deal immediately with real music. So he gave me Bach: the C major Invention was the very first piece I ever played. I was three years old and putting together all the dierent voices was just like a puzzle game for me. So for the first few years I played nothing but Bach – Two-Part and then ThreePart Inventions. Then a friend of my parents bought me the Glenn Gould Goldberg Variations as a present. I would have been six or seven. I fell in love with the Goldbergs – it just happened to be Glenn Gould playing. It was only later that I found out about his character. It inspired me not to listen to anyone else’s interpretation of a piece that I was preparing, because you need to find your own way – and that’s exactly what he’s doing. It’s not something you can copy or imitate. You can learn from it, of course, but it’s always been important for me to find my own approach. One day when I was ten or eleven, I was home alone in Munich. I got bored w ith practising and I just wanted to play some other music to the piece I was rehearsing. So I looked at my mother’s score shelf and found some Schubert lieder (she is a pianist but she took up singing lessons when we moved to Germany). I started playing the piano parts and singing the melody and really loved it. The next day I went to this very good DVD shop we have in Munich – people love going there because the people who work there know a lot about classical music. It’s not like this anymore! They recommended Fischer-Dieskau with Gerald Moore. Later I listened to soprano versions and Hermann Prey but what I liked about Fischer-Dieskau’s is that, even though
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the intonation is not always perfect, it has so much character and charisma – but it never disturbs. One day I want to make a recording of Schubert lieder accompanying a singer coupled with some Liszt transcriptions of the songs. I discovered Czira through Liszt. My first teacher, who I studied with for six or seven years, was Hungarian and he was a great fan of Czira. There’s no doubt that he is one of the greatest interpreters of Liszt’s music, but two years ago I first heard him playing French Baroque music – Couperin, Lully, Rameau. Tambourin that he plays I love because of the rhythm he had in his blood. It’s so special. Nobody can copy this. When you hear the piece you also imagine Gypsies and dancing – and Czira is a master at this Gypsy-style rhythm. You also feel it in the Hungarian Rhapsodies or anything he does. I was on the train to Verbier with Steven Isserlis and he asked me which version of the Bach Cello Suites I liked best and I said Daniil Shafran! He said that was all right, he wouldn’t hate me! When I first heard this recording I was in Russia. Some friends played it for me. One of them was doing an exam or something on Shafran and so I found out a lot about him. You can really hear from the way he plays that he has dedicated his whole life to music. It must have been very dicult for his wife because music was his priority. No 5 is my favourite. One day when I have more time I’d like to take cello lessons. It would be my goal to play the Gigue from the Suite. Discovering special recordings always happens when I’m with friends, always by accident. One time – it was before Deutsche Grammophon signed me – I was with a Hungarian friend and we were having some nice Tokai wine and he put on Cortot playing the Chopin Waltzes. From the first note I was really shocked because the sound was of a dierent time, a dierent world. Today
Bach: Goldberg Variations Glenn Gould (pf) Sony Classical SMK52594 (1955 version) & S3K87703 (1981 version) Schubert: Winterreise Fischer-Dieskau (baritone) & Gerald Moore (pf) DG 00289 477 8391 Rameau: Tambourin Georges Cziffra (pf) EMI 7243 5 65253 2 Bach: Cello Suite No.5 Daniil Shafran (cello) AULOS MUSIC AMC2 012 Chopin: Waltzes Alfred Cortot (pf) Naxos 8.111035
we don’t have time for anything. You see people at the opera. They’re not chatting to each other anymore. They’re only communicating with their Blackberries and iPhones. Nobody has the time to just sit down on the ground and listen to the air, to the birds. Listening to Cortot is a sound from a time when people had time to enjoy these things. It’s a sound we have lost. It makes you drunk. Not because of the Tokai but because of the music! I can’t put it in a dierent way. INTERVIEW BY JEREMY NICHOLAS
Alice Sara Ott’s Mussorgsky and Schubert disc is released by Deutsche Grammophon on 21 January. Ott performs at London’s Royal Festival Hall on 12 February, as part of the International Piano series
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