Pianist feb-march 2014

FEBRUARY-MARCH 2014

FREE WITH EVERY ISSUE

40 PAGES OF SHEET MUSIC 50 ONLINE LESSONS

No 76

Helping you become a better player

PLUS TUTORIAL CD

IMPROVE your playing  now! EXPERT ADVICE

✓ Essential warm-up exercises ✓ Perfecting your pedalling ✓ Why good posture matters

13LEARN

ANDRÁS

SCHIFF The icon at 60

PIECES TO

ALL LEVELS AND ALL STYLES

RACHMANINOV Lesson on his luxurious Etude-tableau in G minor

p01_pianist76no2.indd 1

COLE PORTER Learn his magical ‘NIGHT AND DAY’

14/01/2014 12:05

14487 Steinway PIanist ad_Layout 1 23/10/2013 14:16 Page 1

For information on Steinway & Sons pianos or to arrange a private appointment to visit our London showroom, please call 0207 487 3391 or email [email protected]

WWW.STEINWAYHALL.CO.UK 2• Pianist 76

p02 Ads.indd 2

08/01/2014 12:02

Pianist 76

CONTENTS

February - March 2014 The next issue of Pianist goes on sale 28 March 2014

70

74

As are ove

14

67 4 Editor’s Note 4 Competition Three lucky winners will each receive a copy of this issue’s Editor’s Choice CD – American Piano Concertos

6 Readers’ Letters 8 News London’s weekend-long piano

festival at the Institut français, our new Piano Techniques app, remembering Bernard Roberts and Stan Tracey, da Vinci keyboard unveiled and more

12 Expert Talk Artur Pizarro reveals

the techniques needed to play all the Rachmaninov oeuvre, Tim Stein gives advice on counting out loud in his Q&A column, and the PTA tells you where to place your upright piano in your home

14 András Schiff talks to Jessica Duchen

and shares his views on classical music’s robust health, Beethoven’s humanity and the importance of good posture at the piano

18 How to Play Masterclass 1 Mark Tanner on pedalling to perfection

20 How to Play Masterclass 2

Graham Fitch on exercises to warm up with Don’t miss Graham’s online lessons!

22 How to Play 1 Janet Newman on the

slow movement of Clementi’s Sonata op 25 no 5 (Scores page 49)

24 How to Play 2 Lucy Parham on

Rachmaninov’s Etude-tableau op 33 no 8 (Scores page 61)

27 The Scores A pullout section of 40

pages of sheet music for all levels. Plus Tim Stein on his ‘Basics of Learning the Piano’ video lessons Don’t miss Tim’s online lessons!

76 80 Subscribe today for just £4.50 an

issue by Direct Debit and receive a FREE CD box set of Martha Argerich or Aldo Ciccolini worth £15.00

82 Noises Off Neighbours complaining

about your piano playing? Sound insulation and engineering can help keep the peace, as Inge Kjemtrup has learned

45 Beginner Keyboard Class

85 Sheet Music Review Approachable

67 Cole Porter A closer look at the

86 CD Review Powerhouse Rachmaninov

70 Sergei Rachmaninov Why do

88 Classifieds

Hans-Günter Heumann’s fourth lesson: The dotted quaver (dotted eighth note) sophisticated composer behind such witty songs as ‘Anything Goes’ and ‘You’re The Top’. Plus, learn his ‘Night and Day’ in this issue’s Scores (page 52)

people turn up their noses at this romantic Russian, whose music is full of searing melodies and sumptuous chords? Harriet Smith explores the man and the music

Rachmaninov, eccentric Satie, Pictures from Mussorgsky, duets and more from Alessio Bax, an elegant live recital from Simon Trpčeski, but it’s Xiayin Wang’s disc of American concertos that ends up stealing the show in this issue’s reviews

90 Back Issues

74 The Voice of Vienna Bösendorfer

celebrates its 185th birthday in its hometown and unveils its 50,000th piano – the stunning, gold-decorated Opus 50,000. Erica Worth sees it

76 Second-Hand Secrets Buying

second-hand has become the next best thing. There are auctions and dealers where you could find that vintage piano of your dreams, says Gez Kahan

Cover photo: © Roberto Masotti/ECM Records. Images this page: © Nadia F Romanini/ECM Records (Schiff ); Tristan Jakob-Hoff (piano auction) Notice: Every effort has been made to secure permission for copyrighted material in this magazine, however, should copyrighted material inadvertently have been used, copyright acknowledgement will be made in a later issue of the magazine.

p03_Contents76-FINAL.indd 3

You how thes use -A -a V -C -a N -Co -Ra

VISIT THE PIANIST WEBSITE WWW.PIANISTMAGAZINE.COM Sign up for our regular FREE e-newsletters PLUS Watch our online piano tutorials

09/01/2014 08:59

Editor’s note

W

hat do we mean when we call something a ‘classic’? We mean that it’s timeless, that it holds its value, that it’s worth its weight in gold, and that it’s revered by many. We use the word ‘classic’ a lot when discussing cars, recipes, novels, movies. This issue is full of classics, from performers and composers to scores and instruments. Let’s start with our cover artist, András Schiff, who has just turned 60. Schiff is the epitome of a classic. He’s never been one to throw himself around the keyboard or show off – just listen to his thoughtful and restrained interpretations of Bach and Beethoven. It’s his unique talent alone that’s made him one of the icons of the piano world. This issue we home in on two classic composers: Sergei Rachmaninov and Cole Porter. Read Inge Kjemtrup’s article on Cole Porter on page 67 – the man oozed sophistication, but it’s his witty songs that are the real classics (learn his alluring Night and Day on page 52). On page 70 Harriet Smith looks at Rachmaninov. He may have been sniffed at during his lifetime but today he is one of the most popular composers. Concert halls are full when his Second or Third Piano Concerto is on the programme. We have placed two Rachmaninov scores inside as a tie-in (there’s a ‘How to Play’ by Lucy Parham on the Etude-tableaux opus 33 no 8 as well). You’ll find other classics inside the Scores this issue. There’s a Bach Two-part Invention (one never tires of Bach and his inventions!), a Schubert German Dance, a movement from a Clementi sonata, a Liszt Romance and a Tchaikovsky delight. When it comes to piano makers, there are some real classics out there, and within these pages we focus in on one of them – Bösendorfer. I travel to Vienna to witness Bösendorfer’s185th anniversary celebrations and the unveiling of its 50,000th model (see the pictures – a classic model harkening back to the firm’s great tradition, and dabbed in gold for good measure). If you want a classic piano of your own, but might not have the Bösendorfer budget, turn to our second-hand pianos article on page 76. You might end up with a vintage that hasn’t cost you the equivalent of your weight in gold. Finally, I am delighted to announce that we’ve just launched our first stand-alone app, Piano Techniques, in association with the classic maker Steinway. Read about it on page 9. The app might not be a classic quite yet, but in years to come, who knows?

ERICA WORTH, EDITOR

SIGN UP FOR OUR E-NEWSLETTER and receive exclusive articles, useful playing tips, and hot-off-the-press news about the world of piano WATCH OUR ONLINE PIANO LESSONS – FOR ALL LEVELS OF PLAYING Over 50 video lessons on the Pianist TV channel at www.pianistmagazine.com

COMPETITION

ENTER ONLINE AT WWW.PIANISTMAGAZINE.COM

WIN A COPY OF THIS ISSUE’S EDITOR’S CHOICE CD Answer the question below correctly, and you could be one of three winners to receive the American Piano Concertos CD from Chandos Records, featuring Xiayin Wang playing Gershwin’s fabulous Concerto in F What did Cole Porter’s grandfather want him to do with his life? A: Become a scientist B: Take over the family business C: Become a composer ENTER ONLINE AT WWW.PIANISTMAGAZINE.COM Postcard entries are also accepted. Please send to Erica Worth, Editor, COMP PIA0101, Pianist, 6 Warrington Crescent, London W9 1EL, UK. Competition closes 28 March 2014. Quote PIA0101 and remember to put your name, address and telephone number on the postcard as well as your answer. Answer to the page 4 competition in Pianist No 74: B (fast octaves). Congratulations to the three lucky winners: Mrs Carol De Brikasaan (Northumberland), Ms Jackie Pugh (Sheffield), Mr Timothy Trelowen (Blackpool)

4• Pianist 64

p04-editorial76-FINAL3! 2.indd 4

Pianist

www.pianistmagazine.com PUBLISHER Warners Group Publications plc Director: Stephen Warner Publisher: Janet Davison EDITORIAL 6 Warrington Crescent, London,W9 1EL, UK Tel: +44 (0)20 7266 0760 Fax: +44 (0)20 7286 0748 Editor: Erica Worth [email protected] Deputy editor: Inge Kjemtrup [email protected] Designer: Nathan Ward ADVERTISING Gareth Macfarlane, Advertising manager [email protected] Natalie Tuerena, Advertising executive [email protected] Tel: +44 (0)845 226 0477 Fax: +44 (0)845 226 0377

READER SERVICES

UK & WORLD SUBSCRIPTIONS (EXCEPT USA & CANADA) Pianist Subscriptions Department Warners Group Publications plc West Street Bourne, PE10 9PH, UK Tel: +44 (0)1778 392483 Fax: +44 (0)1778 421706 Email: [email protected] USA & CANADA SUBSCRIPTIONS You can subscribe online, via email, fax or by telephone: Website: www.expressmag.com Email: [email protected] Toll-free number: +1 (877) 363 1310 Tel: +1 (514) 333 3334 Fax: +1 (514) 355 3332 DISTRIBUTION To find a shop near you that stocks Pianist, contact our distributor: Tel: +44 (0)1778 391150 Email: [email protected] BACK ISSUES To purchase back issues, write to Pianist Back Issues Department, Warners Group Publications plc West Street Bourne, PE10 9PH, UK Tel: +44 (0)1778 392483 Email: [email protected] FOR ALL OTHER ENQUIRIES Contact Janet Davison, Publisher Warners Group Publications Fifth Floor, 31-32 Park Row, Leeds, LS1 5JD, UK Tel: +44 (0)113 200 2929 Fax: +44 (0)113 200 2928 Registered Address :Warners Group Publications,West Street, Bourne, Lincs, PE10 9PH. © Warners Group Publications plc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission strictly prohibited. Every care is taken in compiling the magazine and no responsibility can be taken for any action arising from information given on the papers. All information, prices and telephone numbers are correct at the time of going to press. No responsibility can be taken for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or transparencies. Printed by Warners Group Publications plc. Pianist ISSN 4200395 is published bi-monthly (6 times a year / February, April, June, August, October, December) by Warners Group Publications c/o USACAN Media Dist. Srv. Corp. at 26 Power Dam Way Suite S1-S3, Plattsburgh, NY12901. Periodicals postage paid at Plattsburgh, N.Y. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Pianist, c/o Express Mag, P.O. BOX 2769, Plattsburgh, N.Y., U.S.A. 12901- 0239.

ISSN 1475 - 1348

10/01/2014 10:27

,

#40232 - Amended Bosendorfer Ad_Layout 13/12/2013 16:11 Page 1

The Jewel of Vienna www.boesendorfer.com

Discover your Bösendorfer at: Yamaha Music London 152-160 Wardour Street London W1F 8YA

Clement Pianos Clement House 221 Lenton Boulevard Nottingham NG7 2BY

Edinburgh Piano Company 2 Joppa Road Edinburgh EH15 2EU

Forsyth Brothers Ltd 126 Deansgate Manchester M3 2GR

Handel Pianos Verve House London Road Sunningdale SL5 0DJ

McLarens Pianos 266 Clyde Street Glasgow G1 4JH

Markson Pianos Ltd 8 Chester Court Albany Street London NW1 4BU

Tel: 0207 432 4422

Tel: 0115 9701106

Tel: 0131 6571708

Tel: 0161 834 3281

Tel: 01344 873 645

Tel: 0141 564 1170

Tel: 0207 935 8682

p05 Ads.indd 5

5• Pianist 76

08/01/2014 12:05

Readers’ Letters Get in touch

WRITE TO:The Editor, Pianist, 6 Warrington Crescent, London, W9 1EL, UK OR EMAIL: [email protected] STAR LETTER wins a surprise CD. Letters may be edited.

STAR LETTER Slowly does it

Like Steven Osborne [cover interview, Pianist No 74] I have always found that the fastest way to learn something is to play it slowly. I play a new piece or exercise through very slowly, then I take individual bars, runs, etc. and work on that small portion of the work until I feel comfortable with it, trying to feel the depth of those few notes, listening to the beautiful sound of each individual note. This started when I was living in Montreal and studying for my Grade 9 Toronto Conservatory exam. During a visit to a music school in New York, my piano teaacher found herself waiting in a corridor full of studios. Next to her sat a nine-year-old boy. From the studio opposite came the sounds of very rudimentary exercises and simple bars being played very slowly. The boy said, ‘That must be some really little kid playing in there, ‘cos he can hardly play,’ and then boasted about his own prowess at the piano. Twenty minutes later the door opened and an elderly man with a head of grey-white hair slowly emerged – it was Arthur Rubinstein! The lad waited for ‘the student kid’ to emerge, but of course there was none. It was a learning experience for the boy, my teacher and myself. For me, the ‘small is beautiful’ slogan has long been joined by ‘slow is beautiful’. Rosemary Emmett, Christchurch Thank you for your thoughtful letter – an excellent reminder that the great players have always known about the importance of workings slowly from the outset. A surprise CD will be sent to you.

The peerless Les Dawson I have been a firm fan of your magazine since discovering it way back at issue no 7. At last I have caught you! J’accuse! You are biased, partisan, you favour your favourites! To wit,you have featured jolly Jools Holland twice on the cover (the man is mustard!), yet over the years never a mention of, for my money, one of the giants. I refer of course to the peerless Les Dawson. Why the glaring omission? Liberace, Victor Borge, Dudley Moore, all classic acts have been mentioned; you are remiss in not featuring the incomparable Les. What unique interpretations! Mere words cannot do him justice. Seriously though, keep up the good work. Keith Park, Woolwich English comedian, writer and pianist Les Dawson (1931-1993) was indeed unique and was much loved by British TV viewers. Should we decide to do another article like the mavericks article in issue 73, we’ll be sure to include him! Humidifier or not? I have an Estonia Studio Grand piano that sits in my front room, which is quite a large room with a cathedral ceiling. Because it’s such a large room it is difficult to control the humidity. The summer months are fine – the hygrometer beside the piano reads between 45 and 55 without artificial help. But in winter the humidity can drop below 40, perhaps as low as 35. I have a standard floor-standing humidifier that doesn’t seem to help much and I wonder if one of the alternative ‘installed’ humidifiers would be better, though I have to say I’m reluctant to have water pipes running around

inside my piano. I have the piano tuned annually but it probably needs more frequent attention, though not more than twice a year I think. Do you or any of your readers have an opinion on this? Graham Davidson, Aboyne We asked Keith Owen, a member of the Piano Tuners’ Association, to respond: In simple terms, piano climate control systems consist of a heater and a reservoir of water. A switch attached to a humidity-measuring device operates either the heater if the humidity is high or gently evaporates water from the reservoir if the humidity is low. The relative humidity around the immediate vicinity of the soundboard is thus maintained at a stable 55 per cent and pitch fluctuations due to seasonal soundboard swelling and shrinkage are minimised. The system is typically mounted on the underside of a grand piano or behind the bottom panel of an upright; the effect should be localised to the piano irrespective of the conditions in the rest of the room. Properly mounted and maintained there should be no problem with the components containing water. Graham doesn’t mention how the room is heated. If it has underfloor heating, then he should turn it off under the piano if possible or put the piano on special mat (consult your tuner) to help insulate it from the hot dry air. Is the pitch of the instrument being affected? A pitch swing no more than 10 cents on a newish piano isn’t really anything to worry about. Regular tunings are a must; twice a year should be regarded as a minimum. He may also wish to consult a heating specialist to analyse the air in this room during the heating season. I claim no expertise, but I seem to remember that in rooms with high ceilings heated

at floor level, a layer of hot air can be trapped at floor level by a body of colder air sitting on top of it – a mini version of an atmospheric phenomenon known as a temperature inversion – and this would keep the colder, more humid air above floor level. This is good for human comfort, but bad for the piano. If the room were heated in a way that encouraged greater convection it might be possible to maximise the humidity around the piano. Beethoven’s Seventh Here’s a piece I wish you would feature for beginners: the theme from the Allegretto of Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony. Perchance you could get Herr Heumann [Pianist’s Keyboard Class writer] to do it – he remains one of the best teachers I’ve come across yet. Alistair J Marshall, by email You will be delighted to hear that Hans-Günter Heumann has made two arrangements of the Allegretto for us: one for beginner level, the other for intermediate level. We will be featuring them shortly, so watch this space! Searching for Witold Malcuzynski When I was 13 years old and a pupil in a secondary school in Slough, the Head of Music arranged a series of monthly recitals, including one by a brilliant virtuoso pianist from Poland, Witold Malcuzynski. Two things stand out in my mind from his performance. First, the stool that he was going to sit on was not to his liking and he pushed it away into the wings. Another stool was found for him. Then, he sat down and played Chopin’s Etudes and Ballades, and finished with Chopin’s Sonata. His tone and expression were amazing, and this was my first introduction to the art of playing Chopin. I know very little about him and would like to know more as he had a great influence on my life. Leslie Wood, Cardiff Our CD reviewer Marius Dawn tells us that Warner Classics has just released an 8-CD box set (Warner Classics 0192442) on Witold Malcuzynski, who was born in Poland in 1914 and died in Spain in 1977. There is also a book, Great Concert Artists: Malcuzynski by Roger Hauert and Bernard Gavoty. It’s out of print, but can be found second hand. ‘Yesterday’ – a song full of surprises Nigel Scaife, Syllabus Director at the ABRSM, read Elaine Gourlay’s star letter on Yesterday inside the last issue with interest. Yesterday is in a major key, even if it has a sad-sounding minor key feel to it. Scaife makes another observation about the song: the tune is seven bars long! Now that’s also unusual.

6• Pianist 76

p06_letters76-FINAL.indd 6

08/01/2014 14:26

LISZT

The NEW Privia PX-5S

Same Game. New Rules.

AT THE OPERA

The all NEW Privia PX-5S Stage Piano redefines the stage piano with unprecedented sound quality and performance features in a lightweight design that is supremely portable.

LOUIS LORTIE

Powered by the latest A.I.R. sound source, packed with features including tone editing, insert effects, MIDI controller capabilities, an 88 key Tri-Sensor Scaled Hammer Action II keyboard, and serious stage control from the 4 knobs, 6 sliders and the incredible Hex-Layer tone system.

Louis Lortie plays Liszt’s transcriptions and paraphrases based on operas by Mozart, Verdi, Gounod and Wagner. ‘I don’t know another recording of Liszt operatic fantasies quite as pleasurably satisfying as this one… [Lortie plays] brilliantly with sympathy, wit and his characteristic trenchant musicality’

Privia PX-5S. Think again.

IRR OutstandIng

International Record Review

CHAN 10793

R

MP3s, lossless and 24-bit studio quality downloads from www.theclassicalshop.net Follow us on

p07 Ads.indd 5

5• Pianist 76

3

Y

YEA

CDs available from www.chandos.net and all good record stores

ECIAL

NT

SP

WARRA

ACOUSTIC INTELLIGENT RESONATOR

casio.co.uk/music

09/01/2014 15:21

News

All the latest news from the world of the piano

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE PIANO! 4-6 APRIL 2014

London’s newest piano festival gets into gear

Back in Pianist No 74, we went along to the Hamburg Steinway factory with top piano technician Ulrich Gerhartz to watch him choose a new Model D for London’s Barbican Hall. That new piano has taken its place at the Barbican, but it’s not quite the end of the story for the 1999 Model D that was replaced: it has found a new home at Parbold Village Hall, Lancashire, where it has become an exciting addition to the Douglas Music Society recital series (the photo above shows the instrument being moved into its new home). It took nine months to raise the funds to purchase the Steinway, with £11,000 of the money provided by the local community. Nikolai Demidenko, one of the first pianists to perform on the piano in its new home, said that ‘this piano sounds like a mint-new Steinway (it has virgin new hammers), and during the next year it will open up and come to its full glory… I have no doubt that the people of Parbold will enjoy many outstanding performances on this top-class professional instrument.’ Upcoming recitalists include Paul Lewis, Anna Fedorova, Harry the Piano and John Lill, who said of the Steinway, ‘an outstanding instrument… with an extraordinarily wide tonal range.’ It seems the Barbican’s upgrade has turned into a big plus for Parbold! For more information about the series, go to www.parbolddouglasmusic.org

W! IZE DRA FREE PR ive a rece each ist readers will

Two lucky Pian full access to PAIR OF FREE PASSES giving them l 2014 Apri 4-6 o!, Pian t Abou All It’s at ts all even For a chance to win email offers@institutfrancais. org.uk with the subject line ‘It’s All About Piano’ or write to the Marketing Department, Institut français du Royaume Uni, 17 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2DT. Please provide your full name, postal address and telephone number. Deadline for entries: Friday 21 March 2014. Winners will be notified immediately after the closing date. Pianist magazine is media partner for the It’s All About Piano! festival.

with actors Martin Jarvis and Joanna David, a recital by harpsichordist Kenneth Wise and jazz concerts. ‘The philosophy behind the festival it is to make the piano experience more accessible – to bring as many people to discover as much repertoire as possible, and to engage families,’ says Clerc. ‘I want the pianists to engage, to communicate and to talk to the audience. It’s all very casual.’ Some of the proceeds from the festival will go to the charity La chaîne de l’espoir, which supports children caught up in international conflict. To book tickets and for full programme details for It’s All About Piano!, go to www.institut-francais.org.uk. The festival box office opens on 3 February.

Two Pascals at this year’s festival: Rogé (left) and Amoyel (right)

© Amy T Zielinski (Parham and Balls)

THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF A ‘RETIRED’ GRAND PIANO

For a second year It’s All About Piano! returns to the Institut français in South Kensington with three days crammed full of piano events. Although Françoise Clerc, Head of Classical and Contemporary for Institut français music, who programmed the festival, stresses that there’s ‘absolutely no particular theme’, there’s quite a lot of unknown French repertoire this year. Among those performing some of these rarities are Alexei Lubimov (his opening-night concert includes Satie’s Ogives), Pascal Amoyel (with plenty of Alkan delights) and David Bismuth (with Alkan, Fauré, Franck, Chaminade and Saint-Saëns). Pascal Rogé, with his wife and duo partner Ami Rogé, closes the festival with a programme of French four-hand works. (Pascal Rogé also gives a masterclass.) Aside from all things French in the recitals, there will be continuous activity throughout each day with workshops, film screenings, piano tuition and talks. Steinway’s Ulrich Gerhartz will reprise his talk about the inner workings of the piano, while Jamaican-born storyteller Jan Blake presents a fairytale, ‘The out of tune piano’, for children who will then be encouraged to try to tune a piano for themselves, under the watchful eye of a piano technician. Blake also joins Latvian pianist Olga Jegunova for Peter and the Wolf. Young performing talent takes the spotlight when three students from the Royal College of Music team up with three students from the Paris Conservatoire to play music for solo, four hands, six hands, and eight hands. Other highlights include Pianist contributor Lucy Parham in her Liszt Odyssey of Love programme

PNOscan PNOscan does not affect the appearance, touch or response of your piano yet opens up a world of possibilities, giving you Internet connectivity, along with all the capabilities and benefits of a digital piano, plus more.

PNOscan features is fully optical and has no effect on your action, but is capable of recording the complete movement of your keys and pedals.

PNOcloud – when activated will automatically record and store your performances locally and then send them to the cloud without the need for turning anything on. Captures your inspirations, practice time, and performances without technology getting in the way.

To find out more, visit our website at www.qrsmusic.com 8. Pianist 74 or call us at 800-247-6557 for more information. QRS-PianistQtr.indd 1 p08 news76-FINALish-Round 2.indd 8

7/5/13 09:35:42 09/01/2014 09:15

9:35:42

IMPROVE YOUR PLAYING WITH OUR NEW PIANO TECHNIQUES APP Pianist magazine, in association with Steinway Hall London, is proud to present its first-ever stand-alone app: Piano Techniques. When you’ve read the articles, watched the lessons, listened to the music, your playing will be better! It doesn’t matter what level you are – there’s something here for beginner through to advanced players. We’ve taken some of the best articles from the pages of Pianist written by our expert pianist teachers. Topics include sight-reading, chords, memorising, starting from scratch, returning to the piano after a long break, fingering, a star interview with Lang Lang and more. You can even watch and listen to Lang Lang perform at the end of the interview. He’s playing the gorgeous Liszt Romance (featured inside this issue’s Scores on page 56). Aside from the articles, the app boasts over 50 pages of scores of varying styles and levels. That’s 18 full pieces to learn. You can listen to all the pieces first, played by our house pianist Chenyin Li. Then there are some great videos lessons on some of the most important keyboard techniques – there’s nothing like watching the professionals demonstrate at the keyboard. Talking of videos, you can watch also a beautifully crafted film on the making of Steinway’s limited edition Arabesque piano designed by Dakota Jackson. Just like Pianist, the Piano Techniques app is aimed at helping you improve. Download it today at the App Store on your iPad and watch your playing evolve!

WHEN COUNTING REALLY COUNTS! If he was worried about counting, Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls (pictured above with Lucy Parham) didn’t show it during his performance of a movement of Schumann’s Kinderszenen. Balls was one of 13 keen but non-professional pianists who had been persuaded by concert pianist (and Pianist contributor) Lucy Parham to join her on stage this past December at London’s King Place. ‘There were no great gaffes, though many trembling hands,’ says Parham of the Kinderszenen relay. ‘Simon Russell Beale played with great style and Sarah Walker was a virtuoso. Ed Balls did spendidly in the face of some considerable media pressure. New friends were made, too. It was a shared camaraderie of fear!’ The other performers included Guardian Editor Alan Rusbridger, actor Edward Fox, actress Niamh Cusack, Oldie editor Richard Ingrams, author Conrad Williams and journalist Richard Godwin. It was ‘hugely inspirational,’ says Parham. ‘The hall was packed and everyone listened attentively to each performer – you could sense they were willing each player on. I felt it was a genuinely happy event, as I think the audience did too.’

Forsyth 1857

Whatever your musical tastes, we have the best selection of pianos for you to experience and the widest ranging collection of printed and recorded music for you to browse through. If you don’t get a chance to explore our five floor Manchester store, then visit our virtual premises online at www.forsyths.co.uk to access all our products and services. Whether you ask your questions in store or online, the same knowledgable staff will be on hand to make sure you're happy with your purchase.

Plus pre-owned pianos by Steinway, Blüthner, Boston and more

www.forsyths.co.uk 126 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 2GR 0161 834 3281

p08 news76-FINALish-Round 2.indd 9

09/01/2014 09:15

News

All the latest news from the world of the piano

TWO’S COMPANY

A TRIBUTE TO THEIR TALENTS

Meet and greet with Lang Lang

Four musicians who died in 2013 As 2013 turned to 2014, the world marked the passing of four important musicians. Bernard Roberts, a pianist and much-loved teacher, died on 3 November. With a music critic father and a mother who studied with Egon Petri, Roberts gravitated to the piano, studying at the Royal College of Music and making his Wigmore Hall debut in 1957. Murray McLachlan, a friend and a colleague of Roberts at Chetham’s School of Music, writes that Roberts’ Wigmore cycle of all 32 Beethoven sonatas and subsequent recordings on Nimbus were highly acclaimed, the recordings ‘sought out for their fierce integrity, honesty, beauty of tone, characterisation and strength of structure.’ Roberts’ Nimbus output included Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, which McLachlan rates especially highly. ‘Bernard was a deeply spiritual man and also a warm-hearted friend who loved jokes, fun and joy,’ adds McLachlan. Jazz pianist and composer Stan Tracey died on 6 December, just short of 87 years old. Characterised as the ‘colossus of an independent-minded British jazz scene’ by the Independent, Tracey was central to the post-war jazz life in Britain. The great American players who came through Ronnie Scott’s club in London, where Tracey served as house pianist in the 1960s, recognised his talent and also provided him with inspiration. Tracey composed his famous Under the Milk Wood Suite during this time. Over time, this great improviser and performer would inspire the next generation of British jazzers and leave a legacy of memorable recordings. Polish composer Wojciech Kilar, best known for composing film scores including The Pianist and Coppola’s Dracula, died on 29 December, aged 81. Kilar graduated with honours from the State College of Music in Katowice. He was an avant-garde composer at the outset of his career, but his love for folk music and the mountainous terrain of his native region soon expressed itself in more traditional compositions. He once said that there was ‘nothing more beautiful than the solitary sound or concord that lasted eternally, that this was the deepest wisdom, nothing like our tricks with sonata allegros, fugues, and harmonics.’ Born in 1943, American pianist Martin Berkofsky, who died on 30 December, was known as a champion of the Armenian-American composer Alan Hovhaness and for resurrecting two-piano concertos by Bruch, Mendelssohn and Moscheles. A motorcycle accident in 1982 motivated him to abandon an established concert career and devote his time to performing for free outside of concert halls and to raising money for cancer research.

Pianist Editor Erica Worth caught up with piano superstar Lang Lang in November during his visit to Steinway Hall, London, to choose a concert grand for a recital series at the Royal Albert Hall. As befits a globe-trotting superstar, Lang Lang was preparing to fly to Berlin (playing Mozart concertos with Barenboim), before returning to the UK for three Albert Hall recitals and a trip to St Peter’s College (Oxford) to receive an honorary fellowship. Lang Lang and Pianist’s Editor have known each other for a while. ‘Lang Lang and I have had a special bond ever since he turned up at my door in the summer of 2001 to practise on my piano,’ says Worth. ‘I remember it vividly: a happy smiling 19-year-old, who was practically unheard of and about to give his London concerto debut. He spent the whole day practising Rachmaninov’s Third Concerto. What more could a piano magazine editor want?’

U1 SH Silent and Clavinova triumph

Two Yamaha instruments received top honours at the 2013 Music Industries Association (MIA) Music Awards. The Yamaha Upright U1 SH Silent Piano was awarded Best Acoustic Piano, while the industryleading Clavinova received the Best Digital Piano award for the fifth time. Yamaha’s Ghiyas Ali (left) is shown accepting the U1’s award at the ceremony, held on 3 December at the Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel in London. MIA is a trade association for the UK music industry, and includes manufacturers, importers, publishers, retailers and supporting businesses. Music industry professionals and the general public choose the nominees for MIA’s annual awards. Other 2013 awards included ‘Best Classical Music Instrument Shop’, given to the online merchant Presto Classical.

Leonard da Vinci was an artist, engineer and architect, but the fact that he designed a novel keyboard instrument is less known. In November, Polish concert pianist and instrument builder Sławomir Zubrzycki gave the world premiere of Leonardo’s ‘viola organista’ in a concert in Krakow. The beautifully made instrument combines the expressive advantages of a bowed string instrument with the convenience and agility of a keyboard. Zubrzycki (pictured above with the instrument) was intrigued by a friend’s story of a ‘claviolin’ or ‘hunched piano’ built in the 1830s. He learned that the original design was Leonardo’s. ‘The instrument promised to be a revelation from the very beginning,’ Zubrzycki said. ‘According to Praetorius, the viola organista could play urban music, rural music; it could express various feelings, and even imitate the sound of a drunken man. Many others tried to build it – with varying degrees of success. One reason the instrument fell out of favour was its tendency to go out of tune – Zubrzycki used metal rather than gut strings to fight this. It took him some three years and 5,000 hours to build the ‘viola organista’, but now he is playing music by CPE Bach, Marais and others, most written originally for the viola da gamba, a forerunner of the cello. It’s still a prototype, but Zubrzycki is satisfied. ‘If there is interest in this instrument, and the public acquires a taste for its specific tone, it would mean breaking the run of bad historical luck.’

© Paulina Zubrzycka (viola organista)

DA VINCI’S KEYBOARD YAMAHA SCOOPS UP PRIZES CODE SOLVED

10• Pianist 76

p08 news76-FINALish-Round 2.indd 10

09/01/2014 09:15

Improve your playing with

PIANO TECHNIQUES

Bringing together some of the best articles from Pianist magazine with expert advice on chords, fingering, memorising, sight-reading, and more! INCLUDES 18 PIECES TO LEARN in over 50 PAGES of sheet music, with audio tracks and video tutorials

Download the app today! 14• Pianist 76

BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE CREATORS OF PIANIST MAGAZINE Piano Techniques advert.indd 14

09/01/2014 16:30

The pros share their views Q&A

”

with Tim Stein

I find counting aloud while playing my pieces to be very difficult. Can you suggest a way in which I can improve this? First of all, what is the importance of counting out aloud? Counting aloud helps to keep you playing in time. It is a bit like having your own external metronome. When you count inside your head, you end up following your own internal rhythm, and this is very unreliable unless your rhythm is rock solid. Most of the time you end up playing certain passages in time (if you are lucky) and out of time (if you are not). What you want to do is to make sure that you can train yourself to keep in time whenever you practise.

When you count inside your head, you end up following your own internal rhythm, and this is very unreliable unless your rhythm is rock solid As I’ve said in previous columns, I think that counting ‘1 & 2 &’ aloud can be a little clumsy. I would always suggest counting out ‘Ta-aa’ (for minims), ‘Ta’ (for crotchets), ‘Ti’ (for quavers) and ‘Ti-Ke’ (for semiquavers) and so on. For example, a single line of crotchets would be ‘Ta-Ta-Ta-Ta’, and a line of quavers ‘Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti’. Always practise hands separately at first, counting out individual bars very, very slowly, tapping or clapping out the pattern at the same time. Once each hand can be counted in time correctly, you can bring the hands together. Practise sight-reading exercises and your pieces in the same way, developing your sense of rhythm all the time. Try also playing different patterns from your music on the piano, playing the same notes one octave apart. Only when the timing is completely accurate, should you then start to play the music as written. When your timing is more confident, you can continue to keep it in check by putting on your metronome, making sure that you are always counting in time. Go to www.pianistmagazine.com to watch Tim’s online piano lessons for beginners and visit Tim’s website at www.pianowithtim.com

WRITE TO: The Editor, Pianist, 6 Warrington Crescent, London, W9 1EL, UK OR EMAIL: [email protected]

PIANIST AT WORK

Artur Pizarro

The Portuguese-born pianist tells Erica Worth why he’s tackling all of Rachmaninov’s solo piano music in concert and on disc – and what makes it so challenging You are about to play all of Rachmaninov’s solo piano music in concert. Why? A certain masochistic tendency I have to bite slightly more than I can chew! All kidding aside, it was time to discover all the Rachmaninov that we think we know but really don’t. I am finding out that the ones we don’t know tend to be the really interesting ones. I also thought that by the end of this project I would have a really good technique. What’s it like to turn your mind and fingers to Rachmaninov only? Extremely daunting but gratifying. Now I know what it’s like to run hurdles. But the satisfaction of developing that runner’s high and the sheer inventiveness and beauty of the music involved are really amazing. I am in a world of great emotion, expression, sensuality and physicality. How have you programmed the recitals? I made six recitals work independently. The only themed one is the fifth, which is dedicated to the transcriptions. Sometimes the programming has to do with key signatures, sometimes with mood, sometimes events in the composer’s life.   What’s the hardest technical challenge?  One has to be agile. The fingers all have to be very independent and very quick. One needs to know what Rachmaninov’s study of piano was like. How did he develop his technique, what exercises did he do, how did he develop repertoire? This is crucial to feeling comfortable in his physical language. Stamina is also very important. And last but not least, mental control and organisation. What do you think about Rachmaninov the composer in general? He is still underrated and very misunderstood, mainly because a very small part of his output is standard repertoire. He is a fascinating man, incredibly intelligent and cultured, and much more forward looking that he is given credit for.

To this day people have difficulty understanding his later works – the Fourth Concerto, Third Symphony and the Symphonic Dances. The rhythmic and harmonic language is so rich, the melodic inventiveness is second to none and very few composers wrote so well for the piano.   What piano do you own? You ready for this? By age: a 1780 Longman and Broderip square piano, an 1884 Broadwood concert grand, a 1890s Gaveau upright, a 1969 Hamburg Steinway D, a 1973 Petrof upright (my first piano), a 1990 Estonia concert grand and a 21st-century Yamaha N1 AvantGrand! Anybody selling an airplane hangar cheap? You are playing the Yamaha CFX for the run of the recitals. Why is that? The CFX has a tone quality that is slightly more transparent. It is more straightforward to deal with all the multiple layers of Rachmaninov. Also, Yamaha actions are some of the fastest and most efficient available. This is crucial for Rachmaninov, who composed most of his piano works on his favourite piano, a Blüthner.   Artur Pizarro plays all of Rachmaninov’s solo works at St John’s, Smith Square, London (25 Feb, 2 April, 6 May, 24 Sep, 19 Nov, 10 Dec; www.sjss.org.uk); the Stables in Milton Keynes (23 Feb, 30 Mar, 4 May, 21 Sep, 16 Nov, 7 Dec; www.stables.org) and also in Lisbon at the Gulbenkian Foundation. Pizarro will also record the solo works for Odradek Records.

© Sven Arnstein

“

EXPERT TALK

UNDER THE LID

Top tuners and technicians from the Pianoforte Tuners’ Association (PTA) tackle your instrument queries I own a large upright piano. If I were to put it directly against the wall, will the resonance be less than if I pull it out slightly away from the wall? I had always thought the location doesn’t make a difference with uprights, but I am wondering if I should experiment with it a bit.

Because the soundboard is at the back of an upright piano, leaving a gap behind it will allow more sound to be reflected from the wall into your room, thus increasing the volume. Michelle Rudd MPTA

12• Pianist 76

p12_expert talk76-FINAL.indd 12

08/01/2014 14:26

So much more than a “house-brand”... These are our own Bespoke Specification Pianos.

“Venables & Son pianos have a broad, rich tonal characteristic with emphasis on purity, depth and sustain.”

The precision-engineered actions, crafted from quality traditional materials (no plastic parts) are medium-weighted, responsive and reliable.

Discover something very different to more familiar makes. Venables & Son Pianos have been selected by professional pianists, music schools, piano tutors and, of course, for the home.

Hammers are custom made by Abel in Germany - regarded as the finest hammer maker in the World - and feature solid walnut mouldings and premium natural wool felt with exceptional elasticity.

For more than 33 years, Chris Venables has succeeded in supplying thousands of quality pianos to music institutions, concert halls, professionals and piano students. A key reason for this success is the bespoke setup, preparation and voicing service.

Premium Roslau music wire from Germany is used in stringing the piano. Again, cheaper was possible - but this isn’t our objective! The soundboard is the heart of the piano. We use solid spruce soundboards made of Kobl Austrian Tonewood.

Making appreciable improvements to the tone and touch of these "off the shelf" pianos gave them the extra dimension and individuality that they lacked.

Wet sand cast frames typically have a higher density and so this gives a warmer, stronger tone than more commonly used vacuum-cast frames. Our pianos have wet sand cast iron frames.

Building on this principle, using the feedback we received from a broad spectrum of artists, teachers and talented pupils, the logical step forward was to create Venables & Son pianos.

Upright models start at £3,295, with 3 models available at 120cm, 125cm and 133cm in height.

Venables & Son Pianos are built in one of the World’s most efficient piano factories, with ISO 9001:2008 certification.

Grand models start at £6,395, sizes 152cm (5’), 168cm (5’6”) and 180cm (5’11”) in length.

Taking standard factory specification models, selected for their scale design and build quality, Venables & Son Pianos feature component refinements to Venables’ specification:

Experience these fine pianos for yourself at our Hampshire piano showrooms, free from salesmen and free from an audience!

The keyboard and action cloth and felt come from the famous Hainsworth company in Yorkshire. This ensures a stable and long lasting feel, compared with cheaper cloth and felt which compresses and wears quickly.

Call now to arrange your visit and ask about our part exchange promotion.

ChrisVenablesPianos

13• Pianist 76

p13 Ads.indd 13

01425 476644 www.chrisvenables.co.uk 08/01/2014 12:14

INTERVIEW

ANDRÁS

SCHIFF at

60

As he starts his seventh decade, has the famously outspoken Hungarian pianist mellowed? András Schiff shares his views on classical music’s robust health, Beethoven’s great humanity and the importance of good keyboard posture with14 Jessica Duchen Pianist 76 •

p14_interview 76-FINALish.indd 14

08/01/2014 14:27

‘The visual element is not irrelevant and that’s why some of us love live concerts. If I have to choose between a live concert and a studio recording, I choose the concert, because it’s unrepeatable. I remember all my great concert experiences – Annie Fischer, Rudolf Serkin or Sviatoslav Richter would walk on stage and it was not theatrical. They just came through that door and somehow it changed the world.’ In our visually oriented society, the visual element of performance has become too important, Schiff thinks, and in the wrong way. ‘So many young female violinists are marketed today like centrefolds from girlie magazines – it’s insulting to them. And people think that the choreography of conducting is more important than what they are listening to. A lot of performers have great choreography but very little depth or musical understanding.’ A particular bugbear is the way that performers not only throw themselves about while playing, but are somehow expected to. The problem, he feels, is that it can be counterproductive, wasting energy that would be better focused on the music itself. ‘All the great violinists, like Heifetz or Oistrakh, made not one unnecessary physical movement. Today the fiddlers are like snake charmers. Why can’t they just stay still?’ It’s the same at the piano: ‘Pianists like Cortot, Rubinstein or Horowitz – you scarcely see their hands are moving while this wonderful music is coming out. They have a physical aura, but they are not moving around. I think a great part of the public today thinks that a musician who is not doing choreography is a boring performer. They want music to be dramatic: foam should be coming out of your mouth! But this could be cured with education.’ Schiff has become passionate about this side of his activities – his lectures and masterclasses at Wigmore Hall have won enormous acclaim (they are on YouTube). ‘You have to talk about these things,’ he says. ‘They will not come automatically.’ He plans more – plenty more – and it’s our good fortune that the Wigmore, where he is almost an icon, is extremely receptive to his ideas. Speaking of icons, Schiff collects them. He is a great collector, both at and away from the piano. Apparently blessed with a memory like an elephant, he has tackled complete series after complete series: Bach’s sets of keyboard works, Schubert’s sonatas, Brahms’s chamber music with piano, Mozart galore, a bevy of Bartók, a hatload of Haydn and, perhaps above all, Beethoven. Changed by Beethoven Schiff’s adventures with the complete Beethoven piano sonatas began around ten years ago. He waited until he was 50

Up close

ANDRÁS SCHIFF

If you could play only one piece in the whole repertoire from now on, what would it be? Bach’s Goldberg Variations. If you could play only one composer from now on, which one would it be? Bach. One pianist, dead or alive, you’d travel long and far to hear? Beethoven. One concert hall you love to play in? Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires. It’s really wonderful. But I could also say the Concertgebouw or Wigmore Hall. Any technical struggles? Everything is difficult. What would be your advice to an amateur pianist about how to improve? Always love the music first and don’t get lost in unnecessary technical problems. If you weren’t a pianist, what would you be? A cook. One person you’d love to play for? Schubert. One composer you’re not quite ready to tackle? Debussy. What other kind of music do you like to listen to? Ethnic music and jazz.

NEW! András Schiff’s Diabelli Variations CD was recently released on ECM New Series (481 0446, 2 discs).

to tackle them, but ever since has delved ever deeper into Beethoven’s world. Part of his big birthday celebrations include the release of a recording on which he plays the Diabelli Variations twice: once on a fortepiano made by Franz Brodmann (brother of Joseph, the teacher of Ignaz Bösendorfer); and once on a Bechstein concert grand of 1921 formerly owned by the pianist Wilhelm Backhaus, on which Schiff has been performing the sonatas cycle in venues around the world. Nobody could live with Beethoven’s music for so long and emerge unchanged; for Schiff, that applies equally to his playing and to his personality. For the former, he says, ‘It enriches your sound. I find that the way I play Schubert or Mozart or even Bach has benefited from

▲

© Nadia F Romanini/ECM Records (opposite page); © Roberto Masotti /ECM Records (this page); © Julien Jourdes (page 16)

H

ow does music fit into our computerised, iPhoned, Interneted world? The question was much to the fore when I caught up with András Schiff at the Beethovenfest in Bonn. And he was the one asking it. The morning after a Beethoven recital in the composer’s native town seemed a good moment to take stock and to see how the Hungarian pianist – a living legend in the piano world – feels the musical world has changed over the course of his career, which has itself just reached a significant landmark. Schiff spent his 60th birthday, on 21 December, at the Wigmore Hall, performing a programme consisting of nothing less than Bach’s Goldberg Variations followed by Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations. Following his performance, Wigmore’s director, John Gilhooly, presented him with the Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medal. Having trained in his native Budapest at the Franz Liszt Academy, Schiff has always carried some of the Hungarian tradition’s finest attributes – notably a fierce seriousness of purpose and zealous devotion to pure musical content. Béla Bartók remains a hero to him as both musician and human being – and it is interesting to hear, listening to Bartók’s own recordings, a remarkable similarity in tone to that of Schiff. He can seem, at times, to have stepped from another world, far removed from the high-tech obsessions of the 21st century. But although he has always had a reputation for not mincing his words, over the years his attitudes have mellowed somewhat; and rather than evincing pessimism about the state of the musical world today, he is determined to help put things right. ‘I don’t find that classical music is in the kind of crisis that people say,’ Schiff remarks. ‘Classical music is thriving.’ It is not only that his concerts are generally full. ‘Just go to the [BBC] Proms: wonderful, interesting, adventurous programmes and a great audience. And recently I was in China and Seoul with concert halls of 3,000 people or more where the average age was under 20. So there’s no shortage of young people.’ But where there is a crisis, he feels, is in quality, depth and comprehension. ‘There are more concerts than necessary and some not very good ones, and there is not enough discrimination between them. ‘The younger audiences don’t have the same background and education as the older ones did. There used to be room in young people’s lives for language lessons, ballet lessons, music lessons. That doesn’t seem to be the case any more.

15• Pianist 76

p14_interview 76-FINALish.indd 15

08/01/2014 14:27

INTERVIEW ANDRÁS SCHIFF ON... POSTURE AT THE PIANO When I was young, I had a terrible posture. My nose was almost touching the keys. My first teacher, Elisabeth Vadász, took the attitude that I would grow out of it eventually and left me alone. But when I went to Ferenc Rados he nearly killed me; he said this is ridiculous! It was very difficult. Gradually I realised that if you want to play better and live longer, you have to find a good posture. For me, it is breathing that is vital. You must breathe naturally, like a singer. Pianists and string players often tend to forget the necessity of breathing and they can become very tense; then they get back pains and wrist pains and so on. Usually it can be sorted out through the breathing. I really think that, physically speaking, the less movement there is, the better. Also with conductors, I find that less is more. I don’t like conductors who make huge gestures. What for? That is unnecessary choreography! With pianists, the minute I see a student lifting his/her arm up to the sky, I tell them: ‘No parachuting here.’ György Kurtág [the great Hungarian composer who taught Schiff at the Franz Liszt Academy, along with Rados] taught me this in my first lessons. He said: ‘Be like a good boxer.’ Why a boxer? Because the closer you are to your body, the better and safer you are. Safety is not everything, but when you talk about sound, you have to be in control of the sound you are making, and that you can only make from the keyboard. The shortest way is the best way. Don’t waste time, don’t waste energy, but focus the maximum energy in the sound and in the music.”

it. I have a deeper knowledge of sound now, which I can apply in a certain dosage – you take some, you leave some, you never have to use all of it, but it is very good to have it at your disposal. And in a work like the Diabelli Variations this is very valuable, because you have to change within seconds, like a chameleon.’ Yet it is the humane, personal element of Beethoven’s music that has perhaps left the greatest impact. ‘He is the most humane of composers and I find the message is incredibly strong. It has also given me courage – politically,

has to make a living, support his nephew and pay his rent, so he is not living in an ivory tower. But in terms of his art, there are no compromises. This is a great lesson. Most people,’ he adds, ‘will come to Beethoven sooner or later. I’m very glad I didn’t do this too early, because now I am much more ready for it.’ For most people, one account of the Diabelli Variations would be challenge enough, without doing it twice on different types of instruments. Schiff says that his decision to tackle the Diabelli on contrasting pianos is part of his late conversion to an interest

‘When people say “don’t mix politics with art” – that’s rubbish! Just look at Beethoven: not only the “Eroica” Symphony, but his whole attitude’

LISTEN • LEARN • PLAY All BEGINNER PIECES PIECES TO WITH BAR-BY-BAR

13LEARN ALL LEVELS AND ALL STYLES

BOOGIEWOOGIE

for yourself! LISTEN • LEARN • PLAY

12LEARN PIECES TO

ALL LEVELS AND ALL STYLES

Try

BOOGIEWOOGIE

for yourself! STEP-BY-STEP LESSON ON

GRIEG’S LYRIC PIECE LONELY WANDERER

too, as in my not-good experiences with Hungary.’ Schiff has felt unable to return to his native Budapest in recent years, following vicious, threatening trolling in response to his outspoken stance on the rise there of racism, antiSemitism and the far right in recent years. ‘In relatively peaceful, undramatic times you recognise the need for civilian courage,’ he says. ‘There Beethoven stands like a light in a diamond. ‘When people say, “don’t mix politics with art” – that’s rubbish! Just look at Beethoven: not only the “Eroica” Symphony, but his whole attitude. Artistically, too, he goes against convention. He doesn’t give in, he doesn’t compromise, he doesn’t want to please. He’s interested in money, as he

in period-instrument performance, something that rather passed him by in the 1980s when it was at its height. ‘The Brodmann is a fantastic instrument and it’s in perfect condition,’ he says. ‘This is rare. In the early music world usually one sees new instruments made after old models; there are plenty of old instruments in museums, but they are seldom good enough to be played.’ In the 1970s Schiff made a recording on Beethoven’s Broadwood, which lives in the National Museum in Budapest, but was in poor shape then (it has since been restored). This unfortunate experience served to deter him from trying early instruments again for a number of years. With time and happier encounters, though, his attitude has transformed.

TECHNICAL HELP

RACHMANINOV LessonTry on his luxurious Etude-tableau in G minor

BEETHOVEN’S 

Ode to Joy

SCORES BY BEETHOVEN CLEMENTI RAVEL HAYDN GALUPPI and more performed by Chenyin Li PLUS MARC-ANDRÉ HAMELIN PLAYS ALKAN

Every issue, Pianist brings you 40 pages of scores to learn and a CD to listen and learn from. If your CD is missing, please see your newsagent.

BONUS TRACKS! András Schiff plays Bach & Beethoven

SCORES BY TCHAIKOVSKY BACH DELIBES MOZART SCHUBERT LYADOV and more performed by Chenyin Li

pianist75_CDcover-FINALV2[2].indd 2

15/10/2013 14:49

pianist76_CDcover-FINAL.indd 2

12/12/2013 10:58

On this issue’s CD András Schiff plays Beethoven Bagatelle op 126 no 6, from his Diabelli Variations CD (ECM New Series 481 0446) and Bach’s Preludes and Fugues in C sharp min BWV 848 & D minor BWV 875, from the Well-Tempered Clavier (ECM New Series 476 4827)

‘This, in combination with the Backhaus Bechstein, gave me an opportunity to make a case for challenging the listening habits of the public, because I think people are not very curious anymore,’ he says. ‘They listen to everything played on a Steinway – they don’t even ask if it’s a good Steinway or a not-so-good Steinway. Not all Steinways are equally good, just as not all pianists are equally good – and I don’t drive, but probably not even all Mercedes are equally good! To me the Steinway is very much like the Mercedes of pianos: everybody plays it. But in the world of cars,’ he adds, a tad sardonically, ‘it is better because there are some alternatives.’ Chopin proves the point, he adds. ‘If Chopin was given a modern Steinway piano he’d be horrified. He was a very slender, slight figure – he was even uncomfortable with the Erard because it was more athletic, something that Liszt liked to play. Chopin preferred the very light action of Pleyel. And it changes the nature of the music. I was astonished when I first played Chopin on old Pleyels by how natural it sounded, how the whole inner balance of the music sounded, especially the bass, which is very transparent and light.’ Nor is it only about pianos that he has some serious questions. ‘Why should we play music in concert halls with 3,000 seats if composers wrote it for a little living room and ten listeners?’ But what about that big birthday? Schiff says he would like to take a little more time off – ‘a six-month sabbatical every five years’– and he deserves breathing space to enjoy his home near Florence, where he and his wife, the Japanese violinist Yuuko Shiokawa, have some olive trees and that collection of icons. But retirement? Not likely. Schiff looks set to enchant, inspire, challenge and surprise us in his inimitable way for many more years to come. n

16• Pianist 76 75

p14_interview 76-FINALish.indd 16

08/01/2014 14:27

One hundred years of setting

the standard for the piano tuning profession. We are extremely proud to be able to offer you a fine selection of these beautiful pianos! Bosendorfer are bespoke pianos, created by the true artisans of the piano world, all of which can be taylor-made to your specification. A dream piano to acquire!

The association aims to provide the music profession and general public with a first class professional service in which they can trust. Membership is dependent upon passing tests in piano tuning and repairs. Interested in Yamaha pianos? We are experts in all Yamaha pianos, including the revolutionary new silent, and disklavier edition models. We recently had the pleasure of attending two Yamaha training courses to better understand this amazing new technology. Come and visit our store in Sunningdale for a demo!

For further information, membership enquiries or a list of members in your area, contact: Annette Summers on 0845 602 8796. www.pianotuner.org.uk

92x136advert.indd 1

28/11/2012 16:42

We stock a wide selection of new Kemble pianos in varying sizes and finishes. These solidly built pianos will stand the test of time and serve as excellent family pianos, no matter how experienced you are!

Quote 'Piano Magazine' upon purchase of a piano and receive 10% off RRP!

We are now proud suppliers of Petrof pianos. These stunning pianos are made exclusively in the Czech Republic, giving them the right to use the ‘European Excellence’ trademark. These pianos need to be seen and played to be fully appreciated!

Offering a wide range of New & Used pianos including Bechstein & Bluthner. We specialise in sales of top European manufactured pianos including Petrof, Feurich, Schulze Pollmann, Irmler and Cavendish.

Call us on: 0800 039 9919 Macclesfield, Cheshire www.shacklefordpianos.co.uk

VERVE HOUSE, LONDON ROAD (A30), SUNNINGDALE, SL5 0DJ [email protected] TEL 01344 873645

WWW.HANDELPIANOS.CO.UK WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/HANDELPIANOSLTD

17• Pianist 76

p17 Ads.indd 17

09/01/2014 15:24

play

HOW TO

Fancy footwork

PEDALLING WITH PURPOSE

Pedalling can make or break your performance, so use it judiciously. No matter what you are playing, you can create magic with the pedals. Pianist and teacher Mark Tanner reveals how to do it

D

uring the piano’s early development, its builders must have had a field day experimenting with pedals of dizzying complexity and strangeness. Among the novelty pedals were a ‘Turkish’ or ‘Janissary’ pedal, and various ‘moderators’, while yet others sported bells and cymbals. Quickly however, common sense prevailed, and composers of piano music from the later Classical period onwards homed in on just two pedals – the ‘sustain’ (or ‘damper’) and ‘una corda’ [see Foot Notes, page 19]. Mozart’s fortepiano boasted a kneeoperated sustain lever, which created a pleasing effect – earlier models had a somewhat impractical hand stop – and although none of the variously functioning pedals Beethoven came across would have achieved anything like the impact we enjoy on our modern instruments, who could countenance playing the first movement of the ‘Moonlight Sonata’ without pedals? As piano music gradually moved away from an essentially linear, contrapuntal texture that emphasised clarity and articulation above all else towards a richer, chord-based approach, piano builders, composers and performers such as Clementi worked tirelessly to improve the instrument’s ability to sustain and project sound. It is surely no coincidence that the height of the Romantic period coincided with the evolution of the modern piano. The days of pedal-worship have mostly passed, though interestingly, some modern Fazioli grands possess a fourth pedal, a so-called ‘half-blow’, which permits a softer dynamic without any resultant tonal change; it operates rather like the left pedal on an upright, not like the una corda on a standard grand (more on that later). Sustaining interest Broadly speaking, there are three valid reasons for using the sustain pedal: to achieve a more resonant quality, to assist with legato when absolutely necessary, and to help create atmosphere. I’ll start with legato pedalling and move on to

consider other more refined applications. In order for a succession of chords to join up seamlessly there needs to be a fractional overlap, which is achieved by playing each new chord a split-second before a change of pedal, i.e. the dampers must be lifted from the strings in order for the notes to continue vibrating. I often demonstrate this using a little exercise you can try yourself: play a chord in the middle of the piano, and then depress the pedal before lifting the hand off the keyboard. Next, silently replace your fingers on the same notes (i.e. without sounding them) before lifting the pedal; repeat this process of ‘swapping’ from hand to foot several times until the chord has died away. Now try this: depress the sustain pedal, then play a loud chord in each hand using the very extremes of the instrument and count how many seconds the overall sound lasts – surprisingly long, isn’t it? The equivalent exercise on a fortepiano would result in a far shorter duration. You will doubtless also have noticed that the notes in the bass register outlive the higher ones by some considerable margin. Do the same exercise again, but this time shift the right hand down one octave – you’ll discover that these treble notes now last a little longer than before, but are still far shorter-lived than the bass notes. Continue the progression

5

TOP TIPS

FIVE TOP TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE PEDALLING

1 2

Pedal with the ears, not with the feet! It’s best to err on the economical side.

3

Consider the effect of pedals in combination. Cultivate halfpedalling, flutter-pedalling and sostenuto refinements in music from the Romantic period onwards.

4 5

The room will do some of the pedalling for you.

At first, practise without sustain pedal, achieving what you can by means of finger-pedalling and legato fingering – then gradually ‘stir in’ pedal to taste.

Don’t rely on the composer/editor to spoon-feed you instructions for pedalling; use your best judgement.

Concert pianist, teacher, writer and festival adjudicator Mark Tanner has also published over 30 volumes of compositions, arrangements and editions for Spartan Press, pitched at Grades 1-8. He edited the complete piano works of Peter Wishart (Edition Peters) and John McLeod’s epic Haflidi’s Pictures (Europa Edition). Two pieces from his 11-volume piano series Eye-Tunes are on the current London College of Music syllabus. His new Scapes series is an evocative 4-volume collection. Find out more at www.marktanner.info

down the keyboard so that by the time the right hand has arrived at the central ‘tenor’ register the difference in duration is somewhat less marked. What we learn from this is that we need to be aware of the unequal impact pedalling has on the overall sound – we cannot simply assume a uniform effect will result, unless of course both hands happen to be operating in the same register of the instrument. This can work to our advantage, especially in Romantic and more contemporary repertoire, where a pedal note/octave frequently needs to be sustained in the bass while harmonies requiring both hands are changing higher up. To demonstrate this, play a loud octave C in the bass, taking your left hand away directly after the pedal has been depressed. Begin slowly adding a succession of randomly chosen major and minor chords high up the register with one or both hands, but as you change each chord, effect a swift up-and-down change of pedal so that the dampers hardly have a chance to smother the previous chord; if you manage this well you should hear the bass notes remain largely intact while the harmonies benefit from the pedal changes: we call this halfpedalling. Flutter-pedalling (a rapid ‘fluttering’ up-and-down deployment) is a useful variant since it permits a finely graduated effect – I use it when I want sounds from different registers to

18• Pianist 76

P18 HTP Tanner-FINALish.indd 18

09/01/2014 09:05

MASTERCLASS merge in and out of each other, rather as an orchestral piece would achieve, or when aiming to make a soft final chord dissolve a niente – ‘to nothing’. The modern piano has crossstringing, which allows the bass strings to benefit from more of the soundboard while aiding the instrument’s overall sympathetic vibration. The down side is that notes played in the lowest bass register sound muddy and indistinct. With the addition of pedal, the effect becomes even more ghastly (unless this happens to be the effect desired by the player in music by Prokofiev or Ravel, for example). To demonstrate this point, play a loud A minor chord in the left hand using the very bottom note of the keyboard with pedal depressed. Then make a fist and play a random cluster chord somewhere in the same register and compare the two effects – you’ll hardly notice any difference! This is why composers no longer consider writing music that needs to emerge clearly in the bass (though Mozart would quite happily have done so on his five-octave straight-strung Viennese fortepiano). The amount of pedal to use is very much a context-led issue – needless to say, an overly heavy-footed approach rarely finds favour in earlier keyboard music. Ironically, Debussy, whose music particularly requires pedal, declared that notating pedal in scores was futile because so many variables are operating simultaneously. For this reason, we should pay attention to the wider harmonic implications of a piece alongside its stylistic features when assessing where and how much pedal to employ. I often practise without pedal (regardless of repertoire), so that its application in a performance or recording feels a little like adding a bunch of fresh herbs to the final stages of cooking a casserole. It’s far easier to add pedal when a drier acoustic demands it than to suddenly have to reduce it in a vibrant venue; besides, you’ll have nowhere to hide if you’ve been camouflaging ineffective fingerwork with a heavy foot! For these reasons I favour the expression ‘pedal with your ears’ – for if it sounds good, it is good! However, following on from my advice regarding cantabile (in Pianist No 75), it is vital that you assess pedal according to where the audience is seated, not from your vantage point at the keyboard. Pedalling for atmosphere Impressionistic and colouristic pedal effects are, perhaps surprisingly, frequently waiting to be prised out of repertoire from the late Classical and Romantic periods; they are certainly not exclusively the province of Debussy and his contemporaries/successors. But apply your Impressionism with a fine brush, don’t roll it on too liberally or

the texture can become irretrievably muddled, causing the ear to miss the music’s subtler harmonic scheme. If you find yourself automatically shoving your boot down every time both hands are actively engaged, then you might want to consider easing off or you’ll end up producing the same effect in everything you play; in short, use pedal when you need it, and only when you need it. This would be a good point to properly introduce the una corda (UC) pedal, which can also greatly add to the pianist’s array of special effects. But, as with the sustain pedal, guard against its overuse – I have encountered many players suffering from the affliction I affectionately call ‘left-foot-itis’ in an understandable attempt to keep the neighbours from banging on the wall. Furthermore, many pianists find their left foot involuntarily inching towards the UC whenever they encounter a pp effect marked in a score. Keep in mind the less desirable aspects of UC – a thinner, more fragile tone. On some instruments you can end up with more percussion than tone. Indeed, Chopin cautioned against using too much UC, urging players to thread in the effect at a later stage once they have honed the touch control needed to produce a light cantabile with the fingers. I mentioned earlier that when the left pedal is depressed on an upright piano the action moves nearer to the strings – it’s a bit like foreshortening the follow-through of a tennis shot, hence its name, ‘half-blow’. On a grand piano the operation is somewhat more sophisticated, causing the whole action to shift sideways and forcing the hammer to strike only one or two strings (una corda of course meaning ‘one string’), thus creating an ethereal, other-worldly effect. Experiment with shades of UC – it’s not just a case of ‘on’ or ‘off’, a fact not overlooked by Beethoven. His indication to lift the UC ‘little by little’ in the slow movement of the Fourth Piano Concerto (1805-6) was, incidentally, the first-ever such marking. When the two pedals are used in combination, the effect can be truly magical, but don’t imagine that all special effects depend on fancy footwork. For example, in Ravel’s ‘Ondine’ from Gaspard de la nuit, I like to silently hold down a fist-full of notes lower down the instrument while playing the poignant recitative-like passage that occurs just before the final thunderous cascade arrives. By this method I get a menacing, partly pedalled effect without jeopardising the tune’s clarity. That just leaves the middle pedal (not to be confused with the ‘practice’ pedal on some uprights, which causes a piece of cloth to enter between the hammers and the strings). Though a certain mystique surrounds it, the Sostenuto (a

PEDAL PUSHING

Mark Tanner’s tips for finding pedalling perfection in 3 of this issue’s scores

1

Tchaikovsky ‘In church’ from Album for the Young op 39 [Scores page 36]: Try pedalling together the groups of four quavers in the first part of the piece, thus creating a more pleasing, sonorous effect. Change pedal deftly thereafter to ensure the harmonies emerge cleanly. The tonic pedal introduced at bar 32 invites half-pedalling, so that the upper chords connect clearly while simultaneously permitting the bass notes to murmur away mysteriously. Tempting though it may be to apply UC from bar 29 (the first of the pp markings), I’d delay this precious effect until bar 45.

2

Cole Porter ‘Night and Day’ [Scores page 52]: Cole Porter was a master song-smith – and there wasn’t much he didn’t know about harmony and structure. A surprising amount is achievable within the hands in this intelligent arrangement by John Kember – indeed, the more you can do without the feet, the more distinctively the underlying beguine rhythm will be. As always, notice where the harmonies change. In this particular arrangement the hands remain fairly centralised in the keyboard, but guard against an overly one-dimensional effect in your playing.

3

Liszt Romance [Scores page 56]: The rule of thumb here is to change pedal a split-second after the start of each bar, i.e. where the harmonies tend to change. This will only succeed if you subdue the accompaniment and voice out the melody conspicuously. Resist the temptation to park at the barlines in this piece, though ensure you trap all of the bass notes. From bar 38 onwards the music picks up in intensity, and this is where you’ll notice a gradual widening of the space between the hands (and hence the possibility for your newly honed half-pedalling technique). In the penultimate bar you’ll need to pedal every chord. Take your time, and consider UC for the final four bars.

FOOT NOTES A quick guide Right pedal Sustain or sustaining pedal; also known as the damper pedal Middle pedal Sostenuto pedal Left pedal Una corda (UC) or soft pedal

final accoutrement to the modern grand piano patented by Steinway in 1874) is a simple enough concept – play a chord in the middle of the piano, then depress the pedal and experiment playing notes in the higher or lower registers. You’ll achieve some mesmerising effects, with multiple possibilities for articulation and sound-layering by this handy means of ‘selective sustain’ pedalling. Examples of pieces in which you might consider employing Sostenuto include Liszt’s Consolation No 3, Rachmaninov’s Prelude in C sharp minor and Debussy’s La cathédrale engloutie, but the closer you look, the more opportunities for it you will likely find; in my experience pianists either use it too much or not at all. The prolific composer-pianist Ronald Stevenson (who celebrated his 85th birthday last year) is revered for his enterprising use of all three pedals simultaneously. Implausible though it may seem, it is possible to evolve a technique of exchanging pedals between the feet and even depressing two pedals with one foot – probably best avoided if you are wearing stilettoes, though. ■ In the next issue, Mark Tanner talks about memorising.

19• Pianist 76

P18 HTP Tanner-FINALish.indd 19

09/01/2014 11:09

play

HOW TO

Warming up with

TECHNICAL EXERCISES

Technical exercises can improve your playing, but where do you start and which ones do you choose? Teacher and performer Graham Fitch helps you raise your technical game at the piano

L

ike an athlete, a musician should have a technical regime, a tailormade selection of exercises and/or studies based on specific aspects of technique. Many professionals begin their practice this way, knowing that daily repetition keeps reflexes active and automatic, as well as developing or maintaining stamina. The exercises might be of one’s own invention or might draw on existing material such as Brahms, Pischna, Dohnányi, Liszt, Tankard or Harrison. It’s worth varying the exercises from time to time to keep engaged mentally. Broadly speaking, we can break down the exercises into the following general categories: Stretching exercises (extensions), Five-finger exercises (such as Hanon), Finger independence, Scales and arpeggios, Double notes, Chords, Octaves, Other exercises (relaxation, trills, repeated notes, leaps, etc.). It is a very good idea to include stretching exercises in your regimen. When selecting exercises, be very careful of those that overdo the stretch between individual fingers, especially the fourth and fifth fingers, or you risk injury. Adapt any published exercise accordingly, and decrease the span for small hands. It is how we do the exercises that matters, and the same exercise may be beneficial or damaging depending on how your practise it. I like the stretching exercise given by Adele Marcus, which uses a fivenote diminished seventh chord. Holding down the chord, slowly lift up each finger in turn as high as possible – not curved but pointing straight up. Feel the stretch before bringing the finger down swiftly into the key, landing on the fleshy pad. Marcus suggested repeating each finger four times, stretching the thumb by swinging it slowly round in a circle before playing (see my video demonstration). Another good stretching exercise is based on a four-note chord of your choice, to be played with the fingers but not the thumb. If your hand is large enough to cope with a common chord, use that and play through all the inversions. If that is too much for you, a seventh chord may be more suitable:

& f

bff 4

3

fff f

? f5

ff4

bfff

fff2 f

{

5

fff 3

2

w w w w w w w w

HOLD

Do this exercise hands together, with flat fingers. Starting with the fifth fingers, play each note of the chord until you reach the second finger, holding down each finger after you play it. The thumb hangs off the edge of the keyboard. As you hold the chord, feel the grip in the fingertips and consciously loosen the muscles of the arm so that the arm dangles freely. Slowly make several large circles with the thumb to give it a stretch, clockwise then anti-clockwise. Vary the chord shape to get a different stretch. Try this:

&

{

w bw w w

w ? bw w w

nw w w w nw w w w

w bw w w

w w wbw

w bbw w w

bww ww

It is possible to do five-finger exercises wisely, with the finger motions coordinated with the rest of the arm to achieve a very specific result. Let’s take the most basic of five-finger patterns, used by Hanon and others:

Graham Fitch is a pianist, teacher, writer and adjudicator. He gives masterclasses and workshops on piano playing internationally, and is in high demand as a private teacher in London. A regular tutor at the Summer School for Pianists in Walsall, Graham is also a tutor for the Piano Teachers’ Course EPTA (UK). He writes a popular piano blog, www.practisingthepiano.com. Graham demonstrates everything on these pages in his video lessons (filmed at Steinway Hall, London) on the Pianist website, www.pianistmagazine.com.

f5 f4 f3 f2 1 f2 f3 f4 f5 f4 f ff f fff & ffffffffffffff f f 1 234543212

5 432123454

123 4543212

etc.

etc.

The exercise is normally given in diatonic form in C major, but for it to be of any real value, practise it in any key, using the given fingering. Actually, the whole of Hanon can be transposed. Why? When you play, you are constantly making micro adjustments within the hand and arm to accommodate the topography of the keyboard. Being able to adjust your hand to different positions in this way makes you a more skilful pianist! You can also do Hanon exercises hands separately and rather slowly using only the thumb and second finger, and then thumb and third finger. This turns the exercise into a workout for the thumb, encouraging mobility and flexibility. More advanced players (and those with a large enough hand) may also try thumb and fourth, and even thumb and fifth. Again, transposing the exercise gives greater value. Five-finger freedom We pianists need to make sure the wrist is flexible, free and mobile. Using a five-finger exercise is a good way to develop the muscular activity and sensations. Let’s take the first Hanon exercise from Book 1 as an example. With the naturally curved finger in contact with the key, allow the wrist to drop into the first note from a high to a low position in a controlled, smooth and rhythmical motion. As the wrist falls, the key descends and the note sounds from the weight of the hand (there is no articulation from the finger). Holding this first note with the cushion of the finger remaining gently in the bottom of the key, allow the wrist to return to its high position. The wrist can rise up as high as is comfortable as long as the fingertip remains in contact with the keyboard. Do not allow the wrist to drop much below the parallel position (level with the arm) as this can result in strain and tension. The range and speed of the motion is the same on the upstroke as the downstroke – one continuous motion with one movement leading to the next. Carry on by repeating these steps with the remaining notes of the pattern, until each finger has played. For the next stage of the exercise, you can now use the upstroke rather than waste it. So, drop down into the first note and as the wrist rises up allow the second note to sound, and so on. If the finger is in contact with its key (and firm enough), the key will go down as the wrist rises up. To complete the exercise, the upstroke can now take in three notes (thus we

20• Pianist 76

P20 HTP Graham-FINAL.indd 20

09/01/2014 11:01

MASTERCLASS

move down, up, up, up, etc.). (See my video demonstration on the Pianist website, www.pianistmagazine.com). Exercises focusing on gaining independence of each finger from the others are indispensable for skilful piano playing. These exercises having nothing to do with muscularity or strength as such, but with switching off all sympathetic responses in the fingers that are not playing so they can rest passively on the surface of the keyboard rather than curling into the palm of the hand or sticking up in the air. I like to use the first six exercises in Dohnányi’s Essential Finger Exercises, starting with Exercise 2 (either in C major or transposed into other keys) before working through Exercises 3 to 6, and ending with Exercise 1. As a supplement, you can use Exercises 34 to 64 from Aloys Schmitt’s Preparatory Exercises opus 16. Any exercise along these lines will do the job provided the holding finger rests gently at the bottom of the key and the active fingers play from and release to key surface (and no higher). Here is my own exercise using Chopin’s five-finger position, a very natural position for the hand:

## Ó Ó & # ## wf f f#f f f f f f f f f w f f f#f f f f f f f ff Ó #### Ó & # w f f f#f f f f f f f f f wf f f#ff f f f f f f f ## Ó & # ## #wf f f f f f f f f f f f w

Having worked with single held notes, we can progress to combinations of two held notes. If you are using Schmitt’s exercises, Nos 65 to 110 are given in C major but they can be modified to any five-finger position. For more advanced players, the Brahms Exercises Nos 15 and 16 deal with holding down one finger while the other fingers play, but they require mobility in the wrist. A lateral movement is essential, to avoid cramping and possible injury. Arpeggios, octaves and double notes Some of the world’s great pianists do not feel warmed up unless they have gone through all the scales and arpeggios daily. This might involve simply playing them through in some sort of order (chromatically, through the circle of fifths, etc.) but there are other solutions depending on the level. Intermediate players might play one octave slowly and firmly, then (without stopping) play two octaves twice as fast, three octaves in triplets then four octaves in semiquavers (thus four times as fast as the original one-octave scale). Advanced players might experiment by playing all scales with the fingering of C major, or using successive fingers from thumb to fifth regardless of the pattern of black-and-white keys. I recommend including arpeggios in your daily warm-up routine. If time is short, a two-octave span is fine, and a good plan of campaign is to select a given note and play as many arpeggios as you can generate from that note in a continuous loop, changing one note at a time. This will involve inversions in different keys, which include the chosen note. Here is an example beginning on C (use the same pattern with the block chords in bars 3-6):

ff ff f f f f b f ff ff f & ffff ff f f bf f w & bbw w w

bw w w w

nw w w w

w w w w

If you want, carry on with dominant sevenths (although you will have to change more than one note at a time with each new arpeggio). One of my very favourite exercises is to play common chords in all inversions, major then minor, through all 12 keys. Do this hands together, two octaves apart, consciously releasing effort between each chord. I like

to play each chord using a staccato from the fingers (pulling the finger tips towards the palm of the hand without allowing the arm to join in the pull), holding onto the last chord in each key before the next set: 5 4j j ff4. f 3 f f & 4 ff ‰ ff ‰ ff ‰ J f. . 5

5 3

{

?3 4

j j fj ff ‰ fff ‰ fff ‰ f. ff . 3 .4 4 5 5

5

3

ff. “” j ff ‰ ff ‰ ff J . ff. ff. ff ‰ ff ‰ J J

<“>. ff f. f f & fJ ‰ ff ‰ J

ffj ‰ ff . . j j ? fff & ffff ‰ fff ‰ fJ ‰ . f.

{

ff. f. j ff ‰ ff ‰ ff ‰ J fJ ff. ff. fj j ff ‰ ff ‰ ff ‰ J f. ff.

FF ΠFF . FF ΠFF .

ff. ff ‰ J

&

j fff ‰ f.

etc. (minor, then transpose chromatically)

There are so many exercises for double notes and octaves. If I had to pick one double note exercise, apart from scales in double thirds, I would suggest the following, transposed through all the keys. Notice the pattern is major, minor, diminished, then dominant of the next key. The important thing to remember is to align the arm with the pair of fingers that is playing, and this involves tiny lateral adjustments in the wrist:

41 & 4 ff ff major ? 44 ff ff 3

{

ff ff f f ff ff ff

ff ff ff bff ff ff minor ff ff ff bff ff ff

ff ff ff ff

ff ff ff ff ff ff

1 3

b & bff ff bff ff ff ff ff ff ff bff ff ff ff ff ff ff b bbb ff

{

? bbff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff bff ff ff ff ff ff ff bb b ff bb diminished

dominant

(etc.)

For me, the best resource for double notes is Moszkowski’s School of Double Notes opus 64. The second part is a series of exercises without parallel in their usefulness. As a student, I was required to play Bach’s Two-Part Inventions in double octaves. Scales in octaves and/or some of the exercises from Kullak’s The School of Octave Playing opus 48 would be equally useful. Occasionally practise the thumb line alone (aiming for lightness and mobility) and the outer line (somewhat slower and firmer). There are special exercises you might need to develop a particular technical skill – an extended arpeggio pattern, for example, for looseness in the arm and mobility in the shoulder. If you are struggling with polyrhythms, you might decide to play scales with one hand in 2s and the other in 3s. When practising any exercise, remember to keep fully engaged. Concentrate on the sound you are producing and notice the sensations in your hands, arms and body. The single most important thing about exercises is not which ones you do or how many you do, but how you do them. n Next issue Graham talks about the skill of practising.

21• Pianist 76

P20 HTP Graham-FINAL.indd 21

09/01/2014 11:01

play

Ingasas

’T MISS DONNEWMAN’S

HOW TO

WATCH CHENYIN LI PLAY THIS PIECE AT PIANISTMAGAZINE.COM

SON LESTHIS PIECE

Muzio CLEMENTI (1752-1832)

JANET

TRACK 9

ON

E

ff fff fj f f ff f f f ‰f #f ™ ff fff f f f f f nf f f ff f #f nf f ™ f f f f j ffJ fj ‰f fJ ff f f f ‰f #f ™ ffJ fff f f f f f nf f‰ fJ ff f #f nf f ™ f f >f f fj ffJ #f ™ fJ ff ‰ J f f #f nf f ™ f >f fj f f ‰f fJ ff f f nf f fJj f ‰ f f ff J ‰ #fJf ff ‰ f f ‰ f f ‰ ‰ Jf f ‰ ff > ff ‰ fj f ‰ ‰ fJ f ‰ ##ffJ ff ‰ ffJ ‰ fff fj f ffJ J ° ‰ ‰ fJ f ‰ ° ‰ ° ‰ ° fø ø f f J Jf f ø ø ° J ° ° ° ø ø ° ° ° ° 5 5 f f # f 5 ‰ fff fff ‰ fff fff f f f f ‰ fff fff ≈ & ## fff 5 ‰ ffJ ff ‰ fJ f ‰ fJ f ≈ f # f f f f. f. f. & ## ff cresc. ‰ ffJ ff ≈ f # f f f f. f. f. ‰ ffJ ff ff ‰ ffJ ff cresc. &#f f cresc. f f f J f f f f f J f # f f f f. f. f. #f f ? # ≈ f #f f f f fJ f ≈ f #f f f f f f ≈ fcresc. ≈f f ? ### ≈ ff #f ff f ff f ff ≈ ff #f ff f ff f ff ≈ ff #f ff f ff f ff ≈ f #f f ff f f f f f f f f f f f f ≈ #f f ≈ #f f ≈ f #f f f f f f f f f f f f ? ## ≈ #f ° ° ° f #f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f ° ° ° ° ° ° 10 10 j 10 ## f ™ ffff nffj & 10 ## f ™ f f33 f f nffj & ## ™ f f3 f f 3 3 3 ff dolce 3 3 3 ndolce ff & sfsff RH RH f j f Kr 3 dolce ? # sff ™ #f #f f f fj ≈™#fK f ™ nf f3#f f f f3 f f f f3 f f- ™ f RH ? ### sff f f f # f #f f f RH # f #f f f ‰fj ≈™#ffrK f ™ f nf f3#f Œf f f3 f f f f3 f f- ™ f Œ dolce ? ## f ff f ff # f #f ff f # f #f f ‰f ≈™# fRÔr f ™ f nf f #f Œf f f f f f f f f ™ f Œ f f ‰ # fRÔ ° ° f f f f Œ ø Œ # f #f #f 14 RÔ ° 14 ø ° > 14 ø ° j # f f nf f f f f ° 14& # f f fj f f f ff f n>fff f f f f #f f f f ff ff ##ff f ff nf f f f f ff nnff f f. f. #f nf # f . . f fff fff f ffj ff f33 ff f f n>fffpoco cresc. nf f f dim. & ### ff f f nf ff ff. f. #f. nf. cresc. f f f f ##ff f f f f f #f f f f dim. f≈ f3 & f≈f nff≈poco ≈ f f f dim. ≈ f f. f. #ff. nf. poco cresc. ≈ nff cresc. ? ## ≈f ff ff ff f≈ ff 3 ff ff f≈poco ≈f ff ff ff ff ff f≈ ff ff ff f≈ ff ff ff dim. ? # ≈f ff ff ff f≈ ff ff ff f≈ nff ff ff f≈ ff ff ff f≈ ff ff ff ≈f ff ff ff ? ### f ff ff ff f ff ff ff f nff ff ff f ff ff ff f f f f f f f f & ## 42 & # 42 & #4 ?# 2 ? ### 442 ? ## 42

{{{

3

2

3

2

p p

3

4

p p

1 1

3 3

2 2

3 3 3 3

3 2 5 2 1 1 2 1 2 1

1 1

Sonata in F sharp minor op 25 no 5

3 5 3 5

4 4

2

3 5

4

2

3 5 1 1

4

5 5 3 3 5 3 5 3

3 3

2 2

1

3

2

1

2

1

3

2

1

2

3 3

4 4

3 3

3

4

2 3 2

3

4

3 2

5 5 4 4 5 4 5 4

1

3 3

1 1

3

1

3

1

1 1

3 3

2 2

1

2

1

2

4 4 2 2 4 2 4 2

2

21 1 2

1 1

1 1

21

1

1

21

1

3 3

5 5

3

3 3

1

3

4 4

5

3

3

3 3 2 2 3 2 3 2

1 1 1 1

3 3

2 2

3 3

2 2

3

2

3

2

3

2

4

5

{{{

2 2

1

5 5 4 4 5 4 5 4

5 5 3 3 5 3 5 3

{{{

CLEMENTI

Playing tips: Because this is Lento (very slow), it is quite hard to keep the flow going. It might be worth using a metronome at first (but don’t let it take over – this piece should sound anything but metronomic!). Even if this piece is early Classical in style, it is extremely romantic. Pedal tips: See the markings in the score. Don’t over-pedal. Read Janet Newman’s in-depth lesson on this piece on page 22.

= 60 60 Lento e patetico q = Lento e patetico q = 4460 33 55 3 3 3 2 ##Lento 2 3 j e2 patetico f3 f fq = f460#f3 ™5

{{{

FULL SCORE ON PAGE 49

INTERMEDIATE

Sonata in F sharp minor op 25 no 5, slow movement

PAG 22

Born in Italy, Clementi spent most of his career in England, where he achieved success not only as a concert pianist, but also as a composer, conductor teacher, music publisher and piano maker – enjoying what would be called a ‘portfolio career’ today. This sonata was composed in 1790, when Clementi was at the height of his fame as a keyboard soloist, but a visit of Haydn to London the following year would nearly eclipse Clementi. The first movement of this sonata was presented in issue 75.

1 1

3 3

1

5 5

1 1

4 1 2 1 2

3

1 1

3 3

2 2

2

3 3

3 3

3

3

5

1

2

1

1

3

2

3

3

5

1

2

1

1

3

2

3

1

3

49• Pianist 76

p49 Scores Clementi-FINAL.indd 49

08/01/2014 14:36

The expressive slow movement of this sonata requires a well-judged tempo, sensitive grading of tone and orchestral-like colours, but it’s a pleasure to learn, says teacher and performer Janet Newman Ability rating Intermediate Info Key: B minor Tempo: Lento e patetico (with feeling) Style: Early Classical

Will improve your

3 Finger legato 3 Balance between hands 3 Subtle pedalling

Many years ago I heard a recording of Vladimir Horowitz playing this sonata and I fell in love with it from the outset. It is such an expressive and colourful piece and I thought then (and still do now) that it was a completely hidden gem. I ordered a score as quickly as I could so that I could learn it.

Before you start to learn the slow movement, listen to the sonata’s outer movements so that it has a context. [Pianist featured the first movement in issue 75.] There is quite a sombre quality even to the first movement. It’s worth noting that the overall key of F sharp minor is a rare key for this period, and as a consequence, it carries a profound emotional significance. Mozart’s only use of this key was in the slow movement of the Piano Concerto in A major K488 (finished in 1786), where it is absolutely heart-breaking in its almost glacial sadness. This Clementi slow movement is in B minor.

© Arnie Scull

Imagine the melody as being played by a solo violin so that you can imagine the balance needed within the texture. When you add the accompanying chords, keep them very soft and muted so that they don’t disturb the plaintive solo line. Try to relax down into the key surface, keeping your arms very flexible and soft but the fingers braced and secure. Throughout the crescendo from bar 7, just think of intensifying the tone a little rather than much more. Within the context of this period, you need to think in miniature – it’s not Brahms! The same goes for any of the forte dynamics; sensitive grading of tone and sound is called for. The pedalling throughout this first section also calls for careful use and should be seen as an addition to the tonal texture. Never let your pedalling overwhelm or muddy the tone, especially in scale passagework. Because of this it’s very useful to practise without the pedal at first so that you build up a solid awareness of finger legato and phrasing. Think of the pedal as a final seasoning – this is reflected in the sparing amount of pedal markings used in the score.

This sonata feels as if it had been composed so much later than the late 1700s. It is no surprise to discover that Clementi was very highly regarded by most of the major musicians of his day. Beethoven in particular held him in great esteem. It’s probably fair to say that many of the sonatas – there are over a hundred of them – are in no way as memorable as this one, although there is a lot to be gleaned from them in terms of Classical pianistic study.

Begin by deciding on your tempo. Obviously this is a slow and tragic movement, so your speed needs to reflect both the mood and shape convincingly. I would suggest that the quaver pulse is around the 60 beats per minute mark, but if you feel that a notch up or down either way more accurately reflects your own interpretation, then do experiment. First practise the melody alone, getting used to the fingering while making sure that you listen for a truly warm legato (something that Clementi was

well known for) and that there are no uneven bumps or accents.

Janet Newman is Head of Keyboard at the Royal Grammar School in Guildford. In addition to her teaching, she is in demand as a freelance pianist and is an examiner for the ABRSM.

The movement’s mood is lightened considerably at bar 13 when Clementi moves into the key of D major. Balance the LH accompaniment with care, and perhaps practise this section (bars 13-17) separately to help achieve this securely. At bar 18, I think of orchestrating the music in order to vary the tone colour. For example, the violins might play the RH line, while the violas and second violins play the accompaniment, with the woodwind lightly tonguing the top Ds. This sense of imagining alternative instruments when playing seems to create greater awareness of tone colour and is well worth exploring for yourself in all manner of styles, not just Classical. In bars 21-24, continue orchestrating by splitting the RH line into two with the moving part (G©, A, Bª, A) standing out from the static top D. The fingering given here really helps you to control the tone balance, so do

make sure you are using it by practising it using the block method. Play the G© and D together as a ‘block’, then the A and D likewise and so on throughout the following bars in order to embed the finger pattern firmly into your muscle memory. So many problems in

Learning Tip

Although you need to be faithful to the Classical idiom, still give the natural expressiveness of the music time to speak – think in miniature!

early piano playing comes from poor fingering, and it’s really worthwhile to try to insist on adherence to consistent fingering. Doing this is of the utmost importance in gaining awareness in your own playing. After a beautifully shaped trill, the music returns to the original theme and much of the material is then repeated. Clementi makes some small changes to the musical direction at bar 41, and at bar 46, he thickens the texture in comparison to bar 18 with even more ‘instrumentation’ taking place with the LH having much greater involvement. There is a sense that the whole orchestra is playing here with the tone fully conveying the emotional quality of the piece. At bar 48 (and similarly in bar 20), play deeply into the keys but make sure the tone is not harsh or too loud for the overall style; it should just be very deeply felt. The chromaticism of the final few bars, especially at bar 52, shows the sadness and tragic inevitability within the movement. Just allow it to die away, and let the final empty LH octaves bring the music to a conclusion. They should feel like the last dying breaths of this poignant, touching piece. ■

Clementi on CD The Clementi sonata recording by Vladimir Horowitz mentioned by Janet Newman is on Horowitz plays Clementi (RCA Gold Seal), now out of print but available used. Howard Shelley has recorded the complete sonatas in a highly praised series for Hyperion; this sonata is found in Volume 4.

22• Pianist 76

P22 HTP Janet 76-FINALish.indd 22

09/01/2014 10:59

PIANO CONCERTOS NOS 1 & 2 SACD MAR0548

VALERY GERGIEV, MARIINSKY ORCHESTRA

DENIS AIKOV TCHO S N CON KY PIA VALER CER Y N I S I KY G AR O M

M

U ATS EV

OS 1 & 2 S NIEV TO RGCHESTRA E R

Y

DENIS MATSUEV TCHAIKOVSKY

AVAILABLE FROM ALL GOOD STORES, ALTERNATIVELY VISIT MARIINSKYLABEL.COM

Released in association with LSO Live. Distributed by harmonia mundi UK PianistJan14.ai 1 11/12/2013 16:24:30 Pianist 201402 Mariinsky.indd 1

www.peregrines-pianos.com

19/12/2013 13:27:25

Peregrine’s Pianos

We are here to sell and hire out fine, modern upright and grand pianos, and to provide a unique working environment in central London for the music profession. Peregrine epitomizes the musician seeking to facilitate good music-making; integrity and an aspiration for quality are important, and we work to standards. Peregrine's Pianos is the exclusive dealer in London for Schimmel pianos and we stock August Foerster, Feurich, Seiler and Samick instruments. In addition we offer a range of preowned modern pianos. Our hire service includes both long-term domestic hire, and concert and event hire. We have vast experience in the smooth running of comfortable rehearsal facilities for the music profession. Our premiere music rooms, which can accommodate up to fifty people, are the first choice for orchestras, opera and media companies, teachers and large numbers of independent professionals. 23• Pianist 76

Exclusive dealer in London

Peregrine’s Pianos, 137A Grays Inn Road, London WC1X 8TU Tel: 020 7242 9865 p23 Ads.indd 23

08/01/2014 12:56

play

HOW TO

RACHMANINOV

Etude-tableau in G minor op 33 no 8

The most approachable of the complicated Etudes-tableaux, this wistful piece needs the drive and precision to avoid oversentimentality, explains concert pianist and teacher Lucy Parham Ability rating

Advanced

Info Key: G minor Tempo: Moderato Style: Late Romantic

Will improve your

3 Sense of melodic line 3 Choice of fingering 3F  inger strength

Composed in 1911, around the same time of the first set of Preludes, Rachmaninov’s Etudes-tableaux represent a different and often more complex challenge for the performer. This melancholy and haunting piece comes from the first set of Etudestableaux opus 33. While this one, in G minor, is not the most technically demanding of the set, its wistful character is difficult to capture and the performer must avoid making it overly sentimental. It is the pearl in the set. Rachmaninov himself never specified what each picture of his Etudes-tableaux was, preferring the performer to create and imagine their own scenario. ‘I don’t believe in the artist that discloses too much of his images. Let them paint for themselves what it most suggests,’ he wrote. The mood of this piece is immediately obvious – lonely, lilting and dreaming outer sections encase a technically brilliant short central section. So the central section is where I’d suggest that you begin. Bars 25-30 are well worth getting into your fingers before you begin studying the piece. We will cover this passage later but it is a good place to focus the start of your study!

© Sven Arnstein

This opening phrase provides the basis and motif for much of the piece. My suggestion for fingering for the opening left hand (LH) figure is 2-52-1-3-1-2. It should be elastic rather than metronomic, yet always retaining stillness. Keep your hand close to the keyboard and try to envelope the notes like a glove – definitely no prodding here! When the right hand (RH) enters in bar 2, try to grade these three B flats to make a small crescendo.

In 2014 concert pianist Lucy Parham presents Sheaffer Sunday Matinees (Composers in Love) at St John’s, Smith Square, London, comprising all four of her words and music programmes. On 1 Feb she performs Rêverie (Debussy) with actor Robert Glenister at the Worcester Theatre. Her Nocturne CD (with Samuel West and Harriet Walter) is now available on the Deux-Elles label. For further details, visit www.lucyparham.com.

note of the bar can be played by the LH. Similarly, in bar 4, try playing the D on the second beat in the RH rather than the LH. Little tricks like this can make this piece more manageable for those with small hands. Look out for all possible opportunities! Make a perfectly judged decrescendo into bar 4 and sink into the cello line in the left hand. It’s an echo of the melody. At bar 6, the RH melody rising to the C minim in beat two of the next bar 7 is very important. Sink into this note and listen to the quality of the tone as it fades. Note the importance of the LH D to D¨ in bar 8 (beginning of bar), giving this downward slur a sense of pathos. In the second half of bar 9, the RH takes over the melody that the LH had as a single line in bar 4. This time it is augmented with chords – but focus on a steely top fifth finger. And pass the melody over smoothly to the LH in the second half of bar 10. This is a real duet and you should feel each part ‘speaking’ to the other. The colour that the A minor minim chord (RH) in bar 11 provides is critical as it takes us away from the tonic and provides a totally different feeling. Roll the chord gently, easing into bar 12. Once here, focus on the thumb of each part on each beat of the bar – passing the melody from right to left, as indicated. In the second half of bar 13, the LH is in a higher register, giving this a more ethereal feel and melting into the p at bar 14. The sense of line and drive from bars 14-17 is very important. In bar 15,

use your RH semiquavers to help the crescendo with added clarity and energy from the LH semiquaver triplets. You

Learning Tip

Start learning this piece from bars 25-30. This section is well worth getting into your fingers before you begin the rest.

should arrive decisively on the LH C semibreve of bar 16, following it with similar energy in the RH as this is the climax of this first section. The chords in bar 18 should be like heartbeats. They are heartbeats, but with a still and frozen feel to them. Keep your hands close to the keys here and try not to make a ritardando, however tempting. In bars 19-24, try practising the RH chords by leaving out one part (one finger) at a time. That is, try playing the chord without the fifth finger, then without the thumb, then without the middle finger – build it up part by part. Keep your wrist flexible to ensure it is bump free. The LH in these bars is particularly important – give it weight and sonority and, in bar 23, make the LH semiquavers really shaped and melodic. Pay specific attention to the top B¨ (onto the Aª quaver) and use the last three semiquavers of bar 23 to ease gradually into bar 24. Once you have arrived, the LH F© accent should resound like a bell. It is now necessary to change the touch of the RH (from the ‘veloce’ onwards) to a perlé touch. This involves plucking the key with the fingertip, rather than simply depressing it. Imagine you are scratching the notes out of the keyboard! From bars 26-30, the LH descending line is crucial. The accents are important as they ‘point’ (highlight) the descending LH line clearly. Fingering here can be tricky. I would suggest some tricks! For instance, the third beat of bar 26, when the RH D and LH F© come together, you could play both in the RH. In bar 27, the first three notes of the first beat can be taken in the LH (with a 5-2-1), and similarly the first three notes in the third beat of that bar. This also works in the first beat (first three notes again) of bar 28.

In bar 3, try to keep the melody seamless even though you are dividing it between your hands. On the second beat of this bar, you can take the E¨ in the semiquaver run with your RH to avoid a large stretch. Also, the last 24• Pianist 76

P24 HTP Lucy 76-FINALish.indd 24

09/01/2014 11:01

Ingasas

’T MISS DON PARHAM’S

SON LESTHIS PIECE

LUCY

TRACK 12

ON

E

PAG 24

Sergei RACHMANINOV (1873-1943) Etude-tableau in G minor op 33 no 8

Regular Pianist contributor Lucy Parham suggested this piece, as it’s one she loves to teach and play. Parham describes this piece as the ‘pearl’ in the opus 33 Etudes-tableaux, which were composed in 1911 when he was already a well-known composer with an American tour under his belt. You can find out more about Rachmaninov’s life and career in Harriet Smith’s article on page 70.

ADVANCED

Playing and pedal tips: This is a stunning piece, but has a very fierce middle section! Read what Lucy Parham has to say in her article – she will guide you through it. Note that there is very little fingering marked on to the score, but you will find helpful suggestions, too, within the article. Read Lucy Parham’s step-by-step lesson on this piece on page 24.

Moderato

FULL SCORE ON PAGE 61

b4 Œ fff∑ & b 4Moderato b4 Œ f- molto legato f- e cantabile f∑ mf pp & b 4Moderato f b 4 pp mf ≈ f- molto f≈- fe cantabile f f f∑≈ f f f Œ≈ f flegato f ff f f & b 4Moderato b4 ≈ f f f f f ≈ f f f f f ≈ f f f f f ≈ f f f f & bbb 4 pp f f ∑ f f f f f Œ f f mfff- fmolto f legato f- fe cantabile f f f- f & 4 fff f f f b4 ≈ f≈ f ff f ≈ & b 4 pp f RH f f ≈ f≈ f f f f RH f fmolto f legato fe cantabile ff f mf f f f f f f f f f b f b4 f f f ? f≈ f f 3 & b RH f f f ≈f #f≈ f ff f RH Ff ≈ ≈ b ≈bf ff ff ≈ b f & 4 bLH f f f f RH f f fff f f ff ff ff f f? ≈ f ff fff ff f ≈ b f dim. p & f F f #LHf≈ f f RH 3 RH RH RH f f f f f ? f f LH f b dim. p≈ f? f f ≈f f f f ff ff ≈ & b f≈ f f f bf≈RH f f f≈ f f #LHf f F f f f f #f 3 b RH RH ≈ f ? f pRH f f ? mf f f ≈ f ≈ ≈ & bb ≈ f LH dim.f f ≈f- f f f f f #f≈ & b f f f bfRH f f f f f #LHf f F f f f f ?f f f mf bb ≈ ≈ f ≈ f ≈ f f f #f p 5& LH f f LHf f dim. f ff Œf f ? b ≈f f f f RHff f &f f f- f mfff 5 f ? ≈ & b ≈ ffff≈f f f ≈ ff f f #f f f-f ? f &f fff b p≈f f fŒ f f b f f f 5 mf f ff f≈ f ? bb p≈ f f f f f ff ≈ w f ≈& f f f f f & Œ f f f- f f f- f f f f f f 5 ? f ffff f & ≈ f f ff≈ ? bbbb pw f ≈& f ≈ff f- f f f ff f ff Œ f f f- f f ffff ? bb f≈ f ff ≈ff f & ≈ pw 7 f ffff ffffff b f F f fF ≈ ff f f f≈ bf f f #f ff 7? & bbb f f ff & f ≈ b w f ff f ffbff ff ffbff ff f nff f f f F F f f f bf dim.f &b f f nf #f mf 7 f f #f f f b f f f f bff nf f f #f f & bbb ≈f f f Ff f f ≈ f f ff f f mf≈F f f f f bf ? bdim. f f nf f nf # f f 7& Ó f f f f f ™ b f f f b ? f f f & bbb ≈f f f f Ff f f ≈ f f f f f f mf≈F ffJ ™f f bff f Óf f bf f nf #f ff & f bf bdim. f f nf f # f J f f b f f ? f f ≈ f f f f f mf≈ f f &b ≈ f f f f bdim. Óf f ff ™ bf f f nf f # f f f ≈ J b ? f &b ≈ f f f f f f ≈ f f f f f f bÓf f fJf ™f f bf 3

{{{ { {{ {{

{{{ {

RH

{{ {{

4

5

4

5

4

5

4

5

61• Pianist 76

p61 Scores Rachmaninov-FINAL.indd 61

This whole section requires drive, energy and clarity of touch for full effect. Everything is driving towards the huge ff chord at the start of bar 30, and its subsequent demisemiquaver cadenza that goes right up to the RH top E. When you reach this top E, try taking it with the LH third finger for extra power and security. Bear in mind that throughout bars 26-30 the two hands are equally important in terms of finger power. You start out with a perlé touch and, as the passage progresses, you need to play more ‘into’ the key bed, becoming increasingly stronger with the weight of the fingertips throughout the crescendo. I say this because it is easy to ignore the RH and focus on the left – especially when it comes to bringing out the accented descending notes. Bar 31 should come as something of a relief. It is only mf and comes in the wake of the following pp bar. Within three bars you move from ff to pp and at the end of that pp you need to evaporate and melt into the rest. This is then immediately counteracted by the rhetorical statement of the phrase at bar 33. Really grip the two staccato chords (which are more ‘placed’ than staccato) at bar 35 and literally

08/01/2014 14:37

‘freeze’ your hands during the silence of the rest. Gently return to the rocking motion of the LH entry at bar 36. It needs to be the calm after the storm and you want to recapture the mood of the beginning straightaway. You could try for a dreamier, more distant interpretation of this theme now – as if you are remembering it from afar. Sink into the flat of the thumb in your LH in bars 41 and 42 to highlight the accents and make sure there is real clarity in the RH triplets as well. Bar 43 always reminds me of the final scale in the Chopin G minor Ballade, but luckily, it is not as difficult! Try practising the scale note by note in tempo – that is, literally add one note at time until you get the whole scale in one sweep. I suggest a thumb in the RH on the final G (the top note of the scale). And in the final two chords, use a third finger on the LH bass note (G) as this will give more grip than a fifth finger. The fingering of 4-2-1 will help for the RH chords. Grip the chords – you want them pp but with the top note resonating, and the second chord very much in the wake of the first. Lift the pedal slowly and revel in the magic of this beautiful and dramatic ending. ■

The Etudes-tableaux Going one step further than Debussy, who had the titles of his Préludes printed in the score at the end of each piece (after the pianist presumably had a chance to come up with an unprompted mental image by playing it through), Rachmaninov did not provide titles for the pieces in his two volumes of Etudestableaux. This hasn’t stopped names from being attached subsequently (the second piece in opus 39 is known as ‘The Sea and the Seagulls’, for example). Rachmaninov wrote the first volume of the Etudes-tableaux, opus 33, in 1911 at his country retreat Ivanovka, a place away from his hectic touring life that allowed him the peace of mind to compose. Of the original nine etudes of opus 33, only six were published in his lifetime; he chose to transfer an etude in A minor over to the opus 39 set, which appeared in 1917. Again like Debussy, in writing his etudes, Rachmaninov was looking to write pieces that were challenging for the pianist in terms of capturing colour, mood and atmosphere. The sheer difficulty of these works, not only technically but in requiring the pianist to conjure up a musical rainbow, was clearly something Rachmaninov planned – and it may explain why the pieces caught the imagination of conductor Serge Koussevitsky, who commissioned that expert colourist, composer Ottorini Respighi, to orchestrate several of them. The technical challenges seem have also dissuaded many pianists from recording both sets. Complete versions are available from Nikolai Lugansky, Idil Biret, Vladimir Ashkenazy and Howard Shelley. More recently, Xiayin Wang’s recording of the opus 33 set was highly praised in Pianist No 70’s CD Reviews.

P24 HTP Lucy 76-FINALish.indd 25

09/01/2014 11:01

LEARN MORE WITH OUR VIDEO TUTORIALS Tim Stein (top) continues his series on the basics of playing the piano. Perfect for beginners and for those returning to the piano after a long break. Tim presents you with three lessons with issue 76. The first is about the basics of learning to play chords correctly. In his second lesson, Tim goes into further depth with regards to chord playing, teaching you how to voice your chords. His third lesson is about strengthening the left hand. The left is usually the weakest, so it needs extra care and practice. Tim demonstrates on the Roland HP-507. Graham Fitch (bottom) continues his Masterclass series – this time on the importance of warm-up exercises. He suggests warming up with some existing exercises by the well-known composers (showing you how it’s done), plus he comes up with his very own exercises. Graham’s lessons come to you direct from Steinway Hall, London, where he demonstrates on a concert grand Model D

WATCH MORE VIDEOS ON THE PIANIST WEBSITE, AND IN EVERY ISSUE OF THE DIGITAL EDITION

www.pianistmagazine.com

Pianist76 { {{

p49-65 Scores2-F

{ {{

February - March 2014

. .  JOHN Track 10 bœ. . . KEMB DON’T MISS . Joh ann es ER Ke &bb bœ bœ. bœ. œœ . . œCla . ude yboa BR AH MS ON BU SSY (18 SSON & œ œ. œ. œ. . DE leSS rd c più p . bœ. bœ. . œœ. The  24 (18 33- 189 lass . . œisœdanc œ. w bœ. No œ. œ œsnow - p  For Examp  Intermezzo le 3 191 8)più bœ. . œ. 62bœ  page 24 7) op 119 no . œ . œ. œ. wing, added a few  - (Track 13) I’ve œ bœ. bœ. 4 œœfrom . œ. Child œ. œ. . œ. ˙˙- . . more notes  1 & 24 b œ. b .œ b . . . for the RH,  œ. œ. ren’sœœ. Corn . piùerbœ. bœ. œ.  œ. ˙4-4 INTE ADVANCED  but still keeping ? RMED IATE Brahms was œtrack .  bœœ œœ.. œœœ. œœœ. œ.œœ. œ.œ. œ.œœ. .œ . w . 57 years old to a simple  .  b p . b  œ œ 13 œ œ . ? ˙ b  b 111 in repeated œ. œ œ œ. œ.  œ. & b .œ bœ. bœ.Œ. . . .œ.. œ. œ. œœ. œ œ. bœ.œ. bœ.œ œ.œ œ. . motif: to when he resolved to 1890 and had just complet give up compos this resoluti   -   œ œ.    ˙ p. œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. œœ. œ.œ œ.œ œ. più ing altogeth ed the String Quartet .œ œ Œ œ œ.œ œ. œ.ŒŒœ. œ. . œ. œw collection of on, instead produci  4 er. opus Howeve  ng . piano . some profoun Playing r, he  pieces, opus three Interme ? bœ . œ. œ. .œ œ bœ bœ.Œ. . . .Óœ. œ. œ. œ. œ-. bœœ. bœœ œ.œ. œ.œ-˙ œ.œ œ. . d last works, did not stick execute tips: It’s often said        zzi and a conclud116-119 (1892-1 that you need including œ  4. . œ œœ. œ. 893). The Brahms biograph b   the sound, this piece. Its deep,     ing Rhapso . . œ. œ. .œ. œ Œ œ œÓ œ. œ. . œ. . œ. œ˙œ. .œ. .Œœ..  to be a real opus 119 set   introverted dy. er Malcolm œ Œ œ . colour, œ noting  compris . œ .  œ phrasin quality requires musician to successf MacDonald es really  ? bœ . œ. œ. œ œ Œ  thatClara Schumann, writing  you know œ. . œ œ. œ. œ. œ œ -2 bœ bœŒ œ. œ.œœ˙. œ. . œ.Œœ.  .œ. .       describes this good for practising, rather than just ully the perform Intermezzo playing them? er to controlling b g .œ. . œ. œ. .œ œ Œ.  They look as if they wereto Brahms, likened . œ-2.5 œ. œ œ œ œ  as ‘ravishin . Œ sound in the pp – never easy to get the notes accurate think of  g’, Œ it .  Ó  ly. It’s also challeng   to   inner exactly   ‘a grey pearl. veiled, and . .  -œ œ. œ œ are very precious Do to do e throughout this piece.voices. Trying to keep right – and it’s good œ. . œ. œ. œ. œ. œ œ œ5 Œ      with musical the notes even for .’ So the reason             . . . -œ. œ. œŒ œ  œ.  Œ. .  and soft is Œ it is classifie See Lucy Parhamissues than flashy  a d as Advanc Ó . finger techniq io  Adag ’s in-depth œ52 ed has more  . . -œ. œ. œ œ.     ue.  lesson on mf 27  this piece  Œ on page 24.      œ  Œ.   -2 27 5                    # 3 œ3 ˙™ 5 &bb ˙™ .   4      . & #8 œ œœ œ œ œ5 œ  -  œ.. nœ.. œ. œ. . .œ5. & .  œ          27  .       - œ nœ œ. œ. œœ. œœ.œ œ. œ.. œ5 bœ. bœ.œ. . .œ. œœ œ œ œ4     5            . œ bœ. bœ.œ œ. œ œ. œ.œ. . wœ ˙™   œ    . 5 b œ  . œ œ œ   p  & . 27 œ œ ≈ œ œœ œ . œ œ . œ. œ.œ œœ. œœ. w- œ. nœ..  œ- œ.œ nœ.          . ? œ ≈ œ #œ œ œœ œ œ 1 œ.. areœ.. seeing  .  œ.. the #  . .  œ. œ. œ. œ.œ. œœ œ.œ œ.-œ . . œ5 . œ pp          . œ. nœ œWe ? b œ˙™ ≈ œ ≈ œ nœœ#œ œ &  œ     œ œœ. how    & #83 œ œœ. frequen b -. œ. . nœ.ŒŒœ. œ. œ. œ.Œœ.. . œ.. .œ.œ. œœœ. œ œ5œ. . bœœœ. bœ.œ. . œ.œ. œ.œœ. œ.œ œ.œ . . wNow let’s  IV togethe œ. t use of chord consider  œ œœ r with  .   third) . œ œ . the A (minor the entirety second general œ œ™  œ œ™ the blues  of  ly being ? œœ-. œ. œ. œ œŒ œœ œ-œ œ. œ. .œ. bœ. bœ.ŒŒœ. œ.œ. œ.œœ.. .œ. .Œœœ.. . œœ.. œ œ-. œ.œ. nœ.œ the  influenc  e the ‘blue-ne  scale. omitted ?J œ œ  œ.œ. essentia œ.œ.  In any key,   .  ° J Jœ œ  œ. œ œ. the  . . . œ- œ . œl.œ.bluesœ.œsound the  Œ b   ss’ of tone. œ œ œ . . w es, though, J  œ fourth  œ. is Sometim œ œ ≈œ œ œ as in Exampl blues scale is more also the case and  œ.  œ fifthœ.thatœ.œœ.is (this ø con molto pedale minor  e 3 above,   with Exampl than ? œ-œ. œ. œŒ. œ œŒ œ œ. . œœ. œ. œ. œ. .œ. œ. œŒ œœ œ w œ. . nœ. . œus. .theœ.nearest of importa major, the major œ œ   . desired despite  e9 nce to the    the sixth . . . . -œ. œ œ œ Œ œ. . toœ.the  pianist. Unlike on the opposite page). third is used each b  . . œ. œ. œ Examp  that we J 1 œ. .  time in chord note and the  œ. effect other jazz  It œ Œ  can   . achieve . œ instruments is the careful use I œ . œ without les  °ø Œ œ  . with 4-7  Œ  . œ  œ. are of the extra losing our  œ the pianist fixed-pitch ø the. ‘perfect . . .œ. œ. œ œ. w 1  .  œ. slaid– œ.out below. note is unable  instrum ø ø 5 ø1 etc. ’ interval Examp   to ‘bend’ notes between ent.  le 4 (Track  . the scale. Œ are œ œ  unchan  œ  and this gives 14) is the  ged, while .  œ. referred   bracket Œ blues scale the  œ. The œ. toC inhas w. . œ. note  third  s around and the seventh  of œ.  F. Here œ   it that’s 30  Exampl  the fourth . because notes are es 5, 6 and –    and it is an  flattene fifth notes 7.  . 30 6  extra note  d, which  In Examp above 2   further squeeze  the  les  key 5-7  emphasises d between  note –  (Track passing note  &bb 2. . . . 1 s 15-17) the # œ the fourth    , that (either accente  tone ofœ and the fifth. minor  extra,  # ‘extra’ œ a C , as it œ. œ œ œ -^1  & d or not) ‘in-betw &It is the een’   would look note  or as a grace  30 – the show the clumsy and  ≈bœœ ≈ nœœ ≈œ œœ ≈ œœ œœnœœ #œœ œ œ œ flattened note. Note:   ^ œ œ. œ. œ. -œ^.. œ.. œ.. œ.. œ. œ. . . note unnecessarily fifth – is an   enharm   In Exampl  onically pp^ 2 # œ nœ ≈ œ œ œ  additional awkward e 5, I have   , and much œ œ œ œ . . œ. œ. -^. . . . 1 2. . .    to read as œœ œ œ œ œ  interval that is written out clearer to   #  œ œ a C grace ppœ . & . œ best 1  30 b œ the read 1 œ ≈ œ ^ used œ flattene œ 2  as œ note ^  œ    such. as a followed by nœ d fifth as a  . . .  .    œ œœ œ œ ? . œœ œ. œ. œ. B rather a C . For ≈ œ. bœ. Examp     œ-. œ. œ. œ. w  œ. œ.le≈≈4 (Track  than this exercis   . œ.14)œ. œ. ? b w-^wœ-. .2 œ.. œ.œ. œœ. œœ. œ1-^. œ. œ.œ œ. œ. œ^ . . . e, it’s  œ #œ œ™ œ & œ # better to œ œ wv œ bœ œ œ   ? bpp51 œ œ. œ. . œ. . -^œ. œ. œ. wœ-. œœœ. œœ. œœ œ.œ -^ . œ œ   œ œ œ ≈     # ≈ œ . ≈1v 2. . .  . œ œ. œ œ  .œ . tracks .. œ . Example 5 (Track   .  .     . ? ppw-^œ5.1 œ. œ. œ œ œ. œ œ. . œ. w-^ œ. . œ. œ. œ. œ.. œ. œ.. ^œœ.. œœœ. œœ. œ14-17w 15) & nœ œ œ       -. . . . œ. . œœv1. œ2œ. bœ. œ. œ. ≈ œ œœ. œ. œ b œ œ ‹œœ#œ . . œ. œ. œ ^œ. œ 1  nœ œœ  . œ. . œ. . . w- . œ. œ œ1 œœ œ œ œ w≈. œœ.. bœœ.  ? w-œ51. œ. œ. œ œ      œ œ™ œ2. œœ œ œœ≈. œœ. œœ œœ. œ  b . . . œ    v . . œ. œ. œ œ. œ ? J Jœ œ      1  . w- . œ. œ œ1 œ . œ. œ. œ 2 œ5.. 1 œœ . 5  Jœ™ . . . œ. œ . œ 5 . œ. œ1 œ. J nœ   . œ œ  . . œ.  2   1 œ. œ Examp . le 6 . œ œ.     33    œ 116) Cédez un 33 . œ5 œ. (Track  peu 12     . . 2  &bb ≈ .. .. .. .. ≈ . . . . Cédez un œpeu .  . . . .     . .  1  ≈ œ bœ œ œ ≈ . . . . Œ 5  & w Example   & ## œ œ œ ≈ 7 (Track 33     œ. œœ. œœ. œœ. œœ.. œ.. œ.. œ.. œ. œ-33 -2 v œ bœ œ œ œ œ œ œœ Céde 17) w   5      Œ z un peu œ œ œ œ. œ- œ2 ˙-1 4-5  ≈ œ ≈##œœ ≈ nœœ œ œ œ ≈ œ œ œ pp v       rit. ≈ . . . . . . œ ≈nœ ≈#œœ ≈nœœ ≈œ œ 4 - 5 3 & œ- ˙-1   33 b pp  .peuœ. en. 3 . . 3 pœ. un      #œœ ≈ œœ œ  œœ œœ œ ? 3œ œ. œ bœ. œ œ ≈ . . . Céde pp 3œ œ     s . . un peu enœdehor Œ. z un ppeu ≈ œœ #œ œ ≈ œr #œ 1 3 œ ? b ≈œw  -3 -2 1 dehors œ 3œ œ. œ & j ? .v .œ. . . œ. . œ.œ. œ.œ. œ pp  # #œ œ. b pp   w œ œ.bœœœ. œœ œ œœ≈.. œœœ. œ œœ œ. œ&. Œ . .. œ... 3œ. ..œ. œ.. œ. .œ. œ.. . .. 3 2œ ˙œ. #≈ ≈œnœ œ œ # œœ œ ≈ œœ œœ ™™ œ . œ 33œ œ  . œ. 3 . & ≈œ œ bœ œ pœun peu œ en .dehor ≈ œ œ #œ. ? pp œv . 3œ .œ œ-. -. 1. n œœ ™™ œ  ≈ œ œ nœ ≈#œœ ≈#œœ ≈ œ b . œ . œ. . pp ≈4œ. .œ b3œ..œpœ.œ3œ œ œœ œ≈œ 3œœ œœ œs œœ œ œœ œ œ. bœœ. œ˙-. œ.. .. . œ. œ . p œ #œ œ œ ≈ 5 . . en≈.dehor 2 .un peu ? œ. . œ. œ œ. œ. . œ & pp . .s.œ . .3œ .œ œ≈ œœbœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ. œ. 3 œ.œ . 4 . 35 2 . . 5 . ≈ b œ. œ . œ ≈ nœœ œœ œ œ. . œ. œ. œ. & ≈œ. œ bœ.5œ œ. œ œ. œ œ. œ œ . œ . œ . . .. ... ...œ . .œ ≈œ≈. .œ œ..œœ œ 3œœ œœœ œ . . œ ≈ . œ. . . R . . œ . . 4 . œ œ. œ bœ œ œ . . œ J Pianist ≈œ 5œ bœ3 5œ œ2 œ. œ œ. Pianist œ œ. œ œ. œ . œ . ≈ . ..œ . œ . œ ≈œ. œ œ. œ œ. œ. œ . ≈ œ . . œ 4 . . 3 . . . . œ ≈œ œ bœ œ œœ œ œ. œ . œ . . 5 2 . 5 . . . œ œ œ. . . ≈ . .œ œ œ . .

{ {{

INAL.indd

{ {{

24 24 8 Track

 

’s

LUCY PARHAM oN tHis

 



















































b







{





PiECE





Scores

THE BASICS{ OF LEARNING THE PIANO b

 

 

b

b

§

§







{











VIDEO LESSONS 







Contents 28

WARM-UP EXERCISE Right and left hand melody

from Tim Stein

29

MOZART Minuet in C K6

Go to the Pianist website to find video lessons on the basics of learning to play the piano – taught by expert teacher and Pianist contributor Tim Stein, who gives his lessons on the Roland HP-507 piano. Read Tim’s introduction to his latest lessons, and then click on www.pianistmagazine.com for a complete learning experience!

30

DELIBES Waltz from the ballet Coppélia (arrangement)

32

SCHUBERT German Dance D783 no 5

33

BURGMÜLLER Ballade, No 15 from 25 studies of progressive difficulty op 100

36

TCHAIKOVSKY In Church, No 23 from Album for the Young op 39

38

BACH Two-Part Invention No 10 in G BWV 781

40

LYADOV Mazurka op 57 no 3

42

RACHMANINOV arr. MONTGOMERY Variation No 18 from Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

45

KEYBOARD CLASS The dotted quaver (eighth note)

49

CLEMENTI Sonata in F sharp minor op 25 no 5, slow movement

52

COLE PORTER Night and Day

56

LISZT Romance S169

61

RACHMANINOV Etude-tableau in G minor op 33 no 8

p45-48_K

eyboard-F

54•

54

65

INAL.indd









46• Pianist 65

46

p49-65 Scores2-F

INAL.indd

63•

63

65

5/3/12 16:08:20

5/3/12 16:12:00

6/3/12 09:17:03

I

n my continuing series of videos on the basics of piano playing, I cover what I call the basic ‘nuts and bolts’ of piano playing, the things that will hopefully lead you to become a more confident piano player. These lessons are meant as a guide for helping you along the way, giving you tips for improving your playing, while at the same time avoiding any bad habits and injury. Always experiment with the ideas set out here, either alone or with the help of a teacher, until you settle on what works best for you. Chord playing (the basics) is the subject of my first lesson for this issue. I discuss the basics of how to play chords well, so you can prevent that ‘wobble’ effect where the notes don’t all come down together at the same time. Chords are so prevalent, providing that all-important underlying harmonic support, that you want to be able to improve how you play them. Taking a basic broken chord as a starting point, I show you how to practise chords so that you can develop them further into more difficult chordal patterns. Balance of notes in chords (voicing) is covered in my next lesson. I talk about ‘voicing’, the ability to bring out a particular note in a chord, how to play one note louder, for example. This is largely determined by the speed of key descent and how much weight you apply to playing a key. Often the top note of a chord is the melody note, while the remaining notes form a kind of accompaniment. I give you some different exercises for developing your control of sound over certain notes. By taking several examples of well-known pieces, I give you various ideas such as ghost playing for applying the same exercises to other pieces you play. This is a really useful video for improving your playing generally.

The left hand (LH) is the subject of the last lesson for this issue. I talk about how you can develop the flexibility of the LH and give you tips for strengthening it. What happens if your right hand (RH) is injured or indisposed for some reason? Does that mean that you cannot practise? For those of us who write with our RH, the LH is often weaker, and because the LH is often our harmonic support, it is so important to be able to develop it so that it can become as strong as the right. Ideally, each hand should be as strong as the other. There are exercises written for the LH alone, but I advise taking any piece you are learning currently and transposing the RH into the left. I also suggest ways in which you can practise for greater control, using different rhythms, such as long-short and short-long rhythms. Always remember to be as precise as possible, playing with firm fingers and accenting the second note of each pair of notes. With time, the fingers should get as strong and flexible as the right. Happy learning and exploring! Tim Stein www.pianowithtim.com

YOU CAN WATCH A VARIETY OF BEGINNER LESSONS ON THE PIANIST TV CHANNEL AT WWW.PIANISTMAGAZINE.COM For a full list of Scores go to www.pianistmagazine.com Tel: +44 (0)1778 392 483 E: [email protected] p27_Scores_Intro-FINAL.indd 23

Quick guide to UK/North American note value terminology w = semibreve/whole note h = minim/half note q = crotchet/quarter note e = quaver/eighth note x = semiquaver/16th note y = demisemiquaver/32nd note 09/01/2014 09:22

WARM-UP EXERCISE

C Major 5-Note Pattern 33 BEGINNER

Right and left hand melody

23. Right and Left Hand Melody

Over the course of the next several issues of Pianist we will be presenting exercises for the beginner composed by our new Keyboard Class contributor, Hans-Günter Heumann. The more advanced pianist will find that these pieces will serve as good warm-up and sight-reading exercises.

q = 144-168

   mf

  

p

LH to be softly played. It has to be quieter than the RH.







 





1 2 Make sure to lift the hand



 

 

    mf

4

5 4

 p



 



1 5





 

5 3

 



© 2013 Schott Music Limited, London

 

 





 

5 2

 





 











Use a down/up motion for the slurred pairs of notes.The emphasis is always on the first note.

5 1

 

 



The LH has the melody. It has to sound out above the RH. Make sure to phrase the 4-bar melody, with the dotted minim F being the high point.

 



Even if the RH might seem ‘easy’, you can still shape the sets of dotted crotchets to correspond with the shaping of the LH melody.



13

 















The C note has to sound out, as it needs to be held over two bars.

The roles are reversed now, so make sure that the RH is much quieter than before.

9



1 4



 





1 3

for the crotchet rests.







Use a down/up motion for the slurred pairs of notes.The emphasis is always on the first note.

5

Hans-Günter Heumann

RH has the melody. Dig deep into the keys and make sure to phrase the four-bar melody (high point being the dotted minim F).

2

Nice simple key of C major (no accidentals!).

This exercise is for gaining a feel and understanding of the melody line in both hands. You will need to use your ear and feel the phrasing, making sure that the melody sounds out above the other hand’s accompaniment. Take a look at the technical tips within the score.

 

 

 

Lift the hands off from the piano at the same time at the end.



Make sure you strike the LH C is strongly enough so that it sounds out over two bars.

28• Pianist 76

p28_Scores_Warmup-FINAL.indd 28

09/01/2014 16:21

Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)

TRACK 1

Mozart composed short pieces from the very early age of six, including this one, which was originally a sonata for keyboard and violin. The French dance form in triple time was much in fashion in the 18th century. The piece is simple and elegant, comprising two parts made up of eight bars each. The key changes to the dominant G major at the end of the second line (note the F sharp), but it quickly reverts back to C major This piece is a great exercise for slurs. Feel the down/up of the wrist on each pair, with the emphasis always on the first note.

3 &4 F

f f #f f F

1

3

{

? 43 Œ

f 3

&

{

f

3

? Œ

5

Œ

2

4

1

3

1

f

3

f

Œ

4

#f J 3

2

f f #f f F

1

2

f f f™

Even if there are no dynamics marked on the score, try to pencil some in. For example, bars 3 and 4 could do with a bit more volume than bars 1 and 2.

F

2

f

5

f

f

3

2

The LH also has many slurred notes. Make the down/up movement.

f f #f f 1

2

1

f

LH plays the accompaniment role throughout.Try to keep in time.

5

again a little later. These short early pieces are perfect for the beginner and they still include enough technical issues to tackle. This is great for getting acquainted with slurs, for example. Even if you need to take your hands of the piano for the rests and for the end of phrases, still keep them close to the keyboard. Take a look at the technical tips within the score.

It’s good to get used to changing fingering on repeated notes, as below for the Ds. Doing this will also help stop the q = 108 fingers from tensing up.

Moderato Key of C, even if there’s a brief modulation to G major at bar 8 (spot the F sharp).

BEGINNER

Minuet in C K6

1

f

2

f

f

f

f

2

2

3

2

2

f

4

1

3

f

5

Tail this phrase off nicely in both hands with a slight diminuendo.

2

2

3

#F f

f

1

f

1

f f f f f #f 3

2

Œ

Play the below six quavers legato (join the notes). Prepare the third finger to pass over the thumb (fourth and fifth notes). 5

3

2

f

1

5

2

f

™™

f

™™

5

Play the crotchet notes with a detached quality to them.There’s no need to join the notes (i.e. to make them legato).

9

Notice the fingering of the thumb on the black note F in bar 10. One can actually place thumbs on black notes! 1

3

& ™™ F

{

? ™™ Œ

f 3

1

3

2

1

f f

f #f F

f

Œ

5

nF

f

Œ

f

1

5

f

1

f

5

1

3

f

f f F

1

Œ

f

2

2

f

f

1

4

5

Three pairs of slurred quavers here. That means down/up three times!

13

f f f f

2

1

& f

{

? Œ

f 5

3

2

4

And again, prepare the third finger to pass over the thumb (the D to the C).

j #f

f f f™ 5

3

1 2

3

In the RH above, 2nd finger to moves silently on to the G.

5

3

2

1

3

2

f f f f f f

f

f

f

f

f

f

1

2

2

3

2

1

f 5

2

3

F

f

f 1

f 2

f

™™ ™™

5

Again, all the LH crotchets to be played detached. Not staccato, mind. Just slightly detached.

29• Pianist 76

p29 Scores Mozart-FINAL.indd 29

09/01/2014 16:21

Léo DELIBES (1836-1891)

TRACK 2

BEGINNER

Waltz from Coppélia (arrangement)

A master of the light and witty musical style, French composer Léo Delibes wrote numerous work for the stage, including operas, operettas and ballets. The ballet Coppélia or La fille aux yeux d’émail (The girl with enamel eyes), based on stories by ETA Hoffmann, premiered at the Paris Opéra in 1870 and made Delibes’ name.

The melody in the RH should be exquisitely phrased, with the LH providing the firm but light accompaniment. Notice the two-bar rhythmic figure in the LH comprising three crotchets in the first bar then two crotchets and a rest in the second. Take a look at the technical tips within the score.

Before you begin, count silently to yourself, for two to three bars, to feel the pulse.

The RH has the delightful melody. Map out where the high points are. For example, the top F in bar 13 is the climax of long melody, and you should aim to build up to that moment. Think in long four-bar phrases.

Espressivo q = 138 – 144

b 43Espressivo ∑ q = 138 – 144 ∑ ∑ Œ & This piece is in the key of F (notice the B flat). 3p Œ . ∑ qf.= 138 – 144 f. ∑ . ∑ f. & b 4Espressivo f f f f f f f ? b 433 f f Œ f fŒ p b ∑ ∑ & 4Espressivo .f qf.= 138 – 144 f. .f ∑ f. f f f Œ ? b 433LH,pfthink in two-bar f f f With the phrases (the crotchet rest ending the phrase). f fŒ b 4of a real waltz.f. ∑ f. .∑ . ∑ f. And think & f f f Œ 5 ? b 43 f f f f f f f f The RH semiquavers in bar 7 are tricky.We suggest very slow p f F f f F f . . . . . practice first, on this bar alone, just the RH. Same for bar 11. f f f fff fff f ff & b ? 3 f ff ff 5 f Œ f f f b4 f f F F f . . . 5& b f f f ff. f f. ? b fF ff fff f Ff ff Œf f ff f f f f f b & f 5 f. f. f. ff. ff. ? b fF f ff f Ff f Œf f ff f f f f f. b . . . . & f f f f f f f Œ f 9? f f f f bF f f F f f f . . f f ff. F b ff. ff. 9& ? b f ff ff f Œ f f f fF F f f f f f ff. ff. F 9& b ff. ff. ff. f ? b fF f f fF Œf f f f f fF b f & f 9 ff. ff. ff. f. ff. f f ? b fF f f fF Œf f f f f . fF b . . . . f f f f f 13& f f f Œ f ? b >f f f f f >F F f b f f b f . . .Œ . ff.f f f f f f f 13& b f f f f f f ? b >f Œ f >F F f bf ff b f 13 b f f Œ Even iffthe minim D has an accent & the top F. . f . . . . Bring out > over it, don’t make it as strong as >Ff minim ffF. fbff f Ff ff fff bf f ff the previous accented ? b Œ ff f 13& b fŒ f >Ff ff. fff. bf >Ff ff. fbff. ff. f ? f ff Œ Œ f f & bb f . . . . . ff ff ff f ? b f ff ff Œ f f . . ff. ff. ff. f ? b f ff ff Œ f f 4

{{ {{ {{ {{

{{ {{

4

4

{{ {{

4 4

4 4 4

4

4

5

4

4

5

1 2

5

4

5

1 2

1 2

3

1 2

5

3

2

3

2

3

2

5

5

5

5

2

5

5

1 2

1 2

5

2

4

1 2 4

4

1 2

1 2 4

3

4

4

1

2

2

1

2

3

1

5

2

3

5

4

3

2

1

2

4

3

2

1

4

3

2

1

2

4

3

2

1

2

3

1

5 3

1

3

5

3

2

3

1 2 2

4

3

1 2 2

4

1 2

5

5

5

1

3

1

3

5

5

3

1

5

4

3

1 2

5

2

3

5

1

3

3

5

2

1 2 2

4

3

3

1

1 2

3

1

1 2

1 2

5

5 3

5 3

1 2

3

1 2

3

1 2

3

1 2

3

1 2

3

1 2

3

1 2

1 2

2

5

4

3

2

5

4

4

2

f f

Œf. f Œ. ff Œf. f ff.Œ

1

2

f

1

2

f

1

2

1 2

1 2 1 2

3

2

1 2 2

3

4

3

1

5

3

4

3

1

2

4

4

3

5

3

4

1

1 2

4

4

3

5

3

4

1

1 2

1 2

4

4

3

1 2

4

1

2

1 2

2

5

1 2

4

5

1 2

1 2

2

1 2

5

4 4

1 2

Œ

1

3

2

3

2

1 2

Œf. f Œ. ff Œf. f ff. 1 2

1 2 1 2

ff. 1 2

ff. ff. 1 2

1 2

fŒf. 1 2

Πff. Πff. Πff. 1 2

ff.

f Œ f Œ f Œ f Œ f Œ f Œ f Œ f Œ f Œ f Œ f Œ

f

1

f

2

1

f

1

f

1

f

1

2

f

1

2

2

2

2

f 2

1

f

1

2

f

1

2

fΠf f f Πf f Πf f Π1

2

1

2

1

2

Œ

30• Pianist 76

p30 Scores Delibes-FINAL.indd 30

10/01/2014 09:16

Léo DELIBES (1836-1891)

TRACK 2

The first part of the piece ends at the beginning of bar 20.Tail it off nicely.

17 17 17 17 17

b & & bb &b &b & ? ?b ?b ?b ? bb

{{{

21 21 21 21 21

b & & bb &b &b & ? ? bb ?b ?b ?b 25

{{ { {{ {

25 25 25 25

b & & bb &b &b & ? ? bb ?b ?b ?b 29

3 3

{{ { {{ {

33 33 33 33 33

b & & bb &b &b & ? ? bb ?b ?b ?b

1 1

FF >>F >FF > >f f f f f

ff f f f. ff. ff. ff. ff. f

ff.. ff. ff. ff. f

4

4 4

1 1 2 2 1 2 1 2 1 2

4 4 4 4 4

FF F F F ff f f f 4 4 4

1 1 2 2 1 2 1 2 1 2

5

ff f f f. ff. ff. ff. ff. f

ff.. ff. ff. ff. f

4

5 5 5

4 4

ff.. ff. ff. ff. f

4

ff f f f. ff. ff. ff. ff. f

5

ff f f f

FF F F F ff f f f 4 4

1 1 2 2 1 2 1 2 1 2

4 4

bb ff bf bf bf

ff f f f ff f f f

ff.. ff. ff. ff. f

5

1 1

FF F F F ff f f f

2 2

1 1 1

5 5 5 5 5

bbff bf bf ffbff.. ff.. ff. ff 2

ffff.. ff.. ff. ff 1 1 2 2 1 2 1 2 1 2

2 2

4 4

ff f f f 4 4 4

3 3

ŒŒ Œ Œ bb Œff.. b fff.. b ff. b ff

‘sf ’, which basically means ‘make an accent now!’ 5

4

3

4 4 5 29 is the high point of the piece. Notice the Bar 5 5

ff f f f

4

3 3

ff.. ff. ff. ff. f

2 2

bbFF bF bF bF ff f f f

2 2

ff f f f ŒŒ Œ Œ Œ 2 2 2

1 1 2 2 1 2 1 2 1 2

2

4 4

ff f f ff f f f f 1

2

4

1

2

4

1

2

4

ff f f f

ff f f ff f f f f

1 1

3 3

1

4 4

3

1

4

3

1

4

3

4

ff f f f 3 3 3

ff f f f 3 3

3

3 3

1 1

ff f f f 1 1 1

FF F F F sf sf

make it slightly less. 5 5 5

sf sf sf

ff f f f 5 5 5 5

ff f f f ŒŒ Œ Œ Œ 1 1

5 4 4

ff f f f 4 4 4

ff.. ff. ff. ff. f 1 1 2 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 1

ff f f fff f f f 1 1 1

3

4 4 4 4

2 2

ff f ff.. ff. ff. ff. ff

ff f ff.. ff. ff. ff. ff

2

1

2

1

2

1

ff f ff.. ff. ff. ff. ff

1

3

1

ff f f ff f f f f

ŒŒ Œ Œ. Œfff. ff.. ff. ff

ff f f f

ff f f f ff f f f

ŒŒ Œ Œ. ffŒ. ff. ff. ff. f

5 5 5

ff f f. fff. ff.. ff. ff 2 2

2

2

1

5 5

2 2

2

1

3

3

1

bb ff bf bf bf ff.. ff. ff. ff. f

1

3

3

1

2

2

1 1

3

1

2

1

4 3 3

3 3

ff f ff.. ff. ff. ff. ff

2

2 2

2 2

ff f f f 2 2 2

2-1 then up to 5 at the beginning of bar 29. Practise this slowly and carefully. 1 2

1 1

2 2

ŒŒ Œ Œ Œ ŒŒ Œ Œ Œ

ff ff f ff The f melodyf starts f again... ŒŒ Œ Œ Œ 1 1

ff ŒŒ ff f Œ f f Œ. f f Œfff. f . ŒŒ ff ff. f Œ f ff. f f Œ Theffingering is awkwardŒat the end of bar 28:

1 1

1 1 2 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 Another sf is below, but 5 2 this time 5

31• Pianist 76

p30 Scores Delibes-FINAL.indd 31

3 3

3 3

1

ffff.. ff.. ff. ff

ff f f f

1 1

1 1

2 2

4

ff f f f ŒŒ Œ Œ Œ

4

2

4

1 1 2 2 1 2 1 2 1 2

3

5

ff.. ff. ff. ff. f

4

2 2

3

5

5

4 4

ff f f f

ff f f ffff-ff

5

5

2

3 3

ff f f ff.. ff. ff. ff. ff

5

2

ff f f f ŒŒ Œ Œ Œ 4 4

5 5

F >>FF >F >F >ff f f f

2

1

ffff.. ff.. ff. ff

5 5

ff f f f

1

4

2

3

2 2

1

2

3

5

ff f f f ŒŒ Œ Œ Œ

FF F F F ff f f f

3

5

4

2 2

3 3

5

1 1

4

2

ff f f f

5 5

4

2

1

ffff.. ff.. ff. ff

4 4 4

2

1

3

4 4

##FF #>>F #>F #>F >ff f f f

ff f f f

1

3

FF F F F ff f f f

2 2

ff f f ffff.. ff.. ff. ff

3

FF b & & bb FF & b sfF & b sf sf & ? ? bb sfff ? b sff ?b f ?b f

29 29 29 29

BEGINNER

Waltz from Coppélia (arrangement)

ff f f fff.. ff. ff. ff. f 3 3 3 3

3

1 1 2 2 1 2 1 2 1 52 5

ff f f fffffffffff 5 5

5

ff f f f 1

ff f f f ŒŒ Œ Œ Œ 2

1

2

1

2

1

2

3 3

ff f f f

1 1

ff f f f ŒŒ Œ Œ Œ

3

1

3

1

3

1

ŒŒ Œ Œ Œ ŒŒ Œ Œ Œ

ŒŒ Œ Œ Œ ŒŒ Œ Œ Œ

Very slight ritardando at the end.Then lift the hands off at the same time.

10/01/2014 09:17

Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828)

TRACK 3

German Dance D783 No 5

Alongside his more serious works, Schubert composed about 400 ‘lighter’ pieces such as this lively dance, from a volume of 18 German dances and two ecossaises written in 1823-4. In Pianist No 73 we presented the second dance from this collection. Playing tips: At the beginning of the piece, you’ll see there are accents over the third quavers in the RH. You do not need to exaggerate them. In fact, wherever you see these accents, they should be subtle – they are there to make you feel the lilt of the dance. In

the first half, feel the phrase move towards bar 8. A gradual crescendo will surely help. And then the next eight bars are a kind of downward resolve. Keep the RH fingers smooth, even and well articulated. Every note counts. The LH jumps from bass note to a higher-up chord. Make sure the hand is ready over the chord a split second before. Pedal tips: Pedalling is quite simple in this piece, with one pedal change per bar. Add pedal when notes are secure.

q = 152

> f ## 3 f f f f f #f f & 4q = 152 f > ## 3q = 152f f f #f >>ff f f f f & # 4 p legato 3 152f f #f #ff f ff f f ? & ### 443q p=Œf legato ff f > f f > ## 33 f ° f #f #>fff f fff f fø ? & ## 44 pŒf legato f f #ff ff ? ## 43 Œ fø p legato ° >f ff f 4 # f ## f ?f ##>43 fŒ f f °FfF ™™f ff f f f Ff ™ føf f f f 4& ™ F ## f f > f f f °Ff ™f f f f Ff ™ øf 4& f FfF ™™f fff f fff f Ff ™ f ## f f >>ff f ff f cresc. f ? ## f >f f 4& f cresc. ™ ## f f >ff f ff f FffF ™f fff f ff f Ff ™ f ff cresc. f & ? ## fø >ff ff f sim. ø f ff ff ff f f ? ## f > f fø sim. ff > ff ø f™ fff >f fff f cresc. 8 f fsim.ff f ff f ff f ? ## fø™ f ø ™ f™ f >f f 8& f f f >f f f f f ## ø™ mf 8& ™ f™ f >>f f f fø sim.f >f f f f ## ™ f f f ? >f f f ? # ™ & Œ f f > mf # ™ f™ f f f& f fff 8 fff f >f f& fff >f ## ™ mf > f f f ? ? f & ## ™™ Œ f f fff >f & ff ff >f & fff ? ## ™™ mfŒ ? ff fff & f &f 13 ff ff f > >f ### f™ f f f ? ? f f Œ f f f f &f ff f fff & ff 13& # ™ ff f f f f > ## f f f f f f f 13& f f f ## p>f f ff f ff f f ?# f fff f fff f f f ff 13& # pf f ## >>f f ff f ff f f f f ff ? & ## pf f f ff f f f f > f f fff ff ? ## >f ff ff p f > ff ff fff fff ? ## f f f f >

{{ {{

3

3

3

3

3

3

{{ {{ {{ {{

1 3 5

3

1

3

5 4

3

1

3

3

1

3

3

1

5

5 1 4

4

5

4

2

5

1 2 4

5

1 2 4 1 2 4

4

2

52

1

2

2

1

2

2

5

5

5

5

4

4

4

1 2 4

5

1 2 4

5

1 2 1 4 1 2 4 1 1 2 1 4

5

5

4

5

52

5 1 4

4

5

5

3

5

4

5

1 3 5

4

5

3

1 3 5 1 3 5

5 4

3

{{ {{

BEGINNER/ INTERMEDIATE

5

5

4

4

5

1

5

5

1 2 4

1 2 4

5

1 2 4 1 2 4

1 2 4 1 2 4

1 2 4

1 2 4

5

5

2

3

2

3

2

3

2

3

f > f f f f f >f f f f f > f f f f f f >>ff f f f >f f >ff f fff f f f >ff f fff f >f ff nf >>ff > f f f f f f f f f f f f >ff ff f >f ø ff nf ff ff ff f >f f nfø >f f ff ff f f f f f fff F ff ffø ff f f f ff FF n ™™ f F f FF f f f ffff f fffø f fff ™™ F ff f f f f f f f f f f f FF f ™ ff f ff f f fff fff f ™™ f F f f f f ff f ff f ff f ffff ffff ff ™™ F F f ff ff f f f ™™ f ff ff ff ™ f f f f f f f f ™ f f ™ f f f f f ff f ff f f f ff f f ff ff f f f ff ™ ™ f f™ f f f f f f f f f f f f f™ f f f f f f f f f f ff f fff ™ f f ? f f ? f f f & f f f f f ff f f f f f ff f fff ™ f f ? f f ? f f f f f & f f f f f f ? f f ? f f f f ff & f 1. ff 2. ff f f f™ F f ? f ff & fff fff f ? Ff ™ 2. 1. f f f f f 1.F ™™ 2.F f f f ff f F ff FFF ™™ FFFF f ff ff ™ 2. f ff f 1.FF ff ™™ FFFF f f f f ff FF ™ F FF f ff fff FF ™™ FFF f f FF FF ff fff FF ™™ FF f 3

3 3

1 2 5

3

1 2 5 1 2 5

5 3 1

4 3 1

3 2 1

2

5 3 1 5 3 1

4 3 1 4 3 1

3 2 1 3 2 1

2

5 3 1

4 3 1

3 2 1

1 2 5

2

2

5

1 2 3

5

1 2 5

5

1 2 3 1 1 2 3

5

1 2 5 1 2 5

4

51

4

51

4

1

4

1

1 3 4

2

4

3 5

1 1 2 3 1

2

4

3 5

2

4

3

1

2 1 3 4

4

3

1 3 4 1 3 4

1 3 4 1 3 4

1 3 4

1 3 4

1

3

1

3

1

3

1

3

1 2 5

32• Pianist 76

p32 Scores Schubert-FINAL.indd 32

08/01/2014 14:29

WATCH CHENYIN LI PLAY THIS PIECE AT PIANISTMAGAZINE.COM

Johann Friedrich BURGMÜLLER (1806-1874)

TRACK 4

BEGINNER/ INTERMEDIATE

Ballade, No 15 from 25 studies of progressive difficulty op 100

Burgmüller is little known today, but in his time he was highly regarded – Schumann compared the German-born composer to Schubert. Indeed, there is some Schubertian charm in many of Burgmüller’s works, not least in this piece. Its delicate, dance-like character reminds us that Burgmüller also composed for the ballet. Playing tips: The tempo is fast, Allegro con brio, but don’t let that put you off! Start by practising very slowly and increase the speed over time. You will need light, nimble fingerwork – and it will help to keep the fingers close to the keyboard. Notice how

q. q. q. q. ff

Allegro con brio 5 Allegro con brio 3 1 5 con brio b 3Allegro & bbb83Allegro ff351 ff ffcon ffbrio ff

& bbb83 fff. fff. fff. ff. ff. & bbbb83 pffff. misterioso ff ff b 8 & p misterioso . f ? bb 38 f. ff..∑ ff.. ? bbb38 pp misterioso ∑ ? bbb38 misterioso ∑ ? bbb38 ∑ b

{{ 7 7 7 7

b & bbbb ff & bb ffff. & bbbb >fff. & ? bbb nn>fff.. ™™ ? bbb > ™ ? bbb nnsf>ff ™ ? bbb sf b

{{ {{ {{

b & bbbb & bb & bbbb & ? bbb ? bbb ? bbb ? bbb b

14 14 14 14

3 5 1 3 1

fff fff. fff. ff. .

fff fff. fff. ff. .

sf sf

fff fff. fff. ff... fJ Jf. fJ. J

fff fff. fff. ‰ff.. ‰ ‰ ‰

fff fff. fff. fff. j .j f. j f. j f. 5 5 5 5

fff. ff. ff ff. .

#fff fff fff #ff. f ff. f ff. f #ff. f ff. f ff. f #ff. f ff. f ff. fj f. . f. j f. j f f. j f f.

fff fff. f. n>>ffff. ™ n>f. ™ nsf>f ™ nf ™

4 4 4

sf sf sf

fff fff. fff. ff. .

4 1 4 1 4 1 4 1

1 5 1 5 1 5 1 5

1 4 1 4 1 4 1 4

fff fff. fff. fff. . nf f nf f nf f nf 1 1 1

fff fff. fff. ff. .

fff fff. fff. fff. . f f f

5 5 5 5

fff fff. fff. fff. . nf f nf f nf f nf

f f f f

4 4 4 4

fff ff. pf ff. pf ff. . nf pf pf nf f nf f nf 1 1 1

fff fff. fff. fff. . f f f

f.. f f.. f ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ 3 3 3 3

f.. f f.. f 2 2 2 2

1

f. f. f. f. 1 1 1

fff fff. f. n>>ffff. ™ n>f. ™ nsf>f ™ nf ™

fff fff. fff. ff. .

fff fff. fff. ff. .

sf sf sf

3

f. f. f. f.∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ 3 3 3

fff fff. fff. fff. . f f f

fff fff. fff. ff. n f f. f nf f nf f nf

fff fff. fff. ff. f nf. f nf f nf f nf 4 4 4

#fff fff fff #ff. f ff. f ff. f #ff. f ff. f ff. f #ff. f ff. f ff‰. f f. . ‰. f ‰ f ‰

fff fff. fff. ff... f f.. f

f f f f fff fff. fff. ff... f f.. f

1

∑ ∑ ∑ .f∑ f. f.. f 2

^ ff^ ff^^ fff^ f.. f ‰ fff^^ f f ‰ ff^ f.. f ‰ ff f f ‰ 3

5

1

2

3

5

2 2

f. f. f. f. f. f. f.. f 2 2

1 1

2 2

∑ ∑ ∑ ∑

3

5

3

5

f f f f

5 3 5 3 5 3 5 3

1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3

fff fff. fff. fff. j .j f. j f. j f.

fff fff. fff. ff‰. . ‰ ‰ ‰

fff fff. fff. fff. . f f f

fff fff. fff. ff. f nf. f nf f nf f nf

1

1 1 1

fff fff. fff. fff. . nf f nf f nf f nf

4

1

#fff fff fff #ff. f ff. f ff. f #ff. f ff. f ff. f #ff. f ff. f ff. fj f. . f. j f. j f f. j f f.

fff fff. fff. ff. .

fff fff. fff. ff. n f f. f nf f nf f nf

#fff fff fff #ff. f ff. f ff. f #ff. f ff. f ff. f #ff. f ff. f ‰ff. f f. . ‰. f ‰ f ‰

fff fff. fff. ff. .

sf sf sf

. f. . f. f.. f f b & bbbb f. f. ‰‰ f. f. ‰‰ f. f. f. f. & bb f.. f.. ‰ ‰ b . . b f f f f ‰ ff & bb ‰ b . . & ? bb nfff. fff. ‰ fff.. fff.. ‰ f ? bbb . . ‰ ff. ff. ‰ ff ? bbb nnff. ff. ‰ ff. ff. ‰ ? bbb nf f ‰ f f ‰ b

22 22 22 22

5 1 5 1 5 1 5 1

fff. ff. ff ff. .

104 104 104 104

1

4

fff fff. f. n>>ffff. ™ n>f. ™ nsf>f ™ nf ™

fff. ff. ff ff.∑ . ∑ ∑ ∑

= = = =

the LH has an important role – almost right from the start it is the melody. Take note of all the phrase markings too. We do suggest you watch Chenyin Li perform this on the Pianist TV channel. Remember to keep the wrists supple – this will ensure a bounce and lightness of touch which is required. At bar 31, a more lyrical section appears, so make sure to phrase the RH beautifully. Bar 87 sees the hands playing in unison at last – a great ending! Pedal tips: Pedal not needed. This has to sound crisp.

fff fff. fff. ff. Jf. Jf. fJ. J 3 3 3 3

3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 cresc.

‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰

1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2

‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰

^ ^ f^^ f f^^ ff f^^ f f

‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰

fff fff. fff. ‰ff.. ‰ ‰ ‰

fff fff. fff. fff. j .j f. j f. j f.

fff fff. fff. ‰ff.. ‰ ‰ ‰

f f f f ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰

ff ff ff. ff. ff. ff. ff. ff. cresc. ff.. ff.. cresc. ff ff cresc. ff.. ff.. ff ff

fff fff. fff. ff... fJ Jf. fJ. J

2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1

nff nff. nff. nfff. ff.. ff. ff. f

1 3 1 3 1 3 1 5 3 2 5 2 5 2 5 2

^ ff^ ff^^ f nfff^^ nff nff^^ nff 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3

fff fff. fff. fff. j .j f. j f. j f. 5 5 5 5

fff fff. fff. ff. fJ. Jf. fJ. J 3 3 3 3

ff ff. ff. fff. ff.. ff. ff. f U ‰ U ‰ U ‰ U ‰ U ‰ U ‰ U ‰ U ‰

‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ nnnn nnn nnn nn nnnn nnn nnn nn

33• Pianist 76

p33 Scores Burgmuller-FINAL.indd 33

08/01/2014 14:29

WATCH CHENYIN LI PLAY THIS PIECE AT PIANISTMAGAZINE.COM

Johann Friedrich BURGMÜLLER (1806-1874)

TRACK 4

BEGINNER/ INTERMEDIATE

Ballade, No 15 from 25 studies of progressive difficulty op 100

31

1

& ™™ f ™

{

f™

1

f™

f f f ‰ f ff

f f ff ff ff ff f f f f f f ‰ f f ‰ ‰

5

f™

3

dolce

f f f f ? ™™ ‰ ff ff ‰ ff ff

1

f™

f™

cresc.

f. J

1

f

f f f ‰ f ff

f f f ‰ f ff

f™

3

1 3 4

1 3 5

poco rit.

f™

f f J

animato

f f. f. f. bf f bf & J . . . ff ff ff. f f f f f f # f f f f ? ‰ ff ff ‰ f f ‰ fff fff ‰ ff ff ‰ f f ‰ f f J ‰ ‰ ∑

39

{

47

f

4

1 2

j f.

3

2

& bf

{

? ‰

53

fff

fff

4

sf

? bf ™ 2

1

fff

‰

2

4

1

f.

f

1 2 5

bf.

f.

ff J

‰

2

™™ ™™

1 2

1

2

f. bf.

2

bf

∑

‰

j f.

3

cresc.

fff

1

4

4

1 2 4

j f.

bf

f

f f™ J

2 4 5

1 2 4

& bf ™

{

f f J

4

fff

‰

bf

fff

‰

fff

j f. fff

1 3

2

1

f™

bbb f f f ff ff ff . . . 5 3 1

4

f™

f™

p

dim.

f™

f™

f™

3

5

b & b b fff fff fff . . . ? bb fj ‰ f. b . J

bbb f

1

fff .

fff .

‰

∑

fff .

fff .

fff .

fff .

fff .

fff .

fff .

f nf f f nf f f nf f f nf f 4

1

61

{

3

fff . f. J

fff fff fff . . . n>f ™ j ‰ f. 5

sf

fff fff . .

4

#fff fff fff fff . . . . f j n>f ™ f.

fff fff . .

#fff fff fff . . . f ‰

sf

34• Pianist 76

p33 Scores Burgmuller-FINAL.indd 34

08/01/2014 14:29

WATCH CHENYIN LI PLAY THIS PIECE AT PIANISTMAGAZINE.COM

Johann Friedrich BURGMÜLLER (1806-1874)

TRACK 4

BEGINNER/ INTERMEDIATE

Ballade, No 15 from 25 studies of progressive difficulty op 100

b & b b ff f.

67

ff f. j ?b f f b b nf f nf f f nf f f nf f f.

{

ff f.

ff f.

ff f.

ff f.

ff f.

b & b b ff ff ff f. f. f. > ? bb nf ™ b

{

fff .

ff f.

ff ff f. f. j n>f ™ ‰ f.

ff ff ‰ . .

cresc.

ff. ff. ‰

3

2

f

1

3

nff ff ‰ . . ff. ff. ‰

f. f f . .

∑

∑

1 4

^ ff

∑

f. f. . f

f

1

5

2

3

‰

ff^

‰

f. f. ‰ nf f 1 5

1 3

∑

2

f. f. ‰ f f

2 1

1 2

5

ff #ff ff ff f. f. f. f. f j f.

ff f.

sf

3 1

fff fff ‰ . . f. f. ‰

‰

f. f. f.

4 1

? bb ff. ff. ‰ b b &b b

fff .

ff f. f. J

3

sf

bb f. f. ‰ b & f f

79

#fff . f

ff f.

‰ f. J

4

1

73

{

ff f.

‰

^ f ^ f

^ ff

‰

nff^ ‰

‰

‰

1 3

1 3

87

{

4

f nf f f nf f

f nf f f nf f

f

b &b b

{

? bb b

f nf f f nf f

1

f f

‰ ‰

5 2

ff . p ff. 2 4

f nf f f nf f

dim.

? bb f nf f b f nf f

91

f nf f f nf f

ff . ff.

ff.

‰

dim.

‰

&

ff.

ff. ff.

f nf f f nf f

‰ ‰

“.” . ff ff ff.

ff.

ff

U ‰

ff

U ‰

4 2

‰ ‰

f nf f f nf f

ff ™™ ?

sf

ff ™™ 2 5

35• Pianist 76

p33 Scores Burgmuller-FINAL.indd 35

08/01/2014 14:29

Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893)

TRACK 5

In Tim Stein’s latest online video lesson for Pianist (you can watch this video for yourself at www.pianistmagazine.com/tv), he talks about chord voicing and he mentions this piece, so we thought it fitting to include it in this issue. In 1878, when Tchaikovsky wrote the 24 pieces that comprise Album for the Young, he was at a difficult point in his life, facing worries about his finances and his teaching, and coping with the aftermath of his ill-conceived marriage the previous year. The nostalgic Album for the Young was dedicated to his seven-year-old nephew. Playing tips: Make sure to play all the notes simultaneously, and to bring out the

Largo 5 2 # 2Largo 5 & # 42Largo ff25 ff Largo

{{{

# & # ff 6 6& # f # mfff & & mfff ?# ff ? # mf mf ff ? # ? # fø ø 13 ø 13 # ø & 13 # f 13& # f # mfff & & mfff ? # mfff ? # mfff f ? ? ## ff 6 6

{{{ {{{

5 2 5 2 5 2 5 2

2 2

& # 42 f f # 2 pf f & & 44 pfff fff ? # 42 pf f ? # 42 pff ff ff ff ? ? ## 4422 ° f f ° ° ff ff°ff ff ff ff ff ff ff f f f ff ff ff ff ff ff sim. f f f

2 2

3 3

# & f 18 # f 18& # f # fff & & fff ?# ? # ffff ff ? ? ## f 18 18

{{{

INTERMEDIATE

In Church, No 23 from Album for the Young op 39

3 3 5 2 5 2 5 2 5 2

1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3

4

ff ff ff ff ff ff f

2 5 2

3 3 3 3

sim.

ff ff ff f ff ff f

ff ff ff ff ff ff f j ffj ffj ffj f fJf fJf fJ J

4

3

ff ™™ ff ™™ ff ™™™ ff ™™ ff ™™ ff ™™ f™ 4

3

4 4

3 3

3 3 3 3

sim. sim.

ff ff ff ff ff ff f

ff ff ff ff ff ff f ff ff ff f ff ff f

# fF # fF ## fFf Ff ff ff ff

ff ff ff ff ff ff f ff ff ff f ff ff f

upper note. Playing chords softly requires a really good touch technique. It helps to keep the fingers close to the keyboard. Notice at the end you have to play as quietly as ppp! Bars 31 to the end are very poignant. The LH is like an underlying heart-beat. Notice the inner melody in the LH here. We need to hear it. A sense of pulse is most important throughout this piece, or you might sound like you are coming to a standstill. Make sure to feel and count the pulse. Pedal tips: Pedal markings have been placed on to the score. A good legato pedalling is required throughout.

4

ff ™™ ff ™™ ff ™™ ff ™™ ff ™™ ff ™™ f™ 4 4 4

# fF # fF ## fFf fFf ff ff fø ø øø # FF # FF ## FF FF FF FF F 4 4 4

2 5 2 5 2 52 2 5 2 2 2

2 5 2 5 2 5 2 5

f f ff ff ff ff f j ffj ffj ffj f fJf fJf fJ J 3 3

3 3

1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3

2

# FF # FF ## FF FF FF FF F 2

2 2

2 5 2 5 2 5 2 5

f f ff ff ff ff fø ø øø ff ff mf ff mf f mf ff mf ff f 3 3 3 3

3 3

4 2 4 2 4 2 4 2

nff nff nnfff ff ff ff ø ø øø ff ff ff f ff ff f 1 5 1 5 1 5 1 5

3 3

nff nff nnfff ff ff ff 1 5 1 5 1 5 1 5

4 2 4 2 4 2 4 2

ff ff ff f ff ff ff 3

ff ff mf ff mf f mf ff mf ff f 3 3 3

3 3 3 3

ff ff ff f ff ff f

ff ff ff ff ff ff f

ff ff ff ff ff ff f

nff nff nnfff ff ff ff 4

5

4

5

4 4

5 5

ff ff ff ff ff ff f ff ™™ >ffff ™™™ >fff ™™ >>f ™™ >ff ™ >f ™ >>f ™

ff ff ff f ff ff ff

ff ff ff f ff ff ff

nff nff nnfff ff ff ff

ff ™™ >ffff ™™ >fff ™™™ >>f ™™ >ff ™ >f ™ >>f ™

4 4 4 4

ff ™™ ff ™™ ff ™™™ ff ™ ff ™™ ff ™™ fø ™ ø jøø ffj ff ffjj ff ffj fj fj ffj 5 5 5 5

4

ff ff ff ff f ff ff f 4 4 4

1 4 1 4 1 4 1 4

ff ™™ >ff ™™ >>f ™ >>fff ™™™ ™ >>fff ™™ ff ™™ j ffj ff ffjj ff ffj fj fj ffj 5 5 5 5

5 5 5 5

4

ff ff ff ff f ff ff f 4 4 4

1 4 1 4 1 4 1 4

j ffj ffj ffj ff fJf fJf fJø Jø øø # ff # ff ## ff ff ff ff f j ffj ffj ffj ff fJf fJf fJ J

FF FF FF FF FF FF Fø ø øø FF FF FF F FF FF F

2 5 2 5 2 5 2 5

FF FF FF F FF FF FF

# ff # ff ## ff ff ff ff f 2 5 2 5 2 5 2 5

FF FF FF F FF FF F

36• Pianist 76

p36 Scores Tchaikovsky-FINAL.indd 36

08/01/2014 14:28

Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893)

TRACK 5

25

#

4

& f f

{

ff

p

? # ff

ff

# FF

FF

ff ff

3

F F

F F

1 5

2 5

FF F

? # FF

f

{ {

?#

f f

ff f

ff

FF

ff

ff

F F

#nFn FF

4

f f f °

Ff ø

f

f ø

5 4 2

FFF

4

ff ø

ff

# FF F

#fff

3

4

ff ø

pp

ff

FF F 4

5

pp

5

# fff &

ff

FF

5

# & #F F

5 2

FF

FF F

31

37

INTERMEDIATE

In Church, No 23 from Album for the Young op 39

2

f

#ff ø

f

f f

#fff ff ø

f ø

f f

4

nF f ø

f f

nF#FF

F F f

f ø

f

f

Ff ø

f

f

f

f

sim.

42

# FF & F

{

?#

47

#

?#

nFFF

5 2

FFF

ff f

3

4

ff f

FFF

pp

Ff

2

f

#Ff

f

f

4

Ff

f

f

f

ff

ff

f

Ff

U F F

5 4

& # FF f

{

5

2

f

F F

1

2

F F

F F

F F

1

ppp

perdendosi

Ff °

f f ø

Ff ø

f f

Ff ø

f f sim.

Ff

f f

Ff

f f

FF u

37• Pianist 76

p36 Scores Tchaikovsky-FINAL.indd 37

08/01/2014 14:29

Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)

TRACK 6

The 15 Two-Part Inventions BWV 772-786 date from 1720 and were only published in 1801 after Bach’s death, along with the companion Three-Part Inventions BWV 787-801. These pieces were composed for Bach’s pupils, not least his son Wilhelm Friedemann, yet are anything but dry and pedagogical. Playing tips: Practise this piece really slowly and totally in time (using a metronome might help). Feel the flowing pulse – 9/8 is three beats in the bar. It feels good for the fingers though – like a real workout! The more beginner/intermediate pianist may

Moderato q = 100

want to leave out the trills. For those wanting to trill, read Graham Fitch’s article on trills that appeared inside issue 75. We suggest practising in short phrases, making sure to get the trills spot on each time you go over a phrase. We have given suggested fingerings for the trills and we have written out the notes above/below the trill sign too, in order to help. Everyone’s hands are different though, so try different fingerings. Pedal tips: There are no markings, and pedal is not a necessity. Light dabs of pedal, here and there are fine. It should sound like there’s no pedal at all.

G F# G F# 3232

f #9 f f f f f f m & 8f f f 1

2

4

{

5

5

f m f f f f f f f f f

∑

1

1

5

2323 CBCB

f f f f f f f J 5

#f f f f f f f f #f f f & f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f ?# f f f f f 5

{ 7

f f f f f f f f f nf f f f f f

f J

5

? #98

4

INTERMEDIATE

Two-Part Invention No 10 in G BWV 781

3

2

2

5

4

1

3

5

2

5

4

1

3

5

1

2

4

f f f #f f f f f f f f f f f #f f f f & f™ 2

{

M ? # f™

232 G F# G

1

1

f f f f f #f Mf ™ 3

1

4

232 F# E F#

1

3

4

5

2

f f f f f f

f f f #f f f f f f #f f f f f f 3

2

2

2

f f f f f #f f f f f f f f f f f f f f & f f f f f f f f M# M f™ f f f f f f f f f f f f f™ ?# f f f f™ f f #f

10

{

#

3

121 D C# D

3

3

3

121 G F# G

2

1

4

3

1

38• Pianist 76

p38 Scores Bach-FINAL.indd 38

08/01/2014 14:30

Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)

TRACK 6

#f f f f f f f f #f f ™ &

13

4

{

2

1

3

?# f f f f f f f

16

&

{

INTERMEDIATE

Two-Part Invention No 10 in G BWV 781

3

f™ # m

G F# G F# 3232

2

f™

1

Ϊ

3

?# f f f f f f f f

n f f™

f™

5

4

3

f™

1212 D C# D C#

3

BCDCDC 123232

{

5

#m & F™

f™

M f™

Ϊ

fff

121 CBC

F™

Ϊ

ff nf f f f f f f f f f ff ff f f f

2

20

4

f #m f™ j f f f f f f f f f

fff fff ff

Ϊ

f f #f f f f f f f

Ϊ

2

m™ F

ABCBCB 123232

f™

M f f f f™ 4

121 BAB

f™

F™

ffff ff 2

1

5

f™

ff ff ffff ff f f f f f f f ff ff ?# f f f f f f f f ff f ff f f 5

5

5

# f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f &

24

5

{

1

?# F™

1

2

f™

F™

3

j f f

j f f

1

j f

2

2

f™

f f f f f f f f f

5

3

4

2

1

5

2

4

2

1

f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f & f f f

27

{

#

3

1

3

1

4

1

?# f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f 2

2

4

3

3

3

3

#f f f f f f Œ™ f f f f f f f f f & f f f f f f f™ f™ j f f f f ?# f f f f f f f f j ™ J f f™ f f f

30

5

{

1

3

3

1

2

1

2

1

1

1

4

5

5

2 5

39• Pianist 76

p38 Scores Bach-FINAL.indd 39

08/01/2014 14:30

Anatoly LYADOV (1855-1914)

TRACK 7

Though an excellent pianist and a noted teacher at the St Petersburg Conservatoire, Anatoly Lyadov is thought to never have realised his early promise. He was plagued by self-doubt and overwhelmed by the likes of his former teacher Rimsky-Korsakov. However, Lyadov left some exquisite pieces for piano, such as this one. Playing tips: This mazurka is reminiscent of Chopin, but with a Russian flavor to it. Make ample use of rubato, but only start working on that once the notes are secure.

The RH is definitely the trickier part to master, as you will see – it winds its way all over the keyboard. Lightness of touch is also required. And notice all the accidentals. The LH plays a supporting role, but must always provide a solid 3/4 pulse underneath the melody. There needs to be an improvisatory feel to this piece, as if it’s just one fleeting moment in time, and then it’s gone. Pedal tips: Suggestions have been marked on to the score.

Allegretto con amarezza

b b3 & b b 4 F™

4 fj

2

{

f™ f f™ 3

Œ

ff f ø

b & b bb f f nf f f f nf f f ™

{

f

bbb fj f ™ f™ b f &

{

f f

Œ

ff f °

ff

4 2

°

?

°

Œ

1

n ff

f °

j f b#ff f ff f nf f F™ Œ bF f

° 4

nf

2

Œ

&

Œ

1 3

ø

j nf f °

poco più mosso

f™ f™ f Œ Œ

5 1

1

F f F f™ 2

f ff ø

∏∏∏∏∏∏

b & b bb f bf nf™ F Œ

{

f #f f

5

n fff fff ° ø

f f f nf bfF f f f nf bf #f f f f f f f f nf f f™ fj J Œ nf f n ff ff f ? Œ f Œ f Œ f ff Œ FF f F ø ° ° ° °

15

? bb b Πb

nF f nf 1 5

f nf bf

f

2

cresc.

Œ

f f

5

FF F

j f f f fF ™ Œ

rit.

F f

1

Œ

ff f ø

2

f

°

10

b & b bb Œ

f J

ff f °

1

? bb b Πb

f nf bfF Π3

p rubato

b 3 & b bb 4 Œ n ff f °

5

INTERMEDIATE

Mazurka op 57 no 3

f nF

f °

p

f ø

5

ff ™ f

f Œ

°

fj

4 5 1

fj

f™ f f ff f f ff ™ Œ ø ø

f Œ Œ

ø

40• Pianist 76

p40 Scores Lyadov-FINAL.indd 40

09/01/2014 11:27

Anatoly LYADOV (1855-1914)

TRACK 7

b b f™ & bbbbbbbb fffj ffŒ™™ & & b b ŒŒ

19 19 19 19

{{

3 3 f33j 3jj

f™ ff ™™ Œ ŒŒ f™ ff™ f™ ff 4 4 4 4 4

1 1 1 1 1

2 2 2 2 2

f ff

? bb ? ? bbbbbbbb bb

f ff ø øø

b & bbbbbbbbb & &b b

f f f ff ff ff f Fff FF f ff ° ø ° ° øø

23 23 23 23

{{

? bb b ? ? bbbbbbbb b

1 1 1 1 1

5 5 5 5 5

j fjj ff

f ff

fj ffjjj f

nf nn ff Œ ŒŒ ° ° ° f f f ff f f f f f ff 2 2 2 2 2

ø øø

3 3 3 3 3

Mazurka op 57 no 3

f™ fff ™™ ff

ff ™ ffff ™™ ø øø 1 2 1 3 3 2 1 3 2 2 1 f3 f1 3 2

ff fff f

f ff

1 1 1 1 1

f nf ff nf nfŒ ŒŒ f ff ff f Œ ŒŒ ø øø 3 3 3 3 3

{{

p40 Scores Lyadov-FINAL.indd 41

Œ ŒŒ ø øø

f™ bf ff ™™ bbff cresc. ff cresc. cresc. ff cresc. fff Œ f ff ŒŒ ø øø f™ ff ™™

Tempo I

j fj  fffjj

1 1 1 1 1

Œ ŒŒ f ff

Œ ŒŒ nf nnff Œ ŒŒ

n fff ff nn° f ° °

f ff ° ° °

j fjj ff 2 2 2 2 2

ff ff f

f™ ff ™™ Œ ŒŒ

ff ff ffø øø

f f™ ff ff ™™

41• Pianist 76

f™ f f™ f f™ f™ ff f f™ f f™ f ff ff ff ff nf Œ Œ f nnff ŒŒ ŒŒ ° ° ° j fj f f f ffjj fffjjj f™ f f™ f f f f™ ff ff f Œff Œff ŒŒ ŒŒ f f f ff ff ™ f f f Œ ffff ™™ f Œ ŒŒ ŒŒ ŒŒø Œø ø ° ° øø øø øø ° f Jff JJ

1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2

f™ f nf f™ f nnff f™ ff ff ff n ffff Œ f nn ff ŒŒ ff ° ° °

f Jff JJ

f™ f™ f™

f ff ™™ ff f ™ ff fff ° ff ° °

f bbff nfF ™ ffŒ bf nfFf ™™ ŒŒ nF dim. dim. F dim. dim. Œ fFF ŒŒ ff 4 4 1 1 4 4 1 4 1 1

f f nf bfF ff fff f ffŒ nnff bbffFF ff ŒŒ

f Jff JJ

Œ ŒŒ

ff ff ffø øø

FF FF FF

U F j f™ f U U nfjj f™ ff FFF F nnff f™ pp pp pp U FF f pp U U FF f ff f F ff f ø ° fø ø øø ° ° ø 2 2 2 2 2

° ° °

? ? ?

1 1 1 1 1

∏∏∏∏∏ ∏∏∏∏∏ ∏∏∏∏∏ ∏∏∏∏∏

b f & bbbbbbbb ff nnnfff bbbfff #f f ff ff ff nf f f & ##ff ff f f f nnff & b bb ff ff f n ff ff nn ff ? bb b Œ Œ f ff f ? ŒŒ ff ? bbbbbbbb ŒŒ ff f b ° ° ° ° ° °

36 36 36 36

j f j  ffjj f

f Œff ŒŒ

5 5 5 5 5

1 1 1 1 1

Tempo II f Tempo I ™ ff nf f FFTempo nnff ff F ™™

∏∏∏∏∏ ∏∏∏∏∏ ∏∏∏∏∏ ∏∏∏∏∏

{{

1 1 1 1 1

Œ ŒŒ

5 5 5 5 5

1 1 1 1 1

2 2 2 2 2

3 3 3 3 3

1 1 1 1 1

f ff ff

f ff ø øø

{{

Œ ŒŒ ø øø

f f ff ff ff f

f ff

j fj f ™ f ™™ f b fj f ™ b f ffjj fffjjj fff ™™ & bbbbbbbb fffjjj ffŒ ™™ ff ffŒ ™ ff ff & & b b ŒŒ f Œ Œf™ nf f ff ™ f™ nn ff Œ f ? bb b f f™ f ffff ™™ f ? ? bbbbbbbb f ŒŒ b ø ø ° øø øø ° ° rit. f 31 n f b frit. rit. rit. f f 31 f n f b ff ff #f f 31 b f b 31 b b n f b f f f f ##ff & bbbbbb f f f f & &b b f f f ff ? bb b f fff Œ f & n ff ? b b Œ b ? bbbbb ff ff & Œ & nn f ffø b ø °ø fø ø ø ° ø ø °ø

f™ f ™ f b ff ™™ ffj f ™ f f ™ bbf f cresc. ff cresc. cresc. ff cresc. ff f f ff ø øø f f ™ f ff ™™™ ff ffŒ ™™ ff Œf ŒŒ ŒŒ f™ ff ™™ ff f ff ° ° ° 3 3 2 j 2 f 22 3 3 3jj 2 

f ffŒ ŒŒ

2 2 2 2 2

1 1 1 1 1

27 27 27 27

5 5 5 5 5

f ff nf nnffŒ ŒŒ f ff ff f Œ ŒŒ ø øø

INTERMEDIATE

08/01/2014 14:33

RACHMANINOV arr. MONTGOMERY

TRACK 8

There’s an advanced Rachmaninov piece in this issue (Etude-tableau op 33 no 8 on page 61), but as this is the first time we have published Rachmaninov, we wanted to present an intermediate piece too – not so easy to find, when it comes to Rachmaninov! So we asked Sean Montgomery to arrange the famous variation from Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. The original piece, for piano and orchestra, was written in 1934 and comprises 24 variations on Paganini’s Caprice No 24 for violin. Playing tips: Firstly, get used to playing the LH pattern. We suggest to definitely

#3 ∑q = 52 & ## 4Andante Andante q = 52 3 ∑q = 52 & #### 43Andante ∑ p & # 43 & 4p f∑ f f ? ## 43 pf f f f ? ## 43 pf f ff ff 3f ff ? ## 43 f 3f f f f ? ## 43 con f f f Ped. 3

## 4& ## 4 4 & ## & ## & ? ## ? ## ? ## ? ##

{{ { {{ { {{ {

## 7 7& # 7 & #### &# & ? ## ? ## ? ## ? ##

{{ { 2 1

ff ff ff ff f f f ff f f f 2 1 2 1 2 1

1

2 3 5 2 5 33 2 3 3 con Ped. 5 3 5 con 3Ped.

1 1 1

3

f f f f

f f ff f f f f f f f 4 4 4 4

## &# & #### &# & ? ## ? ## ? ## ? ##

FF FF FF FF f f f f

f f f f f fff ff ff ff 4 4 4 4

3

f f f f

f f f f

ff 3 f nff ff 33 Jf nff ff fJ nff fff fJ nff Jf f f f f f ff f f f f f f

f f f f

#ff #f #ff #f f f ff f ff f f f

10 10 10 10

f Jf fJ fJ mf J f mf mf f mf f f

con Ped. 3 5 3 5 3 5

7

ff ff ff ff f f f f

2

5

5 1 5 1 5 1 5 1

f f f f

f f f f f f f f 5 5 5 5

3 3

f f f f

f f f f

3

f3 f33 f f

f f f f

ΠΠΠΠf f f 3ff f f f3

f f f f f f f f

f f f f

f f f f

learn hands separately at the start. Once the LH is secure, the RH will be easier to master. There are indeed some tricky moments and the coda at the end requires some good reading skills (what with all the additional accidentals), but we are sure you will love learning and performing this piece. Listen to the CD and to how our pianist Chenyin Li phrases the famous romantic melody beautifully. Pedal tips: We have written ‘con pedal’, which means ‘with pedal’. Use your ears. For more on Sean Montgomery, go to www.seanmontgomerymusic.com. 5 1

q = 52

Andante

4

INTERMEDIATE

Variation No 18 from Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

f ff f f ff f f f

3

f f f f

f f f f

f f f f

f 3 f 3 f 3 dim. ff dim.f dim. f dim. f f f f f

f Jf fJ fJ Jf f f f

ff ff ff ff f ff f

f f f f

f f f fff ff ff ff 3 3 3 3

f f f f

f f f f

f f f f

3

f f f f

f3 f33 f f

f f f f

f f f f

f f f f

f f f f

ff ff ff f f f f f f f ff f ff ff f ff ff f f f f f f 5 5 5

f #f f ##ff f #f f

2 2 2

f f f f

3 1

F FF F F F f f f f 2 1 2 1 2 1

f ff f f f f f f f

f f f f f f f f f f f f

f f f f

f f f f

4 4 4 4

f f f f

ff ff ff f pf f pf p ff f 3 1 3 1 3 p1

j fj nff #f fjj nff #f f nff #f ff fnf #f f fffff f fff ff

3

ff f pf ff f pf f pf p f f f f f f

2 5

FF FF FF FF f f f f

f f f f

f f f f

3 3

3 3

FF FF Fcresc. FF Fcresc. cresc. f f cresc. f ff f f f f f f f

f f f f

ΠΠΠfΠf f f 3f f f 3f

f f f f f mf f ff mf mf ff mf ff ff 5 1 5 1 5 1

2 1

3 1

ff 3 ff 33 ff ff f f f f f f f

3 1 3 1 3 1

3

f f f f

nnFF nnF nnF nnfFF f nf ff f nf f nf f nf f

f f f f

f 3 f ff ff 3 Jf f 3 fJ ffff fJ ff ff Jf f ff f f f f f fff f f f f f

5 1

f3 f33 f f

f f f f

f f f f

f f f f

3

f f f f

f3 f33 f f

5 5 5 5

5 1 5 1 5 1

f nf f nn ff f nf f

3

f f f f

#f #f #f #f f #ff f #ff f #ff f #ff

f f f f

f #f f ##ff f #f f

42• Pianist 76

p42 Scores Mont Rach-FINAL.indd 42

09/01/2014 11:08

RACHMANINOV arr. MONTGOMERY

TRACK 8

13 13 13 13

### & & #### & &# ? ? #### ? ? ####

{{

### & & #### & &#

16 16 16 16

{{

? ? #### ? ? #### ### & & #### & &# ? ? #### ? ? ####

19 19 19 19

{{

FF ffF fFf 1 1

mf 1 mf 1 mf mf

ff ff

ff ff

ff ff

ff ff ff f

ff ff

ff ff

ff ff

ff ff

ff ff

{{ {{

2 2 2 2

ff ff

ff ff

ff ff

FF FF FF F ff ff

ff ff

ff ff

ff JfJf JJ

ff ff

ff f ff ff ff ff f

ff ff

ff ff

p42 Scores Mont Rach-FINAL.indd 43

ff ff ff fff ff f

ff ff

2 2 2 2

ff ff ff f ff ff ff

ff ff

fff f ff

ff ff

FF FF FF

ff ff

ff ff

cresc. cresc. cresc. cresc.

ff ff

ff ff

bbnnn FFFF bbn FF f f f f

ff ff ff

ff bbff ff bbff

ff ff ff f ff f dim. dim. fff dim. dim. ff f

ff ff

ff f ff ff ff ff f

ff ff ff ff

ff ff ff ff ff

ff ff ff f ff ff

ff ff

ff nn ff ff nn ff

ff ff

ff ff

## ff ## fffJ fJf JJ f ff fff ff f f

ff JfJ fJ J

ff ff

ff ff

2 2 2 2

ff ff

ff ff

ff ff

ff ff

ff ff

fff f ff

ff ff ff f f f f f f f ff f f ff f ffffff ff ff f ff ff f

ff ff

ff ff

ff ff

ff ff

ff ff

ff ff

ff ff

ff ff

ff ff

ff f ff ff ff ff f

ff ff

ff ff ff f dim. dim. dim. dim.

ff ff

ff ff

ff ff

3 3 3 3

ff ff

ff ff

ff ff

ff ff ff ff ff ff

ff ff

ff ff

ff ff

ff ff

ff ff

ff ff

ff ff

ff f ff ff ff ff ff ff f ff

3 3 3 3

ff ff

ff ff

ff ff ff

ff ff

FF FF FF F ff ff

ff ff

ff ff

FF FF FF F

ff ff ff ff

ff ff

ff ff

fff f ff

FF FF FF

ff ff ff ff

ff ff ff ff ff ff

ff ff ff mf ff mf mf ff ff mffff ff f

ff ff

ff ff

ff ff ff ff

ff JfJ fJ J

3 3 3 3

ff ff ff ff ff

ff ff ff

ff ff

3 3 3 3

3 3 3 3

ff ff f pf pf pf pf ff f

f ##fff ##pff p ff ppffff ff ff

FF FF FF F ff ff

ff ff

ff ff

ff ff

ff ff

ff ff

3 3 3 3

ff ff

FF FF FF F ff ff

ff f f ff JJf ff ff ff fJ ff f ff J dim. f f dim. fff ff dim. f dim. f f ff f f ff ff f f

ff ff

ff ff

ff ff

ff ff

3 3 3 3

FF FF FF

### ff ™™™ & & #### fff ™™™ & &# ? ? #### f ff ? ? #### fff ff ### & & #### & &# ? ? #### ? ? ####

ff ff ff ff

ff ff ff ff ff ff

3 3 3 3

22 22 22 22

25 25 25 25

INTERMEDIATE

Variation No 18 from Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

ff ff ff f ff ff ff ff

ff JJf JfJ ff ff

ff ff ff fff ff f

3 3 3 3

ff ff

ff ff

43• Pianist 76

09/01/2014 09:23

RACHMANINOV arr. MONTGOMERY

TRACK 8

28 28 28 28

## & ## & ### & &# ? ## ? ## ? ? ####

f f ff mp f mp mp f mp ff

# & ### #f ™ & ### #f ™ & & # ##ff ™™ ? ## f f ? ## f ff ? ? #### ff f

{{

34 34 34 34

## f & ## nff & ### nf & & # nnfff ? ## f ? ## f ? ? #### ff

f f ff

## & ## & ### & &# ? ## ? ## ? ? ####

39 39 39 39

{{

2

1

2

1

#ff #ff ##ff f f f ff

2 2

1 1

4 4

#f #f ##ff

3 3

3

Œ Œ ŒŒ

j fj fjj ff f ##ff f #f ff #f

f f f ff f ff

nfff nff nnpff f npppf nf nnff 3

4 4

nf nf nnff n ff b f nf bf n f nf bf nn ff nnff bf

{{

{{

4

5 5

31 31 31 31

# & ### & ### & &# ? ## ? ## ? ? ####

4

5

f f ff

f f ff

4 4

nF nF nnFF FF f f ff

f f ff

5

ff ff fff f f ff

{{

36 36 36 36

INTERMEDIATE

Variation No 18 from Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini

f f ff f f ff

f f ff

f f ff

nff nff nnfff f f ff

f f ff f f ff

#f #f ##ff #fff #ff ##ff 1 1 1 1

f f ff

f f ff f ff

f f ff

f f ff

f f ff ‰ ‰ ‰‰

f f f nf f f nnff nnff 3f f f nnndim. ff 3 f 3 dim. 3 f nnff dim. dim. f nf ff nf

nf nf nnff

f f ff

2 4 2 4

f f ff

j fj fjj ff

f ff ff ff ff ff ff

f f ff

f f ff

f f ff

F F FF FF FF FFF 5 5 5

≈ ≈ ≈≈ ff ff fff

f f ff

f #f #ff ##ff f f ff

f f ff

4 4

#ff #ff ##ff f #f #f ##ff

ff ff fff f f ff

44• Pianist 76

nff nff nnfff nf nf nnff

3 3 3 3

f f ff

j fj fjj ff

f f ff

3

2

3 3

2 2

1 1

1 1

f f ff

2

#f f #f f ## ff 3f f 3 3 3

f™ f™ ff ™™ f ff

f f ff

f f ff dim. ff dim.f bf dim. f f bf dim. f ff bbff ff

nf nf nnff

#f #f ##pp ff pp ff #pp ff #pp ##fff 1

f f ff

bf bnf bbnff bnnff bf bbff

3

1

f f ff f f ff

f f ff

#f #f ##ff

4 4

5

2 4

p42 Scores Mont Rach-FINAL.indd 44

f f ff

f f ff

f f ff ff Jf Jff JJ

2 4

F F FF ff fJf fJff JJ

f f f ff ff f f ff f

f f ff

f f ff

ff ff ff ff #f #ff ##ff

3 3 3 3

1 1

Œ Œ ŒŒ

Œ Œ ŒŒ

Œ Œ ŒŒ

F F FF FF FF FF FFF

f f f f f f ff ff f f

f f f f ff ff ff ff f f ff Jf ff f f fJf ff f JJ f f ff f Jf Jff JJ

Œ Œ ŒŒ

f f ff ff ff ff fff

j fj fjj ff

f f ff

f f ff

f f ff ‰ ‰ ‰‰

f f ff ‰ ‰ ‰‰

ff #f ff #f ff ##ff f ff f f ff

f f ff

f f ff

f f ff

f f ff

U U F ™™ U U F™ FF ™™™ U FF ™ U FF ™™ U U FF ™™ FFF ™™™ 08/01/2014 14:32

A Z E R T Y

H A NS - G ÜNTER HEUMA NN

B E Gzerty INNERS XXXX (XXXXX)

PLAGE

KEYBOARD CLASS LESSON 4: THE DOTTED QUAVER / EIGHTH NOTE

Over the course of the year, Pianist will be covering the most basic stages of learning the piano through a series of Keyboard Class lessons written by Hans-Günter Heumann, the author of The Classical Piano Method (from Schott Music). This fourth lesson will help you become familiar with dotted notes.

Dotted Quaver / Dotted Eighth Note The dotted quaver (dotted eighth note) has the value of three semiquavers (three 16th notes). The dot extends the duration of the eighth note by half its value:

Finger Fitness Exercise In this exercise, play the dotted quaver and semiquaver figure (dotted eighth and 16th figure) precisely against the steady flow of semiquaver notes (16th notes). Aim to play it accurately in both hands.

Toreador Song

(see page 48)

On the final page of this lesson, we present Hans-Günter Heumann’s arrangement of the Toreador Song from Bizet’s famous opera Carmen. There are several dotted figures throughout the piece, as you’ll discover.

Georges Bizet (1838-1875) Country: France Period: Romantic Works: over 100

Georges Bizet was a child prodigy who learned to read music at the age of four, could play piano at the age of six and began studying with Gounod and Halévy at the Paris Conservatoire at the age of nine. He wrote his first Symphony in C major – perhaps his most beautiful orchestral work – at the age of 17. In 1857 he was awarded the prestigious Prix de Rome. After winning this prize, Bizet composed several operas, but apart from The Pearl Fishers, they did not receive much acclaim. However, his orchestral suite L’arlésienne, named after the stage work for which he provided incidental music, became widely known. Bizet’s most famous work – the opera Carmen – was first performed on 3 March 1875, but unfortunately its composer did not live to experience its great success.

45• Pianist 76

p45-48_Keyboard76-FINAL.indd 45

08/01/2014 14:31

HANS-GÜNTER HEUMANN KEYBOARD CLASS

A Z E R T Y

PLAGE

A

(XXXXX) Piano Concerto No 21 in CXXXX major zerty K467 (second movement)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) arr. Hans-Günter Heumann du faux texte Bella terra et mari civilia externaque toto in orbe terrarum saepe gessi, victorque omnibus veniam petentibus civibus peperci. Externas gentes, quibus tuto ignosci potuit, conservare quam excidere malui. Millia civium Romanorum sub sacramento meo fuerunt circiter quingenta. Ex quibus deduxi in colonias aut The lovely second movement of this concerto is known to many people for its use in the 1967 film Elvira Madigan. remisi in municipia sua stipendis emeritis millia aliquanto plura quam trecenta, et iis omnibus agros adsignavi aut pecuniam pro praemiis militiae dedi. Naves cepi The theme includes several dotted figures. sescentas praeter eas, si quae minores quam triremes fuerunt.Bella terra et mari civilia externaque toto in orbe terrarum saepe gessi, victorque omnibus veniam petentibus civibus peperci. Externas gentes, quibus tuto ignosci potuit, conservare quam excidere malui. Millia civium Romanorum sub sacramento meo fuerunt circiter quingenta. Ex quibus deduxi in colonias aut remisi in municipia sua stipendis emeritis millia aliquanto plura quam trecenta, et iis omnibus agros adsignavi aut pecuniam pro praemiis militiae dedi. Naves cepi sescentas praeter eas, si quae minores quam triremes fuerunt.Bella terra et mari civilia externaque tot.

46• Pianist 76

p45-48_Keyboard76-FINAL.indd 46

08/01/2014 14:31

HANS-GÜNTER HEUMANN KEYBOARD CLASS

A Z E R T Y XXXX (XXXXX)

zerty

PLAGE

Turn over the page to play an arrangement of the Toreador Song from Bizet’s Carmen. Hans-Günter Heumann continues his beginners series in the next issue. To find out more about Heumann, go to www.schott-music.com

47• Pianist 76

p45-48_Keyboard76-FINAL.indd 47

08/01/2014 14:31

HANS-GÜNTER HEUMANN KEYBOARD CLASS

Toreador Song

A Z E R T Y XXXX (XXXXX)

PLAGE

A

zerty

du faux texte Bella terra et mari civilia externaque toto in orbe terrarum saepe gessi, victorque omnibus veniam petentibus civibus peperci. Externas gentes, quibus tuto ignosci potuit, conservare quam excidere malui. Millia civium Romanorum sub sacramento meo fuerunt circiter quingenta. Ex quibus deduxi in colonias aut remisi in municipia sua stipendis emeritis millia aliquanto plura quam trecenta, et iis omnibus agros adsignavi aut pecuniam pro praemiis militiae dedi. Naves cepi sescentas praeter eas, si quae minores quam triremes fuerunt.Bella terra et mari civilia externaque toto in orbe terrarum saepe gessi, victorque omnibus veniam petentibus civibus peperci. Externas gentes, quibus tuto ignosci potuit, conservare quam excidere malui. Millia civium Romanorum sub sacramento meo fuerunt circiter quingenta. Ex quibus deduxi in colonias aut remisi in municipia sua stipendis emeritis millia aliquanto plura quam trecenta, et iis omnibus agros adsignavi aut pecuniam pro praemiis militiae dedi. Naves cepi sescentas praeter eas, si quae minores quam triremes fuerunt.Bella terra et mari civilia externaque tot.

48• Pianist 76

p45-48_Keyboard76-FINAL.indd 48

08/01/2014 14:31

ISS ’T M ’S DONNEWMAN

WATCH CHENYIN LI PLAY THIS PIECE AT PIANISTMAGAZINE.COM

N ESSO CE T

JANE

L

TRACK 9

Muzio CLEMENTI (1752-1832)

IE

HIS P

ON T

E PAG 22

INTERMEDIATE

Sonata in F sharp minor op 25 no 5, slow movement

Born in Italy, Clementi spent most of his career in England, where he achieved success not only as a concert pianist, but also as a composer, conductor teacher, music publisher and piano maker – enjoying what would be called a ‘portfolio career’ today. This sonata was composed in 1790, when Clementi was at the height of his fame as a keyboard soloist, but a visit of Haydn to London the following year would nearly eclipse Clementi. The first movement of this sonata was presented in issue 75.

Lento Lento 3 ##Lento 2 3j

e e 2 2 e

patetico patetico 3 3 patetico f3 f

q q fq

Playing tips: Because this is Lento (very slow), it is quite hard to keep the flow going. It might be worth using a metronome at first (but don’t let it take over – this piece should sound anything but metronomic!). Even if this piece is early Classical in style, it is extremely romantic. Pedal tips: See the markings in the score. Don’t over-pedal. Read Janet Newman’s in-depth lesson on this piece on page 22.

= = 60 60 = 460 4

3 3 5 5

3 3

4

3 5

3

3 2 5 2 1 1 2 1 2 1

3

ff ffJ ffJ fJ 5 5 4 4 5 4 5 4

= 60 fff fj f f ff f f ‰f #f ™ ff fff f f f f f nf f f ff f #f nf f ™ f f f f j f #f ™ J f fj ‰ ‰f J f f f f f nf f J f f #f nf f ™ f >f f f f f f j f f f ‰f #f ™ fJ ff f p p ‰ fJ ff f #f nf f ™ f f >f f fj f ‰f Jf ff f f f nf f f f ‰ fJj f ff f > f ff p ‰ fJ f ‰ #ffJ ff ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ f f ffJ ff p fj f #fJ f ‰ ‰ Jf f ‰ ‰ ‰ ff ffø ø fJ f fj f #° ° ° J ‰ ‰ Jf f ‰ ° ‰ ‰ fJ f fJ f f f ø ø ° J ° ° ° ø ø ° ° ° ° 5 5 f f ff ff ## ff f f ff ff 5 ‰ ‰ ≈ ‰ f f f f f f & f f f # f f f f 5 f ‰ Jff ff ‰ fJf ff ‰ fJf ff ≈ f # f f f f. f. f. & ### ff f cresc. ‰ fJ f ≈ f # f f f f. f. f. ‰ Jf f cresc. ‰ fJf ff f & f f f f cresc. f f f J f J f f f f f f f f f f f f # f f f f. f. f. #f f ≈f ? ## ≈ #f f fJ ≈ #f f f ≈ cresc. f f f f ? ## ≈ ff #f ff f ff f ff ≈ ff #f ff f ff f ff ≈ ff #f ff f ff f ff ≈ #f f f f f f f f f f f f f f ≈ #f f ≈ #f f ≈ f #f f f f f f f f f f f f ? ## ≈ #f ° ° ° f #f f f f f f f f f f f f f f ° ° ° f ° ° ° 10 10 ## ™ j 10 fff f f n f & fj 3f 10 ## f ™ f 3 f f nffj & ## ™ f 3f f f f sf 3 3 3 f f 3 3 3 ndolce ff dolce & sf j RH RH f K 3 r f ™ f f f dolce ? ## sf #f #f f f fj ≈ ™#ffKr f ™ nf f3#f f f f3 f f f f3 f f- ™ RH f f f f ? ## sff f f f # f #f f f RH # f #f f f ‰fj ≈ ™# fKr f ™ f nf f3#f Œf f f3 f f f f3 f f- ™ f Œ dolce ‰ ≈ ™# RÔf f ™ f nf f #f Œf f f f f f f f f ™ f Œ ? ## f f # f #f f f # f #f f f ° f f ‰ # RÔf ° f f f f Œ ø Œ # f #f #f 14 RÔ ° 14 ø ° > 14 # ø ° f f #f f f nf f f f f f n° j f f f f f f > f f # f f f f f f f 14& f fj f f f f nff f #f f f f nf f f f f f nf f . f. #f. nf. ## ff f f # f > f f f f f fj f 33 f f f nffpoco cresc. f f #f f f f f #f f f nf f f f dim. & ## ff f f nf f f. f. #f. nf. dim. poco cresc. f f f f f. f. #f nf f≈ 3 & f≈f nff≈poco cresc. ≈ f f #f f f ≈ ≈ dim. f f f f f ff ff. . nff cresc. ff ff f≈ ff ff ff f≈ ff ff ff dim. ? ## ≈f ff ff ff f≈ ff 3 ff ff f≈poco ≈ f f f f ? ## ≈f ff ff ff f≈ ff ff ff f≈ nff ff ff f≈ ff ff ff f≈ ff ff ff ≈f ff ff ff ? ## f ff ff ff f ff ff ff f nff ff ff f ff ff ff f f f f f f f f

& ## 42 & ## 42 & 4 ? ## 42 ? ## 42 ? ## 42

{{{

{{{ {{{

3

2

3

3

2

4

1 1

3 3

2 2

1 1

2 2

1

3

2

1

2

1

3

2

1

2

3 3

4 4

3 3

3

4

2 3 2

3

4

3 2

4 4

2

3 5

4

2

3 5 1 1

4

1

5 5 3 3 5 3 5 3

3 3 3 3

3 3

1 1

3

1

3

1

1 1

2 2

1

2

1

2

4 4 2 2 4 2 4 2

2

2 21 1

1 1

1 1

21

1

21

1 1

3 3

5 5

3

3 3

1

3

4 4

5

3

3

3 3 2 2 3 2 3 2

1 1 1 1

3 3

2 2

3 3

2 2

3

2

3

2

3

2

4

5

{{{

3 3 5 5

1

5 5 4 4 5 4 5 4

5 5 3 3 5 3 5 3

2 2

1 1

3

2

3 3

5 5

1 1

4 2 1 2 1

1 1

3 3

2 2

3 3

3

5

1

2

1

1

3

2

3

3

5

1

2

1

1

3

2

3

1 1

3 3 3

3

49• Pianist 76

p49 Scores Clementi-FINAL.indd 49

08/01/2014 14:36

WATCH CHENYIN LI PLAY THIS PIECE AT PIANISTMAGAZINE.COM

INTERMEDIATE Muzio CLEMENTI ≈≈ f.. f.. f.. (1752-1832) ≈≈ f.. f.. f.. . . . . . . f. 25 f. #no f. f. f. n f f f f f f Sonata in F 5, ff ff ffminor f≈f≈ ff. op nnslow ff ff movement ≈ ff sharp f f ### f ≈ f f f f f f f nff ff ff # f f f #f & ff ffff ff ff ff ff f. f. f. ##ff ff nnff ff ff f. f. f. nnffffff ffffff ffffff bb##fffff fffff fffff & #### ##ff ™™ ff ff ff bb#ffff ffff ffff ≈ ≈ 17& ff ff-rf pf f f rf pf f f nff & # ##ff ™™ rf p rf p nffff ff ff f f f f f f f n f f f f f ## ≈≈ ff ff ff f- ff ff ff rf nfffffff ffff fff b#fnfff fff ffff #rf ff f f f f pp rf rf ff ff ff ff ff pp f # ? # & f f f f f f f ™ ? ### #f≈f≈ ff ff ff ff- ff ff ff f ff f ff JJf ‰‰ ff f ff JJf ‰‰ ##nff f ff f nnff f ff f f f f f f f f f f fJ p ‰ #fff f ? # nf f rf rf ? ### ff JJ p ‰‰ ‰ ##ff ff J nnff ff ≈ f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f nf f ? ## f J ‰ J ‰ ##ff ff nf f 21 ff ff ff nn ff ff ff ## ff ff 21 f # f # f # f # f # f # f ## #f ff f ff nnff ff f ff #f ff f ff f ff f ff #f ff ff ff nnff ff ff ff # f ff f ff nn ff ff f ff #f ff ff ff ##ff ff ff ff # f ff f ff ## ff ff ff ff 21 21& # & ### #f ff f ff nf ff f ff ##ff ff f ff f ff f ff #f ff f ff nf ff f ff # f ff f ff ff f ff #f ff f ff #f ff f ff # f ff f ff ff ff ##ff f nf f ##ff f #f f & # ##ff ff nf ff 21& cresc. rf f f f # ff f n f f cresc. #nrf ff f # f f # f dolce ## dolce f f f nf f f f f f f f f #f f f f nf f f f f f f f #cresc. f f f #f f f f nrf ff f f f f dolce cresc. rf f & # f dolce f ? # f n f #f f ? ### f f n ff f # f ff ff ? f #cresc. f ? #### dolce rf ff ##ff f ff f nf f f # f ? ## f f #f f ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ÿ 24 f f 24 nn ff ff ff ff ff f ff ff ff f ff ff ff ff nnff ŸŸF~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ff ff # f # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # f ff ff f # 24 f f # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ F Ÿ f fff fff 24& # #f n f f & ### #f n f f ff ff ff f ff ff ff f ff ff ff ff nnff FF f ff f f f f f #f & ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ & pp Ÿ 24 f f f f f f f f^ n f f f pp f f ff n f f f f f f f # f f f f n f f ™ f ## #ffFF^ F f n f f f f f f f pp f™ f f ™ f f f f f f f pp j f™ f f f f f f f ™ F & ? ≈≈ nn fff fff fff fff fff fff fff ff™ ffjj ? #### ## FFF^^ ff™™ j ? pp f ? #### fF^ ≈≈ f f f f f f f f n° ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff™™ #F ffj ° f f f f f f f F ? ## ° ≈ ° f f 27 27 ° ## ff ff ff ff f #f ™ f ff ff ff f nf f f jj 27 f f ‰ Œ ‰ f f 27& # ff # f j f f ‰ Œ ‰ f f f f f ™ f f # f ™ f n f ff f f ff ff f f f‰ f ff f ##ff nnff ff ™ ff f ff f fj Jff ff & ### Œ ‰ fjj ‰f ff ff f f ff f‰‰ ‰‰ fJJf # Œ ‰ pf ‰f JJ f f f f ##ff ™™ fJJf ff f f ff nnff ff‰ fJJ ff f #f nf f ™ f >> f fjj Jff ff & & ffJ f ffJ ff f f #f nf f ™ ff ff ff ff f JJ 27 f f f f ‰ pf ‰ f f f f ‰ ‰ f J J >> ‰ Jf f f f ‰J ## ff ff f #f f f‰ f Jff f f J p f f f f pj # f f f f Œ ‰ ? & f f nf f ‰‰ ##ff ff f #f nf f‰‰ ™ ffff f f f fffj fJ ≈≈f ff ##ff ff fff ff fffJ ff ‰‰ #f ™ ffjj fff ? #### FF f ‰‰‰f fff ffff ‰‰ #fJ f fJJf > ff ≈ f #f f f f f fJjj f ? ? #### FF p ‰‰ JJff ff ‰‰ ‰ J ‰ ‰ ffJ ff ° ≈ f f f f fJJ f ff ° ° FF ° ° JJf f ° ° ° J f f f f f f # f f # f ff j ? ## F ° f f ° ° ° ‰ ‰ ‰ ≈ ‰ ° ff ° ° fJ f ff fJ f° . . .. J F . . ≈ . . . 33 ≈ ff.. ff..° ff. ff. ff. ff.. 33 ° ff ° f f f ### ff ° ‰ fff f f f ≈ # f # f # f f . . . 33 ff ‰‰ #ff #ff ≈≈ ff. ff. ff. #f f f f f≈ ff ff ff 33& # f ‰ fJf & ### ff f f f # # ##ff ff f ff ff . . . fJf ff #JfJf #ff ≈ ‰ f f f ‰ f # ≈ ‰ f f f ‰ & fJ f cresc. ff ≈ ppf f f fJJ f ff 33& rf f. f. f. rf f f f ## ff f #f f f‰ f Jfff f ff cresc. cresc. ff fff f fff ff pp ff ##ff ff ff‰ ff #fff ff #f nnffff #f ff ff≈ ff f ff #nrf cresc. rf f f f f f ? # f & # f f ? ### f≈≈ f #f f ff f Jf f ≈≈ f #f f ff f fJ f f≈≈ nf #f f f f f f nf f f f fJJ ‰‰ f #f f f f f ≈ nff ##ff f f f ff f nnrfff f ff f ff p ‰ ? ? #### ≈≈ f #f f f f f ≈≈ cresc. ≈ JJ ‰ ° ° ° ° f f f #f f f ° ff f f ≈ nf #f f f f f f nf f f f f ? ## ≈ f #f f f ° ° ≈ ° J ‰ Pianist ° °

TRACK 9

17 17 17 17

{{ { {{ { {{ { {{ { {{ {

3 3

2 2

2 2

1 1

3 3

4 4

3 3

2 2

2 2

1 1

3 3

4 4

2 2

3

2 2

2 2

4

3

2

2

3 3

4 4

1 1

3 3

4 4

3 3

3 3

4 4

1 1

3 3

4 4

3 3

4

1

3

4

3

1

2

1 2 5 2 5 1 1 2 5 2 5 1

3 3 3 3

2 5 1

3 2 2

3 3

2 2

3 3

2

3

2

3

2 2

2 2

2 2

2 2

1 3 1 3

2 2

4 1 3

2

3 3

3

2

2 2

2 2

2 2

5 5

2 1 1

1 1

2

1

5 5

5

3 3

1 1

3 3

1 1

1 1

3

1

1

3 3

1 1

3 3

3

4 2 4 2 4 2 4 2

3 3

2 2

2 2

2

2

1 3 1 3

4 2 4 2 4 2 4 2

1 3 1 3

2 2

1 3 1 3

2 2

4 1 3

2

32 32

32

5 3

1

5 5

2 2

5 5

2 2

4 4

3 5 3 5

3 3

2 2

3 5 3 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

3 3

4 4

3 5 3 5

3 3

2 2

3 5 3 5

4 4

5 5 4 4 5 5 4 4

4

2 2 1 1 3 2 5 2 1 1

3

2

1 1 3 5 1 1

4

5 4

2 1

1

5 5 4 4 5 5 4 4

5 5 3 3 5 5 3 3

5 4

5 3

4

4 4

1

1 1

3 3

2

5

4

32 32

2 2

3

4 4

1 5 5 5 3 3 5 5 3 3

2

3 3

3

4 4

5 1 5 1 5 1 5 1

1 1

5

1 4

4 4

1 1 5 5 1 1 5 5

1 1 4 4 1 1 4 4

p49 Scores Clementi-FINAL.indd 50

2 2

4 4 2 2 4 4 2 2 4 2

2

5 5 3 3 5 5 3 3 5 3

1 1

3 2 1 3 2 1

1 1

3 2 1 3 2 1

1

3 2 1

2 2 2 2

2 2

2

2 2

2 2

2 2

2 2 2

2 2

2 2

2 2

2

2

50•

2

76

08/01/2014 14:36

WATCH CHENYIN LI PLAY THIS PIECE AT PIANISTMAGAZINE.COM TRACK 9

### f nnff & & ### ff nf & ## f nf rf & rf rf f rf ? ? #### rfff ff ?# f f ? ### f

37 37 37 37 37

{{

1 1

3 3

1 1

3 3

1

3

3 3

ff f f 4 4 4 4 4

ff f f

ff f f ff f f

3 3

≈≈ ≈ff ≈f f 2 2 2 2

ff JJf Jf J 2

2 2 2 2

3

2

Muzio CLEMENTI (1752-1832) .. .. .. op 25 no 5, slow movement .. Sonata .. .. in F sharp≈ minor ≈ nn ff. ff. ff. ff. ff. ff. ff ff ≈ # f ##ff##ff f ? f . . . # f f f. f. f. ff nnff f ff ff≈n f f f ? ##ff f f f & ##ff##ff f f #f#f f f f f nf f f fn f f f ? ? #f #f f f & & #f f f #f#f # f & # f f ? n f f f # f f p rf p sf p rf p sf & #f#f f p rf p sf p rf p sf f f f f f f f ff ™™ ‰ p ‰ rf p sf f f f f fJ ‰ ‰ ff ff ##ff # f J # f ## ffFF f f #f ff ™™ ‰ f f f f fJ ‰ # f f f f ‰ ff ™ ‰ # fF #f f f #f J # fF f™ 2 2

1 1

2 2

1

4 4

3 3

1 1

4 4

3 3

1 1

4

3

4 4

1 1

1 1

4

1

2

1 1

4 4

1

1 1 1 1 1

3 3

2 2

3 3

2 2

3

2

4 4

3 3

4 4

3 3

4

3

INTERMEDIATE

ff f f

ff f f 5 5 5 5

5

ff JJf Jf J

≈≈ ™™ KrKr ≈ ™ ##ffKrK ≈ ™ #fffr #fffKrK ≈≈ ™™ ##fffrKr ≈ ™ ## frK ≈ ™ ##ff #f 1 1 1 1 1

nnff ff f f f f f ff nnff f ff f f nnff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff nf f f ff f ff f ff f nf f ff ™™ ff ff f™ f™ f f nf f 33f f f f f33 f f nf f ff f3ff f ff f f 33nf ff f ™™ f f f™ ff ff f f f™ f f 3 f f3 f 3 p 3 dim. p f f 3 3 fff nffff 33f f f f33 f f ffff ffffdim. f 3 ff ff 3 dim. p # f f dim. p # f f 3 ff ff ŒŒ ≈ ff ff ≈≈ #fff fff fnnff fffdim. ŒŒ p≈ ff ff Œ ≈ #f f Œ ≈ fnnff fff f° f f f Œ ≈ ff Œ ≈ ° ° ° ° ° ° .. .. .. ° .. .. .. ff. ff. ff. ff. ff. ff. f f f f. f. f. f f f f. f. f. fff fff fff #ff ff ff ##fff ff fff ff fffJ f f‰‰ f ff nnff fff ff fffJ f ‰‰f f ###fffff fffff fffff nnn#fffff fffff fffff fff fff fff ##fffff fffff fffff ‰ #f f ff f fJfJ nf ff f JfJ ‰ f #fffff f f n f f f f f f pp ‰ #mf f f f f fJ pp ‰ mf n f mf f Jj pp mf mf ff jj pp mf ff mf j n f mf f f f n f fff f nff f ffj p ‰‰ mf f f f mf p n f #f #fff f nf f ff f nf f fJJj ‰ ##fff ff nff ff fffJfJjj ‰‰‰ ###fff fff nnnfff fff ff f nf f f ff f nf f ff # ff fføø nnfføø fføø ‰ ° J Jf ‰ ##° ° ° f f ° fJ f f ° J #° f fø n fø fø ° ° ° ø ø ° ° ø 49 f 49 ## ff ff ff ff ff nf #f ff n f f f # n f # f # f f 49 f f f f 49 ## ff ff nf ff ff #f ff f ff nf ff f ff ff nf ff nnff ff f ff ##ff f ff f ff f ff f # f ff f ff f ff f ff ff nf ff #f ff f ff & # ff nf & f 49 #f ff nf ff #f f nf #f & ### ##ff f f f nf f f f #f f f f nf f f f f f nf f nf f f f #f ff f ff ff ff f ff # f ff f ff f ff f ff ff nf ff #f ff f ff f f f nf f f f f f f f f f nf f nf f f f #f f f & #dolce dolce f dolce FF ? ff ##ff ? #### dolce ff ##ff dolce ? # ff FF ff ## ff ## ff # ? ## f F ff #f ##ff F f #f f #f ff ### # & # f f & ## ff ™™ #f ff ##ff ff f ff3 ff ff f & ## f ™ #f f33 #f f f f3 f f f & f ™ #f f33 #f f f f33 f f 3 3 ? ? #### ff ff ŒŒ ? # ff ff Œ ? ### ° f f Œ ° f f ° ° 45 45 # 45 45 ## # & 45& # & ### ff ff ## ff ff ff ff ff ff & f f # f f ff f f f f f #f f f f f ? ? #### f f f ?# f f f ? ### ff ff ff f f f f f f 41 41 41 41 41

2 1 4 3 4 3 2 1 2 1 4 3 2 1 4 3 4 3 2 1

{{

{{ {{

52 52 52 52 52

### & & ### & ## & ? ? #### ?# ? ###

{{

3 3

1 1

3 3

1 1

3

1

1 5 2 1 5 2

3 3

1 1 5 5 2 2

3 3

1 5 2

3

5 5 5

1 1 1 1 1

p49 Scores Clementi-FINAL.indd 51

2 2

3 3

2 2

3 3

2

3

1 1 1 1 1

4 4 4

4

1 14 4

2

1

4

14

2 2

1 1

1 1

2 2

3 3

1 1

2 2

3

1

3 3

2 2

4 4

3 3

2 2

4 4

3 3

2 2

4

3

4

3

2

2

2 2

1 1

2 2

2 2

21 1

2 2 3 23

1 1 2 12

2 2

2 2 1 2 1

2 2 3 23

1 1 12 2

3 3

2 2

1 1

3 3

2 2

1 1

2

1

3

2

1

3

3

1 4

3

5

4 4

3 3

2 5

2

1 1

4 4

3 3

4

2 2

2 2

3 3

5 5

1

3 3

1 1 4 4

2 2

14 14

4 4

2 5 2 5

4 4

4 4

4 4

3 3

5 5

1 1

4 4

1 4 1 4

2 2

2 2

4 4

2 5 2 5

4 4

1 1

4 4

3 3

ff f f f nnff f ##ff f ff f f ff f nf f #f f f f ff f ff nf ff #f ff f ff ‰‰ ff ‰ f ‰ f 5 5

1 1

4 4

ff ff ff ff ff nnnfff ff f f f f f nf f fffff f ffjj ffjj f f 1 1

2 2

3 3

4 4

1 1

2 2

3 3

4 4

1

2

3

4

2 4 1 2 4 1 1 2 2 4 4 1 2 4 1

2

3 3 3 3 3

2 2 2 2 2

4 4 4 4 4

5 5

4 4

3 3

1 1 5 5 1 1 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

3 3

4 2 4 2

4

3

2 2

3 3

4 4 2 2

2

3

4 2

1

ŸŸ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ff F FŸ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ff ff ff Ÿ F~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ff ff cresc. f f F ff cresc. nn#fff cresc. fff fff fff fff fff fff cresc. # f ff ff ff ff ff ff ≈≈ n#ff cresc. f f f f f f ≈ n#ff ff ff ff ff ff ff f f f f f f f ≈ ° ° Pianist ° ° 1 1 1 1 1

51•

32 2 32 2 ff2 32 32 2 32 ff2

76

4

ff f f fff ff ff 2 2 2 2 2

5 5 3 3 5 5 3 3 5 3

fff ff ff

4 4 2 2 4 4 2 2 4 2

fff ff ff pp pp pp pp pp

‰‰ ‰ ‰

j ffjj ffj f f

U U FF U U FF FF F

U U ∑∑ U ∑ U ∑

08/01/2014 14:36

Cole PORTER (1891-1964)

E COLTER R PO E

AR

TRACK 10

INTERMEDIATE

Night and Day

PAG 67

Ask most people to name a Cole Porter song, and they’re likely to cite Night and Day. With its compulsive one-note opening relaxing into a compelling melody, the song was a hit from almost the first moment it was sung, by Fred Astaire in the 1932 musical Gay Divorce (Astaire, and the song, appear in the 1934 Hollywood version, Gay Divorcee.) Playing tips: When it comes to interpreting this classic, think ‘lazy’. It has to have a really relaxed, effortless feel (even if you are working hard to create that!). Don’t rush,

Moderato con moto — ad lib. Moderato con moto — ad lib.

and never allow it to get too loud. When it comes to such tricky bars as 26, 48, 64 etc, remember to keep the wrists supple. Don’t attack the chords. The chords always have to be phrased and full of movement. Think of the top line as a melody. Pedal tips: See the markings in the score. You can use ample pedal, and that will help with the legato sound that you need. Read Inge Kjemtrup’s article on Cole Porter on page 67.

poco rit. poco rit. C A¨Œ„Š7

Beguine tempo q = 114 Beguine tempo

q = 114 U Beguine tempo U q = 114 f lib. f f f CfF f A¨Œ„Š7 f f # FF Beguine f f tempo f ad nbbFFfF f G7(#5) & 4 bfff f Ff f Ff f G/D fF f bC©º7 fF f poco fF f rit. F f f U # FF q =mf114 f n F F F 4 bmp Bº7 C/E C‹/E¨ G/D C©º7 C A¨Œ„Š7 G7(#5) b F F & 44 ff f f f f f f f f f fF f nbfF f #U FF f f f mf F F F mp b F F F f & FF f f f ? 44 bff f fFFF f bfFFF f fFF f #fFF f nfFF f nbfFFF f #U Ó mf mp F b F F F b ? 44 f F bF U Ó F # F n F b F f mf F mp F F F F F F ? 44 ° f Fø U Fø bFø ø ø ø Fø Ó # F n F f b F F FFø F F F F F ø ø ø ø ø ø ? 44 ° f F bF F Ó #F nF b F F ø ø ø ø ø ø ø ° 5 C‹/A¨ G G7(#5) CŒ„Š7 C 3 5 C‹/A¨ G G7(#5) C ø ø 3 ø CŒ„Š7 ø ø ø ° ø w & F f f f w 5 ffÓÓ nn fff3 ## fff CŒ„Š7 w & C‹/A¨ ‰ bbffff fffJf ‰ ffff ‰ ffff G‰‰F fff ffJf G7(#5) ‰w ff ff ‰ ff ‰ ff ‰FF ff ff C‰f ffff ‰f ffff 5 f f3 f CŒ„Š7 ‰w ‰ ff fJf ‰ ff ‰ ff ‰ ff fJf C‰f ‰f Jf ‰ f ‰ f GF ff fJf G7(#5) & C‹/A¨ f b f F f ff Ó n f w J J # f f f f f ‰ f & ? ‰w bff Jff ‰ ff ‰ ff ‰F ff fJf ffÓ n ff # ff ‰w ff ffJ ‰ ff ‰ ff ‰F ff ffJ ‰f ff ‰ff ff ‰ ‰f ‰f ? bF‰ F f fJ ff f f f F‰ ff ffJ ‰f ff ‰ ff ‰F ff ffJ ‰f J b f b F f F f f f f b fø ? ° fø ø ø Fø Fø sim. f f b F f F f f f ø ø ø ø ø ø ° sim. ? bf f F F f b F f f F f f f ø ø ø ø ø ø ° bf sim. 9 C‹/A¨ G G7(#5) CŒ„Š7 f 3 F F f 9 C‹/A¨ G7(#5) CŒ„Š7 ø øG ø 3 ø ø ø sim. ° & f f f f f f f w 9 C‹/A¨ ffÓÓ nn fff3 ## fff CŒ„Š7 ff ff ‰ ff ‰ ff FF‰ ff ff ff‰ ff ff‰ ff & f‰ bbfff f‰ fff f‰ fff f‰ fff Gf‰ fff f fffJ G7(#5) ‰ w f f f f 9 C‹/A¨ f f3 f CŒ„Š7 ‰ ff Jff ‰ ff ‰ ff ‰ ff Jff ‰ ff ‰ ff & f‰ bff f‰ ff f‰ ff f‰ ff Gf‰ ff f fJf G7(#5) f F Ó nf #f w J Jcresc.f poco ff aaf‰poco ff ? & bfF‰ bff f‰ ff bf‰ ff ff‰ ff f‰ ff f fJf ffÓ n ff # ff ‰w ff ffJ ‰ ff ‰ ff F‰ ff ffJcresc.f‰ poco poco f ? ‰ F‰ f f f f f f F‰ ff ff f‰ ff ‰ ff F‰ ff ffcresc.f‰ poco ff af‰pocoff ‰ bf‰ ‰ J b F f F f f f J J f ? bf F f f F cresc. poco afpoco f f F f f ? bF bf f F F f b F f f F f f f 13 A‹/F© A¨/F E‹7 F D7/E¨ f f D7/E¨F 13 A‹/F© A¨/F E‹7 & f f f f f f f f A¨/F ™ 13 A‹/F© f f f f f f f f D7/E¨ f f #f nf f f f f & f‰ ff f‰ ff ‰f ff f‰ ff bbFF‰ ™ b fff ffJf ‰ fff ff‰ fff E‹7 f f f f ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ f f f f f # ff # f n ‰f ‰f ff f‰ ff 13 A‹/F©f A¨/F b f f E‹7 f D7/E¨ f f f f f f f f f f f f ‰ ‰ f ‰ f ‰f # f & f‰ f f‰ f ‰f f f‰ f bF‰ ™ f Jf ‰ f f‰ f f‰ f‰ f‰ f‰ # f n f f f f ? f f f f b f f f f f & f‰ f f‰ f ‰ff f f‰ f bF‰ ™ f Jf bf‰ f f‰ f f‰ f f‰ f f‰ f f‰ f ‰f # f # f n ‰ff ‰ff ff f‰ ff ? #F‰ f ‰ f ‰f f f‰ f nF‰ b f f bf‰ f f‰ f n F‰ ff ‰ ff f‰ ff f‰ ff b ‰F # ff ff f‰ ff ‰ ‰ f J f bF f ? #F f f nF bf f n F f f ? #F f bF f f f nF bf f n F f f #F f nF f nF f bF f

Bº7

C/E

C‹/E¨

Moderato moto — C/E con C‹/E¨ 4 bBº7 f f C/E 44 Bº7 & Moderato f con f C‹/E¨ f f— moto

{{ {

G/D ad lib. G/D

C©º7 C©º7

{{ { {{ { {{ {

52• Pianist 76

p52 Scores Porter-FINAL.indd 52

C

A¨Œ„Š7

poco rit.

G7(#5) G7(#5)

Night And Day. Music by Cole Porter.Arranged by John Kember © 1932 WB Music Corp, USA.This arrangement © 2010 WB Music Corp, USA.Warner/Chappell North America Ltd, London W6 8BS. Reproduced by permission of Faber Music Ltd.All Rights Reserved.

ISS ’T M DONTICLE ON

09/01/2014 11:28

Cole PORTER (1891-1964)

TRACK 10

D‹7

17

&

{ Night And Day. Music by Cole Porter.Arranged by John Kember © 1932 WB Music Corp, USA.This arrangement © 2010 WB Music Corp, USA.Warner/Chappell North America Ltd, London W6 8BS. Reproduced by permission of Faber Music Ltd.All Rights Reserved.

D‹

f #f nf F

? ‰ nff F

G7

f f f f wf f f f F f f f f f f ‰ f ‰ f ‰ f fJ ‰ f ‰ f ‰ f fJ ‰ f ‰ f

F

G

G7(#5)

& w bf f F ‰ f fJ ‰ ff ‰ ff ‰ ff ffJ ? bf b f bF F

{

25

C

j ‰ ‰ ff ‰ ff ‰ ff ff f f F f

C‹/A¨

21

INTERMEDIATE

Night and Day

C‹/A¨

G7(#5)

f

f

F

f

f

F

f

f

C

3

f f ffÓ n ff # ff w f f ‰ f f ‰ ff ‰ ff F‰ ff ff ‰ ff ‰ ff J J f

3

F °

f

#f ø

f ø

F ø

f ø

f

sim.

CŒ„Š7

3

& f bff f ff f ff f ff #f f nf f n f # f w f f f f f f ‰ ff ff ‰ ff ‰ ff ‰F ff ff ‰f ff ‰f ff ‰ ‰ J ‰ J J mf ? bf f bF f F f F f f F f f

{

29

A‹/F©

A¨/F

E‹7

D7/E¨

& f f f f f f f f bF ™ f f f f f f f f f ‰ f ‰ f ‰ f ‰ f ‰ b f fJ ‰ f ‰ f ‰ ff ‰ ff ‰ ff ‰ ff f # f n f f f ? ‰ #ff ‰ ‰ ff ‰ ff f f f f f #F f nF f nF f bF

{

33

&

{

D‹

G7

f #f nf F

? ‰ nff F

D‹

F

G7

C

f f f f w ff ff ff ff F ff ff f ff f ff ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ f ‰ f ‰ J ‰ J ‰

‰ ‰ ff ‰ ff ‰ ff ffj f f F f

f

f

F

f

f

F

f

f

53• Pianist 76

p52 Scores Porter-FINAL.indd 53

08/01/2014 14:39

Cole PORTER (1891-1964)

TRACK 10

37

E¨

& bw bff ff ff ff F bff ‰ b f fJ ‰ f ‰ f ‰ b f ? bf bF bf bF

{

41

INTERMEDIATE

Night and Day C

3

ff ff f f f n f f f F f ‰ f F f f f f f f fJ f f ‰ f ‰ ‰ f f ‰ f fJ ‰ f ‰ f bf

E¨ 3

bf

F

f

f

f

F

f

C

& bff ff ff f‰ bff f‰ ff f‰ bff b‰f ff ff f f f n ff f f‰ F‰ ff ‰ ff ‰F ff ff f f f f bf f ‰ J ‰ f ‰ f

{

?

45

bF

3

bf

bF

bf

A‹/F©

bf

mp

bf

A¨/F

F

f

f

E‹7

f

F

D7/E¨

f

3

ff bff ff & f f f f f f f f bF ™ f f f f f f f f f # f ‰ f ‰ f ‰ f ‰ f ‰ b f fJ ‰ f ‰ f ‰ ff ‰ ff ‰ ff ‰ ff # f # ff n ff

{

#F

49

D‹7

?

f

f

nF

G7

bf

f

nF

f

3

3

f

f 3f f bf f f

f f b f f ff ° ø ø ø ø

ø

C(“4)/D C(“4)/D¨ C

& f nf f f F f ‰ f F f f f‰ ff f‰ ff w ff ff ‰ ff ‰ ff F‰ ff ff f‰ ff f‰ ff ‰ J J ‰ n f ‰ ‰ f f ‰ f fJ mf f ? F f bf f f F f F f bf F f

{

54• Pianist 76

p52 Scores Porter-FINAL.indd 54

08/01/2014 14:39

Cole PORTER (1891-1964)

TRACK 10

INTERMEDIATE

Night and Day

j bw bff ff ff ff F bff ff bff bf f ™ f f ‰ nff ‰ F‰ ff ‰ ff F‰ ff ff f‰ ff f‰ ff & ‰ bf f ‰ f ‰ f ‰bf f f f J J J

53

A¨

{

bF

?

bf

bf

bF

bf

A¨

bf f f f f f bf & b ff ff ff ff ff bff ff

57

{

?

3

bF

bf

D‹/B

F

bf

F

f

f

F

f

f

j ff bf f f ™ nff f F ff ff F ff ff f f f f bf f ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ J ‰ f ‰ f F

3

mp

bf

b f bF

3

f

f

F

D¨/B¨

f

F

f

A‹7

G7/A¨

f

3 f b ff ff f & f ff f ff f ff f ff bF ™ bff ff ff f ff f f f f f f f f f #f nf ‰ ‰ f ‰ f ‰ f ‰ f f f f ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ J ‰ ‰

61

{

? F

f

bf

bF

f

f

f

f

nF

f

3

f 3f f f f f bf f f bf f f ° ø ø ø ø ø 3

poco rit.

65

C(“4)/G

& ‰f nbff f ‰f ‰F ff

{

?

U f f w F bff ff ff ff ‰ ff ‰ ff w f f f f f ‰ Ó ‰ f ‰ ‰ J J ‰

C7(“4)/D C7(“4)/D¨

C7

G‹7

F

pp

F °

f ø

bf ø

F ø

f

f

F °

f

f

F

ø

ø

ø

FF u

U F “‘

55• Pianist 76

p52 Scores Porter-FINAL.indd 55

08/01/2014 14:39

Franz LISZT (1811-1886)

TRACK 11

Romance S169

Like many composers, Franz Liszt was not averse to reworking material from one genre into another, and often creating a new piece that was just as effective as the original. In the case of this Romance, which he composed for solo piano in 1848, it began life four years earlier as a song for voice and piano entitled Oh! Porquoi donc. Playing tips: Even though it might look challenging, this piece sits well under the fingers. And it is simply too gorgeous to resist! Most of the time, the accompaniment is dispersed between both hands, and it works very well. At bar 38 things become

Malincolico 1 #Malincolico 3 1 43 & #Malincolico 43 p f1 & #Malincolico

# 5 & # 5 & # 5 &# ? &# ?# ?# ?# 5

{{{ { {{{ {

# 9 &# 9 &# 9 &# ? &# ?# ?# ?# 9

# & 13 # &# 13 &# ? &# ?# ?# ?# 13 13

{{{ {

INTERMEDIATE/ ADVANCED

{{{ {

espressivo 2 4 espressivo 2 espressivo f4 f 2 espressivo f4

more complicated, with the introduction of triplets in the LH, and the RH melody now being executed in octaves. Always make the top note the loudest, thinking of the octaves as a one-note melody – it needs to sing. Keep the thumb loose and relaxed. Pedal tips: For pedalling in this piece, you should think in terms of whenever you change harmonies, that’s when you change the pedal. We have given some markings at the beginning to guide you. Obviously when harmonies become more complex, then more pedal changes are required.

5

f f f f & # 43 p f f ? f f & # 443 p f f f f f ? # 43 f f f f f f f f f p ? # 43 ° f f f fø f f ? # 43 ° f f f fø f f f fø ° j  ø f fj f ° ff F f f f f f j f f ff F f f f f fj f f ff f F f f f f f f ff f F f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f Œ f #ff f F f f f f f ff F Œ f f f f f #ff ff F Œ f f f ff ff #ff ff F Œ f f # f f f f f #f f f f f f # f f f f f # f f f f f f f f f f #f f f j f f f fj f ff F n f f f f fj f f nff ff F f f f f fj f f nff f fF f f ff f#f f nff F f f f f f f f f f f f f #f f f ff f f f #f f f f f f f f #f f f f f f 1

2

5

5

4

5

5

4

5

4

5

4

5 3

1

2 2 2 2

2

5 1 5 1 5 1

5 2 5 2 5 2

4 1 4 1 4 1

2

5 1

5 2

4 1

2 2

1

2

5

1

2

5

1

2

5

1

2

4 4 4

5 5

2

2 2

5

ΠΠΠΠf f f f f f f f f f f f

5

4

5

5

1

2 5 3 5 3 5 3

f f mp f mp f mp f f mp f fø f fø f fø øf f ff f ff f f f f f 5

1

2

5

4

1

2

5

2

f f f f

f f f f

2 2 2 2

bf bmp f bmp f bmp f f mp f f f 5 5 5

22

4

1

f f f ff f f f

f f f f f f f f

4 4 4

1

3

1

3

1

3

1

3

5 2 5 2 5 2

f f f f

f f f f

f f f ff f f f

f f f f f f f f

f f f f

f f f f

f f f bf bf bf bf

f f f f f f f f f f f f

1

2

2 2 2

1 1 1

2 2 2

5

1

5

1

5

1

4

ff ff ff ff

5

f f f f

1

1 4 1 1 4 1 4 1

f ff ff ff f

4 1

5 2

4

4 4

F™ F™ F™ F™ f f ff f f fø sim. f f fø sim. f fø sim. ø sim. 5

1

f f f f f f f f f f f f

1 3

™ >FF ™ >F ™ >F ™ # >f #f #f #f F™ F™ F™ F™ f f f f

1 3 1 3 1 3

F F F F f f f f

f f f f f f f f f f f f

f f #f f f #f f f #f f #f f

f f f f

f f f f

nf nf nf nf

f f f f

nf f bnff # f f bnff # f b f #f f f f bnff # f f f f f f f f

5

56• Pianist 76

p56 Scores Liszt-FINAL.indd 56

09/01/2014 11:29

Franz LISZT (1811-1886)

TRACK 11

INTERMEDIATE/ ADVANCED

Romance S169

accentato assai e sempre rubato

#Π&

17

{

?#

f

‰ fj nf bf f f 4 2

#Π& ?#

2

f

‰

.j . . f nff bf f

{

31

#

f #ff

{

f

f

F

fff J

f f bf f bf f

> F f

ff nf bf

f

f f bf f bf f

‰

f

j f ##ff #ff

ff #ff

f #f

f ‰

fff J

j #f

f #f

> #F f ‰ # fJ #f

Œ

Œ

#f f #f 4

f

2

f #f 1

2

j f ff #f f

f™

f

f

f

poco rit.

& #f # f f ‰ #‹ ffJ ‰ > ?# Œ #f ™

f j f ff ff f

rinforzando

f #f

F

f f

f

f

28

?#

5

4 1

f bf

#F &

4

3

f f

f

f f

f 5 1

2 1

nf bf f ™ f ff ‰

F

bf f f

25

{

3

‰ fj f ff f f

Œ

f f

f

2

# & Œ

{

p

f f

21

?#

F

ff bf f f n ff ff 1

Πf f f

f

f

^ ™ ###FFFF ™™™ f

#f

#f f #f

#f # # ff ‰ ‹ fJ Œ

f ‰ > #f ™

f #f

4

2

fff J

f ‰

1

fff J

j #f

1 5 57• Pianist 76

p56 Scores Liszt-FINAL.indd 57

08/01/2014 14:38

Franz LISZT (1811-1886)

TRACK 11

34

{

Romance S169

più ritenuto a piacere

F bnbFFF

∏∏∏∏∏

&

#

bf nf bf

mp

?#

bf

f Œ

f bf

# ##fFF f f f #f #f & Π&

F™ F™

4

4

# f & f

{

f

f f f #f 3

f f 1

Œ

3

f

f

&

f f f f f f

3

3

f f f

f f

f f ff f f f f

f f f f 4

f

ff

f f

f ff f f f f

F™ F™ #f

4

f f

f f f f f f f 4

f f

f f f f

4

f f

3

3

f f f f

f f f F™ f #ff f f f f F™

46

?#

f Πf f

3

3

f

4

4

f

5

Πf f f f f f

f Πf f f f

f

#f f nf

Œ

5

f f f f

f Œ

dolce armonioso

f f f f f

f f f f f 3

> #F & F

{

f

nf

F™ f F™ f f f f mp

f f

43

?#

#F n#FFF

più agitato

p

?

#f & f

{

bF ™ bF ™

f nff

smorz.

40

?#

f bf nf Œ

2

4

37

{

fF bf bF

f

1

5

#

INTERMEDIATE/ ADVANCED

4

f

f

f f f f f f f f 3

3

f f

f f f f

f f f f 4

f

4

58• Pianist 76

p56 Scores Liszt-FINAL.indd 58

08/01/2014 14:38

Franz LISZT (1811-1886)

TRACK 11

Romance S169

#F & F

f f f f f nf f

49

{

?#

f

f nf #f f 1

4

# & Œ

{

?#

f

f

f f

bf bf 2

f

3

1

nf nf

F F

f f f f 2

4

1

f

4

f f

Œ

f f # f bf f f f f

f

4

Πf f f f f

ff

nf f nf f 2

1

f f

f f

bf f f f

4

1

1

‰

“” f f fJ f

>F F

f f

f f

f f f f f f f f f f bf f & bf f f f f ? f

1

5

5

<“> #Œ

?#

{

f

4

f f f f

5

{

&

4

f

?# f f f f

61

f f f f f bf f

f f f bf

# F™ & F™

{

f f #f f

f

> F F

f f f f f #f

cresc.

4

55

&

f f

f f

ff

5

52

58

INTERMEDIATE/ ADVANCED

f

f. nf. bf. fJ nf bf

‰ bf f &

f f f b f f f

?#

f

f bf

f

&

f bf

f

‰

f f J

f

f f f f f f f ? f f f f & f f f f f f f

?

5

>F #

f nf bf f f nf bf f

F F

f

Πf

f

?

f

5

‰ bf

f

&

f bf

f. J

nf. f

f

bf. f

f

?

59• Pianist 76

p56 Scores Liszt-FINAL.indd 59

08/01/2014 14:38

Franz LISZT (1811-1886)

TRACK 11

Romance S169

f nf bf f

#F &

63

{

?#

INTERMEDIATE/ ADVANCED

‰

>F F

f #f f #f

f f J

f f

f f f f f f #f f f f f f ? f f #f f f f f f &f f f f f f f

# & ‰

66

f #f # f fJ #f #f

# F^ ™ #F ™

f #f f #f

ritenuto

#f # # ff f ff f ff ‰ ‹ fJ ‰ fJ ‰ fJ #f f f #f > # f ? # #f f #f f f # f ? #f ™ f # f f Œ f & #f j f #f #f

{

# > Œ & #F #f # # ff f ‰ # ffJ Œ ‰ ‹ fJ ‰ f #f # f ?# #f Œ ? #>f ™ # f f f & #f #f

più ritenuto

69

{

# & bnfFF bf bF ? # bF

72

{

f bf nf f

bf # #fFF

bf nf bf f

f

f f Πbf bf

f #f #f f

∏∏∏∏∏∏

ff f

ff f

∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏

∏∏∏∏∏∏

∏∏∏∏∏∏

ff f

ff .j #f f

ff .j #ff

∏∏∏∏∏∏

ff f

?

ff

∏∏∏∏∏∏

ff f

ff.j f f

∏∏∏∏∏∏

?

p

f& F F

∏∏∏∏∏∏

f

F bnbFFF

pp

# ff f

. ffj ff

∏∏∏∏∏∏

#f

nf #f

∏∏∏∏∏∏

&f

&

f

. ffj ff

.j f ##ff #f

∏∏∏∏∏∏

#f

fff f

f Œ

∏∏∏∏∏∏

∏∏∏∏∏∏

{

nf

f

nf

j #f

∏∏∏∏∏∏

fff f

#f nf

fff J

∏∏∏∏∏∏

# # FFF & #F

fff J

#F n#FFF

bff

75

?#

f

f ‰

FFF ™™™ nU nF ™ U F™ nF ™™ FF ™ 2 1 2 5

2 1 5

60• Pianist 76

p56 Scores Liszt-FINAL.indd 60

08/01/2014 14:39

ISS ’T M ’S DON PARHAM

TRACK 12

ON LESTHSIS PIECE

LUCY

ON

E PAG 24

Sergei RACHMANINOV (1873-1943) Etude-tableau in G minor op 33 no 8

Regular Pianist contributor Lucy Parham suggested this piece, as it’s one she loves to teach and play. Parham describes this piece as the ‘pearl’ in the opus 33 Etudes-tableaux, which were composed in 1911 when he was already a well-known composer with an American tour under his belt. You can find out more about Rachmaninov’s life and career in Harriet Smith’s article on page 70.

ADVANCED

Playing and pedal tips: This is a stunning piece, but has a very fierce middle section! Read what Lucy Parham has to say in her article – she will guide you through it. Note that there is very little fingering marked on to the score, but you will find helpful suggestions, too, within the article. Read Lucy Parham’s step-by-step lesson on this piece on page 24.

Moderato

b4 Œ fff∑ & b 4Moderato b4 Œ f- molto legato f- e cantabile f∑ mf pp & b 4Moderato b 4 pp - molto flegato - e cantabile ff- f f mf ≈ ≈ f ≈ f ≈ b ∑ Œ f f & 4Moderato ffffff ffffff fff fff fffffff b 4 ≈ ≈- fe cantabile & bbb 4 pp f f f f∑≈ f f f f f f Œ≈ f f mfff- fmolto f legato f f f f f f- f & 4 f f f b4 ≈ f f f f f ≈ f ≈ ≈ b f RH f f f f RH f f mff fmolto f legatofe cantabile ff f 3 RH & 4 pp f f f f f f ≈ f f ff ≈f b f b4 f ff f ? f≈ f f f b f 3 & b RH f F ≈ ≈ f ≈ f ≈ b # f f RH f f f≈ ff ff f f f ff ff f f? ≈ f ff fff ff f ≈ b f & 4 LHf f f RH f f b bf f ff dim. & f #LHf f f pF f 3 RH f RH RH ≈ f ? f pRH f f f ? f f f b LH f f dim. LH f f ≈f f ≈ & b f≈ f f f bf≈RH f f f≈ f f #f f f ff #f≈ F f f f f 3 f f f f b RH RH RH ≈ f? f ff f ≈ f f dim. ≈ f ≈ f & bbb f≈ f f f bLH f p ? mf LH f f #f≈ ≈- f fRH f f f f #f & F f f f f f f f f mf b≈ f ?f b ≈ ≈ ≈ LH & f f f f #f p 5 f f f f f dim. f LH f ff f Œf f ? bb ≈ f f RHff f- f mfff ? f f 5 & f ≈ ≈ ≈ ≈ f & f f f f f f f f #f f -f ff f ? bb p≈f fff f Œ f f f & ff f f 5 mf f f ff ? bb p≈ f f f f f f ≈ Œ f- f f f≈ff f & ≈ & f w f f f f f fff f f 5 ff fff f f ? bb f f f ≈ f ≈ f ≈ f f & Œ f ? bb pw ≈ff f- f f f ff f ff f f- f & f f ff fff ? bb f≈ f ≈ f ≈ f & f f f f pw 7 f f f ff f f f ff f b f ff F f f fF ≈ f f b f 7? & bbb f f f f f ≈ ≈ f # & f ffbff f ff ff f nff f f w f f b f f f F F f f bff f #f b f f & f f b f nf dim. mf 7 f f # f ff f f nf f bb f f f F f f ? F f b f dim. mf b f ≈f fff f ≈ &b ≈ f f f f bf f f bf bÓf f f nf ff nff ##ff f 7& f f f f f ™ f f ? f f f f bbbb ≈f f f fF f f ≈ f f f f f mf≈F J f f & f b dim. Ó f & f f f ffJ ™ bf f bf f f bf ff nf ##ff f f f nf f ≈ b≈ f f ? f b ≈ f f f & f ff f ff f f bdim. mf ff ™ f f bf Óf J f f nf f # f f f b f f ? ≈f fff f ≈ f &b ≈ f f f f bÓf f f ffJ ™f f bf

{{ {{ {{ {{

{{ {{

{{ {{

4

5

4

5

4

5

4

5

61• Pianist 76

p61 Scores Rachmaninov-FINAL.indd 61

08/01/2014 14:37

Sergei RACHMANINOV (1873-1943)

TRACK 12

9

ADVANCED

Etude-tableau in G minor op 33 no 8

b &b F

{

f f f

? b ≈ bf f b

fff

ff ff f f F f f ff ff FF

mf

f

p

f f f f f ≈ ≈ f f f f f f f

f f

?≈

f f f f f f ≈

f f-

f f f #f

mf

{

? bb

F

F Ff

bf Ff #ff f f f f f f f b f n f f f #f & ff mf dim. f ffff b f f f f f # f nf f b f f f f ≈ nf ≈ f f f ≈f f nf

∏∏∏∏∏∏

f ? bb ≈ f f f f

11

ff f

13

b FF b & F

{

fff

p

? bb ≈ f f f

ff

ff ff f f f f ff n ff

FF F

mf

p

ff ≈ f f f & fF f

≈

f f n f f f ff f f f ≈ff ? bb ≈ f f & ≈

15

{

? bb

cresc.

f™

b & b ff Π#ff Πf. f

18

{

? bb

pp

Πf Πf. f

f 3

≈ff f

fff

f ff f

?

FF b f f F b f f 3

fff f ≈f f≈

?

ff

mf

f f f

f f f #f f bFF ff F

n fff

F™

#f

3

nf f f f ™ > Ó

ff

fff

f f nf w >

mf

ff ≈f f

ff ff ff f fff f f ff f fff

ff

ff ff f f ff f ff ff ff

ff ff f f 2 f f ff ff 4

fff ff 2 f ≈ ≈ f ≈≈ fff ≈4 f f

62• Pianist 76

p61 Scores Rachmaninov-FINAL.indd 62

08/01/2014 14:37

Sergei RACHMANINOV (1873-1943)

TRACK 12

b2 & b 4 bfff

21

{

ff ff f f 44 #F f f ff ff n FF-

f

b & b #FF n F? bb ‰

bf ≈ 44 ‰ f f f f poco rit.

23

{

f ff n fff fff fff bbff fff nfff fff f

pp

dim.

? b 42 ≈ b

f f fff n fff fff fff bbff nfff

f

#f f nfJ f f f

‰

bf-

f

‰

#ff #ff f

f Óf f f f f f f

f

fff #nff ff # fff

{

? bb

bff

#f f nfJ f f

f-

LH

≈ f

b & b #fÓ

25

ADVANCED

Etude-tableau in G minor op 33 no 8

f #f f f

nf f F

veloce

f f f f f f f f f f fÓ f f f f f f f RÔ > f cresc. LH w

f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f

® ® ® f b ® & b #f f f f ff f f f nf f f f ff f f f f f f f ff f f f f bf f f f bf f nf ff > > > > LH ? bb

26

{

f ® ® f b ® f f ® b b f n f f & f f f # f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f bf nf nf f nf f > > > f f f > ? bb #f f

27

{

63• Pianist 76

p61 Scores Rachmaninov-FINAL.indd 63

08/01/2014 14:37

Sergei RACHMANINOV (1873-1943)

TRACK 12

b &b ®

28

{

? b >f b

#f bf f

? bb

{

f

f f f f f

f #f f nf f f f > f nf f

f bf

29

? bb

nf

#f f >

> ? bb n##w w w

{

ff

® #f nf # w f #w > # ff

? bb nw w

4

3

5

34

b &b

{

b &b

∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏

{

? bb

‰

#w #w

&

f f >

1

5

3

1

4

n f bf

f f f nf

nf 5

Œ ? n#fF™

Œ

mf

Œ

nf f

nf f #f f f nf nf f #f f #f

bf ?

ff. ff #f # ff. p pp fff. f ff f.

Tempo I

f f f

Ó

pp

Ó

f f ≈

f >

bf nf f f >

f #f nf f f f nf f n f # f f # f & f nf f # f nf

fF™ b F ™ w w

bf

f bf f >

## fF ™

“”

32

pp

rit.

f f f f f

?

f

nf

nf #f #f nf #f nf # f f nf #f #f 2

&

f f f

f f

f f

f f bf f >

f >

nf f >

30

? bb

ADVANCED

Etude-tableau in G minor op 33 no 8

Œ

Œ

#f f f f

fj f

bfj

j f f

j f f nf

F f

Ó

Œ

?

f f

Œ

f #f

f f f f f ≈ ≈ f

f-

f f f #f

mf 64• Pianist 76

p61 Scores Rachmaninov-FINAL.indd 64

08/01/2014 14:37

Sergei RACHMANINOV (1873-1943)

TRACK 12

f ?b ≈ f f f f b

37

{

?b b F p

F f &F

bf Ff #ff f f f f bff f nf f ff f f #f dim. f f f f b ff f f f # f nf f b f f f f f ≈ nf ff ≈ ≈ f f nf f fff

39

b FF b & F

{

fff

p

ff

f

? bb ≈ f f

41

{

mf

f

f

f

p

?

cresc.

f

f

f f f f™ > 3 > f f

b &b

f f f #f f f f #f f f f f f f f f f #f f f f

43

{

? bb

F™ >

ff

F™ >

p61 Scores Rachmaninov-FINAL.indd 65

f

ff f f f ≈ f

3

f f f f™ > > > #f nf ™ f

3

f

f f bf f ™ > > > nf bf ™

3

3

3

f nf f f ™ f f #f > > 3 f #f f f f f f f > #f

#f f f f f f f #f f f f f f f f f #f f f f f 65• Pianist 76

3

f bf f f ™ f f f > > f f f f f ≈ f

f

{

ff

mf

ff ff ff f f f f ff

poco accelerando

b & b f™ > > ? bb bf ™ f

42

fff

ff

ff≈ ≈ f f f f & fF f ff f

> f

3

p

f

ff ff f f F f f ff ff FF

f f f >f ™

b fff ™™™ b & ? bb

ADVANCED

Etude-tableau in G minor op 33 no 8

f.

Œ

sff

f.

?

FFF

U w w w

pp

Œ

U F-

w08/01/2014 14:37

Rachmaninoff: The Authentic Collection Highlights from the Authentic Editions of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s finest piano works.

Including selections from his Preludes, Etudes-tableaux, Moments Musicaux, Morceaux de Fantaisie & Morceaux de Salon.

ISMN: 979-0-060-12759-5

Meticulously researched using autograph manuscripts, composers-corrected proofs, first edition scores and recordings of Rachmaninoff’s own performances

only £ 9.99

Available from all good music shops. For more information please contact Schott Music Ltd: T: 020 7534 0740 | [email protected] | www.schott-music.com Boosey & Hawkes is exclusively distributed by Schott Music

pianostreet.com - the website for pianists, teachers, students and piano enthusiasts

The newly discovered piano piece by Johannes Brahms - download the score at: pianostreet.com/albumblatt

66• Pianist 76

p66 Ads.indd 66

09/01/2014 09:58

POPULAR PIANO

COLE PORTER

Just one of those things Cole Porter’s songs are full of wit and charm, with a hint of thwarted passion – a lot like the man himself, writes Inge Kjemtrup

S

deployment of ‘ribald’ songs about teachers for friends at the private Worcester Academy in Massachusetts or writing catchy football songs to impress fellow students at Yale. At Yale, Porter took English as his major subject with music at his minor – a providential combination for a future song composer who wrote most of his own lyrics. By the end of his studies at Yale, he had composed more than 100 songs, written his first musical comedy, Cora, and toured with a musical revue, The Pot of Gold. To appease his grandfather, he started at Harvard Law School in the autumn of 1913. He lasted there just a year. Porter made his way to New York City, boarding at the Yale Club where he penned the score for See America First in 1916. It was a terrible flop. With peculiar timing, Porter sailed for Europe the next year, just after the US entered World War I. It’s not clear what he actually did in the war. Later in life he spoke of his activities with an ambulance unit; other times he claimed

PLAY

‘NIGHT & DAY’ TURN TO PAGE 52

– was entirely one of convenience, but McBrien disagrees. He argues that the two were truly devoted to each other and notes that just before he met Linda, Porter had composed the heartfelt ‘Tired of Living Alone’. Linda gave her husband the steady, albeit nonsexual, companionship that he needed.

‘I Love Paris’

Paris was an exciting place to be in the 1920s, and Linda and Cole Porter were at the heart of it, rubbing shoulders with Picasso, Braque, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Milhaud, Diaghilev, Arthur Rubinstein, society hostess Elsa Maxwell… the list goes on. For most of the next 20 years the Porters followed their smart-set friends around Europe, living for a time on the French Rivieria and then on the Venice Lido, helping to make both those places fashionable.

‘Cole Porter created a world. It was a between-the-wars realm of drop dead chic and careless name-dropping insouciance. And it was a sexy place to be invited’ to have been in the French Foreign Legion. According to a thoroughly researched biography by William McBrien, the evidence is ambiguous. In 1919, Porter was living in Europe when he met the American society beauty Linda Lee Thomas, and they married that year. Some think that their marriage – between a wealthy woman who had just ended an abusive first marriage and a man who was a private, but sexually adventurous, homosexual

With financial independence, Porter had the means to polish his art, even studying harmony, counterpoint and orchestration for a period at the Schola Cantorum in Paris. Alan Jay Lerner once wrote of Porter that he ‘seemed to spring like Jupiter from Minerva’s head – all made.’ But this is based on the fact that while Porter was in Europe forming his style, the other great songwriters – Kern, Rodgers, Gershwin, Berlin – were in America,

▲

ophisticated, luxury-loving, witty, emotionally repressed: these words describe not only a typical song by Cole Porter but could also be applied to the composer himself. Porter’s public image was of an urbane sophisticate wearing a silk dressing gown, who pours cocktails for his smart-set friends in his chic Manhattan apartment before sitting down at the piano to play his newest songs. Certainly this image fits with a composer who wrote songs with titles such as ‘Use Your Imagination’, ‘You’re The Top’ or ‘Anything Goes’. But Porter wasn’t born in New York City – or in any other big city, for that matter. He was born in the small town of Peru, Indiana on 9 June 1891. His family was wealthy, the money having been made by his grandfather, J.O. Cole, a landowner and businessman. J.O. Cole’s daughter Kate had defied her dominating father by marrying the mild-mannered Fenwick Porter, a druggist, but the old man was determined that his grandson would take over the family business. However, the boy did not show prodigal talent in business. His gifts were musical, and he began piano lessons age six and then violin lessons. His father played the piano and sang, and shared his love of fantasy books such as Treasure Island with his son, whose imagination was further stirred by the fact that Peru was the winter home of several circus companies (elephants walked through town). The young boy was closest to his mother, Kate, who was devoted, ambitious and convinced of his musical genius. As a child, Cole Porter was shy, un-athletic and physically unassuming, but he soon discovered that prowess at the keyboard was a sure-fire way to win friends. If his grandfather’s entrepreneurial spirit manifested itself in him at all, it was in his strategic

67• Pianist 76

p67_Cole-FINAL.indd 67

08/01/2014 14:41

POPULAR PIANO seeing their music succeed – or fail – on Broadway. Though he also wrote for shows, in the US and in Europe, for many years Porter did not to achieve the kind of success that his Tin Pan Alley counterparts had. True, he had a hit with the sentimental ‘Old Fashioned Garden’ from Hitchy-Koo of 1919, and he wrote a song for the comedian Fanny Brice, ‘Hot-House Rose’ (1926), but for some time the big break eluded him. ‘Let’s Do It’, written for La revue des Ambassadeurs at the Parisian Café des Ambassadeurs in 1928, was one of the first songs to contain all the elements of classic Porter. It has a pulsing, catchy melody, and the lyrics are lively and full of not-very-hidden double entendres: ‘Birds do it / Bees do it / Even educated fleas do it / Let’s do it / Let’s fall in

It was said that Astaire didn’t recognise the tune as a classic and struggled to find a dance to fit – hard to believe when one views the elegant dancing of Astaire and Ginger Rogers in the film. Porter’s contemporaries knew how good the song was. Irving Berlin wrote to Porter in 1933, ‘I am mad about “Night and Day” and I think it is your high spot. You probably know it is being played all over, and all the orchestra leaders think it is the best tune of the year – and I agree with them.’ On the ocean of success that Porter sailed on in the 1930s, the highest wave came with the 1934 musical Anything Goes. The list of that show’s songs includes ‘I Get A Kick out of You’, ‘Anything Goes’ and ‘You’re the Top’. Anything Goes also firmed up

‘I am mad about “Night and Day” and I think it is your high spot. You probably know it is being played all over, and all the orchestra leaders think it is the best tune of the year – and I agree with them’ -Irving Berlin to Cole Porter, 1933 love.’ Little wonder that the song was banned from American radio stations for several years. ‘Night and Day’ may be the perfect example of Porter’s art (try it for yourself in this issue’s Scores, page 52). The song starts with a repeated single note – Porter was said to have been inspired by the dripping of a downspout – over which the singer intones: ‘Like the beat-beat-beat of the tom-tom / when the jungle shadows fall / like the tick, tick, tock of the stately clock / as it stands against the wall / like the drip, drip, drip of the rain drops / when the summer showers through / a voice within me keeps repeating you, you, you…’ Then the almost unbearable repetition ends as the richly harmonic melody starts: ‘Night and Day, you are the one / only you beneath the moon or under the sun.’ New York Times critic Alan Rich wrote of Porter’s music, ‘The emotional power of a Porter ballad likewise comes only after the song has insinuated itself into your consciousness by the utter, beguiling ingenuity and meticulousness of its overall shape,’ and that’s never been more true than with ‘Night and Day’. Fred Astaire was the first person to sing ‘Night and Day’ in the musical The Gay Divorce (1932) and again in the film version, The Gay Divorcee (1934).

the connection between its star, Ethel Merman, and Porter. Other songs from Porter’s golden age include ‘Begin the Beguine’, ‘Just One of Those Things’, ‘Love for Sale’, ‘In the Still of the Night’ and ‘I’ve Got You Under My Skin’. As one commentator wrote of Porter’s music of the 1930s, ‘In a way no other songs of the period quite did, Porter created a world. It was a betweenthe-wars realm of drop dead chic and careless name-dropping insouciance. And it was a sexy place to be invited.’ Hollywood soon called, and in 1935, the Porters moved out West, after he signed a three-year contract with MGM. He loved the Hollywood high life and was a night owl who composed best in the wee hours of the morning. The inspiration for his lyrics (he inserted the names of famous friends and current trends in many songs) may have been the nightclubs and parties he frequented, but the hard work late at night brought it all together. In 1937, while visiting friends, Porter suffered a horse-riding accident. The horse rolled over him, fracturing his legs, damaging nerves and causing health problems that plagued him ever after. But ever one to hide his personal travails, Porter later claimed that he wrote some of the lyrics to ‘At long last love’ while waiting to be rescued.

Porter with television host Ed Sullivan

While he enjoyed further success in the next few years with shows and films such as Leave It to Me (1938), DuBarry was a Lady (1939) and You’ll Never Get Rich (1941) and songs like ‘Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye’ and ‘Don’t Fence Me In’, it was the start of a less-productive decade for Porter. He was back on form in 1948 with Kiss Me Kate, a musical based on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. It is full of glorious tunes – ‘So in Love’, ‘Always True to You in My Fashion’, ‘Too Darn Hot’ and ‘Brush Up Your Shakespeare’ among them. And as was rarely the case with Porter’s musicals, Kiss Me Kate had an intelligible plot and dialogue to match the songs. Though he never again reached the heights of Kiss Me Kate before his death in 1964, Porter did write more, not least the score for a film with Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly from 1956 called High Society. This would seem to be a subject near and dear to Porter, though the standout song is one of the most unadorned that he would ever pen: ‘True Love’, a song that has been covered by everyone from Dean Martin to George Harrison and Elvis Presley. It’s a good reminder that even as this Midwest-born sophisticate made the world his oyster, he gave back with his matchless catalogue of wonderful songs. n

Anything Goes

More Cole Porter to explore Here are three great Cole Porter collections from Faber Music: Cole Porter Platinum Collection ISBN: 978-0-571-52799-1 (FM 52799)   The Best of Cole Porter ISBN: 978-0-571-53109-7 (FM 53109) Make It Easy: Cole Porter ISBN: 978-0-571-52593-5 (FM 52593)

68• Pianist 76

p67_Cole-FINAL.indd 68

08/01/2014 14:41

A

b r A n d n e w s t e p - by - s t e p p i A n o m e t h o d f o r t h e co m p l e t e m u s i c i A n ! coming early 2014

perience And fun ex g in ch A te y m All wAs right to put e m ti e th ed id ec d i my own tutor! in er h et g to s n o compositi pAm wedgwood

V is i t fa b e r m u s i c s to re . c o m /b a s ic s to find o ut mo r e a b o ut t he bo oks an d ac c e s s f u n , i n t e rac t i v e a d d it io na l r e s o ur c e s fo r fr e e - inclu di n g teachers’ n ot e s fo r e ac h b o o k . Piano Basics is available from all good music retail outlets: find out more by talking to your local retailer, or contact [email protected]. 69• Pianist 76

p69 Ads.indd 69

09/01/2014 09:58

H I S TO R Y

SERGEI A RACHMANINOV 1873-1943

Dismissed as a composer of gushing melodies, Rachmaninov wrote compelling, gorgeous music that truly deserves its continuing popularity, argues Harriet Smith, who looks at his life and times

ll his life Rachmaninov was caught between two places. He was musically active in the 20th century, yet his music very much stands as a glorious summation of the Romantic 19th. He was a Russian from the tips of his toes to the top of his head, yet he spent more than a quarter of a century in exile from his beloved homeland. He had a triple career as pianist, conductor and composer, yet he all too rarely had the opportunity to step onto the podium once he left Russia. He was the greatest pianist of his time (some would say of any time), yet he was bedevilled by a profound self-doubt. Time and again he took the advice of others when he should have believed in himself, so terrified was he of boring people. When he was performing his Corelli Variations he would excise passages if he felt the audience was getting restless. And he ruthlessly slashed at scores that needed no slashing – from the piano sonatas to the Third and Fourth Concertos. There’s a fundamental dislocation about Rachmaninov that colours everything. As he wrote in 1939, ‘I feel like a ghost wandering in a world grown alien. I cannot cast out the old way of writing, and I cannot acquire the new. I have made intense effort to feel the musical manner of today, but it will not come to me. Unlike Madame Butterfly [probably a reference to Stravinsky] with her quick religious conversions – I cannot cast out my musical gods in a moment and bend the knee to new ones.’ Born in 1873, Sergei Rachmaninov grew up in a comfortable, relatively privileged background. On the advice of his older cousin Alexander Siloti (recently returned to Russia after studies with Liszt), he went to study with Nikolay Zverev at the Moscow Conservatory, who had taught Siloti prior to his Lisztian adventures. So off the young Sergei was packed, aged 12, for a regime where failure was not an option. Along with a handful of other gifted piano students, he lived in Zverev’s apartment for four years and developed from a raw talent to a highly accomplished musician. Crucially, Zverev also gave his pupils a thorough grounding in other art forms, recognising the importance of an all-round education rather than simply a musical hothouse. However, Rachmaninov and Zverev fell out when the teenager persisted in his aim to be a composer rather than a pianist. By the time he graduated from the Moscow Conservatory, aged 18, he already had his First Piano Concerto under his belt. The story from that benchmark is hardly straightforward, however, with the famous creative impasse that arose after the disastrous premiere of his First Symphony in 1897. That was not the fault of the composition, but rather due to a drunken Glazunov on the podium. Other works suffered similarly: the First Sonata, for example, was premiered not by the composer but by Konstantin Igumnov, a very fine artist but not necessarily temperamentally attuned to Rachmaninov’s music. Again, the premiere was very badly received and, though the composer played it a few times in Russia subsequently, it then disappeared from view, only to be resurrected in far more recent times by pianists such as Nikolai Lugansky.

70• Pianist 76 74

p70 Rachmaninov-FINALish.indd 70

08/01/2014 14:45

So how is it that the music of Rachmaninov, who was one of the greatest pianists of all time (Arthur Rubinstein described him as a god) fell so profoundly out of favour? And not just among gossip-mongers and the bitchier elements of the music world, but in print too: the damning article in the 1954 edition of the hugely influential Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, published 11 years after Rachmaninov’s death, bears scrutiny: ‘As a pianist Rachmaninoff was one of the finest artists of his time; as a composer he can hardly be said to have belonged to his time at all… His music is well constructed and effective, but monotonous in texture, which consists in essence mainly of artificial and gushing tunes… The enormous popular success some few of Rachmaninoff’s works had in his lifetime is not likely to last, and musicians never regarded it with much favour. The third pianoforte Concerto was on the whole liked by the public only because of its close resemblance to the second, while the fourth, which attempted something like a new departure, was a failure from the start. The only later work that has attracted large concert audiences was the Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini…’ Now of course this was the 1950s, a decade of hardline modernism that brooked no dissenters. But still… ‘gushing’? Was this damning summation simply a product of its time or was this something else. A suspicion, perhaps, that if something was popular then by its nature it was also tainted – that if something had mass appeal then it must be corrupt in some respect? Certainly that would fit in with the insularity that went with such radical creative acts as Stockhausen’s Klavierstücke or Boulez’s Le marteau sans maître. Though let’s not forget that in that same decade, in 1958, one of the most seminal Rachmaninov moments occurred when Van Cliburn won the first Tchaikovsky Piano Competition playing Tchaikovsky’s First Concerto and Rachmaninov’s Third – and garnered an eight-minute ovation in the process. Out of step Even during his lifetime, Rachmaninov had to put up with a lot of flak. This, from Paul Rosenfeld writing in The New Republic in 1919, is not atypical: ‘Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto is… a little too much like a mournful banqueting on ham and honey… in all the music of

## ff 2 1

3

f

f f f f f J f f f 5

4

Inside this issue’s Scores • Etude-tableau in G minor op 33 no 8 (p61) • An arrangement of Variation No 18 from Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (p42)

-Sergei Rachmaninov, 1939

Rachmaninov there is something strangely twice-told. From it there flows the sadness distilled by all things that are a little useless … he is still content with music that toys with the pianoforte. … He writes pieces full of the old astounding musical dislocation. …there was a day, perhaps, when such work served. But another day has succeeded to it. And so, Rachmaninov comes amongst us like a very charming and amiable ghost.’ Note that ‘ghost’ reference again. Creative beings out of step with their era always suffer, no matter what the medium. History is littered with figures who, it turns out, were simply not in step with contemporary thinking but whose greatness is abundantly clear when viewed from a historical perspective. There’s so much more to this composer than the piano concertos – great though they all are in the different ways. In fact, for all that Rachmaninov claimed he couldn’t update his style, in the Fourth there’s clear evidence of him taking in what was going on around him and then adapting it into his own musical language so that it still sounds immediately Rachmaninovian. It was only with his centenary, in 1973, that the world at large began to delve further than the Second and Third Concertos and the C sharp minor Prelude. Figures such as Vladimir Ashkenazy and André Previn, both as conductors and pianists, played a vital role in his rehabilitation. But even today, in some circles there is still a suspicion that to like Rachmaninov is somehow a bit tasteless. Much better to name Schubert or Bach as your musical gods than this arch-Romantic. Steven Osborne, one of the finest interpreters of his music around today,

has an interesting explanation as to why he divides opinion: ‘Compare Rachmaninov’s music to Schubert’s and it seems to me clear that the latter contains much greater complexity of emotion… as a result, there are very many ways of understanding his music, depending on how one balances these conflicting elements. With Rachmaninov there is one element which dominates: a sense of melancholy… Correspondingly there is less ambiguity to the music… Rachmaninov expresses more profoundly than almost anyone else what it means to feel hopeless, to long for what is unattainable; the depth of feeling is, to me at least, unquestionable. This helps me to make sense of the antipathy some have towards Rachmaninov’s music. The more ambiguous a piece of music is, the more likely we will feel personal meaning in it. If, however, we are directly confronted with a rather depressive musical world, it is understandable that some will find that threatening, self-indulgent or else simply uninteresting.’ Then there’s the question of the sheer difficulty of this music: even the stuff that sounds tenable (and not too fast!) can conceal myriad problems. It doesn’t help that Rachmaninov possessed one of the biggest hand spans in all music. And he wrote for himself. There’s no concession to those with a less than ironclad technique, but the abundant virtuosity is absolutely never there just for the sake of it. Just try and find a passage that merely shouts ‘look at me’ – you’ll fail because he didn’t work like that. Even in a piece such as the underrated and underplayed First Piano

▲

Chenyin Li plays both pieces on this issue’s CD

‘I feel like a ghost wandering in a world grown alien. I cannot cast out the old way of writing, and I cannot acquire the new. I have made intense effort to feel the musical manner of today, but it will not come to me… I cannot cast out my musical gods in a moment and bend the knee to new ones.’

71• Pianist 76

p70 Rachmaninov-FINALish.indd 71

09/01/2014 09:26

H I S TO R Y 10 key Rachmaninov recordings Harriet Smith selects the Rachmaninov you won’t want to miss Sergei Rachmaninoff (10 CDs RCA) An indispensable starting point, with Rachmaninov interpreting his own music along with seminal recordings of works by Chopin, Schumann, Beethoven and Liszt. Piano Concerto No 2 Sviatoslav Richter, Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra/Stanislaw Wislocki (DG The Originals) A classic account of the Second Concerto: demonic, poetic and so alive that most other readings sound pale by comparison. Piano Concerto No 3 Martha Argerich, Berlin RSO/Kirill Kondrashin (Philips) A live account that, when it belatedly emerged 13 years after the concert, wowed with its stream-of consciousness vision; pianist and conductor react to one another to searing effect. Piano Concerto No 4 Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Philharmonia Orchestra/Ettore Gracis (EMI) The recording that put the Fourth Concerto on the map has never been bettered. Piano Sonata No 2 in B flat minor Vladimir Horowitz (first CBS version) Horowitz first brought this work to a wider audience, combining Rachmaninov’s two versions of the work with his own amendments – with the composer’s blessing. Moments musicaux Lazar Berman (Deutsche Grammophon) A vividly reactive 1975 performance, by turns intimate and virtuoso, by this Soviet pianist. Complete Solo Piano Music Howard Shelley (Hyperion) A groundbreaking set for the modern age from a Rachmaninov player of rare finesse and absolute seriousness of intent. Selected Preludes Sviatoslav Richter (Deutsche Grammophon) This great Rachmaninov interpreter wipes the floor in vividness and reactiveness. Variations on a Theme of Corelli/Four Etudes-tableaux Mikhail Pletnev (Deutsche Grammophon) Performing on Rachmaninov’s own Steinway, Pletnev well understands the nature of the composer, and imbues these works with effortless virtuosity and an abundant humanity. Preludes, Opp 3 No 2, 23, 32 Steven Osborne (Hyperion) From the famous ringing opening of the C sharp minor Prelude to the affirmative rocking chords that close the last of the opus 32 Preludes, this is a treasurable set.

THREE CHEERS FOR RACHMANINOV! 3 Pianist team members on the allure of the romantic Russian

Graham Fitch I can’t imagine anyone not liking Rachmaninov’s music. It’s just so gorgeous and its message speaks so directly from his soul. I love to play the Second Concerto, the Etudes-tableaux and of course the Preludes. Students bring Rachmaninov’s music to me all the time, and I am constantly impressed by how beautifully he wrote for the instrument. Because Rachmaninov was a first-rate pianist himself, he wrote fabulously for the instrument, and his music lies very well under the hands. It is true that he had large hands, and there are an awful lot of notes in much of his music, with full textures and what appear to be big stretches. The stretches can often be negotiated by taking a note or two with the other hand or by judicious use of the pedal. Apart from skilful use of the pedal, Rachmaninov’s music demands of the pianist an immaculate control of often-dense textures, chord voicing and a sense of timing.  Lucy Parham There is probably no greater concerto opening (for the pianist) than the start of the Second Concerto. Rachmaninov is very clever because he gives you five pages to warm your fingers up whilst the orchestra is playing the most glorious melody. The piano is barely audible under the might of the orchestra but as the soloist you have a chance to ‘settle in’. I adore the First Concerto too. It is sadly underplayed (in favour of Nos 2 and 3) but it is a masterpiece. I remember the first time I played the Second Concerto at the Royal Festival Hall, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: it was one of the most exciting moments in my career! The Second became one of my most frequently played concertos. It will always have a special place in my heart. David Lean was quite savvy when he chose to use it in Brief Encounter, as it perfectly captures the mood of that film. Erica Worth I have so enjoyed playing Rachmaninov. I learned quite a few of the Preludes. The opus 23 no 4 in D major is a real tearjerker – and if you really get into the ‘zone’, it’s all-engulfing. It’s not that hard either. Every time I play it, it reminds me of the beauty of Rachmaninov’s music – those heartbreaking harmonies, those searing melodic lines, the melancholy mixed with nobility. Practising Rachmaninov is great for voicing chords, getting your ear to understand those weaving inner melodies and trying to make a work ebb and flow yet be ‘whole’ – not to mention that you have to create a wide palette of colours. My teacher at Manhattan School of Music, Constance Keene, was a fantastic Rachmaninov teacher. It obviously rubbed off on me! Sonata, which is prodigious in its demands even by Rachmaninov’s standards, the virtuosity is secondary to the musical argument: it is there simply to express what needs to be expressed. In that respect he has a lot in common with Chopin, a composer he revered. Rachmaninov for today So what’s the key to all this: how do we get to the heart of a man so full of conflict? How can we interpret this composer’s music in a cynical 21st century very different from his own world? There are no simple answers, but it is worth bearing in mind is the essential tautness of Rachmaninov’s compositional approach: there’s never any sense of profligacy in his music. But nor is his music indestructible, and the further we get from the Romantic ethos and era, the less naturally we can tap into his mindset, either as players or as listeners. There is, for instance, something of a bad habit among modern pianists to equate profundity in Romantic music with a slowing down. Yet if you do that to the great winding melodies of the Second and Third Concertos you end up with something frayed, unsupportable, broken up. You lose the narrative and the sweep that makes those melodies so special. Not only that, but it’s not authentic. It’s striking, isn’t it, that in the case of Baroque or Classical music, we pay such close attention

these days to fidelity to the composer, something that has fundamentally changed our notion of what these composers are about. But similar efforts with music of the later 19th century are much thinner on the ground. Except that in the case of Rachmaninov there’s a vital clue that sheds wondrous light on the interpretation of his music: his own recordings. Listen to his way with the concertos and the decades of excess and stuck-on emotion are swept away. Here is passion, sweep, line (what line!) and energy – tons of it. There’s also that magical sound, that singing line, something that surely started life not in the piano music but in the songs. Here, too, the nobility of Rachmaninov is revealed and that, perhaps above all, is what this composer is all about. And it’s these qualities that keep the composer’s music not only alive but a veritable bestseller in concert halls all over the world. A great melody is, so Rachmaninov proves, timeless, which is why a work such as his Second Piano Concerto became so effectively immortalised in films as varied as Brief Encounter, The Seven-Year Itch and, in more recent times, Clint Eastwood’s Hereafter. And it’s equally apparent that Rachmaninov has had the last laugh: those miraculous melodies and that gut-wrenching melancholy outliving the hard-nosed experimentalism of the 1950s and 60s, and demonstrating once and for all that we are as in need of the emotionalism of his music today as ever we were. n

72• Pianist 76

p70 Rachmaninov-FINALish.indd 72

08/01/2014 14:45

Printed by greenstret Publisher. 15:40PM 20/10/108 File SMH - Pianist 1008.dtp, page 1. Adobe PDF

Sussex Pianos Ltd Sussex Pianos Ltd

Sales Sales Restoration Restoration Polishing Polishing Regulation Regulation Accessories Accessories Tuning Tuning Repairs Repairs Hire Hire Tel. 01323 843900 Sales Tel. 01323 843900 www.sussexpianos.co.uk Restoration www.sussexpianos.co.uk How does your grand piano play?Polishing doesUneven your to grand play?Regulation Too lightHow or heavy? play? piano Not responsive enough? Accessories Too light or heavy? Uneven to play? Not responsive enough? Precision Touch Design (PTD) is an innovative technique to improve the Tuning touch and tone of your grand piano. It will take a new factory spec piano or Precision Touch Design (PTD) is an innovative technique to improve thean Repairs olderand piano and it further, PTDathe for or any touch tone ofenhance your grand piano. making It will take newultimate factoryupgrade spec piano an Hire piano owner. PTD is gaining world recognition asultimate the onlyupgrade technique Precision Touch Design (PTD) is anthe innovative technique older piano and enhance it further, making PTD fortoany

Sussex Pianos Ltd

predict the problems a piano by 843900 analysing theasaction andtechnique then advising piano owner. PTD gaining world recognition the only to Tel. 01323 to improve theiswith touch and tone of your grand piano. Itphysical about steps to improve to yourwith requirements. will alsothe give pianists,due predict the the feel problems a piano by It analysing action and thentoadvising will take atonew specpiano. or give an costs older piano impediments, a new lease of www.sussexpianos.co.uk enjoyment from their from justtoand £85.00. about steps to improve the feel yourfactory requirements. Itpiano willAnalysis also pianists,due physical impediments, a new leasewww.sussexpianos.co.uk/PTD of enjoyment their piano. costs from just £85.00. enhance it further,from making PTDAnalysis the ultimate upgrade

How does your grand piano play? for any piano owner. PTD is gaining world recognition as the only

“You canor haveheavy? no ideawww.sussexpianos.co.uk/PTD how much you have changed my life Not with theresponsive transformation of myenough? piano. Too light Uneven toin play? With the huge difference in tonethe and and an evennesswith pressure, this has my playing and feel as if technique to predict problems a piano bytransformed analysing the action

“You can have no idea how much you have changed my life with the transformation of my piano. I'm absolutely on top form once again” (Brighton) Precision Touch Design (PTD) is anAnneCampbell innovative technique to improve With the huge difference in tone and and an evenness in pressure, this has transformed my playing and feelthe as if I'm absolutely on topgrand form once again” (Brighton) touch and tone of your piano. It AnneCampbell will take a new factory spec piano or an

and then advising about steps to improve the feel to your requirements. It will alsoolder givepiano pianists, due toitphysical impediments, a newupgrade lease of and enhance further, making PTD the ultimate for any piano their owner.piano. PTD isAnalysis gaining world recognition as £85.00 the only technique to enjoyment from costs from just

When you need printed music, just visit the Hound ... ... and see for yourself why so many customers from around the world return to ...

www.sheetmusichound.com an established leader in print music one-stop shopping over 400,000 competitively priced scores listed online used by music librarians across the world

predict the problems with a piano by analysing the action and then advising about steps to improve the feel to your requirements. It will also give pianists,due to physical impediments, a new lease of enjoyment from their piano. Analysis costs from just £85.00.

www.sussexpianos.co.uk/PTD www.sussexpianos.co.uk/PTD

“You can have no idea how much you have changed my life with the transformation of my piano. With the huge difference in tone and and an evenness in pressure, this has transformed my playing and feel as if I'm absolutely on top form once again” AnneCampbell (Brighton)

Email: [email protected] - Tel/Fax:+44(0)845 1760 +44(0)1667838 455701 Sheet Music Hound Limited – Drumdelnies, Delnies, IV12 5NT

73• Pianist 76 Sussex Pianos.indd 1

p73 Ads.indd 73

07/11/2013 09:30

08/01/2014 14:16

MAKERS

The voice of Vienna Pianist Editor Erica Worth goes to the Austrian capital to meet Team Bösendorfer as they celebrate 185 years of piano making and unveil their 50,000th piano – the stunning Opus 50,000

I

am always happy to visit Vienna. The Austrian capital is an inviting, alluring city that calls out to those in search of culture and all things connected with the senses. Just look at what it’s produced: Mozart, Klimt, Sachertorte, Wienerschnitzel, Stefan Zweig, the Strausses, Freud, the New Year’s Day Concert… I could go on. So to Vienna I returned once more, in October last year, as part of a small group of journalists and technicians taking part in the day-long 185th anniversary celebrations of another of the city’s great assets – Bösendorfer. It was a busy day: a press conference in the morning at the Musikverein, followed by a trip to the factory in Wiener Neustadt and then a gala anniversary concert in the Musikverein’s Brahms-Saal, during which Bösendorfer’s new Opus 50,000 piano was to be played. Bösendorfer styles itself as the oldest premium piano manufacturer in the world, and the Austrian piano manufacturer has long taken pride in a small production output that focuses on perfection. If you consider that Bösendorfer was founded in 1828 and only built its 50,000th piano (the Opus 50,000) last year in 2013, that’s a small number of pianos being produced. In 2008 Bösendorfer was purchased by Yamaha and some were concerned that the tradition might fall by the wayside. At the press conference, Bösendorfer Managing Director Brian Kemble reassured us about the relationship between the two great piano makers: ‘My perspective is that it’s great to share information. Yamaha is very useful for their experience. But the Bösendorfer just doesn’t sound different from the Yamaha – the construction is different too. When I had visitors a couple of years ago, they said that Yamaha doesn’t seem to have done anything. I said that Yamaha has done exactly what they said they’d do: not change things!’ Also speaking on behalf of Bösendorfer that morning was concert pianist Valentina Lisitsa, who chose the instrument as her piano of choice at her last Royal Albert Hall appearance.

She spoke of the unique sound – ‘Der Klang, der berührt’ (‘The sound that touches you’), to use the Bösendorfer slogan. ‘Bösendorfer has the unique, different sound,’ Lisitsa said. ‘Not only a special voice (it talks, it sings), but it carries a special tradition – a historical heritage. For me to be a torchbearer for this tradition makes me very proud. Bösendorfer is a part of whom I am. The day before yesterday I played the 280 on stage in New York City. It was important that Bösendorfer was with me on stage.’

‘The Opus 50,000 took a very long time to make and also to think about’

-Bösendorfer MD Brian Kemble

Another pianist keen to praise Bösendorfer was Paul Badura-Skoda. The Austrian pianist is now well into his eighties, but agile enough to play Schubert’s ‘Rosamunde Variations’ Impromptu in the evening concert. ‘It is not the loudest piano on the earth but it has the most beautiful singing tone when I play Schubert,’ Badura-Skoda enthused. ‘They have not tried to make the sound louder or more sensational. There is still that good Austrian Bösendorfer sound – the historical sound of Schubert and Beethoven. What has changed is that it is more playable and more responsive to the fingers, so that it’s more pleasurable to play.’ That’s an interesting observation, given that Bösendorfer has recently modified the geometry of its Renner-made actions to improve the responsiveness of touch. ‘What makes this piano different is that it does not try to make the piano loud!’

74• Pianist 76

p74_Vienna-FINAL.indd 74

08/01/2014 14:41

Top row, left to right: Bösendorfer MD Brian Kemble receives a gift from Frank Lee of Tom Lee Music, Hong Kong; Valentina Lisitsa after her performance; Paul Badura-Skoda accepts the applause

Badura-Skoda continued. ‘The sound might not develop so quickly. It comes a little slower in milliseconds, but it lasts generally a little longer, particularly in the higher register. Another feature is the equal quality of sound production from the lowest to the highest.’

Gold standard

After hearing the Bösendorfer team talk about the instrument, it was time to finally see and hear the Opus 50,000 for ourselves. Even though it had been two years in the development stage, this piano was literally fresh out of the factory. ‘It was only finished four to five days ago,’ Kemble revealed. ‘The Opus 50,000 took a very long time to make and also to think about.’ The semi-concert grand 225 model is a handsome-looking instrument inspired by two neo-classical pianos built for the 1867 World’s Fair in Paris by, respectively, Danish architect Theophil Hansen and designer Anton Grosser. Celebrating these two instruments and the special anniversary, the piano features extensive amounts of gold – the cabinet has gold leaf mouldings, while the frame is completely covered in gleaming gold leaf that was applied by hand. Then there are handcrafted 24-carat gold-plated female figures – caryatides – on the front. Four veneers are used on the cabinet: burr French walnut, French walnut, pear wood and maple. The colour is a rich golden brown. Jazz pianist Marialy Pacheco improvised on the Opus 50,000 for us – it sounded good and I was looking forward to hearing it again at that evening’s gala concert. At the factory, we were taken on a whirlwind tour through one room to another, from the first stages of sourcing the wood to the final regulation and tuning [For more about the factory, see Gez Kahan’s article in issue 58]. I observed two young French pianists weigh up three Model 225s to find the perfect one for the Yamaha Artist Services Centre in Paris. The chosen piano will be used in concerts and festivals throughout France. I’ve been around this impressive factory before, but I hadn’t seen the selection centre, which opened in 2010. Here, in a huge room, it was hard not to be overwhelmed by the

number of pianos laid out to try. I couldn’t resist running my fingers over the keys either, especially when I came across three Imperials in a row. The middle one was my favourite (just in case anyone at Bösendorfer is taking notes at this point). Returning to the city centre after the factory visit, we were reminded that Bösendorfer still has a presence in the city, with the Stadt Salon shop in the Musikverein, the Bösendorfer Saal in Mozarthaus (a small concert hall), and a service and short-term hire facility that boasts a rental fleet of more than 20 instruments. After a brief repose for coffee and cake, we made our way to the evening concert, where Lisitsa, Badura-Skoda, Pacheco and others artists (including a ballet ensemble) performed Schubert, Liszt, Chopin and more. The concert ended with the Janoska Ensemble playing an electrifying version of Monti’s Czardas. The first half was performed on the flagship concert grand Model 280; the second half on the Opus 50,000. It was all very celebratory, with Kemble addressing the audience in what sounded like impeccable German. My contacts at Bösendorfer told me that after the gala, the Opus 50,000 would tour the world, probably making its way to the Frankfurt Musikmesse in March. Oh, and it’s for sale, at an impressive, but understandable, price tag of 550,000 Euros (it is one of a kind, mind). Those looking for a more modest model can find Bösendorfers around the world, including seven selected showrooms in the UK. At Yamaha Music London, for example, there are currently two uprights (the 120 and 130) and three grands (155, 170, 185) on the showroom floor. There are also the two new upright and grand ‘silent’ models, made specifically for Europe. Vienna has always held a special place in its heart for Bösendorfer, along with Klimt, Mozart and Sachertorte, and even with a change of ownership, the future looks bright for this legendary Austrian maker. ■ To find out more about Bösendorfer, and to find a stockist, go to www.boesendorfer.com, or see listing of UK dealers on page 5 of this issue.

Pianos in progress: scenes from the Bösendorfer factory in Wiener Neustadt

75• Pianist 76

p74_Vienna-FINAL.indd 75

10/01/2014 10:44

MAKERS

Second-hand

secrets 76• Pianist 76 74

p76 secondhand2-FINAL.indd 76

08/01/2014 14:43

Whether you go to a piano shop or an auction house, buying a second-hand piano might be right for you, says Gez Kahan, who offers an overview of what to expect

I

Images, opposite page: Steinway restoration at Piano Workshop (middle top, bottom left), a Blüthner being restored at Handel Pianos (remaining images); above: old and new pianos in Handel Pianos’ showroom

of brand we generally take in for second-hand sales. We encourage customers to try both new and used pianos to find the piano that really works for them. And we offer the security of a five-year guarantee with our second-hand instruments.’ That’s a common theme among piano shops selling used instruments. Handel Pianos, of Sunningdale, near Ascot, generally offers a warranty of between three and 10 years. ‘We specialise in second-hand,’ says Handel’s Chris Lovell. It’s the big brands he flags up first: Bechstein, Blüthner, Steinway, Bösendorfer and the like, with prices at the high end running into tens of thousands of pounds. These instruments have often had a lot of work done to bring them up to scratch. ‘We can do the restoration work

WHEN A BARGAIN ISN’T A BARGAIN Caution: Here be dragons Remember the days when pubs were chucking out pianos to make way for electronic organs or piped music? A fair few families were doing the same back then, as that piano candelabra was unlikely to complement a G-plan suite and wall-to-wall carpeting. Everyone knew of a friend of a friend who’d picked up a fine German upright for a song, given it a quick tuning and dusting, and it was good as new. Maybe such things did occasionally happen, but not half as often as urban mythology would have us believe. The reality was more prosaic. You might pick up an old upright at a knock-down price, but the chances of it being playable were miniscule. The felts would be solid, the strings rusty, the pitch well below concert tuning and the action stiff. The cost of getting instruments like that up to any semblance of respectability would dwarf the purchase price. The

piano trade (with right as well as self-interest on their side) hated them, and warned against the resuscitation of pianos that were no use for trained pianists and, worse still, risked putting off learners. The spectre of the useless used piano still exists. You can bid for a piano online, for instance, and pay a small fortune to ship it, sight unseen, from the other side of the country only to find you’ve bought some expensive rubbish. Odds are very good that any real bargains have already been snapped up by dealers, and most of what is left is the dross they wouldn’t buy. In fact, though your local shop may take an old piano in part exchange for a new one, as often as not it will go straight on the scrap heap. Only buy second-hand instruments that have been approved by a qualified technician and, preferably, come with a guarantee.

© Handel Pianos Ltd in association with Hamilton Pianos; © Malcolm R Parrott (Piano Workshop)

‘You can buy a new piano for £2,000,’ says Derek Love of Piano Workshop in Reigate, ‘but a much better one second-hand for the same money.’ He generally has around 80 pianos in stock, of which half will be new and the rest used. Don’t imagine that means a pile of dusty old uprights competing for attention with shiny new models. ‘They range from pianos made in the 1900s to instruments that are only a couple of years old. We do all the necessary restoration, which for some may mean a lot of work including restringing, whereas for others all that’s required is tuning and the regular maintenance that goes along with it.’ Love concentrates on well-known brands with a good reputation. ‘Yamaha, Grotrian Steinweg, Kawai, Bechstein, Steinway… those are the types

▲

f wishes were horses, as the saying goes, then beggars would ride, and if they were new grand pianos, Pianist readers would be riding on cloud nine. But we all have to cut our cloth, especially these days. So let’s start by cutting out the word ‘new’. That could be the key to making your wish come true. With what’s been happening to the economy over the past few years, no one should be surprised to learn that the market for second-hand pianos is buoyant. But that’s not just because money is tight. There’s also been a cultural change. Conspicuous consumerism, even among the well-off, tends to be frowned upon and make-doand-mend suits both the current climate and the green agenda. The result is that people who might not previously have considered buying a used instrument are now open to the idea. Of course there’s always been a brisk trade in used instruments for beginners. Many parents, nervous about splashing out too much until they can be sure their kids will take to the piano, want to minimise their risk. That’s understandable, though they should be careful to ensure that the piano they get is fit for the job, which many old pianos aren’t (see boxout below). Buying a duff piano is, in fact, probably the easiest way to put your child off. But the second-hand piano market is about much more than beginner pianos. For those looking to buy cheap with at least some chance to check it’s not a pig in a poke, there are auctions (see boxout, page 78), though that won’t suit those who want the security of a warranty and after-sales care. But most customers for secondhand pianos will go to their local retailer – and what they’re looking for is not so much a cheap piano as value-for-money.

77• Pianist 76

p76 secondhand2-FINAL.indd 77

08/01/2014 14:43

MAKERS

in our own workshop, and we’ll even replace the soundboard if necessary. We’re fortunate in where we are, because there are a lot of big houses in the area that can accommodate a grand.’ Lovell reckons to have around 25 grands on show, but he sells uprights too. ‘We do a lot of the English-made Knights, Welmars and Bentleys – they may have 1970s-style cases, but they’re a better piano than many modern Chinese-built instruments. And then there are the Yamaha U1s and U3s too.’

GOING, GOING… GONE Feeling adventurous? Then perhaps a piano auction is for you The long-established UK specialist, Piano Auctions Limited, holds four sales per year at Conway Hall in London. Its largest catalogue ran to well over 100 items, over half of which were grands of various makes, ages and sizes. The rest included uprights, square pianos, curios and oddities, and piano stools. Notably there were nearly 40 Steinways. The guiding principle at auctions is ‘caveat emptor’. ‘We don’t work on the instruments before the sale,’ says the valuer, Richard Reason, ‘so some are suitable only for dealers, often abroad. Some of our pianos might be no more than a couple of years old and in showroom condition. Then there will be turn-of-the-(20th)-century Steinways, a lot of which might need work. ‘You don’t get a tuning, a guarantee or delivery, but unlike a lot of auction houses we do offer advice and jolly honest advice too. We listen to what the customer wants and advise accordingly. And sometimes that advice, to someone who wants more security, is to buy from a shop. ‘Our attendance is around 50:50 dealers to private buyers,’ he adds. ‘We like the mix of both. Some private buyers bring a restorer with them – we have technician advisers there but you can take experts or teachers along.’ Manchester has a specialist auction house too. Britannia Piano Auctions was set up just over a year ago by Peter Wilson, a jazz musician who had long been buying and selling pianos on the side. ‘I’d been going to auctions for years personally and I saw a market for pianos, putting 35-60 instruments in one place with viewing days before the auction itself. If you want to buy privately you can spend a small fortune travelling round to try out potential purchases. An auction means you only have to make one journey.’ Britannia holds four auctions per year, and sees an average attendance of about 50 people, fairly evenly split between private buyers, education and the piano trade. ‘Each sale will have a range of grands and uprights, and a mix of modern, older, reconditioned and completely original instruments – and even sometimes square pianos or similar.’ The September 2013 auction even featured an instrument all the way from Las Vegas. Liberace’s Pompadour Piano, which had been owned by a piano collector, went to a private buyer. As is usual at auctions, items are sold ‘as seen’ but Britannia does have technicians on hand on the viewing days, and buyers are welcome to bring their own advisers. And here’s a first-hand account: Tristan Jakob-Hoff, who bid for (and won) a 1968 Steinway Model B at Conway Hall this December, said: ‘It took me nine months to find a piano I wanted to bid on, but the wait was definitely worth it. I’ve ended up with a first-class instrument in beautiful condition, and it only cost me a fraction of what a new one would have.’

Restoration drama Up in Manchester, Forsyth Brothers also tends to have 20-25 grands in its second-hand department, plus around 40 uprights. Some of them come in as part exchange, but Forsyth also buys in stock. ‘Every one that comes in has a proper Forsyths “MOT” and we sort out whatever needs to be done,’ says Paul Cowperthwaite, who runs the department. ‘The selling prices, naturally, reflect the amount of restoration work involved – and before we do anything, we have to ask whether the piano is even worth rebuilding.’ Variety is the spice of the second-hand piano market and every instrument is presented on its own merits. At the time of writing, among the ‘pre-owned’ Steinways and Schimmels, the Forsyth website is showing a Berdux upright. ‘I’d never come across the make before,’ Cowperthwaite says, ‘but it’s a brilliant instrument, a wonderful restored antique piano.

78• Pianist 76 74

p76 secondhand2-FINAL.indd 78

08/01/2014 14:43

Images, opposite page: Auction at Conway Hall, Yamaha’s certificate of authenticity, Millers of Cambridge showroom. This page: Steinway technicians at work

container-load of cheap second-hand pianos (of a very reputable make) from abroad only to find that they were so cheap because they’d passed their play-by date, and reconditioning wasn’t economically viable. It’s not only the dealer who loses out in that case. Think of the potential damage to brand value. Safeguarding one’s reputation, even in the second-hand market, is one of the reasons that Steinway & Sons takes such care over its restored pianos. ‘Initially when taking a piano in part exchange or buying it second-hand we’ll assess how much work we have to do,’ explains David Widdicombe, Technical Services Manager at Steinway’s London showroom. ‘We’ll replace moving parts, including the action. We’ll decide whether we keep the existing soundboard – if not, it goes back to Hamburg and is put back just like a new piano, and will have a similar life expectancy as a new piano. There’s often a business case for replacing rather than repairing. From buying in to being out on the showroom floor takes two to three months at a minimum – much more if it goes to Hamburg.’ At around 75–80 per cent of what the equivalent new model would cost, restored Steinways are not that cheap, and it’s generally the vintage styling and the finish, rather than the cost, that attracts. And Steinway makes the point that these are ‘restored’ as new, not ‘used’, and come with a five-year warranty. Along similar lines, Yamaha has recently inaugurated its own scheme. ‘We buy in our own second-hand pianos under the Approved Used Yamaha scheme,’ says Charles Bozon, director of Yamaha UK’s acoustic division. ‘They are sourced in Japan, and then brought up to standard in a specialised workshop. We offer a five-year warranty, and they’re sold via authorised dealers.’ The pianos themselves tend to be U1 and U3 uprights from the 1980s [the new U1 SH Silent just won ‘Best Acoustic Piano’ at the MIA Awards this past December; see this issue’s News], and lots of them come from private owners. ‘The reason behind the scheme is to try to stop dodgy pianos coming into the

marketplace and harming our reputation, so we have to be selective about which ones to take into the scheme,’ Bozon says. ‘Prices are generally a little below half what a new one would go for – but of course the new versions of the U1 and U3 are better spec’d, and being brand new will require much less maintenance.’ Second-hand, then, doesn’t have to mean second-class. As long as you buy carefully – which generally means buying from a dealer who offers a guarantee – you can feel confident that not only are you getting a good deal but also you’re getting a better instrument than you’d expected. And isn’t that what you’d wished for in the first place? ■

CONTACTS Britannia Piano Auctions www.britanniapianoauctions.com Forsyth Brothers (Manchester) www.forsyths.co.uk Handel Pianos (Sunningdale, near Ascot, Berks) www.handelpianos.co.uk Millers of Cambridge www.millersmusic.co.uk Piano Auctions Ltd www.pianoauctions.co.uk Piano Workshop (Reigate) www.pianoworkshop.co.uk Steinway & Sons www.steinway.co.uk www.steinway.com Yamaha www.uk.yamaha.com www.usa.yamaha.com

© Tristan Jakob-Hoff (Piano Auctions); © Tony Trasmundi (Steinway technicians)

‘People who prefer older pianos are generally looking for more piano for their money,’ he adds. ‘Or perhaps they’re after something special, second-hand but restored as new.’ That, he says, is where a dealer’s knowledge and technical expertise (not forgetting the dealer’s warranty) come into their own – buying second hand in the private market ‘is a minefield’. Even the professionals have to be wary. Barry Robinson, the piano specialist at Millers of Cambridge, won’t take just any piano, especially as the company offers a five-year warranty and interest-free credit on second-hand sales. ‘We hunt for the right piano so we minimise the restoration work and therefore keep the price right,’ Robinson explains. ‘We get a lot of very good pianos from people downsizing, and many of our second-hand pianos are quite new – under ten years old. Our customers, whether they’re buying for their kids to learn on, or trading up, need to know the piano will last.’ Robinson tells of a dealer who ordered a

79• Pianist 76

p76 secondhand2-FINAL.indd 79

08/01/2014 14:43

11• Pianist 76

p11 11 LucyAds.indd Parham full.indd 1

09/01/2014 04/11/2013 09:58 11:47

92• Pianist 76

p92 Ads.indd 92

08/01/2014 12:25

P E R S O N A L S PA C E

Noisesoff

L

ike many musicians, I have experienced ‘noise disturbance problems’, as my local council euphemistically calls it. I have caused noise disturbance by playing music and I’ve suffered noise disturbance (most memorably through a downstairs neighbour’s love of her booming stereo). There is always a temporary solution for the neighbourly sound wars – call the landlord, bang on the floor, placate the neighbour with a bottle of wine, promise to stop practising at 10pm, move away – but the core of the problem remains:

how can you take control of your home sound environment? My most recent skirmish in the sound wars came when a hand-addressed envelope dropped through my letterbox, not long after I moved into a new flat. Was it a greeting from one of my new neighbours? Well, sort of. ‘Dear neighbour, welcome to the building!’ the note began. A good start. But then: ‘Sorry we haven’t had a chance to meet you yet, but we have noticed your music…’ Uh-oh. I had recently become a homeowner after years of renting, so I felt ready to

Acoustiblok soundproofing material being installed

take things in hand. I went over to meet the neighbour, who was friendly, but puzzled by my need for regular practice: ‘Couldn’t you just hire a studio?’ The neighbour was right about one thing: a calm home sound environment is crucial to well being. ‘Has a pleasant sound environment’ may never appear on an estate agent’s list of amenities, yet we surely all prefer living somewhere with a low-level background noise that isn’t regularly disrupted by hammering, loud music or planes. Likewise, it’s nice to live where you can make noise to your heart’s content. You don’t want to feel self-conscious as you practise, worrying that a neighbour hates your every sound. And let’s face it – pianos can generate some serious volume. One person with an in-depth understanding of the issue of sound transmittal and pianos is Dawn Elizabeth Howells, owner of Peregrine’s Pianos in London. Peregrine’s sells Schimmel, August Förster, Samick and other piano makes, but its valued-added service is its acoustical expertise. I discover that expertise for myself when I visit Peregrine’s. The shop is located on a busy corner – cars, cabs, lorries and emergency vehicles whoosh by constantly. But when I walk in and close the heavy white steel door behind me, the outside noise vanishes. ‘I can’t help notice that we’re here on this very busy road and I’m not hearing very much of it at all,’ I tell Howells in amazement. ‘Well, you shouldn’t really hear anything, because we’ve got sound insulation on the windows, which is nine millimetre laminated glass on the outside, five inches air space with sound-absorbent lining, and then nine millimetre laminated glass inside,’ she replies. ‘It’s all

Photos, this page: Courtesy Acoustiblok; opposite page: Sound Reduction Systems Ltd

What to do when neighbours complain about hearing your piano? Don’t panic! Give sound engineering and insulation a try, says Inge Kjemtrup, who shares her own tale of acoustical challenges

82• Pianist 76

p82_Soundproof2-FINAL.indd 82

09/01/2014 09:00

Types of noise All sounds are not created equal, and how your sound problem is sorted depends very much on what kind of sound it is. Anyone who has lived somewhere with another living space above will be familiar with ‘impact sound’, which is sound made by people (or pets) moving around and making their floor and your ceiling vibrate. These boots are made for walking, sang Nancy Sinatra, but you’d be a lot happier if she and her boots didn’t decide to move in upstairs. Pianos can also create impact sound: the waves from the piano can impact the floor and make it vibrate, transmitting the sound

A SOUND SOLUTION? SILENT PIANOS In part because they offer a quick fix to sound issues, silent pianos have been becoming very popular. A silent piano is essentially an acoustic piano that can be converted, usually with the flip of a switch, into a digital instrument that can be played with headphones, making a sound audible only to the player (though anyone within earshot may notice the physical clattering of the keys). What this burgeoning new class of pianos aims to do is to give you the best of both worlds: the action and feel of an acoustic instrument with the on/off control and the silence of a digital instrument. Silent pianos can be purchased with the technology fully installed at the factory or added aftermarket. Yamaha’s Silent Piano system, profiled in Pianist No 71, is one of the best-known systems, and is also used in the Kemble and Bösendorfer models, which are part of the Yamaha family of instruments. Bechstein has its Vario system while Schimmel has its TwinTone sound-muting feature. Two well-known aftermarket systems are PianoDisc’s QuietTime and Gabor. For some pianists, the silent piano is a compromise too far, but for an increasing number of pianists, the silent piano is the way forward.

In the next issue Gez Kahan will look at the growing market for silent pianos. to the rooms below. ‘Airborne sound’ is transmitted through the air and then passes through walls or floors. The quarrelling couple next door, a blaring television or your piano playing are all examples of airborne sound. Working out what can be done is the territory of specialists such as acoustical engineers and consultants. They will help you determine what an improved sound environment might be like and how, and if, your sound-free ambitions can be realised. As part of the acoustical work on my flat, I hired acoustic consultant Simone Longo. The tool kit he brought with him included a sound meter and spectrum analyser. Longo visits a client’s home to analyse the sound, working out which kind of frequencies (high, medium, low) are emerging from the background noise. Longo explains, ‘Every environment has a background noise – a “noise floor” – and people tend to tune into specific noises that annoy them.’ Longo analyses and take samples of the sound environment, with and without the offending noise, and then compares the two. After the site visit, he writes a report making a list of recommendations. Blocking the problem Once you start trying to explore your sound issues, you may be forgiven for thinking there as many sound products and solutions as there are problems. Again, the type of problem

The type of sound will determine the solution: airborne sound (left), impact sound (centre) or flanking sound (right)

will determine the solution. Howells is careful to make a distinction between sound insulation, which is designed to stop sound transmittal, and sound engineering, which means modifying the space itself to avoid letting sound be transmitted out. After analysing the sound source, transmittal pattern and frequencies, you (or your acoustical consultant or architect) can devise a detailed plan to block out, or at any rate ameliorate, the unwanted sound. In most cases, you will need to add acoustical materials to your walls, ceilings or floor. You may also find you need to replace or insulate your windows or doors. The good news is that acoustical materials and techniques continue to develop. At one time, adding sound insulation to a room meant building out some 10 inches into the room, in effect building a room within a room. Today, thanks to dense but less thick materials such as Acoustiblok or the products from Sound Reduction Systems, that loss of space is often down to a few inches. In my own case, the wall with the 3mm acoustical lining (by Acoustiblok) also has a built-in bookshelf in front of it, so I feel the loss of space less keenly. For floors, sound insulation can help diminish the impact sound that is being generated by your piano. Installation of a ‘floating floor’ starts with a heavy-duty rubber underlay, which is put down on top of the floorboards. A tongue-and-

▲

Photos, this page: Courtesy Acoustiblok; opposite page: Sound Reduction Systems Ltd

sealed; it’s airtight. You get the light in, but you don’t get any sound at all.’ The front door, which Howells accurately likens to a refrigerator door in terms of how hard it is to open, also plays a role in ensuring quiet. The door has two magnetic strips, which lock at different places. ‘When the door is closed, you have an empty air space in between,’ she says. ‘It does mean that when you close the door, the two magnetic strips close and seal so that it’s very hard to open. But it is 40 decibels sound reduction just in this one door. The base of the door also has a lining, a rubber insulation strip that falls down when the door is closed and locks at the bottom so that there is no sound coming underneath or around the edge of the door. This is not the thing you would put in your own sitting room, but if you’ve got a home studio, this is a very good way forward.’ The door, installed by IAC Acoustics, costing around £2,000, is also not cheap. Howells ushers me into the showroom, which is crowded with pianos. In transforming a rundown café into a showroom and three studios, her goal was to make ‘the ultimate environment for musicians to work in.’ If you buy a piano at Peregrine’s, you can get advice about how to best adjust your home environment for the new piano. ‘We work with our customers to find solutions for all these different issues, and when specialist engineering is required, we can organise that as well,’ says Howells.

83• Pianist 76

p82_Soundproof2-FINAL.indd 83

09/01/2014 09:00

P E R S O N A L S PA C E groove wooden floor is placed on top of that, but, importantly it is not screwed into the floor, but rather sits, or floats, on top of the rubber. A carpet can go on top of that. When I walk across a carpeted floating floor at Peregrine’s, I can feel the floor flex. Howell stresses that it’s important to choose a lightweight synthetic carpet, as a thick wool carpet will absorb a lot of high frequencies from a piano. Peregrine’s also sells special caster cups that go underneath each leg and can make a difference with how a piano’s sound is transmitted downwards. ‘Most pianos have casters that are quite dense, and they can transmit a lot of sound through a very small area on your floorboard, which is the very worst scenario,’ says Howells. ‘If you place a caster cup, you are immediately transporting vibrations from that piano over a large area of floor.’ Ceilings and walls are handled somewhat differently than floors. In both instances, the surface is torn down to the studs. The space between joists is filled with a heavy-duty material that’s like loft insulation, which is then lined by a rubber matting that is stapled or screwed into the bottom of the joists. Steel resilient bars are then fixed to the ceiling joists, and on those, acoustic plasterboard is screwed on. ‘Resilient bars mean that the structure of the floor can move but the plasterboard, which hangs directly below, is not directly coupled to the floor joists, so if there’s any movement of the ceiling, those sound waves are not transmitted into the floor joists,’ says Howells. The acoustic plasterboard is followed by a high-density plasterboard and plastered. One key thing to remember, Howells says: ‘When you sound-insulate a ceiling, you can’t run cables through it or you’ll be spoiling your sound insulation. The only thing that has to go on the ceiling is the fire system.’ One thing that holds people back from adding sound insulation (and from insulating their homes at all) is the fear that the air circulation will be poor once the insulation is installed. ‘As soon as you seal a room, you do need a ventilation system,’ says Howells. ‘Bringing fresh air in means you need a conducting fan, and normally that means bringing air in through filters, otherwise you’re just going to bring dust and dirt in from the outside. If you’re bringing air in from outside, you bring it in through a silencer.’ Such a ventilation system, like the one at Peregrine’s, will require adjustment so that cold air doesn’t come in to upset your piano’s tuning. ‘We have a thermostat and a heating element within our system, so that when the air outside gets very cold, the air we’re bringing in is of the same temperature as the rest

Peregrine’s Pianos in central London might look quaint, but that heavy white door blocks the sound of a busy road

of the environment so we don’t suffer dreadful convection currents.’ In a city centre or other less-thenAlpine-fresh environments, there are other advantages to having a ventilation system in your environment. ‘If you put your grand piano in a normal room and you open the window, you bring in all this dust, which you don’t really want on your soundboard,’ says Howells. ‘This ventilation system gives you the chance to clean out all the dust and dirt before the air comes into your property, so that you don’t have to dust the pianos as much and the whole property is much cleaner.’ Making peace with noise Even after sound insulation is in place, you may still need some sound engineering to perfect the environment. For instance, to cut out low frequencies, Howells has had low-frequency sound absorbers installed, galvanised boxes with a rock wall lining and small holes in the front. ‘The sound waves go into those little holes and they bounce backwards and forward within the box which is about four inches deep,’ she says. Another problem that can be addressed by sound engineering is standing waves. Howells explains, ‘When you’ve got parallel walls in a room, if you’ve got a low frequency with the same wavelength as the distance between the walls, you set up standing waves – high and low pressure points, which can drive you absolutely mad every time you play a certain note.’ Sound deflectors, which are curved surfaces added to a straight wall, can help by sending the sound waves off in different directions rather than going back and forward. If this also sounds rather daunting, I suggest looking at Sound Reduction Systems’ website (see box, right) for further ideas of what you might expect in terms of sound insulation and engineering for a variety of common

situations. The firm makes acoustical materials of various types that are appropriate for different situations. Don’t forget that the point of all this fuss and bother is to make sure you can play your piano in a positive sound environment. ‘We all need a fresh, clean, clear sort of sound when we’re working,’ Howells says. ‘We don’t want to stifle the sound of the piano. My technicians can come into your home and adjust the regulation and obviously soften the hammer felts so that we can reduce the amount of sound that’s actually coming out of your piano, but we’d rather not do that.’ As for my own sound issues, two years later, after several consultations and much construction, the issues have largely been sorted. Along the way, I have discovered that there are both miracles and limitations in what can be done to improve the sound. I have also learned that you can never make background sound disappear entirely, unless you move to a remote mountain peak. Even then, the sound of airplanes and of nature’s cacophony would likely intrude. People who have been to the anechoic (non-echoing) chamber at the IRCAM Centre in Paris tell me the experience is disturbing: there’s no noise, so you can only hear your heartbeat and the sound of blood coursing through your veins. So I am resigned to living with some noise, but I savour being able to practise knowing that I’m preserving my neighbour’s peace of mind, and my own. ■

SOUND CONTACTS Acoustiblok www.acoustiblok.co.uk www.acoustiblok.com

IAC Acoustics www.iac-acoustics.com Institute of Acoustics (UK) www.ioa.org.uk Simone Longo, acoustic consultant www.nmsacoustics.com National Council of Acoustical Consultants (North America) www.ncac.com Peregrine’s Pianos, London www.peregrines-pianos.com Sound Reduction Systems www.soundreduction.co.uk

84• Pianist 76

p82_Soundproof2-FINAL.indd 84

09/01/2014 09:00

REVIEW SHEET MUSIC An illuminating Mussorgsky Pictures, approachable Rachmaninov, eccentric Satie and duets are among the treasures in this issue’s round-up from Michael McMillan MUSSORGSKY Pictures at an Exhibition Bärenreiter ISMN: 979-0-00654190-4

DUETS 24 Etudes; 19 Nocturnes Alfred ISBN-10: 0-73909861-6 (Etudes); -9859-4 (Nocturnes)

The Boosey & Hawkes Solo Piano Collection: Rachmaninoff Boosey & Hawkes ISMN: 979-0-06012390-0

Evolving Blues Adrian Connell Edition Dohr ISMN: 979-0-20209802-8 Home and Dry Brian Chapple Chester Music ISBN: 978-178305-155-7

If you want to play Rachmaninov but you find his music too difficult, you have three options: 1) Go ahead and play his music anyway, badly, 2) Keep improving until you’re ready to tackle his music or 3) Play easier arrangements of his music. Readers who plump for option 3 will be interested to learn about this new collection of 29 intermediatelevel (Grade 5-7) arrangements of Rachmaninov’s music. Favourite themes have been drawn from the composer’s diverse choral, operatic, vocal, concerto, piano solo, duet and symphonic output, and arearranged in this volume through the excellent handiwork of Hywel Davies, Nicholas Hare, Christopher Norton and Alfred Richter. You may not recognise all the themes, and some arrangements don’t work as well as others, but don’t hesitate to try it if you picked the third option above.

These new, inexpensive editions of Chopin’s Etudes and Nocturnes were put together by the late Willard Palmer. Both collections contain just a one-page introduction to the pieces, a one-page index and then the music itself. A CD containing performances made for Naxos by Idil Biret is included with the book. As much as there is to admire about the effort that has gone into producing these good quality, budget-priced products, you might prefer to spend a little more to play from editions in which the typesetting of the music is more pleasing to the eye (e.g. Wiener Urtext), editions that preserve Chopin’s fingering and contain a critical commentary (e.g. National Edition), editions that include the posthumous Nocturne in C sharp minor (e.g. Henle) and editions that also feature the 3 nouvelles études (e.g. Peters).

SATIE

GERSHWIN

THE EASY GROOVE PIANO BOOK

A PERFECT 10

There are rich pickings here for those looking to learn and play grooves in disco, funk, house, Latin, pop/rock and soul styles. Philipp Moehrke has written a number of short (two to eight-bar-long) grooves in each of these styles, and presents them in different versions of increasing complexity, from easy to advanced levels. Each one can be heard on the accompanying DVD, but to get the full benefit of the DVD, you do need to know how to loop an MP3 track using additional software. At the end of the volume, there are about ten longer play-along songs. At just under £30, this book is expensive, but it constitutes a useful learning tool for readers looking to discover and play short groove patterns, and for teachers looking for alternative modern material to try in their lessons. Groovy!

Each of these three volumes contains six pieces by Melody Bober, a popular American composer of educational music, and four other pieces by composers from the past such as Burgmüller, Bartók, Gurlitt, Türk and Lully. The first book is essentially written in five-finger positions, the second book is almost Grade 1 and the third is around Grade 2. Many of the pieces in the first two books come with a duet accompaniment to be played by the teacher, and all the music is highly patterned, making them easy to learn. The music in these books is most likely to appeal to those beginners who are still at an age where they’re happy to click their fingers in the middle of a piece. The Perfect 10 series can be used as supplementary material to any standard piano method (there are two additional volumes as well).

Urtext

Avant-dernières Allegro h-moll Pensées Opus 8 Allegro in b minor op. 8

G. HenleVerlag

ISMN 979-0-2018-1181-9

1181 480 Printed in Germany

www.henle.com

CHOPIN

This is Bärenreiter’s attractive new edition of this treasured Russian masterpiece. For those not familiar with Pictures at an Exhibition, Mussorgsky subtitled the work ‘A Remembrance of Viktor Hartmann’, as it consists of ten pieces inspired by his friend’s drawings, all cleverly linked together by short transitions that depict the composer’s promenade around the exhibition. There are minute differences to other modern editions that you probably would not notice unless you were specifically looking for them, but all ambiguities and editorial decisions are listed in the critical commentary at the back of the volume. Eight pages of introductory text illuminate the history and performance practice of the music, while six of Hartmann’s drawings are printed to illustrate Mussorgsky’s inspiration. No fingering or pedalling are included.

Satie Schumann

HN_1181_Satie_Cover schwarz.indd 1

RACHMANINOV

HN 1181

16.05.2012 10:49:55

Gnossiennes; Avant-dernières Pensées Bärenreiter ISMN: 979-0-00652933-9 (Gnossiennes) Henle ISMN: 979-0-20181181-9 (Pensées)

If you come across a performance instruction like ‘arm yourself with clairvoyance’, you’re probably reading a Satie score. Such phrases are scattered around his Gnossiennes. Bärenreiter’s edition here has seven Gnossiennes, but some editions carry just the first three (since Satie didn’t name the fourth to sixth), some six, and a few (e.g. Peters, Salabert) now print the seventh, retrospectively designated a Gnossienne by Satie. There are no fingering or pedal markings, but there’s a useful glossary of the French terms. The Avant-dernières Pensées (‘Nextto-last thoughts’) are slightly easier (Grade 3-4) than the Gnossiennes. Originally called ‘Strange noises’, the three short pieces are dedicated to Debussy, Dukas and Roussel. Typically abstract, they appear in Henle’s edition here with fingering and a translation of the absurd prose.

Three Preludes – 1 piano, 4 hands Arranged by Eugénie Rocherolle Hal Leonard ISBN: 978-1-47688941-2

Eugénie Rocherolle is an American composer who has written many collections of easy to intermediate piano works. This volume is the latest addition to the Eugénie Rocherolle series from Hal Leonard that already includes several collections of both original solos and arrangements of well-known music. For this new volume, Rocherolle has taken Gershwin’s three preludes for solo piano, thinned out their textures, transposed the second and third preludes into more manageable keys, and cleverly divided the music between two pianists at one piano. Parts are equal in difficulty (about Grade 4-5) and both contain plenty of melodic and rhythmic interest that will motivate learners around this level. In sum, this is enjoyable material for those preparing for piano festivals, concerts and recitals.

Philipp Moehrke Advance Music ISMN: 979-0-20630043-1

If you don’t read the preface before you start playing Evolving Blues, you will reach the end of the third page and wonder where on earth the rest of the music is. Having made this error myself, let me reveal that the composer’s intention is for the performers to add their own variants. Beginning with eight staccato Gs, the music gradually increases in complexity by mutating its rhythms and thickening its textures. Two pages later, the process ends, and it’s over to you. The idea of the title is perhaps more interesting in concept than in its realisation. Brian Chapple’s Home and Dry is a collection of ten one-page duets well written for beginners around Grade 1, with both parts equal in difficulty. There is some charm and titles such as Fiesta Siesta and Dark Alleyways reflect the music’s character. 10 winning solos in 10 styles Melody Bober Alfred ISBN: 978-0-73909840-0 (Bk 1); -9841-7 (Bk 2); -9842-4 (Bk 3)

85 76 Pianist #13 85•• Pianist

p85_Sheet Review-FINAL.indd 85

08/01/2014 14:42

REVIEW CD

Marius Dawn surveys the recent releases, giving top marks to Xiayin Wang’s American concertos and Alessio Bax’s powerhouse Rachmaninov Pianist star ratings ★★★★★ Essential – go get it! ★★★★ Really great ★★★ A fine release ★★ Average ★ For specialists only

Edit o r’s

ALESSIO BAX

C HOI C E

XIAYIN WANG

NICK VAN BLOSS

STEPHEN HOUGH

Chopin: Sonata No 3 in B minor; 24 Préludes op 28 Nimbus Alliance NI 6215

Rachmaninov: Preludes & Melodies. A selection of preludes, melodies and more Signum Records SIGCD264

★★★★★

American Piano Concertos. Gershwin: Concerto in F; concertos by Barber & Copland Royal Scottish NO/Peter Oundjain Chandos CHSA 5128 America is not a country associated with great Romantic piano concertos in the European tradition. No swashbuckling tunes à la Rachmaninov and no full-on virtuosity in the style of Liszt. Few will know the Liszt pupil Edward MacDowell’s sugary-sweet Piano Concerto No 2 (1890), probably the only American concerto in the line of Tchaikovsky. One has to arrive at 1925 before one comes across American piano concertos of any lasting value. However, the three American concertos on this splendidly recorded and masterly performed new release from Xiayin Wang are undoubtedly masterworks of the highest calibre. Gershwin’s only fully-laid out piano concerto boasts several recordings, but this one, not only because of the razor-sharp orchestral playing, is among the very finest. I was impressed by the rhythmic drive in the knotty Copland, the least approachable of the three. Barber did not compose a piano concerto until 1962 (string players had a glorious violin concerto and later a cello concerto) and it’s a shame that this work is rarely performed in the concert hall these days. Hence this new digital recording is a real treat. The concerto is full of harmonic subtleties and brimming with tenderness, though not at all easy to play well. Wang performs the soulful second movement Canzone with real beauty – reason enough for making this disc a clear first choice.

BORIS BEREZOVSKY Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No 2; plus solo piano works Sinfonia Varsovia/ Alexander Vedernikov Mirare MIR 200

★★★★★

★★★★

Here is Rachmaninov playing on the Mercedes level. Highly polished, secure, and ultra fast when needed. Just listen to the devilish chord progression of the Prelude op 23 no 2, where Bax accelerates into the last pages and you can feel the pressure in your back. Thankfully, he can also drive with all the delicacy we associate with the Rachmaninov melodic filigree in the slower preludes. The Kreisler arrangements give Bax the chance to charm, and early rarities like the early E major Melodie are played with sovereign elegance. If some listeners might feel out of breath trying to keep up with some of the faster passages, rest assured that Bax never runs out of steam.

Tchaikovsky’s Second Concerto isn’t scored as elegantly as the First, and it needs a leaner more transparent approach than found here. So three stars only for the Sinfonia Varsovia and its heavy-handed conductor, but a full five stars for the pianist. Nothing can scare Berezovsky, who plays the robust first movement with force and security. His dialogue with the violin and cello in the intimate second movement is bliss, and he has all the necessary fireworks in last movement. A true triumph. The rest of the CD includes a bewildering selection of Tchaikovsky piano pieces that we should view as a series of encores after a fantastic evening in the company of a master pianist.

LANG LANG

MIKHAIL PLETNEV

Brahms: Piano Concertos Nos 1 &2 Mozarteumorchester Salzburg/Mark Wigglesworth Hyperion CDA67961

Prokofiev: Concerto No 3; Bartók: Concerto No 2 Berlin Philharmonic/ Simon Rattle Sony Classical 88883732262

★★★★

★★★★

★★★★

Nick van Bloss has much competition in the repertoire he’s chosen for this disc – I stopped counting when I passed 100 versions of these Chopin works. However, he need not fear being designated to bottom rank, as his fingers don’t let him down in the faster préludes and in the Third Sonata’s hectic last movement. Van Bloss can produce a beautiful singing tone in the introvert préludes and in the deeply original slow movement of the Sonata. All in all this is a Chopin release that he can be proud of. Yet in all honesty, it is difficult to say that this recording is one that will wipe out the memory of so many other recordings made by pianists who have Chopin in their blood.

Early in his career, Stephen Hough made a recording of the Second Brahms Concerto that was received enthusiastically. That version had all the qualities we associate with Hough from pearly pianissimos to big round fortissimos. In this latest CD, many of the same qualities are present, especially in the dancing last movement rondo of the No 2, while No 1 is Brahms the young man trying to conquer the world. Sadly, Hough is let down by an orchestra simply lacking in gravitas. Surely our pianist wanted to offer up a slimmer and fitter Brahms and his tempos, far from being extreme, point in that direction. Nevertheless, Hough’s unmistakable talent shines through.

Bartók’s Second needs a meaner and more ruthless pianist than Lang Lang – not that he has the slightest problem playing the horrendously difficult piano part. On the contrary! But it is a toothless Bartók where it should have teeth, and all wrapped up in the luxurious orchestral accompaniment. The Prokofiev Third fares better, and is executed with wit and rhythmic drive. Lang Lang provides a full, sonorous piano tone while Rattle and the Berliners chase him like a jaguar after its prey. An impressive recording, but one that makes the Prokofiev sound kinder than it should be. The skilful packaging provides a bonus DVD showing us exactly what a charming fellow Lang Lang is.

Pletnev in Person. Works by Beethoven, Bach/ Busoni, Chopin/ Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Schubert Onyx ONYX 4110

★★ The recordings on this disc were not meant for release. As Pletnev says in the booklet, he played the music once to get a feeling for the piano. So these are chips from the workbench. It is a bouquet of Beethoven, Bach and Chopin garnished by Tchaikovsky and Schubert. Was it a good idea to release this? From a musical perspective, no, because of the tempo fluctuations and the improvisatory approach. However, for the chance to hear a pianist showing us what a piano can do with tone, colour and sound, it is fascinating. Just promise you will never play any of the pieces like Pletnev, or you will get scolded by your teacher – not for making the gorgeous piano colours, but for pulling the composers around like circus animals.

86• Pianist 76

p86_CD Review-FINAL.indd 86

09/01/2014 11:06

ˇ SIMON TRPCESKI

RARITIES OF PIANO MUSIC At Schloss vor Husum 2012: Works by Fauré, Hahn, Szymanowski Glière, and more – from various pianists Danacord DACOCD 729

MITSUKO UCHIDA

Recital of Schubert, Bach and Liszt, Wigmore Hall, 18 March 2012 Wigmore Hall Live WHLIVE0058

ASHLEY WASS

Waldszenen op 82; Piano Sonata No 2 op 22; Gesänge der Frühe op 133 Decca 478 5393

Bach to the Future. Works by Beethoven, Berg, Barber, Busoni, Bach/Busoni, Bach/ Kurtág Orchid Classics ORC100033

★★★★★

★★★★★

★★★

For over 25 years this North German festival has presented lesser-known piano music. This annual snapshot disc from the festival contains piano playing of the highest calibre and features rarely heard pieces by Liszt and Fauré, arrangements by Liszt and Granados, and piano gems from Joseph Marx, Adolf Gutmann and Chabrier. Previous releases have included heavyweights such as Hamelin and Milne, but this time the standouts are the less-famous Joseph Moog, an up-and-coming young pianist of tremendous charisma, and the outstanding Sofja Gülbadamova, who is given the longest playing time. For lovers of the piano byways, this Keyboardseries Skills adseeking 133.5x90 long-time is worth out.

Those who left the Sunday papers behind on 18 March 2012 to venture out to London’s Wigmore Hall for Simon Trpčeski’s recital were in for a treat. Luckily a microphone made it possible of us to share that moment of elegant pianism centred on Schubert and Liszt. The often-bombastic ‘Wanderer’ Fantasy is kept in a firm leash, while the preceding 16 German Dances are kept light-footed and simple. Trpčeski lets his hair down in Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No 2 followed by two fine encores, not least the Schubert/Liszt ‘Ständchen’. If some can dig more emotion out of the reflective Liszt Petrarca Sonet, it certainly doesn’t take away a memory 24/6/08 11:53 Page 1 from this extraordinary live concert.

Few pianists can fully capture the This inventive recital has Bach as the many sides of Schumann’s music. The thread weaving through pieces such as abrupt melodic lines and repetitive Busoni’s arrangement of the Chorale patterns so often found in his piano Prelude ‘Ich ruf ’ and the fugue of the music leave many pianists in a state Barber Sonata. Wass sees Bach not as of limbo, finding it hard to get things the dry Baroque harpsichordist but flowing. Uchida provides a classic as a fully romantic hero, and in the example here in the Second Sonata, Kurtág arrangements, where he is at rushing through each movement his most convincing, he shows us how and allowing little time for contrasts Bach can even sound contemporary. in colour, phrasing and tempos. The Not a man to play on sentimentality, late Gesänge der Frühe is Schumann Wass keeps to a strict, rhythmic at his most intimate and with her Bach in the long Busoni Fantasia. ‘pulling around’ style, Uchida does His rhythmic steadiness comes to not allow the music to speak for itself. greatest advantage in one of the very Uchida has played charming Mozart, best versions of the four-movement monumental Beethoven and some of Barber Sonata I have heard. For that the best Debussy playing, but with alone (listen to the last movement 7/8 fugue), he receives Schumann she has found a challenge. SS 2014 140x105 Pianist:Layout 1 30/10/2013 20:30 Page 1 four very big stars.

★★★★

Keyboard Skills

for Reluctant Pianists Sue Anderson

Chetham’s International Summer School & Festival for Pianists

A crash course in increasing practical confidence at the piano. Music Teacher: July 2007

Part One: 14–20 August 2014 Part Two: 20–26 August 2014

Content includes

The Friendliest Piano Summer School in the World!

Artistic Director: Murray McLachlan

Faculty includes: Joseph Banowetz, Mark Bebbington, Boris Bermann, José Feghali, Margaret Fingerhut, Peter Frankl, Carlo Grante, Thomas Hecht, Leslie Howard, Eugen Indjic, Dorian Leljak, John Lenehan, Leon McCawley, Murray McLachlan, Daniel-Ben Pienaar, Artur Pizarro, Jason Rebello, Ashley Wass.

• basic harmony at the keyboard • scale playing made easy • how to simplify accompaniments

£21 inc CD ISBN 978-0-9552933-0-6

• 30-week sample timetable

Available from all good bookshops or direct from Sue Anderson on 020 8670 0982 or [email protected]

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

87• Pianist 76

p86_CD Review-FINAL.indd 87

13/01/2014 09:38

WHERE C AN I FIND... R E TA I L E R S

TUITION

CHESHIRE

LONDON

EAST SUSSEX & KENT

WORCESTERSHIRE E S S E X

Shackleford Pianos

Peregrine’s Pianos

Sussex Pianos

Cheltenham Piano Centre

Pianists Together

Marburae House

137A Grays Inn Road . London

Unit 14a, Rural Business Centre,

52 Winchcombe Street, Cheltenham

Weekly workshop near

Athey St, Macclesfield

WC1X 8TU

Broad Farm, North Street,

Gloucestershire, GL52 2HP

Brentwood/Chelmsford: duets,

SK116QU

Tel: 020 7242 9865 E: info@

Hellingly, East Sussex, BN27 4DU

01242517635

accompaniment, musicianship,

0800 0329919

peregrines-pianos.com W: www.

Tel: 01323 843900 Email: info@

www.cheltenham-piano-centre.co.uk

solo performance, kindred spirits

[email protected]

peregrines-pianos.com

sussexpianos.co.uk

Bluthner, Yamaha, Bechstein, Kemble,

and friendly atmosphere! Free

Complete range of new and used

We are here to sell and hire out

Web: www.sussexpianos.co.uk

Dale Forty Restorations and repairs

taster session. Individual tuition

pianos for the beginner through to

fine, modern upright and grand

A family run business since 1995 &

undertaken in our workshops

also offered. www.cagmus.org.uk/

the professional.

pianos, and to provide a unique

located in the Sussex countryside,

Prices start at £595, all pianos are

working environment for the music

we offer a wide range of services

Vale Pianos

covered by a minimum of 5 years

profession.

for piano owners including Tuning,

Piano Specialists with over 100

Repairsand Restoration.

pianos on display. Family business.

warranty. Brands include Schulze Pollmann, Feurich, and Thurmer. Visit our workshop to see our

N W L ON DON

restoration process for pre

Piano Warehouse

loved pianos.

291-295 Willesden Lane

Piano Warehouse

We also offer complete piano

London

111-113 Ewell Road, Surbiton,

services including restoration,

NW2 5HY

Surrey, KT6 6AL

tuning, and piano removals.

0207 267 7671

GLOUCESTERSHIRE

SURREY

piano.html 07801 258261

NATIONAL

Workshops and showrooms.

Tony Bowden, Bethany Music

Visit www.valepianos.co.uk

Learn music theory by post.

01386 860419

Grades 1 to 6. Beginners, improvers and returnees, all welcome.

YO R K S H I R E

Reasonable charges.

0208 399 4110

Stephen Brandon Pianos

www.piano-warehouse.co.uk

www.piano-warehouse.co.uk

23B Whitby Avenue, York, North

For Sale

Specialists in sales and rentals

Specialists in sales and rentals.

Yorkshire, YO311EU

PIANO FOR SALE

01904 430270 / 01904430270

Yamaha S400, 6’3”, Hand crafted

[email protected]

pristine polished ebony piano.

Cheltenham Piano Centre 52 Winchcombe Street,

01242 250794

01295 277 989

Cheltenham

N ORT H W EST

Piano Workshop of Reigate Sales-Rental-Restoration

www.stephenbrandonpianos.co.uk

Immaculate both inside and out.

Gloucestershire, GL52 2HP

Forsyth

Practice and teaching rooms for hire

We have been selling high quality

Beautiful rich tone. House move

01242517635

126 Deansgate, Manchester M3 2GR

ABRSM exam centre

pianos for over 30 years. We stock a

forces sale, hence bargain price of

www.cheltenham-piano-centre.co.uk

0161 834 3281

www.pianoworkshop.co.uk

large selection of new, second hand

£10,500.Call 0151 280 8111

Bluthner, Yamaha, Bechstein, Kemble,

[email protected]

Dale Forty Restorations and repairs

www.forsyths.co.uk

undertaken in our workshops

With over 150 years of experience

01242 250794

and restored upright and grand pianos

SURREY BORDERS

Forsyth offers the complete piano

HANTS

.Our showroom is open every Saturday

BECHSTEIN GRAND PIANO,

10.30am to 5.00pm. An appointment is

Model A, c 1904 Dimensions: 98 x

advisable on weekdays.

145 x 184. Casework: Rosewood lacquered. Action recently

service.

refurbishedwith 2 year guarantee.

Unrivalled selection of quality new and used pianos agents for

Handel Pianos

Beautiful toneand very good

Bösendorfer, Bechstein, Kawai,

Verve House, London Road (A30),

condition. Price:

Kemble, May-Berlin, Schimmel,

Sunningdale, Berkshire, SL5 0DJ

£3995 ono Tel: 07729839689

Vogel & Yamaha

01344 873645

New,upright and grand pianos on

Rebuilt & Pre-owned by Bechstein,

[email protected]

display from Bluthner,Grotrian-

Bluthner, Fazioli, Ibach & Steinway

www.handelpianos.co.uk

Steiweg,Kawai and Shreiner & Sohne.

Complete range of new and restored

Please contact us to arrange a visit to

upright and grand pianos, for the

our showroom,

OX O N

beginner through to the professional. Appointed Bosendorfer and Kemble

01256 477198 www.benwheelerpianos.co.uk

Cheltenham Piano Centre

agents. As new, restored pianos

HEREFORD

52 Winchcombe Street,

from Bluthner & Bechstein

Cheltenham Piano Centre

GL52 2HP

52 Winchcombe Street,

01242517635 01242 250794

Cheltenham

www.cheltenham-piano-centre.co.uk

Gloucestershire,

Bluthner, Yamaha, Bechstein,

GL52 2HP

Kemble, Dale Forty

01242517635

Restorations and repairs undertaken

01242 250794

in our workshops

www.cheltenham-piano-centre.co.uk Bluthner, Yamaha, Bechstein, Kemble, Dale Forty Restorations and repairs undertaken in our workshops

Cheltenham, Gloucestershire,

Piano For Sale 1 Yamaha U1 Upright Piano in polished black finish Bought 12th April 2008 One owner

Not found the company you were looking for? Then why not visit www. pianist magazine.com/ Where-Can-I-Find/ and check out the wide selection of products and services promoted through our website.

Contact 078 2646 3974 Email: [email protected]

Philbanks.indd 1

p88Classifieds76.indd 88

£4,000

10/01/2014 09:47

10/01/2014 15:14

EST 2002

thepianoman.ltd.uk

FULL CONCERT GRAND Formerly, Kawai UK's concert instrument, only 5 years old.

£49,500 inc 10 year warranty FREE NATIONWIDE DELIVERY 168-170 Easterly Road (A58) Leeds · LS8 3AD www.thepianoman.ltd.uk

“

The Shigeru Kawai SX-EX is simply the finest concert grand piano I have ever played. Julian Saphir.

”

Meticulously handcrafted in strictly limited numbers, the Shigeru Kawai brings to fruition over 80 years of piano advancement, knowledge and craftsmanship.

Swanton Design & Marketing ©

PIANOMAN

Tel: 0771-855-2390 | Email: [email protected]

THE

CL ASSIFIEDS Piano specialists for over four generations

We have over 70 pianos on offer from Bosendorfer | Bluthner Bechstein | Kemble Yamaha | Kawai With many other new and quality pre loved pianos. With delivery arranged countrywide

0113 240 8030

www.handelpianos.co.uk Tel: 01344 873645 Email: [email protected]

Verve House | London Road | Sunningdale | Berkshire | SL5 0DJ

PIANO WORKSHOP

FOR SALE Est. 1982

PIANOLA

good working order; only needs tuning. 5ft wide, 53ins high,28ins deep. 30 rolls. Seen East Leics. More photos available. OFFERS 01780 720374 plant.p@ btinternet.com

C Bechstein upright Burr Walnut

Restoration specialists - pianos purchased. Over 90 pianos on display.

Pianola.indd 1

06/01/2014 09:47

www.pianoworkshop.co.uk Tel: 01737 242174 46b Albert Road North, Reigate, Surrey RH2 9EL

Are you looking for pre-owned ? We have 2 pre-owned Schimmel grand pianos in our showrooms - K169 and K230 Unusual opportunity to buy a nearly new Schimmel Compare with our new K169, K189 and K213 models Please contact us for further details.

www.valepianos.co.uk 01386 860419

WORCESTERSHIRE

Advertise your business here!

Call Natalie Tuerena on

0845 226 0477

p88Classifieds76.indd 89

10/01/2014 15:14

91• Pianist 76

p91 Ads.indd 91

08/01/2014 12:18