Innehållsförteckning för 118 från Pianist

Winter is always a time for taking stock, but never more so than this year, in my experience. _ is morning I pulled a dog-eared volume of Chopin o_ the shelf, prompted by the story of Josephine Proctor on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. At the age of 84, isolated in quarantine, she has set aside a ‘golden moment’ in each day to teach herself one of the nocturnes. ‘I turn my piano light on, and put my glasses on, and I just have a go.’ Her quiet resolve, her homely upright, the care and the honesty in her playing as it came over, reminded me so powerfully of you, our readers, who write in and tell me what the piano – and Pianist – means to them at a…

A young man rises from the keyboard. Sallow, open-necked and hollow-eyed, he nods from exhaustion as he turns to acknowledge the storm of applause breaking over the last chord of the music, his arms hanging limp by his sides. No wonder. Alexandre Kantorow has just played the second concertos of Tchaikovsky and then Brahms, one straight after the other, in the final of the 2019 Moscow International Tchaikovsky Competition. It’s a performance that won him not only the gold medal in the piano division, but also the coveted grand prix of the whole competition, also covering its violin, cello and vocal sections, awarded on a discretionary basis to artists of quite exceptional gifts (Daniil Trifonov won it in 2011). Still available to view on the online Medici TV platform, the…

Diabelli Rondo from Sonatina Op 151 No 1 (p36) I would like to offer two main practice suggestions that will keep you feeling coordinated in this sparkling Rondo. Using a very small wrist hinge in the LH’s broken chord pattern will help you keep this light and characterful. From a wrist that is level with the forearm, gently drop the arm into the fifth finger notes, from the key surface. As you play each repeat chord, allow the wrist to hinge up over the course of the bar – but only a couple of millimetres per chord. This very small range of motion will be enough to keep you free and mobile. It’s most important to check that you are not key-bedding (pushing into the fifth finger as you hold…

Key E major Tempo Andante tranquillo Style Romantic Will improve your✓Pedalling✓Chord voicing✓Dividing melody between hands Many composers had their favourite creations. With such works, they would take the melodic material and rework it, or they would just have ideas that kept coming back in slightly different shapes and contexts. Cecile Chaminade’s Aubade is case and point. First published as the second piece of her Children’s Album Volume 2 (Op 126 No 2), and published in 1907, it didn’t take the composer long to produce another, meatier version: Some four years later, in 1911, the piece appeared again, this time as Op 140, a stand-alone work, and enriched with subtle octaves in the bass, which give that little bit more sonority than the original version. Quality of sound is of the…

British composer William Duncombe (not to be confused with the writer William Duncombe, 1690-1769) was organist in the London borough of Kensington. He is known mainly for a small group of piano pieces (especially this Fanfare Minuet) which are probably excerpts from his Progressive lessons for the harpsichord and pianoforte published in 1778. Look closely at the technical tips within the score. Find a stable tempo. We suggest counting the pulse silently before you begin. Rhythmic stability is of the utmost importance.…

Although it belongs to a set of 34 pieces gathered under the title of Etudes dans le genre fugué, this beautifully solemn F minor work is strictly speaking neither a study nor a fugue. Functioning rather as a prelude, it establishes a mood of grave and calm reflection which would prove useful in tackling or listening to the set as a whole. The first etude from the set was featured inside issue 105, with a lesson from Melanie Spanswick. Playing tips: Feel the tempo and keep the pulse moving; there could be the tendency to slow down without realising. Notice the long crescendo and diminuendo hairpins and also the subito changes of dynamics. Fingerings are there as a guide; all hand shapes are different. Pedal tips: Follow the markings on…

Ever since we featured Merikanto’s Valse lente inside issue 78, we’ve heard nothing but admiration for this underrated Finnish composer. We are always glad to feature more of his music (other pieces have appeared inside issue 107 and 114). Playing tips: Things are pretty simple throughout: The LH takes care of the ‘um-pah-pah’ gruff-sounding accompanying chords while the RH takes care of the melody. Enjoy the peasant-dance swing and don’t rush. There’s a fair amount of repetition, but if you take note of the changes of dynamics – especially the subito pianos – you’ll never be bored! Pedal tips: See markings on the score.…

WATCH CHENYIN LI PLAY THIS AT WWW.PIANISTMAGAZINE.COM In 1827, Schubert wrote two sets of four impromptus: Opus 90 (D899) and Opus posth 142 (D899). This Impromptu, the second in the first set, is one of his most florid and technically challenging, and if executed well, it can be spellbinding. Watch house pianist Chenyin Li perform it on the Pianist YouTube channel. There’s a plethora of interpretations out there on YouTube from the likes of Brendel, Uchida and Sokolov. Graham Fitch offers up practising tips on this piece on page 16. Read Lucy Parham’s step-by-step lesson on page 22.…

Pianists appear in the movies again and again. Sometimes the plots in which they pop up are predictable to a yawning degree, and could probably be boiled down to ‘tortured young artist pours out his heart into a concerto (usually Rachmaninov No 2) and then wins the girl, the competition, and everlasting happiness’. But sometimes films also pack surprises and ring changes upon common tropes with a bit of freshness. How about ‘if you play one wrong note in the concerto, I’ll kill you’ as a hook for the plot of Grand Piano? Sounds fun, no? And who could resist ‘disembodied hand plays some Bach, then hops upstairs to murder everyone in their beds’? (The Beast with Five Fingers). Yum. Count me in. The piano has had a long association…

EMAIL: editor@pianistmagazine.com WRITE TO:The Editor, Pianist, Warners Group Publications, The Maltings, West St, Bourne, PE10 9PH Letters may be edited. Loving those rhythms I really enjoyed John Geraghty’s Rum & Samba piece in issue 117. As an exdrummer, strict-tempo Latin American rhythms were always an enjoyable and rewarding challenge. Applying these rhythmic disciplines to the piano adds another level of interest in helping you to feel the movement – excellent practice for keeping the tempo tight. Pianist has been an invaluable companion providing enjoyment, inspiration and so much to focus and concentrate on through these di_ cult times. I am sure that many people, like myself, have benefitted from the power of music and from the contribution Pianist has made to our mental well-being. John Taylor, Leicestershire Posture-perfect Buniatishvili How…

If you could play only one piece from now on, what would it be? It’s the only piece I have in my head right now, so… Brahms’s Second Concerto! But that would probably be the truth. If you could play only one composer? In a weird way, probably Beethoven, even though I haven’t played much of his music yet. One pianist you would travel a long way to hear? Dead, probably Sofronitsky. Alive, Pletnev. One concert hall you’d love to play in? I love the Concertgebouw – I was lucky enough to play there during lockdown, and I found how the acoustic changes extraordinary. And it feels cosy – comfortable – it doesn’t feel like a big hall. As for a hall I haven’t played in yet: Wigmore Hall. One…

LESSONS FROM THE EXPERTS MELANIE SPANSWICK is a pianist, writer, teacher and composer. As an author, she is published by leading publishing houses, and has written a three-book piano course for those returning to piano playing; Play It Again: PIANO (Schott Music). Melanie teaches the piano at Junior Guildhall School of Music & Drama and Eton College. As a composer, her music is published in the renowned Edition Schott Composer Series. Read Melanie Spanswick’s lesson on page 20 NILS FRANKE is Dean of Higher Education at the University Centre Colchester, UK, having previously held posts at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and the University of Reading. He has recorded for Warner and Brilliant Classics. Nils specialises in historical performance pedagogy, with a particular focus on 19th-century…

Key E flat Tempo Allegro Style Late Classical Will improve your✓Scale technique✓Range of dynamics✓Use of accents The four Impromptus Op 90 were written in 1827. Unlike the subsequent second set (Op 142), the Op 90 pieces were published during Schubert’s lifetime. They are hugely popular and form a core part of many pianists’ repertoire. I suggest looking at all four from the set if you have the time and inclination. This Impromptu is a particularly good study in melodic scale playing. And therein lies one of its greatest challenges. At no point should this sound like four minutes of fast scale playing! Every note needs to count and every note needs to speak. The runs need to shine like rows of pearls. The piece is in ABA form, with a…

German composer Louis Köhler was a fine pianist and conductor, but he devoted most of his life to teaching the piano. He wrote copious studies for his students to enjoy and learn from. Pianist has published a fair amount of them in past issues; they are great pieces for the beginner – some sounding rather charming. Look closely at the technical tips within the score. This elegant piece should be played in a moderate tempo. In the first two bars, the RH notes should be played legato (joined). In general, try to keep the melody line even. Bars 3 and 4 act as an ‘answer’ to the first two bars. Make sure to staccato the two RH crotchets and then make an accent on the minim.…

A contemporary of Beethoven, Diabelli was born in Salzburg, Austria. A musical child, he sang in the boys’ choir at Salzburg Cathedral where he is believed to have taken music lessons with Michael Haydn. By the age of 19, Diabelli had already composed several important compositions including six masses. He moved to Vienna in 1803 and is best known in his time as a publisher and for penning the waltz that Beethoven later used as the theme for his ‘Diabelli’ Variations. Playing tips: This Rondo should be rhythmically tight and full of joy. Make sure that the fingers are well-articulated – each note within a run really matters (don’t skim over any of them). In bars 18-21 (and also when the theme returns at bars 66-69), there’s a lovely dialogue…

Wondering why there are two names attributed to this work? Italian music publisher Giulio Ricordi was also a fine composer, and for whatever reason, he chose to write under the pseudonym of Jules Burgmein. So, what’s right? Was Romance Poudrée written by Ricordi or Burgmein? Let’s not worry about it – it’s too ravishing! Listen to Chenyin Li’s performance on the soundtrack and you’ll be hooked. Playing tips: Try to find your finest cantabile sound for the RH melody, and don’t hold back on the use of rubato. The LH accompaniment should float – keep it soft, though, so as not to interrupt the melody. The fiorituras (bar 38 onwards) will need to be practised out of context. Pedal tips: See suggestions on the score. Graham Fitch suggests further playing…

EDITOR’S CHOICE DANIIL TRIFONOV Silver Age: Prokofiev: Concerto No 2 Op 16; Scriabin: Concerto Op 20; Stravinsky: Three Movements from Petrushka; The Firebird Suite; Prokofiev: Sarcasms; Sonata No 8 Mariinsky Orchestra/Gergiev Deutsche Grammophon 483 5331 The ‘Silver Age’ referred to in the title of this double-album is the agitated period in Russian music from the turn of the 20th century until the revolution, when expressionism, cosmopolitanism, occultism and any number of other -isms were at loggerheads. It’s slightly curious, then, that two of the items date from 1925 and 1944. But never mind. With playing this breathtakingly audacious, who cares about chronology? The big draw is Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No 2, accompanied by the Mariinsky Orchestra under Gergiev, which Trifonov performs with romanticism and spikiness held in perfect balance, and…

When we take up the piano, perhaps the last thing on our minds is how to sustain the mental and physical energy we’ll need to play longer, more challenging pieces. Stamina will mean something subtly different for each of us: For a conservatoire student it could mean honing an hour or more’s music so that it is ready to gush out as a single convincing event. For the amateur learner, stamina may well function to a lesser degree at first, though adult players in particular need to know how to build stamina while preventing tension. Just as is the case with someone preparing for an athletic event, stamina is hard won and needs to be nurtured gradually. Unlike the athlete, a pianist’s level of physical stamina won’t necessarily be visible…

Key A major Tempo Andantino Style Romantic Will improve your✓Chord voicing✓Legato✓Cantabile This brief, intimate piece is the seventh of Chopin’s 24 Préludes Op 28. With its lilting LH chordal pattern and poignant RH melody, it exudes a pristine ballet-like character (no surprise that the Prelude makes an appearance in Michael Fokine’s ballet, Les Sylphides). Let’s begin with the LH. Whilst the chordal note patterns look fairly innocuous, each two-bar phrase consists of a ‘leap’ or large movement from the first-beat bass note to the second-beat chord. In order to negotiate the jumps with ease, practise them in isolation. Find suitable fingerings for the chords on beats two and three, and play the first beat with a firm fifth finger. Make a swift movement from the bass note to the first…

On these Keyboard Class pages, Pianist covers the most basic stages of learning the piano through a series of lessons by regular contributor Hans-Günter Heumann. This exercise introduces the technique of wrist rotation. Exercise for wrist rotation When playing this exercise, rotate the wrists very slightly back and forth between the notes. By doing so, the intervals between the notes will feel more comfortable to accommodate, plus you’ll be able to maintain a tense-free wrist. Hans-Günter Heumann continues his series for beginners in the next issue. To find out more about Heumann, visit www.schott-music.com…

One of the lesser-known Bendas in a long and distinguished Czech musical family, Georg Anton was brother to its most renowned scion, František and proceeded to have five musical children of his own. In his own day he was best known for his work in church music and in the infant genre of German opera. His feeling for drama is appreciated in this Allegro which is full of grace, excitement and artful flourishes. Playing tips: This piece encompasses an array of technical issues. Firstly, listen out for evenness of sound in the groups of descending and ascending quavers which appear in both hands from bar 1. For the RH semiquaver motifs (bars 5, 6 etc), keep the wrist relaxed and rotate the hand slightly. Make the most of the dynamics,…

The six English Suites (BWV 806-811) were written for harpsichord, and are thought to be the earliest of Bach’s suites for keyboard – the others being the French Suites, the Partitas and the Overture in a French Style. This stately Sarabande is the fourth out of a total of eight movements from the Second Suite. Full of pathos, it will be a pleasure to master. Playing tips: Firstly, look at the structure. Turn the page and you will see a double bar at the end of bar 27. That’s the end of the Sarabande. What follows is an embellishment of the 27 bars (notice the wording ‘con adornos’, which basically means ‘with decoration’). What you need to do is play the first 12 bars, followed immediately by bars 1-12 of…

Brighton-born Frank Bridge studied at the Royal College of Music under Charles Villiers Stanford among others. He was a concertising violist, and conductor, but ultimately decided to devote his musical life to composing. Underappreciated even today, he is most frequently recognised as the teacher of the young Benjamin Britten. Bridge wrote his Three Pieces H108 in 1912: Columbine is the first piece in the set. Playing tips: The pulse should be quite fluid, so the tempo marking is there as a basic guide (hence, the ‘approx’). We suggest practising hands separately: a firm grasp of the LH is a must, so that the RH can float and dance over it. From bar 5, get used to rotating the LH’s wrist/elbow very slightly from left to right, in order to cover…

Fifteen years ago a young Scottish pianist appeared on the cover of Pianist 23. He had recorded Messiaen’s Visions de l’amen on two pianos with Martin Roscoe and was keeping his record company – and concert halls worldwide – very busy. Now, as Steven Osborne approaches a milestone birthday – impish-looking as ever, I might add – he has notched up 29 recordings for Hyperion Records and, Covid aside, is still very much in demand. No surprise, then, that when we speak over the phone, he’s not in Edinburgh, his home for the past decade, but in London, preparing to record Rachmaninov (the First Sonata and Moments musicaux) at St Silas Church in Kentish Town. ‘I start tomorrow,’ he tells me, ‘with producer Andrew Keener.’ Twenty-one years with one record…

INSECTOPEDIA Aleksey Igudesman Universal Edition ISBN: 978-3-7024-7689-2 (UE 38047) Insectopedia is a collection of ten piano solos by Aleksey Igudesman, a multi-talented artist who is perhaps best known as the violinist in the brilliantly entertaining Igudesman & Joo comedic duo. Illustrated with cute drawings (by a 12-year-old, no less), titles such as Bug Hug and Cockroach Approach reflect the composer’s humorous creativity. The presentation is top-notch, and it comes with a glowing endorsement by Yuja Wang. The music is quirky without being particularly memorable, and lacks the sort of pedagogic substance valued by teachers at this level of writing. The book is listed as being suitable for Grade 2-3, but the inclusion of glissandi and polyrhythms puts this in the Grade 3-6 range. BEST OF BACH BEST OF MOZART Schott…