Innehållsförteckning för 120 från Pianist

Our interview with Lise de la Salle brings a smile to my face. Reading about her love of dance reminded me of my own ballet classes as a girl. I longed to be a dancer: I wanted to feel the rhythm flowing through my limbs and to be in control of my movements – and of course I loved the music. I remember dancing to Schumann’s Arabesque before I even knew it was Schumann’s Arabesque! I’m in good company with fellow dance enthusiasts inside this issue. Not only de la Salle – who feels so strongly that music and dance are connected that she’s about to release an album of dance-inspired works – but Angela Hewitt, who, once upon a time, could manage 32 fouettés in one go! (Look at…

When the pandemic struck, the French pianist Lise de la Salle was among thousands of classical musicians who found their diaries had emptied almost overnight. It’s a terrifying prospect for most, but de la Salle is not someone accustomed to sitting about doing nothing. She decided to volunteer for the Red Cross. Four days a week for three months, she says, she woke at 5.30am to travel across Paris in a virtually deserted Metro, working to connect the neediest and most desperate people with the organisation that could help them when all else had failed. The usual resources such as soup kitchens had closed: ‘These people were left with literally nothing. The Red Cross created emergency grocery bags that we were sending to them and my job was connecting the…

What can we learn from recording ourselves practising and performing on the piano? This past year, beset with lockdowns and restrictions on face-to-face music making, may well have caused us to re-evaluate what we are doing. The ways we traditionally enjoy interacting – playing duets being a prime example – either had to be reinvented on the hoof or else abruptly curtailed altogether, forcing us to become more enterprising and resourceful. Coupled with this has inevitably been a near total dependence on internet-based solutions, whether this be for concerts, music clubs, webinars or one-to-one exchanges. Exam boards have detoured bravely down the recorded performance route also, partly to help keep a measure of buoyancy in an increasingly competitive market, but also to sustain motivation. Though few of us would claim…

I am often asked: How much time should I spend practising? Of course there’s no easy answer, but it’s the quality of the practice that counts far more than the number of hours we put in. If we want to develop as a pianist, or keep in good shape, there’s no escaping regular, routine practice. However, unless we are fully focused on what we want to achieve in a practice session, we may end up wasting time and getting bored or frustrated. In this article I explore a time management strategy that helps my students get the best results from their precious time: the 20-minute practice session. If your practice is feeling overwhelming or aimless, this approach is really going to help you. When we work towards a performance, it…

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 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 pianist-composers. His editions…

Key E flat major Tempo Vivo Style Romantic Will improve your ✔Repeated-note playing ✔Phrasing ✔Waltz style Chopin’s Waltz No 1, the Grande Valse Brillante Op 18, is surely one of his most popular piano pieces. Alongside the much more concise ‘Minute’ Waltz Op 64 No 1, it is certainly one of his most famous waltzes. As an aside, if you wanted to choose a slower, more contrasting piece to go with it, I would recommend the Nocturne in E flat Op 9. I think they make a perfect pair! Vivo is the tempo marking, so it needs to be lively and bright. It’s worth mentioning that Chopin’s waltzes were not written to be danced to – something to be remembered when you choose your final tempo. The piece opens with…

A pupil of both Mozart and Clementi, a rival of Beethoven, and a friend of Goethe and Schiller, Johann Nepomuk Hummel was a piano prodigy who became one of the leading virtuosos of his era. Not surprisingly, his many pieces for piano often reflect this virtuosity, but, as the author of works on piano pedagogy, he also wrote pieces for the less advanced player, such as this sweet Romance which is the fourth piece from his Six Very Easy Pieces Op 52. Turn to Melanie Spanswick’s lesson for step-by-step guidance.…

Composed in 1824, this is one of the precious few waltzes that Beethoven wrote. Like the Ecossaise WoO 86 (featured inside Pianist 100), it was published by Mueller in Vienna and is characteristic of the waltz dance style. The pastorale-like Trio section offers up a nice contrast. Playing tips: The LH pulse needs to remain steady and even if there should be a slight emphasis on the first beat, the three crotchets should be lightly played, with bounce. Aim for a sweet RH melody (see the dolce marking) and make sure that you follow the phrasing and dynamics. The Trio section starts off quietly (listen to Chenyin Li’s performance; she creates a beautifully-muted, distant mood). Make sure that the minim LH As are held to the end of each bar. From…

French Romantic composer Émile Pessard studied at the Paris Conservatoire, where he later became professor of Harmony. He wrote some bonbons for the piano, such as this expressive character piece which comes from his 25 Pièces pour piano, but his major compositional focus was on comic opera. ‘Andalouse’ means an Andalusian dance (a similar example is the ‘Allemande’ dance form (as in ‘German’ dance). Playing tips: Try to work on a solid LH first, practising it alone until the notes are secure. The LH forms the clipped, rhythmic foundation. Tip: For extra security, try to ‘feel’ the leaps, rather than constantly looking down at the keyboard. The RH should sing and be meticulously phrased (follow all the phrase markings). Crescendos and decrescendos are plentiful, and if followed, they will help…

A RECITAL ANTHOLOGY Edited by Steven Osborne Trinity College Press ISBN: 978-0-85736-995-6 There are numerous anthologies of piano music that cater to students working their way through the graded system. Once you move beyond Grade 8, however, anthologies specifically targeted at diploma-level students are notable for their absence with the exception of Wiener Urtext’s volume titled From Bach to Schoenberg. Trinity’s new anthology is therefore most welcome, bringing together a diverse selection of 21 pieces, all by different composers, from Trinity’s associate-level diploma (ATCL) syllabus list; only one of the pieces – Bach’s Toccata in E minor – also appears in the Wiener Urtext anthology. The repertoire is presented chronologically, beginning with Bach, Handel, and Haydn, and ending with Sculthorpe, Kapustin, and Wilkinson. The musical text is clearly and attractively…

STAR LETTER CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH ZIMERMAN I very much enjoyed the Krystian Zimerman interview in Pianist 119. I was fortunate to hear him play at Snape Maltings in Suffolk several years ago. He was the consummate professional for the concert performance. In between pieces, he regaled us with tales of his beloved Mercedes, which had broken down on the way to England, and his eye-rolling mentions of certain conductors he had worked with. I was lucky enough to be sitting in the front row where I could see his hands and as the concert drew to a close, he performed one piece from sheet music. But he had not placed the sheets fully on the stand and as he played, they began to slip, before floating down to the floor…

If you could play only one piece from now on, what would it be? The Schubert/Liszt ‘Serenade’. If you could play only the music of one composer from now on, who would it be? Mozart. One pianist you’d travel long and far to hear? Richter. One concert hall you’d like to play in? Berlin Philharmonie. Any technical troubles? Fast and furious octaves are not my favourite things. What advice would you give to an amateur pianist about how to improve? Think about what you want from the emotions. Perfection is boring – and anyway it doesn’t exist! If you weren’t a pianist, what would you be? A cook. One person you’d love to play for? Mozart. A composer you’re not quite ready for? Ligeti! What other kind of music do…

1 Recording yourself gives a truer sense of your playing and encourages more focused listening. It aids concentrated practice as well as selfawareness. 2 Hone the optimum position for your recording device – then stick with it! 3 Keep an audio or video diary to timestamp progress when learning or memorising. 4 Be kind to yourself when listening or watching back. Keep a precise note of what you were aiming to capture. 5 on’t try to eradicate all gremlins in one go – pinpoint short, specific goals.…

The best things in life don’t come easy. That’s how we felt about the winner of this year’s Composing Competition. Written by piano teacher Patrick Dailly, Our Mortal World bristles with alternating time signatures, challenging harmonies, accidentals, changing tempi – and even bubble illustrations. Was it personal anxiety, freedom of time or lockdown restrictions that inspired so many Pianist readers to get down to work? Impossible to say, but when the deadline was up, we had received an astonishing 152 entries. They ran the gamut of types, levels and styles, from the simplest of tonal waltzes to polyrhythmic blues numbers and hair-raising glissando-ridden etudes. The judging process also required some adjustment. Unlike our usual meeting around a table with a piano to the side, five of us tuned into Zoom…

Key G major Tempo Crotchet = 63 Style Early Romantic Will improve your ✔Cantabile playing ✔Ornaments ✔LH agility This charming and expressive study features a beautiful RH melody. It is combined with a rolling chordal LH accompaniment – a texture synonymous with piano music of this period. Constructed of eightbar phrases, a crotchet equals 63 beats per minute is a steady tempo for this Romance, but it’s also one which will allow the tranquil character to gradually evolve. Let’s begin with the LH part. The accompaniment comprises calm triplet quavers made up of three-note chords; the easiest way to learn the hand positions and suggested fingering is to ‘block out’ every crotchet beat. That is, try to play the notes of each crotchet beat together. For example, in bar 1,…

On these pages, Pianist covers the most basic stages of learning the piano through a series of lessons by Hans-Günter Heumann. This lesson features two elementary exercises for chord playing. Simple broken chord exercise Here is a simple exercise to familiarise yourself with playing the notes of a chord. Place equal weight on all the notes within a bar, making sure to dig deep into the keys in order to create a singing tone. Follow the crescendo and ritartando towards the end. Block chords & broken chords The LH plays block chords for the first eight bars while the RH plays broken chords. They switch roles from bar 9 onwards. Hans-Günter Heumann continues his series for beginners in the next issue. To find out more about Heumann, visit www.schott-music.com…

Of French-Lithuanian descent, Cui was one of Russia’s ‘Mighty Handful’ of composers along with Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Borodin and Balakirev. This restrained, yet pretty Romantic work, is the opening piece from Cui’s set of 12 Miniatures Op 20 which he composed in 1882. The title of this particular piece took a lot of research and investigating (it is commonly referred to as Expansion naïve, which makes little sense). Thankfully, a trusted Russian colleague came to the rescue. Playing tips: Notice the down/up motifs in the LH, with the quaver rests separating them: think of these motifs as being like sudden intakes of breath over which the RH melody sings its tune. That melody, too, takes up the two-note motif. Linger on some of the top RH notes, for extra poignancy, allowing…

A capriccio (or caprice) is a piece of music that is usually fairly free in form and of a lively/humorous character. The typical capriccio is one that is fast, intense, and often virtuosic in nature. According to the French writer and scholar Antoine Furetière: ‘Capriccios are pieces of music, poetry or painting wherein the force of imagination has better success than observation of the rules of art.’ Handel’s energetic and driven Capriccio HWV 483 in G minor dates from around 1720 and is played with utter conviction by pianist Chenyin Li. Dynamic markings are scarce, just with the mf at the start, allowing the performer free reign. Ditto the pedalling: Nils Franke refrains from giving any pedal indications – again allowing the performer to make decisions. Turn to Nils Franke’s…

WATCH CHENYIN LI PLAY THIS AT WWW.PIANISTMAGAZINE.COM The siciliana/siciliano style of music first appeared in the Baroque period. With lilting rhythms and often written in a minor key, it takes a slow 6/8 or 12/8 time signature. Loosely associated with Sicily, the siciliana evokes a pastoral mood, and is often characterised by dotted rhythms. You can find all of that here, in this heartbreaking Alkan arrangement of the Siciliano from Bach’s Flute Sonata BWV 1031. (We suggest sounding out Wilhelm Kempff’s arrangement, too, which is equally stunning.) Playing tips: The melody should shine out above the accompaniment. Notice that the middle-line accompaniment is often distributed by the hands. One should not be able to hear this! Note that the bass-note crotchets need extra stress. Pedal tips: Listen to how Chenyin…

Readers of Pianist know that learning to play the piano calls for a good deal of enthusiasm and perseverance. Since well before the restrictions of Covid struck, a raft of different possibilities have been available to the enterprising adult learner. From an ever-expanding range of online videos and one-off CPD events, as well as more structured courses, a number of options could appeal equally well to independent learners, as well as teachers and their pupils. Instructional books, some now very well-established, offer further scope for those with a can-do approach who prefer to weigh up for themselves the pace, order or priorities of what they are learning. For many learners, a sense of community undoubtedly spurs them forward. Piano clubs and summer schools offer welcome camaraderie and support for those…

Handel Capriccio: This is a great piece to check your recording for a) not accelerating through the rising sequences, b) not hunching up the shoulders in trickier places, e.g. where both hands are playing semiquavers (bar 11), and c) not allowing the right elbow to wiggle around too much when negotiating the upward arpeggio-type figurations (bars 4, 6 etc). Satie Valse-Ballet: Sustaining a visibly and audibly easygoing waltz pace, and at the same time gaining maximum value from the dynamic contrasts that pepper the page, are among the greater challenges in this piece. Try recording brief snippets, RH separately, while using the LH to tap under the wrist from time to time (do this when you are actually recording!) to ensure you have a fully relaxed, supple wrist for Satie’s…

I suggest that you ‘get away from the copy’ at the earliest opportunity, in exactly the same way that a stage director expects and demands that actors inhabit the characters that they represent. Many players find playing by memory alone very challenging, and so where this isn’t possible, perhaps regarding the dots as an aide-memoire is a half-way step. But however it’s achieved, a good performance should seem to originate from within the player: they should make it their own piece, and should tell the story of the piece as if they are the author of it. Technically, you should strive to achieve a uniform, legato surface to the piece, and allow the music to evolve unhurriedly. Around the cadence points, like a great comedian, you should make your audience…

Key G minor Tempo Crotchet = 96 approx Style Baroque Will improve your ✔Coordination ✔Memorisation ✔Harmonic awareness Playing Handel on the piano has never quite taken off in the same way it has with the keyboard works of Bach and Scarlatti. The reason for that might be that Handel’s keyboard writing occupies a position between his two famous contemporaries (all three were born in 1685). Handel’s writing for keyboard is certainly less openly virtuosic than Scarlatti’s and not as academically infused as Bach’s. But the real issue might be that some of his surviving individual keyboard works were written, at least partially, in musical shorthand: as chord progressions which require the performer to improvise on the basic structure provided. Luckily this doesn’t apply to this Capriccio. Though not called a…

Haydn wrote pleasant and undemanding pieces such as these throughout his career, both for the entertainment of his patrons and to generate income for himself and his publishers from the flourishing market for domestically scaled music. Try to get across the differences in dynamics and articulations. Look closely at the technical tips within the score. The key is C major - so no sharps or flats. We suggest counting the pulse silently before you begin. Of course, you need to practise slowly and hands separately in the beginning. Start off with a good resolute forte in both hands. Feel the 3/4 waltz.…

The sicilienne (or sicilianisch) is a term commonly used to refer to the musical style/slow dance form which appeared in Baroque works by such composers as Bach and Vivaldi. The compound meter, the relatively slow tempo and simple structure are probably the defining features that Schumann had in mind. (For another sicilienne, turn to the Bach arr. Alkan Siciliano, featured in this issue just a few pages further along). Playing tips: Even if the marking suggests ‘mischievous’, tread carefully and don’t rush. One needs to feel the dance-like 6/8 lilt as well as hear every single RH note of the melody. There are many articulations and dynamics to absorb, so we suggest slow practice, hands separately at first. The middle section at bar 25 changes pulse and character. This is…

Think of Erik Satie, and it’s his accessible Gymnopédies that are at the top of the piano-playing list. But there are other more challenging yet accessible works, such as the sentimental Je te veux (featured inside issue 84), the tricky Le Piccadilly (issue 106) and this graceful Valse-Ballet which was composed in 1885. The writing style veers towards Classical rather than the more abstract forward-thinking style of Vexations (1893) and Sports et divertissements (1914). Playing tips: Like most waltzes, the LH takes care of the three-beat rhythmic pulse. Secure the LH first by practising it slowly, on its own. Then study the RH carefully: think in long sweeping phrases, always playing ‘over’ the bar line. The hardest moments are the forte jumps at bars 8, 16 and throughout. Take these…

Chopin started writing waltzes in 1824, when he was 14, and continued until the year of his death in 1849. This is his first published waltz – composed in 1833 and published a year later. He also gave the title Grande Valse Brillante to the next three waltzes in the Op 34 set published five years later. Surprisingly, Chopin only published eight waltzes in his lifetime (he was critical of his works), however, his sister Ludwika and publisher Julian Fontana decided to publish the waltzes 9-13. The famous ‘Minute’ Waltz Op 64 No 1 appeared inside issue 105. Read Lucy Parham’s lesson inside the magazine. Parham also performs the piece on this issue’s covermount.…

BERTRAND CHAMAYOU Strauss: Burleske, Ein Heldenleben Santa Cecilia Orchestra/Antonio Pappano Warner Classics 0190295028459 ★★★ Richard Strauss exposes limitations in orchestral and recording technique like few other composers, and the almost-20-year-old Parco della Musica in Rome remains an uncomfortably dry and ill-focused recording venue for large projects. The Burleske is credited as a studio performance, unlike the live (and thrilling) Heldenleben, though sundry noises off from the first minute onwards distract from some spoton orchestral detailing (a well-tuned set of timpani is at least balanced as the pianist’s rightful sparring partner). Bertrand Chamayou is a scintillating soloist in the tradition of Thibaudet (Decca) and Hamelin (Hyperion), though less playful, more overtly Brahmsian approaches (Gould on Sony and Trifonov, most controversially, on BRKlassik) have their place. Provided your taste in 21-year-old Strauss…