40 PAGES OF SHEET MUSIC! worrTH oveR £20 + FREE AUDIO HELPING YOU BECOME P rer ed | : NEW SERIES RSS GET YOUR TV a ea BY iF; ey IN SHAPE eee | 15150055 ye _+_PUT YOUR- aaa CONTENT | ' eae PIECES TO ry LEARN MUSIC VIDEO“If | am to play my best, there is no way but Steinway LANG LANG yi ta nour London showrooms, please cal) ne & 0207 487 391 or email info@steinveay.co.vk STEINWAY & SONSAugust-September 2019 The net ae of Pant pct on 227 September 2019, Editor's Note Reader Competition Three lucky readers wo recieve a copy of Martin James Bartlett’ new album, Love and Death Readers’ Letters ‘the dilemma of Hanon, movie soundeeack inspiration and the importance of investing in areacher News Frenchman takes gold at Tehaikovsky, Chandos Records turns 40, and «wo new star-studded festivals pop up in Europe Brilliance in Beijing Erica Worth flies east co report on Music Competition Martin James Bartlett Jessica Duchen talks to the young, dashing British pianist withthe Golden Age touch How to Play Masterclass 1 Get your act together: Mark Tanner shows you how to chink big by How to Play Masterclass 2 Graham Fitch on the vies of steering clear from che safety blanket that isthe sustain pedal How to Play 4 Melanie Spanswick explores Mozart's popular Allegro in B flac (Scores page 31) How to Play 2 Nils Franke scrongly advises toler the ress speak for themselves in Hiller’ Barcaeole (Scores page 40) How to Play 3 Sense of direction is everything in Mendelssohn's Song without Words Op 53 No 3, says Lucy Patham (Scores page 59) The Scores A heartbreaking song by Gershwin, a sentimental waltz from Schubert, and a thapsodic Hungarian Dance duet from Brahms Beginner Keyboard Class Hans-Giinter Heumann Piano Teacher Help Desk y your hand at some instrument Free practising, says Kathryn Page Blurred Lines Yamaha's now hybrid NIX may be just up your street if youre ona tight budget Playing by Ear Forge she printed score John Geraghty shows you how to play the cunes you love iret from your head co your fingers Romantic Piano Why do we love co play romantic musi? John 10 pianists and professors in search ofthe answers Subscribe today for £4.50 per issue, oF ty out our digital subscription forexta sh and video masterclasses Pianists and their Pets ‘Once hooked, theyre your fiends for life, Welcome to the world of musicians and theis Fuzzy fiends Dressed to Impress (Clare Jackson heads to the heart of London to take a peek inside Steinway’ slick new showsoom ‘A Week in the Country Bach, pastries and a personal chef Graham Sheffield heads eo La Balic Album Reviews Pianisic fireworks from Mark Vines, huminous Beethoven from Piekuc, and a five-star Schiff delivers Schubert on a special instrument Sheet Music Reviews Beethoven goes jazz, Rachmaninov for ewo pianos and a sheet music app fiom Tomplay ClassifiedsYo) eK TAP HERE TO WATCH ONLINE VIDEO LESSONS AWELCOMEPROMTHE EDITIOR RNs Ee aru een Pianist www.pianistmagazine.com Schumannls Fantay, The shill of earn it at music school sil lives with me. The challenge was to mould all the nuances of PUBLISHER phrasing, cone, balance and line so that my playing would portray rcaersisten wane Robert’ love for Clara, the heroism of his alter ego Florestan and Ptsher Caete Loyd then the tenderness of Eusebius in the ethereal finale. EDITORIAL The incerpretation of Romantic music bristles with such challenges, which we embrace inthis issue. Our eover anit i Martin James Bartlet, whose debut album Love and Death has got more than afew critics hor under the collas. Bade is al for ‘wearing his heart on his sleve in Schumann, Liszt and Wagner (play the soul out ofa pices’ he ells us), but he has also worked MarkinglauenFreeran long and hard to fine-tune his pianist felings. Senor Desprershan War interviewed by John Evans on page 74. A lo of Rachm ks for isl, she says, and Ory Shihor re: thac ‘everything begins and ends with the score’. E hear soar, is the head (and the score) that should reign supreme Its worth bearing in mind when you sum tothe Romande the Epilogo from Bicenas Romncas by Granados, a Vase sentimental by Schubert a turbulent ET Mendelsohn Song without Words a pretty Bacatole by Hiller and a glorious version of Gershwin’ UK & WORLD SUBSCRIPTIONS The Mam {Lome There'seven a Seal Sonat Inthe mis musk to touch the soul nt the excusve | EEEEUBAREAMADAY property of the 19th century craphalestonpe What else is dearest to you? Many noted pianists, from Horowitz co Kathryn Stott, have been eee devoted to thei furry friends. Cat-lover (ailurophile, | leant today) Jessica Duchen looks to the past ne fluenced their art. rt. One Etre Pas ADVERTISING sa when the era pieces in the Scores section. There's and speaks to pianists of roday to discover how their pets have Finally, a new series kicks off in this issue: Playing By Eas. For those who want to transmit their clings from their head to the keys, without the score, this one’ for you! deepest ERICA WORTH, EDITOR PS. Tarn to page 7 co find out how to enter our 2020 Composing Competition. The challenge is to ‘write an original piece ~ in a Romantic style or whatever takes your fancy DISTRIBUTION nda shop nearyou tat stocks Pane Keep in touch with me for the latest news from the world of the piano. Sign up to our newsletter to receive exclusive how-to-play tips from our experts, exciting news and special offers. www.pianistm.ag/regnow Een ron au.orusneuguies at =) ae 1 HURT IBC a ORCINNGRE ENGAGE ee * War AT WWW.PIANISTMAGAZINE.COM 4 Planist 109 snes 1308 piovannersKAWAI THE FUTURE OF THE PIANO The beginning of something beautiful Sometimes, committing to an eternal partnership shouldn't be explained or justified The way a Kawai piano makes you feel through it's sheer beauty, touch and sound is reason enough ACOUSTIC | DIGITAL | HYBRID jance, @ 2keH2UK EB @xewarenosuK For more information, visit www.kawal.co.ukReaders’ Letters Getin touch WRITE TO: The Editor Pianist, 6 Warsngton Crescent, London, WO TEL, UK EMAIL editorepianistmag ‘STAR LETTER wins a surprise CD. Letters may be edited Keeping a distance Kathryn Page’ tips on developing your musicianship away from the piano really struck chord with me (Piano Teacher Help Desk, Pianis 108), As away of cultural development, she suggested taking some time away from the piano to catch up on a West End play, sce ‘new film or visit your local museum. ‘When I first saw Juerstellar(a science fietion film) atthe cinema back in 2014, 1 was entranced by the musi, [sil fel it is one of the best movie soundtracks ever made. Ie was acthat moment that I decided ro use film music a a source of inspiration for composing my ‘own piano music, IFT hadae made the effort to develop my skills away from the piano, ike the dilemma continues teres the recent blog by Rhonda Rizzo enticed This is why Hanon exercises are «a waste of time on the Pianist website. [have dofien wondered whether Hanon exercises do ‘more harm than good, so I was delighted «0 see that Ms Rizzo tends to agree. I believe thac we should stick to the music ofthe great ‘composes (look at all those glorious éeudes by Chopin); there’ litte doubr thar if we learn these superior works our technique will improve. They ate far more fulilling co learn, ‘whereas Hanon can be downright depressing! Td be keen to hear what other readers think? Martin Roberts, London, UK ‘The cae for playing Hanon (or not) will alas bea hot topic, and ite something that twe continue to discuss inside the pages of the ‘magazine. The mast recent article relating tothe subject appeared inside isue 94. We lok forward to bearing from readers Teacher investment Lam a big fan of piano music and love to read Pianist, Vhad not seen your magazine before I stumbled upon ie in WH Smith. What a treasute i isco have printed music, ine articles and even a CD. Lam certainly going to de-dust my upright and stare playing again, Since I am not to familia with Pianist, forgive me if you have already answered my ‘question: how do ind a good piano teacher and how often should I see the teacher? I only have time for afew houts of practice every week and I fear Iwill advance t00 slowly fora piano teacher. A summer course or a monthly ‘gnthering with other piano amateurs might be ‘more suitable. Do you have any advice? ‘Viktor Madlener, Stutigart, Germany Kathryn advises, then [wouldnt be the musician thac | am today. We were glad 1 read this, Amy. A surprise CD is on its way tou. Amy Harley, Kent, UK Most people will tell you that a private leson ‘once a week is normal practice, and we tend 10 agree. No master what level you are, or dow lise you practise, you should never fel intimidated to tae lescons. Remember, teachers are there ta belp~ you are paying for their “evvice! We recommend visting the Eropean Prana Teacher’ Awociation website if you want 10 search fora good teacher (epta-europeorg) A summer course can be of great help as wel. Pianist featured its in-depth 2019 Sumner CourseiFettivals Guide inside iswe 107. The fae is still available as a back fue, which can be purchared via our website. Risk-taker I really enjoyed practising Bob Rose's Jaze Prelude which appeared inside issue 108. He ‘vas fully deserving of his win in your 2019 ‘Composing Competition. The audacity and confidence he radiated to no just mix Chopin with jazz, bur to do so successfully, is something tha really stuck me, Why don’t we take these types of risks more often? Granted they don’t always come off, Buc when they do, it’ like the heavens have opened. Tse want ro say thank you, Bob, for arranging such an awesome piece of music His triumph has inspired me to enter the next ‘Composing Competition, and ichas made me ‘wonder: do you have any advice for Pianist readers who are thinking about entering? Serena Larnell, Syracuse, NY, USA Tike a look at the thw to compose article onthe Pianist website (bit-b/comporingadvice). We hope this widl be of help. Turn to page 7 0 find out ‘ow t0 enter the next Composing Competition This years deadline is 1 December — plenty of time to work on your entry! 6-Pianist 109 Rules of fingering Thave been a subserber for along time and love to ply the plano, even if am what youd class a ‘beginner/intermediae level ‘Now that Tam retired, I feel have cme to play the plano more offen. 1 try to improve by followingall he advice fom your lovely imasterlaseviters However, Tam sl struggling with fingering and wonder if there are some standard fingeings tac all pianists tue know that ina C major scale, the Rist four notes shoul be played by finger 1,23 before finger 1 (che thumb) goes under, but [ have seen some of the more complicated works ‘where even the fourth finger goes oer the fifth Are there any Bxed rules Philip Stevenson, Grantham, UK There are no fved rues, say! Heres an example: tohen we are young, we are taught thas we should never play a black note with the thumb Honoever, years laser when we ae learning more challenging repertoire, we will often use the ‘huonb on a black note ~ and it works perfects! 130 often depends onthe type of repertoire as tell (eg. iffnger lato ont posible, we can be ‘much Jrecr' with our fingering because we are sing ihe pedal ro asst us). Contributor Grabam Fitch address fingering in one of his videos on the Pianist TV channel. Alo, Rami Bar-Nivis “The Arc of Piano Fingering i reviewed on page £89, This could be the perfect present o yourself Irresistible slow movement Thad the pleasure of hearing Pianist contributor Lucy Parham perform Rachmaninow’s Second Piano Concerto in Guildford a few weeks ago. (0 enjoy reading her lessons for advanced players.) [want co learn the beautiful slow movement, and since [want to do it for my own pleasure, is it permissible to reduce the many heavy chords? [know it not recommended to leave out notes, but afeer hearing Lucy’ performance, [ want co give it my bese shot and at least be able ro put across the melody. Laura Shelton, Surrey, UK There is no harm in slighty resananging the ‘music s0 you ca enjoy playing i. In the end, toe all want to have fun playing the piano, sand as you write if for your owen pleare We recommend pracisng slowly and see if yo are able wo play as may ofthe note as are voritten, before deciding to leave thers out. Most ‘important, when you reduce a score st beep the harmonies inact don’ forges thats often the Soest note in she eft and thas’ really eruia since its the foundation ofthe harmony.IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE PRIZE Choose between two Kawai models - The K-15 acoustic piano or the CA98 digital piano worth £3,444 Have your winning score featured in a future issue of Pianist magazine Your piece will be professionally recorded for the covermount album Be interviewed for an exclusive feature inside a future issue THE RULES There are no restrictions of age, nationality or profession. However, you are ineligible if you Ce ee a on ee ee hoe ea RR Rca Sanaa Uae ey ENTER fe) TEL TS Lu www.pianistmagazine.com ee aE n eE 7 Pianist 209New All the latest news from the world of the piano FRENCHMAN TAKES GOLD AT TCHAIKOVSKY while fellow finalist is let down by admin error The 16th instalment of the International Tchaikovsky Competition concluded on 27 June with 22-year-old French pianist Alexandre Kantorow awarded Fiest Prize and a gold medal in the piano category. He was also announced as the Grand Prix winner, beating off ‘competition from the winners ofthe other categories. Kanrorow received a standing ovation for his performance of Tchaikovsky's Second Piano Concerto = the only one of the seven finalists to choose this piece. The remaining six all chose o perform the popular Concerto No 1. All finalists performed with the Stare Academic Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Vasily Petrenko. Kanrorow had already released several recordings with BIS prior to his wiumph. He made his debut with the Scandinavian record label back in 2015 with a recording ofthe Liset Piano Concertos, conducted by his father, Jean-Jacques. Kantorow currently studies at the Conservatoire de Pais, the same school at which his father studied 60 years ago, Second Prize was shared between Dmitry Shishkin of Russia and Mao Fujita of Japan. Thied Prize was shared between Alexey Melnikov of Russia, Kenneth, Broberg of the US and Konstantin Emelyanov of Russia. Fourth Prize~and Special Prize for Courage and Restraint ~ was awarded co An Tianu of China, whose performance was scuppered by a rather odd administrative error. Tianxa was gearing up to perform Tchaikovsky No 1, followed by Rachmaninovs Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Unfortunately, a ‘mistake of some sore saw the orchestra begin with the Rachmaninow, which obviously threw the young pianist, Tianxu was given the chance 1 repeat his performance, but he politely declined. ‘The International Tchaikovsky Competition takes place every four years. Former winners in the piano ‘category include Van Cliburn, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Boris Berezovsky, and Dani Tifonov CHANDOS CELEBRATES 40TH BIRTHDAY with festive boat trip along the Thames Independent British ecord label Chandos Records celebrated its 40¢h anniversary on 4 June by hosting a private party on the River Thames in London, The celebration was attended by a host of classical stars and music journalists, Among the guests were pianists Joan-Eflsm Bavouzee, Federico Colli, Barry Douglas, Margaret Fingerhut and Ivan lic ~ most of whom have appeared on the cover of Pianist. The lbel’s history goes back much further than 40 years, Chandos was initially founded by the late Brian Couzens — father of current managing director Ralph — back in 1966 asa brass band publishing company. In 1970, Ralph joined his father as they teamed up to un a mobile for labels such as RCA, Polydor and CEP The Chandos we know today was founded in 1979 asa record label. However, they didnt ge off 10 the best distribution deal with EMI collapsed, forcing the pair to drive around the country selling their records. Thankfully 40 years of success followed with countless awards won along the way including five To further mark the celebration, ramny Awards hhandos has released a 40-dise set comprising 40 complete recordings of Chandos artists from throughout the years. Each ofthe four decades ofthe labels existence are represented throughout the collection, and include performances from pianists Ivan lic, Cll, Bavouzet and others. Pian edivor Exica Worch was present atthe festivities. ‘I fet honoured t0 be invited. I found myself in the company of so many grea pianists and ic gave ‘me time co catch up with them, as well as chat with fellow journalists within the classical music world. They were all there to show theit espeet and affection for Ralph; there definitely was love in the ait Bavouzet was as equally enthused: ‘Chandos’ curiosity and interest in an ‘uncommonly vast repertoire fits my appetite for recording works ranging from the ‘mainstream to the almost unknown perfectly’ he told us. Loving all the aspects of che recording process as much as I do, my collaboration with Chandos is one of the very best chings thar happened in my life, nd I am eagerly looking forward co ‘our continuing adventure! eee | ener PA Tor ort Yo eee e oe 020 7935 8682 __WWW.MARKSONPIANOS.COMFAMILIES REUNITED Two new festivals in Estonia and Georgia share the spirit and leadership of Verbier’s festivities: their Artistic Director Martin T:Son Engstroem hen Martin T:Son Engstroem says he doesnt ‘need to run another festival, he isnt joking Just over a quarter ofa century ago he eft Deutsche Grammophon to found the Verbier Festival, which lst year celebrated 25 years of ‘music-making in the middle of the Alps. A film of the anniversary gala has just been released, and if youve ever wondered what Yuja ‘Wang would sound like in duet with Sir Andrés Schiff, or Kissin ‘with Tefonoy, or all four of cher with another quartet of colleagues playing the Wiliam Tell Overvure ~ Tam not making this up ~ then snap up the Naxos DVD o Blu-ray. lowe do you top that? By seting up another two festivals, of ‘course, And iFanyone knows the recipe for success by nov it Engrtrocm (pictured here on a Swiss mountain top). We like to travel, we delight in new places, but we are glad to find familiae faces ‘when we ge chere. ‘Within Europe ic isso cheap and so easy co ly these days he says. “And if youre curious about Latvia or Georgia its ‘quite comforting vo find Zubin Mebta oF Yuja Wang ‘While stimulating and eapitalising upon international tourism is Engstroem’s modus operandi, in Verbier and now at the Riga- Jurmala and Tsinandali festival, he recognises cha a fine balance needs o be struc in catering to che wishes and requirements of the locals. Opening at the end of July and running for four long ‘weekends, Riga-Jurmala draws on an emotional connection between a much-loved resort ~ with 10 miles of sandy beach ~ and a Nordic population who have long taken their holidays in Jurmala, Along ‘with Sochi on the Black Sea, i was the favoured destination for ‘writers, artists and musicians in Soviet Russia, who were provided with an apartment for a family holiday. ‘Oistrakh, Kogan and Gilels all vent there, and made music ina lovely little coneett hall” The concers are divided between that chamber-music hall in Jurmala itself, and larger venues in Riga, the nearby capital of Estonia. symphony orchestra anchors the programming of each ‘weekend, but Engstroemis address book has never been short ‘of pianists, and the festval’s opening weekend features Rudolf Buchbinder, Lukas Geniuéas and Martin James Barts. Pianist readers, ifthey havenit booked their tickets already, will want 10 ‘earmark 23-25 August, which includes Murray Perahia playing Beethoven’ Fourth Concerto, Wang in her signature work of Rach 3, and recitals by Jn Lisiecki and Denis Kocubkin, ‘Wang and several other artists will reappear in Georgia, less than, a month baer, for Engstroemis second new festival. This takes place deep in Georgian wine county, on a much-restored estate near the village of Tsinandali, 40 miles northeast of che capital Tilis. For European visitors, therefore, the journey is more challenging, but the rewards no less enticing ~ and in both cases the ticker prices ate affordable in comparison to Verbie. A local benefactor, George Ramishvili has been instrumental in rebuilding the estate and adding hotels and concert halls to ateract international concert-goers as well as musicians, students and al che support staff required to an a festival in the middle of the Georgian countryside, Stars of tomorrow [mentioned studenes:Tsinandali has afforded Engstrocm the ‘opportunity to reprise the success ofthe Academy in Verbies, ‘which brings young musicians together for intensive study with distinguished teachers and soloists. Infact the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra will reappear in Tsinandsali, bur the orchestral programming is built around an audacious venture, the Pan Cascasian Youth Orchestra ‘The piano academy in Tsinandali will include tuition and masterclasses from Dimitei Bashkirov — himself a Georgian — and Sergei Babayan, and the main programme features a purple patch in lae September with concerts from Israli prodigy Yoav Levanon, Babayan, Wang, Kozukhin and Faz Say. The academy itself, like the orchestra, is designed to attact students from across near Asi, in councries and regions that have historically ~ and recently ~ coexisted in tension and barely restrained hostiliy: ‘I want co create a culeural hub, says Engstroem, ‘where Azeris, Russians and Tasks are equally welcome in the mould of the East-Western Divan Orchestra founded by Daniel Barenboim and Edvard Said. “Wee not there attract the Americans or Chinese." Ina chese ventures, Engstroen’s reputation goes before him — "at least, people will take my call’ ~ but so is tust. To ran the academy hie has secured the help of Christian Thompson, who was director of the academy in Verbir for many years. He as also drawn upon the expertise of long-time artistic partners Miguel Eseeban and Avi Shoshani to lead Riga-Juemala and Tsinandal respectively. Thave always tried co cultivate a family with a feeling of cust, he says. ‘Maisicians — and audiences — wont be familiar with either place, and there is lor of responsibility on my’ shoulders to make them happy. Bu the anniversary gala in Verbic last year was the best sign of what happens when it works ~ when musicians who dont knov each other are happy to work together and make music. So the auspices are excellent all Engstrocm needs now is audiences. ga jurmala.com sera sindandaifsivalge 9. Pianist 209Erica Worth travelled east to report on the first-ever China International Music Competition. What she found was a slickly crafted competition — with a prize worth fighting for ¢ he hse hing the world needs is another ‘competition, These are Yoheved Kaplinsky’ ise words when she icets me in the lobby of a Beijing hotel shortly before the finals of the inaugural China International Music Competition (CICM), Head ‘of keyboard atthe Juilliad School, Kaplinsky ("Veda to her friends) isa fixture on competition juries worldwide, So why has she agreed to char this one? 'You dont need ‘& competition to realise that China is becoming the piano centee of the world, she replies. ‘My ist vsic here was for another competition, also in Beijing, and che the hall was full ‘of young people. You don’ see that anywhere else ~ teenagers sitting there riveted, Yesterday, there was a child ‘not more than seven of eight in the audience — he was conducting! Things like that make me fee! very hopeful about the future of classical music In a country of some 60 million piano players, Secinways ae selling like hhoccakes, the Julia will soon open its fist overseas campus in Tianjin and Lang Lang and Yundi are read like rock stars. The ime s right, then, for the China Conservatory of Music and the Global Masic Education League to launch the CICM, Abvoveony Sih Yun gesiehisall con nal ight Belomlefetoriahe Yoheved Kopin, Wangliguane, Like most cultural events in the Invitation only Peoples Republic of China, the CICM What Kaplinsky wants, Kaplinsky is government-funded. However, even gets, and Rodzinski was appointed 1 competition blesed with apparently General Director The veteran Var limitless resources requires the right Cliburn Competition organiser, who people. ‘T wanted several things £0 also overhauled the 2011 Tchaikovsky happen before I sad yes? remembers Competition in Moscow, has come Kaplinsky. ‘I wanted Richard ‘out of retirement for Vedi, 50 he tells Rodzinski to head the administrative me, ‘She was my No 1 reason, No 2, end of this competition, because het [like a challenge,’ Rodzinski has been the most experienced, he’ the most n Beijing for nine months. I’s been a trustworthy and he rans competitions huge undereaking, Ive had to work on fairly. He knows what i takes—and we the stracture, the rules and regulations, work well together” the media and so on, all from seratchThad to create a kind of “manual”. And then we made invitations tothe jury, 1 the contestants - some of whom couldat come, due to having teachers fon the jury. Kaplinsky believes strongly that the presence of contestants) teachers should not, in itself, lead +0 corruption: ‘Usually the teachers cannot vore forthe students, which actually puts the students themselves ata disadvantage statically” However, she wanted the new competition not only to be clean, but to be seen to be clean, ve had to forfeit some of my own student. 1 didn't want anyone pointing a finger at it’ Moreover, the jury's marks won't bbe open to public scrutiny. ‘Ie makes tus nor fall our with our colleagues’ she Taughs. She has a point; being close to a teacher whose pupil youve just slammed might not make the best for recipe for continuing a friendship. Kaplinsky has selected a strong Tine-up of [1 colleagues Jan Jracek von Arnim, Lydia Arrymiwy, Dmitri Alexeew, Boris Berman, Michel Béroff, Warren Jones, Ronan O’Hor Katarzyna Popowa-Zydrof, Arie Vardi and Wang Liguang, who is President ‘of both the Competition and the China Conservatory, Unusually for 8 competition, the 20 contestants have been invited to take pact, rather than undergo an application process. Kaplinsky explains that this unusual procedure atose from the potential participation of the Philadelphia Orchestra, along with its music director Yannick Nézet: Séguin, who are in the middle of an Asian cout. The tour had already been booked ‘So we had to schedule the competition inthis time period, when the orchestra was in China. We had to forego the application process because there was not enough time to doit. So wwe called presenters, schools, teachers, ‘managers of other competitions, to see who were the cream of the crop. ‘We ended up with 20 who were able 10 come, Going forward we will move to the more conventional way of applications. We don't want to lock people out of an opportunity to enter. There are pianists who are young and ‘upcoming, and not yet on the radar. If you advertise, everyone has a chance wo apply? Playing to win “Twvensy has become three, and excitement fils the air as we take our seats for the televised finals in Beijing’s National Centre for Performing As (che 'Giane Egg’ as it called ~ an cllipsoid dome design by architect Frenchman Paul Andreu), The three finalists are Tony Siqi Yun (18, the impresive Canada), Mackenzie Melemed (24 US) and Alesander Malfeev (17, Russa). They've already played a Clasical concerto inthe firs part of the inal, accompanied by En Shao and the Orchestra Academia China a the China Conservatory of Masi Fine up is Tony Sig Yan, Tin looking forward to his performance of Tchaikovsky’s First Concer, having already heard a mature and deeply individual aecoure of the Mozart D minor K466. However, the 18-year-old pre If you could play only one piece from now on, what would it be? Liszt's arrangement of the Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde. I you could play only the music of one composer from ‘now on, who would it be? Bach. ‘One pianist youd travel long and far to hear? Vladimir Horowitz One concert hall you'd like to play in? Of halls ve already played in, the Salzburg Mozarteum. I'd also love to play in Carnegie Hall and the Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg, ‘Any technical troubles? I tend to overthink and overphrase - sometimes I just need to go with the flowa bit more. And | play fistfuls of wrong notes! What advice would you give to an amateur pianist about how to improve? ‘Absorb as many interpretations as you can, then pick {and choose. Find what you like, be inspired by the music you're playing, and don’t get bogged down in the notes. Allow yourself to be taken by the music, not being stuck behind the notes wondering what comes. next; instead, play the soul out ofthe piece! If you weren’ta pianist, what would you be? A chet, because | like cooking and | love eating ‘One person you'd love to play for? My old teacher, Emily Jeffrey. ‘A composer you're not ready for? Brahms What other kind of music do you like listening to? | enjoy jazz ~ I spend many happy evenings at Ronnie ‘Scott's (a jazz club in London) ~ and | love Joni Mitchel She's been a great influence on me. She had such a profound soul at such a tender age.INTERVIEW it was platform, and on top of that was one of these new Spirio Steinway grands thar play islf, and recordings of Horowite were coming out of it while we were eating Beef Wellingtons as canapés. I didet win... but I had a great time, Bacelet hasnt ruled ut the possibilty of entering further {international contests, but now chat he has been signed up both by an arise managemene firm, Intermusica, and by ‘Warner Classic, ie mighe scarcely scem necessary. He is also more chan well equipped with guidance in the form ofhis teacher at che RCM, the institution’ head of piano Vanessa Lararche, plus occasional masterclasses with Sir Andrés Schiff ‘Every note has a meaning and when you've worked out the meaning of every single note, you then have to forget about it and give a performance’ (He not only hugely in about everything you can imagine —and he’s so witty. He never fails to make me laugh). He does not only live and breathe piano musi, though; chief among his musical enthusiasms is opera, with Strauss Der Rownkavalieras top favoutice, ‘One ofthe greatest experiences of my life was hearing Renée Fleming sing the \ quotation from Schubert’ ‘Ave Mari ional, but totally knowledgeable MARTIN JAMES BARTLETT ON. PROGRAMMING HIS DEBUT ALBUM, LOVE AND DEATH ‘Tm constantly surrounded by books, music and philosophy and wanted to present all of these things together on a dse. This programme stemmed from the uagie story of Enrique Granados, He was travelling back eo Europe from the US when his ship was torpedoed by a (German U-boat. He artempred to save his wife and they both drowned. Held writen a piece based on Goya's paintings called Love and Death I see out to sertcture the album around these two elemental themes. ‘Schumannis song “Widmung’, which [d played a lot inthe Liset teanscription, is a love song but the words say, "You are my soul, you are my hear, you ate my joy, you are my grave’. Ie became the turning point in the album from love to death, At the end of 'Widmung’ there's a hat connected to heavenly love, which led me to ‘Jou, Joy of Man's Desicing’. This contrasts beautifully vith the other chorale ve chosen, avery dark transcription by Busoni, T couldnt not include Lise’ Petrarch Sonnets: the words ate beautiful and its some ofthe best music he ever wroce, ve listened tothe songs tetensively and I wanted to make a recording that was true to Lists piano transcriptions, but also kept the sense ofa vocal line. And then Tristan und Jolde wo me mierors the tragedy of Granados and his wife ‘hen we have Prokofiev's Sonata No 7, which isa War Sonat, but vas ‘writen in tremendous grief afrer che death of his two great friends who ‘were killed under Sel, ‘We made the recording at St Jade’ in Hampstead, which is wonderful because it has sucha lively acoustic, as well as beauifal stained glass windows and murals on che ceiling thar really give you inspiration, [absolutely loved collaborating with the producer Stephen Johns, and Tenjayed the reconting process because I'm a perfectionist. 've loved the ‘dea of being able to work on something over and over again, with time to discover colours and try new things. Marschallin at Covent Garden. It was amazing: the storyline isso believable and tragic, without being overdone, and the music ust soars.” A new passion is musical theatre: he enthuses about Fue at the National Theatre and when I ask ifhed managed to catch a particular pianist at the Wigmore Halla few days earlier, i urns out chat e had instead been attending tlk: by Patsy LuPone ‘Another hobby — collecting fine wine ~ almost got him into trouble a the Van Cliburn Competition, when he told a local journalist about it withoue ealising that in che US he was tunder the age limit for drinking. "But I didnt say I dian i hae quips,‘ only said I collected it” Ic might seem an unustal pastime for someone in his early twenties, Most of what | do in life is probably more typical of someone of 80,’ Burlee declares, somewhat ruefully ‘Sill ifthae Golden Age sensbilgy feeds into his music- making and ie docs — perhaps that is no bad thing. International audiences have the opportunity to hear him in ‘numerous festivals chs summer, from France and Germany to Lava; in November he is off to Tokyo fora return visit, and the US beckons in the new year. As for the album, it may be the fits; bu it certainly won't be the lst. ‘Martin James Barlests debut album, Love and Death, is out now on Warner (Clasies (Warner Classes 9929546320). ‘The Pianise covermonne tis ine includes «track fiom the new album — Liszt ‘arrangement of Schumann Widrmung’ Further details about Martin James Bartlett can be found at tow martinjamerbariet.com 44. Pianist 09eer PCa 4 Tey 4 Peau 5 Pen Oe Cr Creating the Finest Pianos for Almost Z00 YeHOWTO ZL Get your act together THE MUSICAL OVERVIEW A performance that's missing a sweeping overview will never be compelling. With some sectional practice, though, Mark Tanner shows you how to think big ry good piano teacher Mark Tanner is concert pianist, composer, writer and willl you that ies [ABRSM examiner He has performed extensively in the advisable to learn pieces UK, including at London's Wigmore Hall, and on cruise in secrions rather than by x ships worldwide. Broadcasts inclule BBC Rado 3 and looping back to the tart Classic FM. Mark's music appears in over 70 volumes ‘and limping determinedly through {for Edtion Peters, ABRSM, TCL and Spartan Press, to the end. Just because a composer ‘with 30 pieces featuring on exam syllabuses unfolds his or her ideas in a musically For Faber, Mark's book, The Mindful Panist, was satisfying sequence doesnt oblige us published in 2016; in 2019 Faber willbe releasing to learn the music in this same order! ‘several other ties. For Leaping Hare Press, Mark has Some of us will be inking: surely ‘written Mindfulness in Music; Mindtuness in Sound there is more to it than this? How wil be released in 2020. long might each section typically be? Should we move through line by ine, section by section, or is therea more An advanced player may prefer to or colour code sections to help keep elficent order we could tackle icin? divide apiece into music which is crack of chee progress, especially with Isiv always necessary o rehearse these similar in key orientation or texture, longer sonata movements. The idea different sections at the same speed? or else comprised of leaps and similar here isto give yourselfa structure for ‘The answers to these questions technical hazards, which can usefully conquering the piece, though guard will, 0 some extent, relate to the bbe practised together. [es alwaysa against overcomplicating mates and. ‘music itself is length and degree good idea to tag on anote/chord or trust your musical intlligence at each of complexity, how new or Familiar ‘bo Further into che adjoining phrase, step of che way. the syle happens to be to you, and ‘This will help to avoid a seurering, the speed it eventually needs v0 go. fragmented appearance when you ‘Speed is of the essence Thankllly, there are some approaches come to reconnect each section Superdilgene practisers can gain a which you can apply co learning Tater on, Mark each practice section sense of control from noting the speed virally any new piece. Many ofthese carefully into your score, but permit at which each section can currently will come in handy when revisiting a yourself few ‘busks’ through fist to_go, bur keep in mind che need to work you semi-learned years ago. Who bbe sure your markings make practical eventually couple these all back knows, the challenges may eurn out to sense, Some pianist like to number together into a satisfying unit. Is be more musical than echnical, but almost inevitable tha certain sections what we need isa practice system we 6 will move a diferent speeds during can fll back on to keep our learning | the easier stages of learning. This is steadily moving forwards. Each piece COM G TOUR TESTS albolutely ine, bu aim to practise of the musical jigsaw will only Be {similar musicat the same tempo, together once it has been properly [J | Bide yours into comenin sector oe however leisucely this may need vo be Jearned and ingrained into che brain structure to your practising. avfist and fingers and, ideally, we want 10 feelin control ofthe pace at which Begin your more detalled work atthe endof the piece | Start with the end our performance comes together. and move from here to the music's bigger moments? Though perhaps counterintuitive, ics and clmax points. often a good straregy to scart with Practise in sections the end, not the beginning, [find it ks offen useful ro partition a piece Define a safe range of faster/slower speeds for Iaelpfal to know the scope of the task into logical phrases. Depending on practising each section and move decisively between in hand from the outset, well before its syle chese might not necessarily these at regular points. | Tye rolled up my sleeves to begin work ou as convenient multiples of detailed work. Starting with the end ‘bars, but if they do, so much che Build up your physical and mental stamina in allows us a foretaste of where we are WA x WON better. In certain Romantic and 20¢h progressive stages. Don'texpect too much form |_-eaded, and this is psychologically century repertoirs, visual appearances yourself at ech siting, | beneficial before we lock horns with can he deceptive: a melody that took the musical challenges along the up just single line when intially Keep sight of the bigger picture when practising in way. From a purely musical poinc of presented might souk up a whole page Sections = this is easly lost n our quest for detail, | view, chs will also add to the sense of later on when coupled with a forid Listen to recordings as an aid to bulcing up your own | direct rctvely bring ro our accompaniment. These can make compelling performance, | performance. Next, tackle the music's valuable cross-reference points further ‘main climax sections and build-ups {nto your learning. in incensity. These ae usually quite 46: Pianist 209MASTERCLASS obvious on the page, especially in Romantic or 20th century repertoire: thicker, more elaborate textures, wider-spread harmonies and bolder dynamic markings. Go through the entire piece with a pencil and mark these in, In Classical sonatas, rarget the douile-bar where the development section begins ~ this is where much ofthe ‘clever (and more challenging) ‘material is likely eo be found. By doing this well be slowly locking an overview ofthe piece into our musical imagination, even though we may need co be doing basic spadework with notes and rhythms for some time still w come. Building up a familiaricy wich the concluding passages will help ts to avoid feeling frustrated at the scale ofthe challenge later on. The ‘slow-fast-slow’ tactic We can easily become glued to a pariculae speed at fis, which may have undesirable consequences farther down the line. Our fingers and brain ean become so accustomed Co how i fel and sounds to ply at this comfortable pace that we grow inceasinglyrehctane ro wy the music faster Besides he fac that our carefully calculated fingerings may work for us ata sow pace tells us le about their applcabilry when taken aca more enterprising sped. Our ‘musical imagination may alo stop enquiring when we wrap ourselves in che comfore blanker of this more sedate pace ‘Away around this isto nudge yourself out of your comfort sone on a regular bass, albeit for bret periods vo begin wich. You ean do this by using the metronome in ways which may not have occured to you befor, Start by gniging your curene comfortable speed, then ada ten percent ro it erotchet = 60 then becomes 66, Test your fingerings, stamina and interpretive ideas by moving bolly beeen these slowerfaster parameters: be sure rode this for each Separate section of muse. You could contin co add a further 10 pe cent {© your metronome in increments (66 becomes 72 ete). By doing this you are effectively fature proofing your fingerings as wel other technical and sical aspects ‘Once you've begun todo this on a regular bass, member to calm down the pace once agin to resume thoughtful practice. like wo play ‘musical hopscotch with my pupils ven withthe more advance! ones learning concertos. ge them to jmp ata moment’ notice from one section ofa piece to another by suddenly Flcking forward (or back) several pages to check they can sustain the Same speed, This can add a welcome ‘ote of evry to the learning proces, 8s wll as reveal where any uineended deviations of rempo ate ocurting, Stamina We tend to refer to stamina ina purely physical sense ~ how capable ‘we are of sustaining our energy levels when playing. But there is certainly a “head! component to stamina, too — hhow wel we ate able o think ahead of where we ate in the music, even when the weight of nore, machinery and ‘musical detail seems overwhelming. ‘A pianist's stamina isthe motor that deives their performance along, so wwe need strategies for honing this vital aspect of our performance. “This is best achieved in progressive stages - not by sel-bullying, which can inadverrenty lead to a host of | detrimental symptoms. Being able sustain your stamina through even single page of a busy piece can seem & real challenge initially, so consolidate your stamina lice by lite and be happy to have partly succeeded in your ulimace mission. If physical fatigue or problems with musical continuity are leting you dovin too often, video yourself to check your upper body, arms, wrists and fingers are relaxed and working together 2s fone. If cis isnot the cate, stamina Js probably noc the main issue here, ies tension, This will only improve by going back a couple of stages in the lexing process and ensuring cach of the sections you've been ‘working on sil fel relaxed, supple and reliably under control. Often, the dificulry wil seem from increasing the empo too much when reuniting the sections, which can result in a gradual loss of overall conteo. Stamina is a curiously fickle thing ~ there one day, frustratingly elusive the next. Simply acknowledging our fllibiliy is 3 valuable step forward — we are not robots. Dorit be ina hurry to bring your performance to fruition; just tsjoy bling up your amin slonly ‘Trace out the bigger picture [An expert pianist can bring sense of compactness to even the most extended piece. The nexe time you listen to your favourite concerto or sonata, take note of the high points in the performance and ask yourself hhow this is actually being achieved, section by section. Is the pianist 217. Pianist 209 A sense of cohesion Bringing it all together with Mark Tanner for three pieces inside this issue's Scores © =| Mozart Allegro K3 (p31): Best thought of in siebar phrases throughout, a symmetry then forms natualy in this beautifully concise Allegro. mark these in if only to avoid =| chopping-up the piece into smaller chunks, = which will detract from its elegance, Why not get 0 grips with bar 25 to the end frst, perhaps at an assumed stating dynam of p, 50 thatthe musi’ final journay can side forward decisively. When note-learning, ‘make the most of the repeat of phrase one (at bar 21), | 2pSchubert Valse sentimentate(n361: A litle analytical work pays dividends here = there aro plenty of similar patterns and [Phrases inthis piece. Do mark inthe phrases to ensure the temary form realy springs ccisply of the page. This piace is certainly a Candide for regular hands-sepsrate practice to ensure the keyboard geography is welkassimilated. 2 -| Mendelssohn Song without Words p58: There is an unmistakable motor to this egitated,elfervescent piece. Without control ofthe semiquaver groups, overall BacE| TUACel progression will rotbe ecient. Star =) with tne ending, which gives the piece @ resounding conclusion in the home key of G minor adhering exactly to the score? Or are they, in subtle ways, adapting the ‘composers markings and introducing. unscheduled ideas oftheir own? You ‘could do worse than borrow selectively from other pianist’ ideas and give these your own individual owist. Pick out one or ewo moments youl like your listener to remember after your performance has ended; when practising, bring all your musical understanding co bear on chese regions ofthe music and experiment adventurously with how you can best achieve this, The danger is thac we become so preoccupied with the finer details we lse sight of the musics bigger picture. Sectional practice and hands separate work will only take us so far; we need to connect these fragment into ever more ambitious sweeps of flowing music: Your metronome can be of use yet again as you draw nearer co mastering your performance ~ not by having. ic tick away lke a wagging finger, bucasa means of double-checking ‘each section is broadly in line with your master scheme. Musics grander ‘structure ~ ifs architecture’ ~ is ensily lost if we become tunnel-visioned with trickier derail.Clean up your sound PRACTISING WITHOUT THE PEDAL It’s all too easy to push the right foot down and hope for the best. Graham Fitch advises to temporarily steer clear in order to achieve the clarity you've always dreamed of “The pedaling in a Haydn Sonata and the pedalling in a Chopin Bercense cae as different as the brush techmigue that ome would find in a pre- Raphaelite painting and in a Miller. They epresensdiffeens epochs and ‘mst be treated diffrent.” -Jsf Lhévinne ‘wonder how many of us have ever embarked on a Dry January, perhaps asa New Year’ resolution? The idea is that, by abseaining from drinking alcohol for a month, we reser our relationship with it by becoming conscious of what we have been doing habitually. Drinking, in many cultures, is often a habit that can go unchecked — unless we deliberately intercept it. What ‘might this have to do with piano playing? Piano sound without the pedal can be teribly dry, lke cating a bow! of comflakes without the rill, But if we constantly rely on our right foot to make us sound, good, we can get way too comfortable and complacene about what {s actually going on under our hands. The pedal can make us sound amazing, but itis also very good at masking finger sins ~ covering ‘overall sorts of deficits in our couch and articulation, as well as other «echnical sloppiness ina forgiving, luxurious haze of resonance. In thisarticl, [look at some of the many benefits of practising deliberately without che pedal, not only when we ae learning the ‘notes, but on a regular basis thereafter. While we wouldnie wane ro go for a whole month withoue the pedal, icis a great idea occasionally to practise deliberately without it~ asa discipline. When we do this, we ‘might somchow disable the pedal ~ possibly laying something across it (Gueh as a book oF magazine) so thae when ou foot aucomatically creeps back there (which it will), it discovers foreign object and is forced to retreat. Well cally clean up our act noc only by becoming aware of what is actually going on underneath our hands (often different co what we think is happening there), but also by being able to hear everything more clearly and distinctly. Without podal, there is nowhere to hide; when we add it hace in we will immediately notice the benef Lets remind ourselves ofthe main uses for the sustaining pedal - 10 join sounds thatthe fingers alone cannot join, and to add resonance ‘and colous to our sound. The best pedalling happens when the ear and. the right foot are in perfect accord with each other, the foot responding, 1 the ears demands without any thought whatsoever. In order to get to the point where we can become unconscious about pedalling and just ee i happen, ie is often necessary to consider what we are doing. ‘with our right foot in our practice ~ tying one way and then another tunel we Find the sound we are after. Bear in mind the pedalling ‘may wel change depending on the piano we ae playing on and the acoustical properties of the space (ina very dry acoustic, we need to add more pedal; in lively acoustic, we use les). Connect by hand ‘When we organise our fingering, we work it our so we can physically join notes with the fingers in legato passages as much as posible, not relying on the pedal to make these connections. Doing it tis way tends up feeling much mote comfortable and secure, and gives us the very best contzol of tone. We might use finger substitutions eo asist us as well as the technique of chord legato (connecting those fingers in'a chotd progression that we ate able to connect, while eelesing those fingers char cannor jin). Here is an example from Debussy’s La fille asec chevewx de tin (bars 5 and 6), showing the original score foliowed by how the finger connections and releases would appear if they were notated Pianist, teacher, writer and adjudicator Graham Fitch gives masterclasses and workshops on piano playing internationally. Heisalsoin high demand as a private teacher in London, Graham is regular tutor atthe Summer Schoo for Pianists in Walsall and also a tutor for the Piano Teachers’ Course EPTA (UK). He writes a popular piano biog and has recently launched an online piano academy. \worwpractisingthepiane.com Ba. x 7 Tis important co remember chat couch shows up in our sound even when we are using pedal. For example, iFour pedal is down and we play staccato, we hear staccato, There is alot of debate about this’ issue on various piano forums, but you only have wo listen to find this is rue. [ean share an example ofthis fiom my own teaching, where a student had been negligent about the legato sluts in the opening ‘of Schuber’s Imprompes in Bo. I was listening from the other side ‘of the room, and cherefore unable to see the keyboard; I knew she ‘was pedalling correctly because all the notes in each harmony were blending together appropriately, but the LH sounded staccato because she was noe manually connecting the notes under the slurs. Practising the Thema with no pedl allowed her to realy hear and feel the details ‘of rouch marked in the seoze by the composet. @GET IN TOUCH (Gafam Fitch woul ike to hear from readers who have plano- playing vestons whether about a certain techrique ora passage ina piece of ‘use, Plese write tothe eto a editor@planistmagezine.com. Due tothe lige number of requets Graham may not beable to ansiner exch one submittes 18: Pianist 209Thema “Andante 6 SSS aE rea pt ose t pei Frying ecorsicn Twas working with someone on the Ravel Sonatine ecently and the student was taking a numberof liberties with his right foot. When wwe took the pedal away, he was surprised at how unthyehmical the clockwork inner part was at che start, and how blurred the edges of the second theme had became. He was unhappy to discover that he had been relying on the pedal ro create legato impression ofthe passage, rather than ensuring the connections were made with the fingers There was a gap in the top line beoween the double dotted crotchet and the semiquaver that follows it, and faulty connections in the lower voices (perfectly possible o join up with good fingering). We worked ‘om i fr a bit before he discovered there were one or two places where some pedal was necessary For joining (the alto part of bar 15, for example), so we added a touch of pedal ther, just For the connections After he had made the passage sound as beautiful as possible by hand, allowed him to go back co the pedal. He found he needed much less than he imagined ~ a shallow touch here and there, that was all. The process had helped him to become much more conscious about what cas he was actually doing with his foot. Having practised a squeaky- clean antiseptic version, he was able to hear how Tax he had become in matters of touch, a tempo sndeora Lets rerutn to our Debussy Prélude (La file ans chevens de lin), and look atthe passage starting at bar 33. [AP HERETO WATCH GRAHAWS ONLINE LESSON Ic is possible ro achieve a near-perfect finger legato here without any pedal ac all, and well worth the elfore practising in tis disciplined way fist. Ihave heard many performances ofthis piece where the player has relied on the pedal 10 make the joins ~ resulting in lumpy lines, ill judged tonal balances and unwelcome smudges. My suggested fingering is suitable for most hands. It is impossible to notate exactly the pedalling for the finished product; light, shallow dabs here and there will give a top-quality acetic esul, and chiefs a much bester solution than legaco changes every quaver | was experimenting with a pedalling solution for Brahms’ A minor Intermezzo Op 76 No 7, and followed my own advice by starting with ‘no pedal a al, aiming to make che passage sound as good as possible by hand. With a ltde practice I found I could get a prety fair result. ‘When ir came time to add some pedal, 1 was faced with the challenge of making sense of the ests in the RH while still creating harmonic resonance in the LH. (ovoid) (overhol Fat eae I came up wih a few pedalling solutions that would be virwally impossible to notate. My preference is for some overlapping touch in the LH, whereby the fingers hold onto cheir notes afer their official quaver lengths (a technique known as finger pedal). [found thac I could then add the pedal lae in eich four-note quaver group. This worked well provided I tapered off each short RH phrase as implied by the markings. I admit this is subtle and would take a bit of practice, bbuc then playing a Brahms Intermezzo beausifilly is n0 easy «ask! Let’s talk about Bach would like to wrap up by discussing the subject of pedal in Baroque ‘music, because this is an importane stylistic concern. None of Bachis keyboard instruments had a sustaining device, but as I have stressed, piano sound without pedal tends tobe dry and boring. When I played for Andis Schiff in che early 1980's he did noc complain about my use of pedal in Bach, o I suppose I must have been doing it unoberusively enough for itnot to bother him. Later, Schiff went through a period of ‘not using the pedals in his own playing, which worked extremely well for him, bue l sce he has come back to using it again. I chink there is an important point o make hete. Schiff s one of oue greatest pianists, pphying the very best pianos in the very best concert halls in the world. Mose of us would find it extremely difficult 10 engage an audience if wwe avoided the pedal. In past generations, Claudio Array and Tatiana Nikolayeva bathed their Bach in the pedal, and Paul Badura-Skoda said it was his best-kepe secret. My advice isto use it sparingly and lightly (pedalling shallowly so thatthe dampers barcly leave the strings). IP we smiake sure not ro se pedal ro make legato connections, and take care ‘not to blur the ornaments, discreet pedalling will add some welcome resonance and improve our sound. The trick is to think of the pedal like seasoning in cooking ~ vital in bringing out the favours, but we wouldnt wane ro be aware of sale as we eat Practising without the pedal s going to work better for some pieces than others. It would be hard to imagine the music of Ravel or Rachmaninov without any pedal when pedal is such an integral part of the soundscape. However ts worth doing in oue practice anyway for the rewards ic will bring — in the spirit of austerity and clarity. I his mest article, Graham looks atthe aes and abuse of the metronome, coming up with afew other rlution for anchoring our playing toa pulse that doet away with mechanical drudgery 39. Panist 109Thema “Andante SSS praia a Twas working with someone on the Ravel Sonatine ecently and the student was taking a numberof liberties with his right foot. When wwe took the pedal away, he was surprised at how unthyehmical the clockwork inner part was at che start, and how blurred the edges of the second theme had became. He was unhappy to discover that he had been relying on the pedal ro create legato impression ofthe passage, rather than ensuring the connections were made with the fingers There was a gap in the top line beoween the double dotted crotchet and the semiquaver that follows it, and faulty connections in the lower voices (perfectly possible o join up with good fingering). We worked ‘om i fr a bit before he discovered there were one or two places where some pedal was necessary For joining (the alto part of bar 15, for example), so we added a touch of pedal ther, just For the connections After he had made the passage sound as beautiful as possible by hand, allowed him to go back co the pedal. He found he needed much less than he imagined ~ a shallow touch here and there, that was all. The process had helped him to become much more conscious about what icwas he was actually doing with his foot. Having practised a squeaky. clean antiseptic version, he was able to hear how Tax he had become in matters of touch, a tempo sndeora Lets rerutn to our Debussy Prélude (La file ans chevens de lin), and look atthe passage starting at bar 33. Core ULE ere Ic is possible ro achieve a near-perfect finger legato here without any pedal ac all, and well worth the elfore practising in tis disciplined way fist. Ihave heard many performances ofthis piece where the player has relied on the pedal 10 make the joins ~ resulting in lumpy lines, ill judged tonal balances and unwelcome smudges. My suggested fingering is suitable for most hands. It is impossible to notate exactly the pedalling for the finished product light, shallow dabs here and there will give a top-quality acetic esul, and chiefs a much bester solution than legaco changes every quaver | was experimenting with a pedalling solution for Brahms’ A minor Intermezzo Op 76 No 7, and followed my own advice by starting with ‘no pedal a al, aiming to make che passage sound as good as possible by hand. With a ltde practice I found I could get a prety fair result. ‘When ir came time to add some pedal, 1 was faced with the challenge of making sense of the ests in the RH while still creating harmonic resonance in the LH. (ovoid) (overhol Fat eae I came up wih a few pedalling solutions that would be virwally impossible to notate. My preference is for some overlapping touch in the LH, whereby the fingers hold onto cheir notes afer their official quaver lengths (a technique known as finger pedal). [found thac I could then add the pedal lae in eich four-note quaver group. This worked well provided I tapered off each short RH phrase as implied by the markings. I admit this is subtle and would take a bit of practice, bbuc then playing a Brahms Intermezzo beausifilly is n0 easy «ask! Let’s talk about Bach would like to wrap up by discussing the subject of pedal in Baroque ‘music, because this is an importane stylistic concern. None of Bachis keyboard instruments had a sustaining device, but as I have stressed, piano sound without pedal tends tobe dry and boring. When I played for Andis Schiff in che early 1980's he did noc complain about my use of pedal in Bach, o I suppose I must have been doing it unoberusively enough for itnot to bother him. Later, Schiff went through a period of ‘not using the pedals in his own playing, which worked extremely well for him, bue l sce he has come back to using it again. I chink there is an important point o make hete. Schiff s one of oue greatest pianists, pphying the very best pianos in the very best concert halls in the world. Mose of us would find it extremely difficult to engage an audience if wwe avoided the pedal. In past generations, Claudio Array and Tatiana Nikolayeva bathed their Bach in the pedal, and Paul Badura-Skoda said it was his best-kepe secret. My advice isto use it sparingly and lightly (pedalling shallowly so thatthe dampers barcly leave the strings). IP we smiake sure not ro se pedal ro make legato connections, and take care ‘not to blur the ornaments, discreet pedalling will add some welcome resonance and improve our sound. The trick is to think of the pedal like seasoning in cooking ~ vital in bringing out the flavours, but we wouldnt wane ro be aware of sale as we eat Practising without the pedal s going to work better for some pieces than others. It would be hard to imagine the music of Ravel or Rachmaninov without any pedal when pedal is such an integral part of the soundscape. However ts worth doing in oue practice anyway for the rewards ic will bring — in the spirit of austerity and clarity. I his mest article, Graham looks atthe aes and abuse of the metronome, coming up with afew other rlution for anchoring our playing toa pulse that doet away with mechanical drudgery 39. Panist 109i HOWTO WM MOZART Allegro in B flat K3 Uniformity and neatness may be vital in this delightful work, but don’t let that stop you having some fun with your articulation, says Melanie Spanswick “i Melanie Spanswick sa pianist, auth ‘composer. She selected the repertoire for The Faber teacher and Info Will improve your Key: 8 tlt maior Y Asticuaton “Music Pano Anthology, and is author of Pay It Again: ‘Tempo: Alegio + Non lagato touch PIANO (Schott Musil, @ course for those retuming 10 Siyle: Classical Y Toral contrasts, ‘slaying, Melanie gives workshops in Germany, the Se USA and the Far East; she is @ tutor at Jackdaws Music Education Trust, Finchcocks Music and Piano “This charming little piece was one Week, and is now a Schott composer with a new collection of intermediate piano pieces entitled of Mozart’s frst compositions. 3 No Words Necessary. wwww.melaniespanswick.com les structure is binary form (AB), consisting of two sections with repeats AAcrorchet equals 116-120 bpm isa > fe te = Vivace 5 : t poco rit. 56 Bg ~ gi 2 5 2 intempo poco rit, in tempo ii. id io 2 i = . i ia 52. Pianist 109,oco rit. intempo 0c rit. in tempo 69 P poo, PF emp} 77 Allegro P leggiero 93 Poco rit. in tempo _ 103 fo Sf 54. Pianist 109in tempo ae poco rit. poco rit. 2 a2 > tag ar thay ftom 2 7 93 2 1 A 7 i a i 3 ‘58. Pianist 109George GERSHWIN (1898-1937) STRACK 12 Ifa Gershwin (1896-1983) INTERMEDIATE The Man I Love ‘Sarah Vaughan, Bille Holiday, Are Tatum, Herbie Hancock, Kate Bush... Relish inthe two-bar rallentando before the melody ‘proper’ appears at they've all hada stab at this Gershwin standard. This glorious solo piano bar 17. Here, aim ro make ic sound as poignant as possible, keeping the arrangement is writen by John Kember. last «wo semiquavers of the bar as subrle and subdued as possible, as if Playing sips: Tis piece is marked “dreamily and freely’ so you are allowed they are another voice. At bar 25 the LH enters with the melody, which, to use lashings of rubato — it works wonders to really hold back at times makes for an even more enveloping soundworld, (we love the way Chenyin Li performs i on the soundtrack). Alor of the Pedal tps: Use your ears and pedal with the changes of harmony. You melody part is written in the higher register, so make sure ie spats should find the chord syrabols helpful. Dreamily and freely /~c.100 B Cm? BT BT EB Bs FnyAb BLS Bits ¢ 2 Bomaj! fe Fm —— Be BY Co Fn BF s 9 Cm B B Fv BHT BYG BG Ams 13 ByF re BF Bidim/F Fav Be 50. Pianist 109 ‘Theta onthe Uh ed Ha yrs eng Gein ia Gar ray Kane (ene pp Cale Winer Narhneaed GSAWIND nd GEORGE Gast Strauares sansa ol Gorn Sears BA GERI bs econ Corea ares A gh aoeFreely, con rubato - = 0.72 17 ET Eom? Bom/D> 20 crs Abm/Co Bot 23 Ge cm Fm? Bee Be BW 26 0 Bn — Bonds 29 Abmi/Cb Bs — cm Abm? — be 15. Pianist 109,Poco animato E> @ cm? D/C Fainyc cm _ poco rit. 86 a cm Am?5 oe Gm G7 Cm? Bodim/F Fm BpBbe I h~ ft a = 2} ia07 a > rr ie b @ Tempo 1 Cr ee ee er ey) oa ae == ons Abmy/Co Br B/Ch Be « ,olid dt I a7 Eb F570 Cm Aim? BOAR Asm Eg? Ebmaj? oF F ‘58. Pianist 109on }) Felix MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847) ADVANCED: Song without Words Op 53 No 3 Mendelssohn verote 48 Songs vthout Words which were divided inco eight books. Book 5, the Opus 62 collection, was dedicated to Clara Schumann, Mendelssohn's siscer, Fanny Hensel, also composed pies in this genre Says Lucy Parham, who performs the piece on eis issue's Panis album: “The energy and turbulent passion is the main reason [love to play this piece, Asits not one of the most well-known Song withous Words it good to introduce these les Read Lucy Parham’ step: known ones to audiences too. -step lesson on page 24, Presto agitato ..=96 59. Pianist 109,(Ped. come prima) 0. Pianist 109,’ re 7 prop’? 77 prop’? 4. Pianist 109sempre erese. ree = if ooo eo dt fal 345 a—_I Pedo—_1 &ed—_J sim. my EN a . = Se 2. Pianist 109,1 Re. J Ped. 88 { : cespress. sl - : 5 eg 7% (Ped. come prima) NaTle 62. Pianist 109,cj 7 Pps oor Te Ty pPryp’? pry 4. Pianist 109,(eggiero yay . (Ped. al fine) 68. Pianist 109ARTURIA YOUR EXPERIENCE + YOUR SOUND. CONTROL 2 ightt Lamu PTL WAAR, KEYLAB mkIl This top-tier controller keyboard features the superb piano-feel 88 note keybed found in the industry-standard original, but with the updated feature set of the KeyLab MkII series, and an amazing software collection.then pupils can internalise their ‘musi, they feel empowered, purposeful, confident and focused. Internalisition rans tal security. le me: awareness of the music that i euly ie for purpose. Ifa pupil can play theough a piece entirely from memory in cheir head away from the piano and with no hesiations ~ then the pupil tuly does know the notes: che usc has literally become a part of them. They do not need a piano as a prompt ~ their mind has become ‘concert hall in its own right, complete swith as fine a vireual reality piano as the pupil ean imagine and conjure up. Put another way, when musi sticks fn «pupils head, ther brain becomes areconding library in which their ‘current repertoire is lodged securely. They have nothing to fel afraid of ‘when it comes to public performances all they need to dois to draw out of their heads the musi that is always there. Asa tesult, they wil always be ‘empowered and in tral control of their music making. “That all sounds simple and logical, but even professional musicians can shy away from practising their music away from their instruments. Pupils often sound affaid when T suggest that they spend even a few minutes ‘working at their musie whilst seated ata desk, or whilst propped up in bed atthe end ofa long day prior to going to.eep. "What happens if my mind ‘wandets?’ ‘can hear the notes in head!” and‘ just wane to enjoy cling the notes under my fingers, are common responses when Iset non ppiano-based exercises away from the Piano as ‘homework. There is no doubs that we need to train and encourage this type of practising, In this respece I suggest a few minutes of exch lesson are spent with a couple of bats of sight-reading Take a really manageable chunk of music (ewo bars alone is fine ro begin ‘with) and ask your pupil ro read theough the music silenly. They can FORTHE TEACHER — PIANO TEACHER HELP DESK— Security blanket Whatever your ability, time spent practising away from the piano will bring lots more confidence into your playing, so says Kathryn Page. Give it a shot ‘move thet fingers on heir knees as they do this bur they are not allowed to play the notes. Give them 2 couple of minutes 10 do this several times, then take the music away and ask chem to ‘play’ the excerpt in thee hheads, chen to ty and play it again out loud from memory: This approach has proved invaluable with generations ‘of pupils over the years at Chetham's School of Music in sight xeading classes, but can be adopted for pianists ofall ages and abilities, Knees up Practising away from the piano has ‘many other benefits too. Above al, i helps with concentration and ensures that awareness of what one wants ro achieve is striven for. I irmly believe that every aspect of piano-playing can benefit from instrument-ive practising. Firstly, fom a rhythmic perspective, it makes sense ro conduct, dance, and swing through you pieoes without the distraction of having to think of controlling all the pitches acthe keyboard, And in terms of Fingering, ic is extremely helpfal practise on a worktop, or on your knees or even simply in the air! Ask pupils to go through thei Fingering. avvay from the keyboard and they will find thatthe insecure, uncertain ‘moments ate quickly discoverable They will then be able to extend this “mechanically based’ non piano work by practising physical movements (eral and rotary) on their own, as wel as even trying ous laps on aveable top. And if this likely co induce a mild fic of the giggles from observers who may happen to be passing by, chen all ro the good! 67. Pianist 109 Kethryn Page has appeared in concert ‘and on television asa soloist and in chamber musi, She isa teacher, ajustcator and administratr for CChetham’s Intemational Summer Schoo! and Festival for Pants, as well asthe Manchester International Concerto Competition for young panists. Shelves in Cheshire and has five cilen, Bur ti not jusecechnicalisues ‘har benefit from no insteumene-based work: Musical direction or dancing co the pulse of your repertoire has huge benefits to0, as indeed docs singing and breathing through each melodic Tine. Do ery to gee students to make Lup words for their melodie pacrerns if they can. Of course, phrasing and shaping is much harder without systematic and regula attention ro the natural horizontal ebb and flow of the music, and part of our gradual assimilation of repertoire on a day-to-day basis should always include time away from the piano devoted to singing and breathing around the phrases of our repertoire There isso much more that should be mentioned Fidelity tothe text and a strong security over printed instructions on che music ise can be strongly buile up away from the piano, Idealstc voicing, colours and ‘sense of the tempo for each section should be inceralised. Si quietly with the music on your lp for at least a few minutes each day and take time to create— with your inner ear ~ the ‘most perfect interpretation of any individual pasage you can muster, Then go to the piano, Be as detailed as possible — think through pedalling, chordal balancing and quality of one tall times. Reach the point at which the sounds you hear in your head are always more satisfying and beautiful than sounds thar even the most perfect instrument and acoustic in reality could never hope to match! I Kathryn Page first article on practising ‘away from the piano appeared inside fue 108,~ ©. VERTORIAL ’ Do you dream of owning a grand piano but only have the space — and budget — for an upright? Yamaha's N1X, the newest addition to the AvantGrand range of hybrid pianos, brings the sound and action of a grand in the form of an upright — with impressive results N itncholy gal J iossingand franc grands reserved for concert hall and the Yarnaha CPX and the Besendo ve ian, these Imperial, oth beloved by star pianists and heard on stages across the globe Bercer still, both instruments can ‘occupy the space of an uprighe piano No, this isnt some Harry Porter-style wizardry its the NIX, the latest, addition to Yamahas AvaneGrand range of hybrid pianos, bringing the sound of two concert grand pianos in the form ofa single upright. you are looking forthe response ofa grand piano but che size of an upright then this isthe piano for you, says lan House, Yamahas piano and keyboard specialise. "The NIX blurs the lines between the ‘vo instruments.” And the promise of those two concert grands? Either the Yamaha CFX o the Bésendorfer Imperial can be summoned atthe ‘ouch of a button, Areal acoustic piano action is matched with an re multi-sample sound set thae draws on the two concert grand pianos. This is then reproduced through a high-performance speaker syseem hat has been created t0 ensure ‘hac the projection is virally identical, NIX joins the N3X, N2, and. NUIX in the AvancGrand family Te combines all che pros of a digital instrument with the action of an acoustic, ‘However good an upright piano i, i abways a compromise because the keyboard action is not ax detailed as. grand piano, says House, the NIX changes that. Under each Key isa continuous ‘optical sensor ~ this doesn't affect the fel or performance in any way that captures the speed and depth at which that key is depressed. An additional ‘optical sensor affixed to each hammer shank measures the timing and strength of the hammer hitting che Viewal ‘strings’. This information is stant translated into beautifully authentic sound reproduction, ‘When you press key, the resonance i organic. You get so much more than just the sound,’ says House. “The aetion is identical to that ofa Yamaha grand ia grand piano action within ‘an upright, Its incredibly responsive,Since Yamaha introduced the fist AvantGirand, hybrid pianos hav grown in popularcy. As the name Siggests, the instruments bring together elements of digital and acoustic instruments, giving the pianist more options than ever before The first model of AvantGrand was released in 2011; then, a today it broke new ground within the piano world, For the firs rime on a hybrid instrument, che touch was the same as an acoustic. Ie meant thar students who were learning on an acoustic grand did not need to adjust cheir technique, and that pianists could enjoy the same level of performance from a digital instrument as they could from an acoustic. Tn the past, digital pianos have had theie limitations, says Noriko Ogawa, renowned international concert pianist recording artist, presenter and educator. The action has fee actifical — too light, singular, and the sound was either on or off For pianists who are used to acoustic instruments, the dligial keyboards felt like a different species! The ation on the AvaneGrand pianos feels real and the sound is great. [really believe thae these instruments are the next best thing. afcer having a top-of-the-range grand piano at home. The newest AvaneGrand instruments ~ including the NIX ~ have more resonance than thei predecessors, which replicated the sound of the CEILS, This resonance isachieved by something known as Vireual Resonance Modelling, which calculates the various sates ofthe strings for each of the 88 notes on the keyboard from one inseant tothe next. This highly complex process means the NIX ean reproduce the limitless number of resonances inherent in playing an acoustic grand, such as which keys are pressed, the strength with which the keys ae played and pedal imi Long-term benefits The maintenance costs surrounding @ grand piano are nor to be sniffed a most instruments need tuning on a regula basis, especially after having been moved (or aera particulaely heavy Lise-based rehearsal) ‘AvantGrand pianos never need tuning, “Asa profesional pianist | like acoustic pianos best, but its important to remember that these pianos go out of tune easily plus strings break, actions wear our, pedals squeak ~ and so on, says Ogava ‘As technology continues to develop apace, so Yamaha has brought its AvantGrand instruments up-to-date, alchough the hybrid pianos do nor feature all the bells and whistles of some ofthe digital instruments. The idea is that these pianos sic equidistant berncen acoustic and digital worlds to that end, the NIX boasts a discreet control panel on the lefichand side of the keyboard. This portal opens up the delights of the digital instrument, The ability co stream audio wirelesly through Bluetooth i useful particularly if you're using YouTube ‘torials or rehextsing with a pre= recorded orchestra, for example’ explains House, The recording ‘options are ideal for practising ~ you can record your left hand, then siow i down while you practise your right hand. Any recordings can be saved and shared theough Dropbox. les even possible to connect mobil devices wirelesly, with a dedicaced app ~ ‘Smart Pianist’ — to control the functions with your iPhone or iPad. Perfect practice There’ also the option to connect wo sets of headphones, for noisy duetting any time of the day or night. This initiative has transformed the appeal of these instruments, opening them ‘up to students who need to practise for long periods at unsociable hours = with no risk ofthe piano going ‘out of tune aera heavy session. ‘The sound heard through headphones uses piano samples recorded by specialised ‘microphones that capture locational information and other muances — known as binaural sampling = co ensure that end resule isso natural you ‘wont think youte wearing headphones axall, ‘Measure the space you intend co put the instrument in and consider ‘what time is good for you to practise” advises Ogawa. The AvancGrand 69. Panist 109 pianos are definitely one of the best ‘options for urban life; for those living ina shared space and want ro play in the early hour. “Several music colleges use the AvantGrand instruments as practice pianos? says House. ‘Like our TransAcoustic and Silent Piano range the AvantGrand aims to bring realism to pianists who, for whatever reason, cane always play an acoustic grand.” That realism extends o the pedal sthich have also been significant improved since the early modes. “the right-hand pedal is weighted differently to recreate the sense of dampers moving ~ chat replaces the previous hal-damper feature, explains House. The damper pedal allows pianists to recreate the same subsle changes in resistance experienced on a grand piano pedal ~ you can even use half-pedal techniques, offering fucther flexibility (Ogawa believes itis a wholly positive sep that instrument makers Tike Yamaha are developing Cistofor’s piano ina way that opens it up to new audiences. ‘Yamaha makes “proper concert grand pianos ~ they know what pianists need, she ays. ‘Panists appreciate chat flexbilicy is important. The NIX —along with the other AvantGrand pianos ~ are available from a range of dealers throughout the UK, as well asin Yamaha's agship store in Soho, which is well worth a visi for its sublime piano boutique (be warmed, you may never want co leave!) I’salso worth noting thae £7.69 good, 00; they are beautifully consteucted and work asa great piece offarnivure. suk yamaha.comEDUCATION PLAYING eae BY EAR P| rare, author of The Complete Classical Piano Cours. Leave A Songwriter’s Way — caoveytby aera eam LESSON 1:STARTING OUT @ ? Fee eee Introducing John Geraghty, here to guide you away from the printed music, so that you can play the tunes you've always wanted to — without the score! First of a six part series INTRODUCTION To lean to play by ear you must think like a songwriter. Songwriters would start writing a song by doing one of the following: * By playing chords on the piano or guitar and then singing a tune over it ¢ Having a tune in thei head then deciding what chords to play with i + Playing a cune on the piano or guitar and chen working out the chords afterwards + Producing a backing tack with drums, bass and other instruments, then working out a vocal melody over the top, + Writing down some lyrics and then adding a melody and chords to chem * Singing a melody out loud and then working out chords to fi ie For this ruroral I will tech you the second and chird way. Let’ get started. ‘This first lesson will start from the very beginning using basie three-note chords. Throughout these tutorials we will progress up to seven-note chords, using advanced jazz harmony, When learning how to play by ear, it's best to use a simple tune rather than going for a complex pop or jazz rune. We will use the nursery rhyme Twinkle Tvinkle Litle Sear. To play by eat, chere are three things you must know from the stat: | Hear the tune in your head and hear the final note 2 To know (and play) one major scale by heart 3 Seven chords that can be used over the tune Hear the tune in your head and hear the final note Stare by singing Tieintle Twinkle Litele Star out loud, The final note will be the key that youre i, Find the final note that you sang on the piano. For example, if you landed on By then you would use the B> major scale to work the tune out. IFyou landed on G then you would use the G major sale Expert Tip To practise hearing the ast note, phy or sing the tune again only this time donit play o sing the lst note In your mind, can you hear thatthe eune sounds unfinished? Playing che final note will make the tune sound finished. Ahvays listen out for that final note. ‘To know (and play) one major scale by heart To keep things simple, I willbe using the C major scale, Learn ic off by heart if you dont already know it Starting on C and using the C major scale, work out TieinbleTiinkle Litle Star by ea. Your final nore should also be C. As you arein © ‘major you will noe need to use the black keys. Ifyou get stuck, the msc is written below Espert Tip Statt on a diferent note and see if you can work out the tune again. This will help ain your eas If you find that you are hitting wrong notes, this is simply because you don't know that scale very well, so work out the scale before trying it again.Here is the wane to Tvintle Tsinble Lite Starin C major 2S SS SSS ee ‘A chord name with just a letter, for example F means that itis a major chord (F) ‘A chord name with a letter and a small m, for example Em, means i's a minor chord (Em) There ae seven chords that can be buile upon the C major scale: three major chords, three minor chords and one diminished chor. (Chords 1, 4 and 5 areal 1 major chords Chords 2, 3 and 6 ate always minor chords Chord 7 is always a diminished chord The first one is C major (C-E-G played together, ie, the first, third and fifth notes from the C major sale). This chord i usually the frst and last chor in any song. Ending on this chord will make the music sound finished. The other si chords are Dim, Em, FG, Am and Belim. "B dim,’ is short for B diminished, This chord is rarely used in pop music but would be used a lot in jazz How do I find the other sis chords? Espert Tip Play a C major chord (C- E.G.B (Em) ete, until you finish on the C major chord again. Use cis tip for finding chords in other sales. ) and move each note up one note, up the major scale. From C-E-G (C) go to D-F-A (Dm) then Here are your seven chords, These are all writen in root position. The root note isthe lowest note in the chord, 6; z —— | If you know other major scales, try finding all seven chords that belong to that scale. As there are ‘only 12 major and 12 minor chords, you will find that the chords will start repeating in other keys. This is where things get interesting Now you have to decide whae chords to use and where to place them with the melody. As 4/4 isthe most popular time signature well be ‘concentrating on this time signature In 4/4, most songs usually place a chord on beats one and three, though this does depend on the melody Looking atthe tune, we have to place a chord on the first C note, on beat one in the frst bar. But which chord? For now, to keep it simple, the melody note has to be one of the notes in the chord, There will only be three choices. So forthe fist chord you could use + C major chord (©) * A minor chord (Am) + F major chord (P) Since youte playing in C majos, a good starting point would be to ply the C major chord over the C note as its the firs chord in © major. Play the chord with the left hand for now... ie gets more interesting later. Now what about beat 3, nace GIf we used a G major chord, the G note ats the Tst note within the chord of G If.we use an E minor chord, the G note acts asthe 3rd noe within the chord of G If we used a C major chord, the G nore acts a the Sth noce within the chord of G 1 ro keep Tivinkle Twinkle Liele Sar as a happy ta use either G or C major. Or would you prefer vo add a litle melancholy co the musi. In this ease, you would use Em. “Try all thre and then decide which one you prefer. Do you fF chis is che case you could Expert Tip If you can decide which chord to us, play the first chord and then try both options. By playing fiom the previous chord your eats will reset’ and the fel of the tune will be diferent noce om beats I and 3, Here ae all the chord choices for each melody e G Am Em F Ol eI ‘Continue until you have selected all your chotds on beats one and the Here is my version, Cm fm me 6 em mee +—+ + +—+ a AS j= == SS SS Chord voicings - Inversions So far, youve only used one chord shape in root postion inthe lefe hand, There are two more shapes that can be used. Cmajor root position Ise inversion 2nd inversion é 3 Se Notice how the lowest note moves ro the rop, shown by the arrow, bu the other ewo notes stay where they are. And where the root note (isin each chord Practise all seven chords in all three shapes: Root, 1st and 2nd inversions. Play them over two octaves up and down. You only need to learn this in the right hand before moving on and paying particular attention to the fingerings. Which shapes do I use? To make the tune stand out in the right han you have to choose one of the theee shapes ~ root, fits of Second inversion ~ and have the melody note asthe highest note. Let’ take the frst note C with the C major chord as our chosen chord. + Ask yourselE Which of the three shapes has the C on top? It's the first inversion. "This will be yous first chord shape on the first beat in bar 1 * Lets take a look at my second choice Em. Again, ask yourself which ofthe three shapes has the G note asthe highest? This would be Em second + Once youve picked all your chords shapes play the chords, while adding the notes in between. While playing the tan ‘wo notes ofeach chord hold down the lower Here is my version, written an octave higher: c Em Fo Em = Dm C G oc mm pm c G Cc G aAm Em = pm Fo Am DmNotice thatthe melody note is always the highest note ofthe chord Aural Awareness: Ifyou played just the chords, your eas will hear a basic tune of Tivinkle Twinkle Lite Sar. Tey playing a diferent chord shape for each chord and you will notice the tune will disippese. This i because your ears naturally hear the highest note ofthe chord, IF ro sing the tune, then there would be no need ro have the melody note as the highest note of che chord The left hand IF you played the roor chord in the right hand, then play the first and fifth notes ofthe chord. For example, if youte playing Dm in the right hand (D-F-A in ro0t position), then play D and A in the lefe hand, I you played the first inversion in the right hand, then play an octave. For example, if you played F major frst inversion inthe right hand, then play twos Fs in che lefe hand, IF you played the second inversion in the right hand, then play the first and third inthe left hand. For example, ifyou played Am second inversion in the right hand, you would play A and C in the left hand: ‘When playing hands together, keep your hands no more than one octave apart. Ifyou have a large gap in between the hands, the chords will not sound full Here ate ll thrce voicings over the C major chord, Practise these chord voicings overall seven chonds Z g ag g e Expert Tip W'youiresrugglng to learn these chord shapes, quick way isto oF play one voicing and go up the scale, playing the other six chords, using the — £ = same fingers and shape Here's my version of Tivinkle Twinkle Litle Star pee letg tee eg Ppt gs Prec lets £°¢ pee 3 = ’ h LL Mane oy. Aa ae x we we. wl! a al 9 aC 2 i a——= z 2 2 8 Wh on anal! cI Aural awareness: Play the chords with your hands spaced more than one octave apart. Can you hear that the chords do not sound Full and there feels like a gap berween them? Next step By now you should be very confident at playing each chord in too, fst and second inversion using the chord voici + Using different chord voicings and singing the tune. Keep the right hand chord shapes close to each other. + Adding more chords within each bar. + Other nursery rhymes, + Playing a Christmas caro, These area litle harder than nursery shymes but the tunes will give you more scope to add interesting harmonic. In the following lessons you will Iaen + How to construct four note chords using the C major scale + How to voice four note chords for both hanes + How to harmonise Tieinkle Tivinkle Lite Star using four note chords, ITAP TO WATCH ‘Ory Shihor gives a masterclass on Mozart Sonata K576 REPERTOIRE TAPTOWATCH — Noriko Ogawa performs Liszt's showstopper La ‘campanella oes v. TAP TO WATCH Lucy Parham plays Lisze’s romantic Sancta Dorothea rer above the Sea For What makes us lean towards the Romantic repertoire? Surely it’s more than just a pretty tune? John Evans speaks to pianists and professors to find out why we love to wallow in the music arto James Bartlet, che young pianist who graces this insue’s cover, has stuck his and we share them with other animals. For example, a loud sound close-by produces a violent response in us. In head above the parapet with his debut contasta baby’s oie produces a caring response . album Love and Deh selection of Odkelfonds point is thar we canoe separate the thinking j pieces inckading Lint wrnmcipdon af and feding pars ofthe bran fren the cmcconal Indeed i Schamannis Widmung’ and Wagners Isolde Litbesod he says the oot of ou basic emotional response to sound i Suck his head!’ because when itcomes to romantic muscles inthe dn of lie ise. However, ofl she emotional 1 sacha this thar wears its heart on is sleeve, we pianist triggers, eis msc thatthe mow sophisticated : and audience ~ are all experts. Experts not only in love and death but also in pain, pleasure, loss, regret... you name it, weve experienced it. Accordingly, when judging a performance of music of the Romantic period, as many of the pieces on Bartleets new album arc, many of us do so on the basis ofits ability to inspite our emotions Adam Ockelford, professor of Music at Rochampton University in London and author of Comparing Nows: How we make tense of music, sys this is entirely naral. “The ‘emotional centres are deep in the bran, inthe pre-husman are,’ he says. ‘We needed them as a basic survival response ike the opening chord of Stas Abo Spec Zarate othe so-called Tstan chow in Wag 1 page oF phrase each Sound fllowing another produces 4 more nuanced response, Some of these ate learned while others may be triggered simply by a shife from major to ‘minor. Among the learned responses, a diminished seventh chord, a chromaticism or a tremolo lead sto expect an event, be it resolution of a surprise So, it seems, we are mere putty in the hands of music, 74. Pianist 109 i } }We think we'e smart and in control of our emotions but then along comes a chord of a phrase and were a mass of| conflicting emotions over which we have no control At Teast that is che situation for ‘we’ a listeners, But Wwe! as pianists or performers muse surely retain concrol of our ‘emotions if we ate to effectively communicate music's emotional possibilities to our licenets Head versus heart ‘Asa music student I well remember being reminded of the ternal struggle of head and heart when playing piano music of the Romantic era the responsibility of the performer to shape, control and communicate che music notwithstanding their emotional response toi. For me, i was a struggle thar would reach is climax on the concert platform when, fT wasnt careful, a combination of nerves, adrenaline and an acute sense of self would lead me to abandon every finally judged and considered nuance, and indulge myself a the expense, warned my teacher, of the music Even among top-flight pianiss you occasionally encounter a similar relaxing ofthe bootstraps. was teminded of this when lisening to recordings of Chopin's Impromptu No 3 in G flat Op 51 recently. Chopin was an enthusiastic advocate ofthe metronome, at leas fr afew years, and would pepper his scores with markings. In time, hie stopped doing so but still gave tempo indications which, since we know from his metronome timings how fist he regarded prests, andantes and so on, ate pretty reliable, ‘Chopin marks Imprompts No 3 Tempo giusto, but even had he not, pianist would tune into the muse’ Iyrieal and sel propelling character, Not Grigory Sokolov. He plays it almost larg, imbuing it witha pathos other pianists simply don hear. Bue woulda’ you believe it “"YouTabers’ comments are largely positive: ‘Tove this tempo’, ‘Heart-achingly gorgeous, Stunning Adam Ockelford is neither surprised by their reaction ‘nor by Sokolow’s idiosyncratic performance. ‘Ther composers and there are performers, The two are very different. Regarding the larter, their plying is blend of intuition and a conscious decision to play in a cereain ways often informed by the way others do, although sometimes by a deliberate decision to strike out on their own, “That decision can offend listeners For example, you go to Wigmore Hall to hear Chopin only to find its being played differently from the performance ‘mode you have in your head. That can be shock bur ic doesnt mean the performance is any les valid. Music is neither right nor wrong. What makes i¢ so fascinating and enduring is its ability o evolve and, like a chameleon, t0 change how is perceived by each succeeding generation.” Pigg then, the poor performer of Chopin ec al who must navigate theie way through what seems to bean ever: shifing, ever-changing musical world at the mercy of perception and emotion, and where one listeners poison is another’ pleasure, How do they do i? ‘Where de they begin? The clues are in the score Ory Shihor (pictured) is founder and CEO of the Piano Talent Performance Academy based in the US that prepares students for music college. He focuses on gifted young pianists AU RIC ROM ROLL iad Some of the greatest composers of Romantic piano music have come tantalsingy close to sharing insights Deas Ee ec ete foe ee peeee eo eet eevee nent ae eet een rare eens Sete a eee rece eae hhow fast you ean play your oct ‘What I wish to hear isthe canter of errs they gather for Aree ee eet Peas aac fae ete ea ren Sena eae at) See ere ee peers eee cr islistening, Yet always play as hough peer eae but no matter how talented they are for him, chee journey always starts atthe same place. ‘Everything begins and ends with the sore, he say ‘However, the crux of the matter is “landing” on an interpretation that balances what is in the score with some historical and cultural knowledge, and the pianist own taste and abiliry. “Whether music is from the Baroque cor Romantic period, iis sill writen by humans who experienced the same emotions and communicated as we do today. For me, these things ae absolute and [apply them to every musie genre, Accordingly, when I reach I try not ro pigeoa-hole the music or the composers as in “Mozart must be played lightly with some cauteness" ot "Chopin's corment must be fel through rubato". In shore, according to Shihor, free of the conventions that surround particule musical petiods, his students can get on with the business of interpreting the music as human beings rather than guardians of sacred exes Whar ensures their performance does not dlssolve inco an indulgent ramble is his insistence that their knowledge ofthe music begins andl ends with the score. Likewise, Noriko Ogawa (picured), 3 teacher, performer and contributor to this ‘magazine, looks to the core fr clues toa composer’ intentions. Not only thar but also to their characters and influences ‘Chopin wrote many pieces based on dance forms such as the wale, mazurka, and polonaise she says. 78. Pianist 109REPERTOIRE “This proves one needs to have a good musical pulse when playing Chopin, I always make sure Lam aware of nore values, including the little notes that can make us freak out when we see them and which we try to play too fast” Ofcourse, this sense of pulse that Ogawa refers to sounds lke i could militate agains che elasticity, or rubato, CChopins musie demands, She has an answer for this, alo, Because Chopin is beautiful in every beat of every bat itis easy to fll into the trap of siting on every chord and enjoying yourself roo much. To avoid this, when learning, Chopin I frst practise the musie strictly in cempo in order to understand where all che heats are, then decide on and dlesign my rubato I “save” lots of room for it, then when comme to a phrase where I cannot give in, I use this saved room without distorting the pulse. Her approach sounds overly considered, However, From what we know of Chopin, a tasteful and meticulous man, Ihe would surely be in sympachy with it In any ease, for Ogawa, Schumann and not Chopin more closely firs her template of the Romantic composer “Schumann is probably the most romantic composer in my ‘opinion, she says. "We get very personal with is music and become convinced “Robert is mine However, 25 with Chopin, she's careful to impose some ‘order on what, without it, could become chaos. “Schuman likes repeated dotted rhythms but he always ‘writes beautiful melodies. Again, when I learn the notes, [ practise on time co really get o know where the ddownbeats are, Schumann shifts downbeas so it’ the performers job co know where all the ba lines are. Likewise, when ic comes to List, abit of preparation never hurt anybody, she says. ‘Liszt knew how to make the piano ring out. The piano can get so loud very easily in his musi, He writs lots of erescendos bu very few ‘Chopin is like Romantic Mozart. He can expose every shortcoming in your technique and musicality’ LUCY PARHAM dliminuendos. So, co avoid the piece becoming a cacophony ‘of sound and co make the crescendo realy count, I make sure [ahvays come down before each crescendo. Creating 1 good dynamic range isso important to Lise’s music.” ‘Bur while Ogawa may take special care building her crescendos in Lisat’s music, when it comes to Brahms, catefully demolishing them a gradation ata time isthe key. “Brahms's music is che mest pessimistic in my opinion,’ she says. He takes pages to build up but after che climax, ‘writes diminuendo very early. Climbing up to the peak, we have 10 come down very careflly: “They may be labelled the same bus the Romantic composers are so different from one another. For ‘me, Schumann is genuine and really personal, Chopin is the most “perfectly written’ and Brahms is the most pessimistic with a dificult personality. Relsing this, helps to inform my playing The look of love Lucy Parham, an award-winning pianist whose popular concerts of words and ‘music in the company of some of the UK greatese ators bring the Romantic ‘composers to life, explains her approach 10 the music simply and powerfully. "I love you,” LISTEN ‘Tap the play buttons below to hear our bonus tracks SCHUMANN ARR. LISZT "WIDMUNG' S564, GRIEG SOLVEIG'S SONG FROM PEER GYNT SUITE NO2 MASSENET MEDITATION FROM THAIS ® SATIE JETEVEUX she tlls me. Not me, ofcourse. Instead, she's explaining how the sentiment a che hear of Romantic piano music «an be subtly but powerfilly conveyed "You could declaim itor lok the person inthe eye and say itealmly and simply The later, believe, is much more sincere. In fet, this quieter, more pared-down style of expression i, she sys, how she hat come to perform music ofthe Romantic era in general ‘As Ive grown olde, ind les is more. Alot of what composers write speaks for itself. The pianist is simply the conduit; che means by which the composer speaks to us, However, especially when youre younger and playing, all sis great mosicfor che first time, you fel you must, share your enjoyment of and as result, the playing can be overblown. suspect Chopin would agree and especially with what Lacy says nexe Good rate is paramount when playing and nev ‘moreso than when playing the matic of the Roma composers. You must ress layering on emotion like dlouble-ream. Instead, beauty of sound i vital” "And while the music an sometimes sem like a box of chocolate o be enjoyed without resting, much of i conforms ro Classical structures and disciplines, with all the restraint chat implies, she say. “The early Romantics were influenced by Becthoven and Bach, says Pathan “There's thsall-pervading sense of structure, You have your fou walls which you must respect” (fall he Romantic composers, Pacha ays the hardest o ply is Chopin. ‘He’ ike Wy “Romantic Mozart. He can expose every shortcoming in your technique and ‘musicality The control ~ physical and ‘motional - tha he requis i huge Which bring us back to chat ol of war heaen the head and the heart that characterises a performance of piano music not only from the Romantic era bbucany music concerned wich universal concep suchas love and death. Without ‘one, there is no balanee. With both, there is perfect harmony. Ml 76. Pianist 109Pianist SUBSCRIBE TODAY i Peay ae ad Baty SCALES Pa ac ta) BALANCING MELODY une cre TEC tno Taney MAPLE aon \ ele Print version £4.50 PER ISSUE £27 FOR 12 MONTHS IMPROVE YOUR fief ey PLAYING TODAY Gi Perens its) Bose atc Prenat NENT Poorest PRESSLER i W745 60, pratt) TaN VLC VIDEO Digital version £18.99 FOR 6 MONTHS £34.99 FOR 12 MONTHS 3 EASY WAYS TO SIGN UP ™) www.pianistmagazine.com @)subscriptions@warnersgroup.co.uk &) 01778 392 483 TT eC eee Cee en oe (oop CNG)LIFE STORIES Glenn Gould loved his pooch, Wanda Landowska adord her kitty, and Vladimir Horowitz delighted in both. Feline-aholic Jessica Duchen delves into the fascinating world of pianists and their pets hen Sole contributors and interviewees have __TopiRachmarinovand with a sopping wet canine companion, died, [went fuzzy fiends thac we thought we'd __palonehe Hopyor ner Levko). And Chopin's ‘Minute’ Walez to pieces take look at why is suid to have been inspired by The house Musicians and animals have enjoyed — Bottomettoright: George Sands litle dag chasing its had never felt close friendships for centuries. In Landowalapliyeforher own til emptier. I could manage without my the 18ch century, birds were fen a WetyGould and partner husband, Tom, when he was on tour pet of choice. JS Bach tied to buy a playfourhands or ewo bbuc not without Sir Georg, After few trainable linnet from a fiend for his handsewo paws), Cats join the picture lat. Vaughan weeks I burst into tears and said: We wife, Anna Magdalena. Mocart is said Cagoand admirer Williams had a beautiful cat with ey have got to get another cat! either to have based he last movement as intenc as his own. Shostakovich Now we've adopted two semi of his G major Piano Concerto K453 ‘was. a cat man too. An early photo longhaired Somali cas, a brother fon acune sung by his pe staring, shows him holding a tabby and whice and sister who have the sweetest of or conversely (depending on which friends but ina later image, in which natures and donit really deserve their version you belive) to have trained his wife is happily clasping & ‘Wagnerian names, Ricki and Cosima, che bied co sing it. Haydn had a parrot ‘ofa lage dog, the composer sits at a Cosi yowls at Toms door when he chat he adored; the museum in his safe distance, smiling a lirde nervously. phys Paganini, Both treat che piano house in Viena i fll of parrot noises Stravinsky ~ not the most cuddly asa playground and love a good slide co this day. ‘of composers, you'd think ~ was across the shiny lid. Over at Pianist Dogs were companions in chief photographed clasping a large cat and Toscers, our cditor has succumbed to a century later. Wagner and Busoni also enjoyed schmoozing with « koala the charms of a sleek, black rescue cat both kept enormous Newfoundlands, ‘when visiting Australia ‘named Misty ~ sit on Misty’s chaise- a breed frequently mistaken for beats But Erich Wolfgang Korngold, longue at your perl. And so many when you take them for walks (believe ‘whose addiction to Viennese chocolate of our pianist frends, colleagues, sme, T've tied). Rachmaninov loved went wich him ro Hollywood, had ‘dogs too — big, friendly a dog and was betrayed by i. The bones thar wereit averse ‘composer was told ro lose weight afer to making a splash (to having « heart attack, but simply hid Judge from the photo his sweet temptations in his music ‘of the composer by the ‘cupboad. His wife only realised the Hopyor River in 1899 tech when she saw the dog sitting up P begging in front ofits door. And pity Ravel his kitty was eagically poisoned by neighbours who dda lik ie doing ‘whar cats doin their garden. Debussy's cat sory is still more troubling. He and hie scond wife, Ema, lived in «Paris apartment on a highish floor and their sleek grey ca, Minou, fll out of the window svith eagie consequences, The Paebussys got another cat, same look, same breed, and called it Minou too. And da cape (oa-0! al fine As for pianists, Glenn Gould adored dogs from childhood ‘one marvellous picture shows him as a tccnager with an English Setter ae the piano, paws besidehands om the keys. Emil Gilels was photographed, like Rachmaninov, in company with a dog tha’ been enjoying a dip. Rudolf Serkin's German Shepherd seems to have seutled peaceably nearby while he practised, but Wanda Landowskas resilient cars pictured perching right an top of her rwo-manual harpsichord while she plays, Not ro be ourdone, Vladimie Horowitz had both cats and dogs. The legendaty Russian beams ‘with affection at a white poodle in one photo and, in another, caresses a big grey cat who was one of thre, Piania’s pages ate often filled with musicians who simply cant do without their animal magic. Fora star, nobody could meet the Polish pianise Alicja Fiderkiewicr without hearing all about PUDDIG THE CAT (always ‘capitalised, and pronounced asin‘ rawr I raw a puddy-tat) ud adopted us — she was abandoned Fiderkiewice says. Her downer went away and lef her behind tooam the streets. She found a lovely lady who took cate of her, but could not afford to give her a home, vet's fees, etc, So eventually she was very happy to let Pud be adopted by us, By then Pad was spending most ‘of che time with us anyway, eating pravins, shrimps, steak... no wonder She decided to stay! Cats are so caring. Pad is my friend: she is always there for me, curled up next to me, and I find thar she understands my moods and feelings” ‘Mishka Rushdie Momen has not been quite as fortunate with felines. She now has a Blue Whippet named Aria, who is 18 months old, ‘When T was growing up we always had cats’ she says, ‘and [ always longed to have a dog. This is my frst experience of an animal responding co me with something other than indifference or ‘open hostility!” Aria can run at up 0 35 mph and, says Momen, is unafraid of anything, “She's a eruly superior ddogand iti almost embarrassing how much I love her’ She hopes eventually tobe able to take Aria along on tous, ‘Additionally [hope shell be able ro travel on a European Union passport! she remarks pointedly, Kathryn Stote’s Working Cocker Spaniel, Archie (he doesn't do any ‘work, of course), puts up witha lor due to his adoring owners schedule she divides her time between home in Manchester, a teaching post in Oslo and the artistic directorship of the Australian Festival of Chamber Music in Townsville, across the globe Everything is possible, Stott says, ‘and [have a “dog nanny” who lives away. leould never keep a dog who constanely had to go into kennels, so this is perfect. When Tome back he ‘gos nuts wieh | ‘excitement and then immediately sts in front ‘of his food cupboard pretending he hasnt been fe. IFT've been away fora few weeks, this is sometimes followed by a aulking session!" Stott’ piano duo partner Noriko (Ogawa has gone in the other direction and has a black and white eat, ‘Sox ander Blue Whippet, Briggs with one other ‘cannot care les, whatever my schedule is she says. "Very often he stands thee pesistencly demanding to play ‘games when Lam just about to g0, ‘out to work. I keep checking my watch and play with him url the Jast minute. Bur whenever I carry a suitease out of the house he senses 1 am going away. He sex me off at the door, looking “stunned”. Ie breaks my heart every time, Al this, however, possibly pales beside the effors of the Irish pianise Fiachea Garvey: who hasan entire farm to look after in County Wicklow, His resident creatures include sheep, cows, two ponies, wo rough collies and some very obliging hens. Tam based in London now, bue home in Ballyknockan in the Wicklow 7. mountains nearly every month for concert in Ireland,’ Garvey sys. T Jove combining farming and piano. grew up on the farm, so i has always been a very normal part of life for me. Afier practising I love nothing more than going down the frm and dosing the sheep oF grooming the horses les an extremely healthy way to live and gives me a great sense of what is actually imporeanc in life His family has combined music and farming for decades. ‘Thave a hilarious memory of eavelling dovn to ‘Munster, where my parents are from, when I was a child, We came across a police checkpoint and when we rolled down our windows the policeman was perplexed by our two dogs in the back Seat, my sister holding a fishbowl, I haad a budgie on my lap and the car was full of our violins and the other instruments we had at the ime. He swifly lec us continue on our way! Animals’ reactions to music remainPAISETR \ TAP TO WATCH — Lang Lang plays the new Lang Lang Black Diamond Re model WA 2019 is a big year for Steinway: the London Showroom has undergone a huge makeover, the latest Spirio system was recently unveiled, and collaborations J continue to run rife with designs by Lang Lang and Co. 5 Claire Jackson reportsHew The creative and interactive piano course for children Oo * Designed by experienced educator Hans-Giinter Heumann and clearly J n laid out, progressing in manageable steps . Junsor + Features a variety of exercises and repertoire, from well-known pieces to original compositions © In4 Levels, with a Lesson Book, Theory Book, Duet Book and Performance Book at each level. oe ay et pete Piano Junior: Lesson Book 1 Ezition wth online audio £0 13801 | £859 Duet Book 3 For more information visit: www.piano-junior.com ‘ SCHOTT The classical piano repertoire at your fingertips! Get a free trial at: pianostreet.com/pianist-mag (value $12.90) www.pianostreet.com ‘2: Pianist 209MAKERS \ Showroom has undergone a huge makeover, the latest Spirio system was recently unveiled, and collaborations | HEontinue to run rife with designs by Lang Lang and Co. Claire Jackson reportshe windows to Sicinvay’ & Sone London showroom are covered by plastic sheeting An inteemitene whier of industrial elect sanders and sous fils the ai It mingles with an altogether diferene imbr: tha ofa tenorand pianist engaged in a Heder rehearsal. Despite the heavy-duty building work, Steinway fako known as Seinway Hall) is open for business 2 usual ~and that inclodes host practice sessions in its onsite concert hall aswell a conducting instrament sales, Both stands ofthe busines are about to benef from an ambitious ‘much-needed makeover, which will see the Marylebone venue wansformed into a fresh-faced building for the 2st century. Craig Terry, Steinway Halls managing director, hopes the renovations wil be completed in September The project has been a long-held dream of his, with plans first mooted when he arrived st che showroom seven yeas “Teould see the nce to bing things upto date he says, pausing as the builders undertake particully loud task, The place was lst decorated in 1982, Itwas sate-ofthe-at at the time, but things change. Terry was finally able vo ‘break ground? nine months ago, with the work now tantalisingly close o completion. With any hic, ae thie aril goes to press, Steinway staf will he planing the eelaunch party dhey deserve after having lived and worked on a onstruction site for almost a yer “The work could have been done faster if wed have moved, bur we needed to say a there was nowhere 0 go, explains Ter ‘Everybody's been peng up with i “The showroom, concert hall and clfice space comprises over 9,000 square feet iewas impossible ro find 2 comparable and appropriate space in centeal London. Tery understands the value of Steinway’s UK base and says the company in planning © wove any ime soon ~ oe commit to further renovations in the immediate future, Weve signed a 15-year lease and T imagine this update will ce ws through another 50 yeas, he sys. The mezzanine level tha comprises the concert hall (and isalo wed a5 a rehearsal space) is inished, boasting slecketextared wallpaper and csp, Fresh walls and ceilings. There are plans afoot ro finese the acoustics ‘with the help of specials but for now, musicians can enjoy the somewhae stong resonance. The showroom tothe far back of the Inulin i also complete; this where visitors can sample Sreinway’s beautiful ain image: ‘Thenewlook instruments under the watchful gaze of the ‘Hall of Fame’ artists, These are some 160 photographs of Steinway artists, past and present, which have allways been part of che fabric of the building ~ but, as Tery describes the former layout was a bie of a hhotch-potch’ before che refurbishment. “All the arise photographs are now in sepia, and framed in a uniform way. Weecatefearure them al as there are 1,600 Steinway artists worldwide, so wwe Focus on the pianists who perform in Europe, he says. "Well also add some photographs tothe concert area — that’s where Marcha Argerich, Murray Perahia and Lang Lang will go. Sliding doors An enormous mitror with Art Deco styling and over-sized lighting orbs ada impact ro the room, which now feels much lighter and more inviting. ‘The colourway i strictly black and white, which a passerby might assume reflects the piano keys, bue Terry says it was simply cha chey waned ‘neutral paler to highlight the black pianos. ‘We wanted something smodera, but that went with the architecture.” Regular vistors to Seeinway Hall will note that ~ by September, anyway ~ the door will hhave moved from the side of the building to the centre, That’ so clients ‘open the door and see pianos as soon as they enter” says Terry. The front of the store will be more modern, he adds. ‘Tewill be much lighter —a lor 2. Panist 20 of shops in London that were buile sound this ime used dark gs. We dlnie want too much sun seaming in though, a ts bad fr he pianos! ‘The overall ambience i important, and Steinway has never boon restrictive about whac visiting musicians can and canaoe do, “We've put sound: proofing in up eo point, ut we ike the effect of sound drifting in. Music is like water; closing » doo will stop ‘enough. To illustrate the point, he closes the open door tothe rehearsal ‘oom. Yes, iis suprisingly effective My cae with Terry isa place inthe fairly unimpresive surroundings ofthe sales ares there are a couple of cais, a water coler and an espresso machine inthe corner. ‘When clients are about to spend several hundred thousand pounds ona purchase, one suspect the right appreciate something a rote luxurious. ‘Where were sitting ‘ow will be completely diffrent” “erry reasutes me. ‘Can you se that piano-shaped step over there? We Tooke ae huge curved platform that separates the showroom and the sles vei tas putin 15 years ago, and is probably a health and safety hazard So there wll bearing separating the ‘0 ates, and in this pare there will be 4 proper sofa and chairs and a wine shill” A, much bec. 1 now, o the untrained eye, desclear ther is sil plenty to do. Terry uncips che plastic sheeting that separates the entrance way from >MAKERS the building work. Builders ascend! Images clockwise and descend ladders, and walls are formed boeing plastered. This might be the words to Stsinway only building site in the world to tromfachmaninor, beserenaded by liveartsong—and leg detail ofthe nobody bats an eyelid aM’ Crag So how much has this monumental Tey surveys the refurbishment cost?‘Tcant tell you building works yet says Terry. ‘But I'm looking Lang Lang Black forward to showing i to our colleagues Diamond model 8 from the States when they visi for the inmacassr veneer grand unveiling, he smiles, Diamonds and chrome “The new-look showroom won't be the fist unveiling Steinway has had this year In the spring, che maker introduced its new Lang Lang Black Diamond grand piano ~ che frst Steinway & Sons instrument £0 come with Spitio rtechology (note the 7). And who best co launch i, bur the Chinese superstar himself when in April he performed to an audience of 1,600 specially-invieed {guests at an exclusive concert event in Paris’ Philharmonie. Lang Langs involvement marks the frst time a pianist has been invited to jin the design process ofa Steinway grand. He was joined by US designer Dakota Jackson to create the concept for the Black Diamond ~ so-called after the mysterious and rare precious stone. In an offical statement, Lang Lang refers to Jackson (no connection to this writer, incidentally) as ‘magician’, adding that ‘he knows exactly how to ‘rete illusions, emotions, elections and tusn ideas into designs Tm lucky enough to sce the piano for myself during this visi. Terry guides me through to the pristine back showroom where is standing on its own, I'm impressed. The piano has the distinctive elegance ofa Steinway ‘with afew quirks. A small diamond ‘emblem is engraved in silver above the keyboard, and there are metallic accents on the legs (also diamond shaped), the music desk and the back ofthe case. Whereas Steinway’s pedals are usually brass, the Lang Lang Black Diamond boasts chrome fixtures. match the black and silver colourway Exactly 88 model B pianos have been made (clever that...) and eight model Ds. Terry touches a table chat comes with the Lang Lang Blick Diamond. The piano keys begin to move by themselves, performing Lisa's Liebestraum No 3. Buc this snc any old performance of the Liat classic. its Lang Lang’ Steinway’ Spiro r technology has the capacity to capeure Lang Lang’ exace touch, and play ie back through the keyboard. "You cau have Lang Lang in your living room, says Terry. Unlike other player technology, you can tll that this isa real pianist performing’ Spirio for all Ifthe Lang Lang Black Diamond is bie beyond your reach (and budget), you will be pleased to hear thatthe Spiria rca be fitted into any new model B or D ‘fora few extra thousand! (Um told theres aleady a waiting list) "The frsc round of Spirio used cloud-based technology, whereas this new deive? explains Teery ‘Ie enables the ‘music to be far more accurate ano has a massive hard Further demonstration reveals the differences between the two models The new version has its own dedicated tablet and stylus so that users can annotate the music. Ici also possible to adjust the volume co a finer level tn the new piano, with an additional level of sensitivity to the performance.“This special instrument comes with 4 price tag to march, While the press release informs readers that ‘prices are available on request’ the Lang Lang Black Diamond model B in London is clearly labeled at £230,000. Terry points out that the Spitio ris attractive to 30 many people ~ feom families who can record thie childrens progress, to teachers who can save demonstrations thac the students can listen back to. The qualicy of the playback, which has improved remarkably over the last Few years, is impressive. ‘Even famous pianists are amazed by it~ they've obviously never been able to hear thei own, performances in that way before, ‘Terry ads “There is also a growing market for clients who dont play the piano but like to listen to live’ piano muse in their homes, Eric Feidner, Steinway’s senior vice presidene for music technology and media, reiterates this when I place a call to his New YYork fice: It showcases the sound of Steinway to those who may not nicessaily have the ability to realise this on their own if they are notable to play the piano wel o at all. Spitio isallowing a huge new population of consumers to experience what a ceinway is capable of” While Lang Lang embarks on a tour with the Black Diamond later this year (dates include concerts at the Hamburg’ Elbphilharmonie and Amsterdam's Concertgebouw), Feidner is keen to point ou thar its not only the Chinese pianist who has been involved in che process of Spiro’ software development. “We have worked with hundreds of cinway artists to accurately capeute all the nuances of so many differing playing styles he says. “The high- resolution editor built into the Spitio + is groundbreaking and the only one of its kind, In shore, there has never been technology available like this? It’s worth mentioning that the Spirio system cannot be retrofitted fon to instruments. “The pianos have the technology buil in through the manufacturing process at our factories in New York and Hamburg, Feidner confirms. Return to the Renaissance Lang Langs not the only artist, to have recently collaborated with Steinway. The piano maker has joined forces with Baldi, che brand. best known for its Renaissance inspiced jewelled pieces, Tery had the opportunity to visic Flo to connect wich colleagues from Baldi and find out more about theit processes. In a promotional video (ce link at end), connection berween the organisations: “They [Baldi hand-eraft everything. jus like we [Steinway] do, and we have the same clients” The companies also share a similar heritage: Steinway is 166 years old and Baldi has been active for 152 years. To date, vo collections berween Steinway and Baldi have been announced ~ the Armonia collection (showcased at the Milan Furnivure Fair for the frst time back in 2018) and the Ad-Personam Special Edition pianos. While the former explores Bald’s signature bronzes, following a tradition started inthe second half ofthe 19th cencury, the Tater focuses on Baldis work with precious stones. The Armonia is uniquely characterised by precious bronzes which ae ll loe-wax easted and hand-chiseled. The bronzes are plated wich 24-carat gold, and Positioned om to the piano at the Baldi workshop. Each design (of which there are five) is limited to just ten pianos. ‘The Ad-Personam Special Edition pianos take the Armonia designs, and in addition use an ancient technique ‘where stones ate sliced and applied to the surface of the piano case, The stone ~ such as malachite or tigers eye *. is then polished by hand. “This will be a long-standing collaboration, says Tery. "There isa real desire for these insruments.’ I suggest chat there are big markets in ina. ‘People always think that — and yes there are but they are popula in Europe, t00. The lst one I sold went to someone in London.” Tn fact, when [vist the showroom, there ist a Bald to be seen ~ chats because the Armonia ‘Muse’ has already been snapped up! Tery talls me that another Armonia, the “Impero’, willbe delivered soon, With such a varied range of instruments on offer, the discerning {and deep pocketed) visitor to Steinway Halli spoiled for choice You don't have to be in the market fora new piano, though, co vist the showroom the Keyboard Charitable Trust holds a free recital series a the venue, with concerts given by young pianists supported by the Teust Ie Tools like Steinvay is brighter, li and more musical than ever before, seimoaenake baldibomsjewelcom ‘Baldi video: vimeo.com/328023120 IeyhoardorusorglconcersCOURSE FOCUS Bach, house-trousers and a red tractor: that’s life at La Balie, as told by course attendee Graham Sheffield ‘ou might forgive yourself for thinking you have woken up in paradise on your frst morning at La Balie, nestled asitisat the top of a gentle slope in the lish, undulating meadows shout S0km south of Bergerac in France's Aquitaine region. Then you realise you are ‘on duty” at 930am with seven other amateue pianists to begin an intense, meticulously planned roster of masterclasses, private lessons and mini-recitals under the penetrating but positive eye of our course cutor, che highly acclaimed pianist Charles Owen, a Bale is masterminded by the current chatelaine of the estate, Fiona age. A determined and successful businesswoman, Fiona purchased La Balie in 2012 with absolutely no dea of what she wanted ro do with it. Then, in 2014, she abandoned investment banking and, deploying whatever resources she could muster transformed the four-hectare estate into a magical home for herself and the succession of visitors weleomed to the various summer courses on offer ~ including yoga, embroidery and week-long piano retreats —all hosted ee by experts in thet field. Iam hete for the first course ofthe 2019 season, which takes place 11-18 May. Ieis incredible to comprehend that Fiona drove through the massive and stylish renovation in only seven ‘months: the residential weeks started a year lace. However, when you see her driving her renovated 1980s Massey Ferguson 165 red tractor around the estate, you ean believe she's capable of driving almost anything. Four years ago, the tractor ~ with Fiona astride was featured in Tactor magazine; the tractorphile’s equivalent, 1 guess, of Pianist magazine! Within the property are three conjoined cottages, each with wo or three bedrooms, a sitting reom, a fully-xquipped kitchen, and (most importandy) a sturdy upright practice piano. Fiona herself lives inthe main Farmhouse (with another piano}, also home tothe tutor forthe w wel as the excellent resident chef Everything is appointed to he highest and most stylish specification —and it isall spotless An outstanding house restoration aside, the stand-out building must be the inspiting new concert hall, which 26: Pianist 209 Botton eft rights Sheteld (ue sweater with fellow “mates Shefilé (be shire ana Owen comparing seats an audience capacity of around 100, and is equipped for our week. with two grand pianos, including 4a magnificent Steinway D, The acoustics, as well as the rural view, are ‘superb, Charles gives two solo recitals during the week, to which members ‘of the publicare welcomed. Lam allocated traffic matsalling duties far the ist Sunday evening concert, and only just resist the temptation ‘confuse the locals with a contraflow system or asking them to drive on the lefechand side (Charles's first recital i elecerifying wich an energised Bach Italian Concerto, ovo exquisitely delivered Schubert Impromptus, Schumann’ (Opus 28 Romanzer, and to finish, «wo of Ravel's Miroir. He is famed throughout by an incomparable view ‘onto the rolling barley fields and oak ‘cops. IF Charles plays billiandly chat he slike a man possessed in reek eeceal, raking place lare Aa night in a candlli setting, More Bach: the rarely-heard early Capriccio, followed by mote Schubert and Debussy’ Bery Eizamper The climax has to be the two Liser transcriptions ‘of Schumannis Widmung’ andWagner’ Lichestod’ from Titian smd Ioolde~ overwhelming cascades of notes shooting into the moonlit elds ‘outside, Tonly wish I could return to hear is Bach Goldberg Vaiatons which hell perform ducing La Balic’s second week in June, Lucky are those who have signed up for it, as well as for the other weeks this summer with pianist-utors Noriko Ogavsa, Vedran Subotie and Martin Cousin. And so the work begins Fiona advertises her piano courses as being for advanced amac and feel comfortable within the later ‘Owen practising in category, We area varied and his timoustrowers Monday morning sees four international group of diferent ages (le@SheMekdand more masterclasses ~ a pactemn and professions, a different stages Owenenioring tobe repeated throughout the jn our adult piano studies or ‘rehab’. playing dete ‘week. Withour exception each [think all eight oFus ae to some extent nervous (I certainly am), even the reurnees, who number four out of the cight. We are a tight uni, intent on a regime of strict practice, laced with humour and punctuated with coffee and delicious home- baked pastries. We comprise three Bris (a pharmacologist, 2 financier and me), a Barbadian ex renal fer ‘owner, a retired Bavarian high coure judge and four medical professionals (a retied Swiss anaesthetist, a . Swedish gynaecologist and German obstetrician). The atmosphere isin noway competitive ,°-” += YOu might forgive coe) yourself for thinking ‘but instead fll of you have woken up in tasers has great dealt offer furthermore, he benef of atending the masterclasses and the students informal vecials mea that you lean from your per 8 well she teacher. Yu find yourself drawn to now eepertie oo in my cae to the Seribin Pchudes and Chick Cords Giles Songs Tn the coffee break I return xo my cottage o finda cheerful ‘plombier tending my feted vol al I play him some Mendelsohn and in reurn heels me ofa recent vst he ‘made oa Schumann concert nearby In the meantime, rae eve a quick ating aslo ever who wil olay des wich hon lon the fcefor 9° Welacde-crcing 5 duce bash find German panes and pleasure in the progress of others. Sunday begins with a morning of for my Kurtig/ Bach four masterclases, areangements and the 10 which I contribute Brahans Licberieder waltzes. Charles and 1 © will also repeat the duets we played at our Help Musicians UK fandraiser in London last November = Schumann’ Bidder aus Osten and the ré/Messager Sousenins de Bayreuth based on The Ring. I also have the role of curating the mixed programme into an appropriate order. Back to Monday, and I have a busy afreenoon, with two further hours of practice followed by a lesson, but manage to catch both «swim and ashore nap in between. Tadore the with a reading of . Schubert’ C minor Imprompts Op 90 No L Charles offers me penetrating insights wich good humoue, tolerating my technical lapses, Time out for Tuc ‘en plein ai’, but then ie’ back to afiernoon practice with strict time: tabling, which ensures that we all get ample time at the piano, In the evening, if Charles is not playing, chere'l bea short rectal by fone of us (scary), and possibly more relaxed paying of duets, followed by an excellent diner, invariably Steinway D in the concert room, including mouth-watering cheeses which lifts my playing so effortlessly and freshly baked bread, [begin to = the tonal variations and richness realise what a unique opportunity La of sound are way ahead of most of Balc is for an amateur pianist: you the pianos I have ever played. After a not only have the chance o indulge short ‘aperitif recital by hree fellow a lifetime passion in a magical srting scudents, we adjoutn for another way from ‘real lf, but you are also excelent dinner. Lam in bed early: able to study intensely with atop ic as been very exhilarating ~ but incernational concert pianist. equally very eshausting. 7. Pianist 109 “Tuesday follows something of the same patter, though T now manage lover four hours of practice, including ‘ masterclass with Charles, during which I achieve a personal milestone by performing six of Schumann’ Waldszenen straightoff co a warm reception by my colleagues. [es becoming a bit of a Schumann week for me; Teannot help but return to this most profound and complex of German Romantics. I'l be including the lntermerzo fiom Carnival of Vienna and Romanze No 2 in my rectal programme this Thursday evening another milestone in my rehab regime. “The course culminates with a 30 jm’ session, for which I again have to fashion a coherent sequence from a pretty random selection of items ~ Madeleine Dring, Scriabin, Poulenc, Chick Cores... ou get the drift Everyone contributes something, except Charles, who for once becomes a relieved silene member of the audience. Charles does however make daily fashion starement, with a breakfast display of his ‘soi-disane hhouse trousers (pantalon de maison, hhaus hosen, husbyxor, depending on your origins) —a kind of faux tartan check experience of somewhat startling aspect. He is even spotted at work in them very early one morning. There ate several other auactive looking residential piano courses in the region, each no doubs with its own distinctive touches, but for qualiy of experience and teaching, intensity, intimacy; and eae for detail, I would hazard that La Bac will be hard to match, whether you go for the house trousers oF ot. Grabs Sheffield CBE isan independent arts consultant. He was Director of Ares forthe British Council until July 2018. Previously, he was Arist Director of the Barbican Centre ‘and Music Projets Director at the Southbank Centre, He is Chair of Help ‘Musicians UK and isa regular writer lecturer and braadeaster on are-related tisues La Bale info at wnonelabali.comRav ALBUM REVIEWS ANDRAS SCHIFF ‘Schubert: Impromptus D899; Sonata in C minor D958; Klavierstiicke D946; Sonata in A D959 ECM 2535/36 FOI ra This release is certainly in bringing attention to the sort of sounds that Schubert would have been familiar with, for Andris Schiff plays his music ‘on a fortepiano made around 1820 by Franz Brodmann in Vienna (the booklet includes an introduction to ic, as well san extensive essiy om the music fe Misha Donat). The instrument has an attractive timbre ~ dry with lia decay, _gutarlike in certain registers, each note clear. This fortepiano is cercainly capable ‘ofa dynamic response; and Schiff subtly clifferentiating volumes, plays with attractive delicacy yet no lack of forsivimo ‘when required ‘One might wish fora fuller rone at times —and of course piano manufsccarers ‘went on to make the grandest of ‘grands — yer the ear soon adjusts and appreciates, and Schiffs musicianship is absolucely supreme. He makes stories ‘out of che D899 Imprompeus and D946 Klavirsticke and does so without ‘exaggeration; pheasing is wholesome and affectionate, aso he is emotionally involved, and there is much that beguiles and exhilarates. (Of the Sonatas, D958 is given a dramatic outing, with contrasts abounding (uch as the beguiling song ‘of the slow movement and the demonic drive ofthe taranella finale) yet without harming symphonic design: Schiff intimately entwined, knows where this music is going, As he does D959, the pearl of this collection, a rough-hewn and volatile account that compels from stare to finish, and to which Schiff invests 50 ‘many apposite perceptions for reve listening, He is complete with repeats and the recording is excellent. CA MAITE AGUIRRE Une soirée 4 Grenade: Works by Debussy, Falla and Vifies MAQCD 121402 sek “There is a homespun quality to this release’ annotation (oshich includes acknowledgments from the pianist and also the associations she has found between these three composers), but no recording date or individual track timings. And it’s bitty release ~ a few preludes, an Exampe, etal, ifchemed to an evening in Grenada ~ 15 selections, the Debussy group leading co Falla and (better-known a8 2 nist) Ricardo Vises. The sound — made at ‘pianorecording.cowuk’~ sometimes reports a slightly occluded instrument if more likely 2 fervently attacked one, capturing Maite Aguirre’ vivid accounts ofthe music, for which read a lick of subtesy and a tendency to lteralism, However, Vitess Fur Homages area delightful discovery and they are played. with affection. Aguirre ends with a strong arm Liblejoyeuse co complete an enjoyable but not a competitive collection, CA GUSTAV PIEKUT Beethoven: Diabeli Variations Op 120 Danacord DACOCD 837 do Ws quite something for a 24-year-old performer ‘o make his debut recording with the work which Alfred Brendel famously described as the greatest of all piano pieces’, The young Dane proves himself ‘worthy of the risk, and provides the listener with an increasingly compelling journey through Beethoven's challenging stop-start ‘musical landscape, He begins attractively ‘enough witha spirited accoune of the early variations although his decision not to make any alterations in the repeats pulls the tension down somewhat) but then he really come into his own during the slow and mysterious ich variation, with its curious shivering lietle bhemidemisemiquavers, His sound is as quiee and controlled as its possible to be, and the effects truly laminous, Aer this the energy levels soar, the playfulness leaps out, and the dramatic tension ~ that elusive ‘through-line™ which holds che variations together ~ remains impressively aur and gripping. WT 8. Pianist 209 Reviews by Col and Warwick Thompson Anderson JEAN-EFFLAM BAVOUZET Mozart: Concertos No 20 in D min K466 and No 21 in C K467; Overture to Don Giovanni K527 Manchester Camerata Gibor Takics-Nagy (conductor) Chandos CHAN 20083 soe In his fourth instalment of Mozare’s complete plano concertos, Jean Ffflam Bavouret enters the uplands ofthe first true masterpieces, Concertos 21 in C ‘major and 20 in D minor. His approach to the former is appropriately sunny and happy. His delicate sense of rubato in the slow movement creates an improvisatory mood without undue indulgence, and th spring-heeled tempo in the final movement is delightful. He comes a bit more of a ‘cropper in the more sturmy-and-drangy D ‘minor work. The quick rempo of che final ‘movement feels a liee hasty. The Manchester Camerata accompany well, and offer a stormy Don Giovanni Overcute (although ie scems litle comical to se ie refered t0 a 3 “Jess wel-known work’ in the notes). WT. Mozart = ‘ean MARK VINER Liszt: Opera Fantasies (various): Hexoméron Piano Classies PCL 0106 dele Bey Plenty of musical drama 6 and pianistic fireworks \ haere: Mark Viner, very well recorded and with him providing informative annocation, lights the blue-touch paper but doesn't retire, for this Liat recital which focusses on his treatments of Bellini and Donizetti operas. I’ a stunner. He opens ith the latter composer, fst the Marche funsbre de Dom Sebastien ~ noble, volatile, ‘tilling ~and then we are plunged in co the extensive Reminiscences de Lucresia Borgia, ‘wvorpart extravaganza of tich expression, nd vivid greasepaint, Turning to Bellin, for (Norma, there is also plenty of variety —a fund of tunes and incident ~ and much ¢o relish Finally, Hesemérom,bravuca variations’ on Bellin’s Maree des Purzains an intriguing if worthwhile curiosity (although racks for the 12 sections would have been welcome) Throughout, Viner’ technical wizardry, dynamism, musicality and commitment are impressive. CASHEET REVIEWS PLAY IT AGAIN BOOK 3 Melanie Spanswick Schott ISBN: 978-1-84761-495-7 “This is che thied of theee volumes in a series that is aimed at people rearing tothe piano after ‘some time avray fom the instrument. After several pages dealing with technical issues ‘such as posture and hand positions, eleven picces suitable for pianists moving beyond Grade 8 and up to Ascociate level diplomas ate presented. These include, for example, Grieg’ Wedding Day at Troldbangen, all three movements of Beethoven's Pathétique’ Sonata, and Rachmaninov's Prelude in G shacp minor. Each piece is preceded by several pages of introductory material chat helps prepare the groundwork for learning the music, and it these helpful, detailed, notes that are the book’ primary selling point ‘A couple of pages outlining short warm-up ‘exercises conclude the commendable series. TOMPLAY SHEET MUSIC APP ‘tomplay.com “Tomplay is a digial sheet music portal difference. Fiesty, every downloaded piece comes swith a demonstration audio track produced by professional musicians, and Tomplay have parenered up with Deutsche Grammophon to harvest their catalogue. Teas are synchronised with the score, and the tempo ‘ean be adjusted. Secondly, the app gives the user the opporeunity to play ensemble music with pre-recorded accompaniments, ‘which, again, can be sped up of slowed down as required. You can even raise or lower the accompaniment pitch ro match your piano’ tuning. Thirdly, che intuitive inerface allows the user to record themselves, and annotate scores with performance indications ‘and fingering markings. And, finally, the sheer volume of music covering all level of difficulty caters to all uses, “The fac thatthe app does not ‘electronically qn the page for you in the same way that Tido Muse does isa minus point, and Td recommend amplifying the ‘ourpuc with bluetooth speakers. There are ‘occasional textual errors in the music, but these are constantly being fixed and updated. Downloads are individually priced from £3 buf youd like access the entre catalogue, ‘a monthly (£9) or yearly (£88) subscription plan presents better value. In sum, Tomplay is a super example of how interactive technology can be used to assse and enhance ‘pianists learning experience. KARL JENKINS: PIANO, Kar! Jenkins “Boosey & Hawkes "ISMN: 979-0-060-13612-2 Sit Kal Jenkins recently celebrated his 75th biethday with the release ofa solo album on Decea records entitled Piano on which the composer himsalf performs 22 pieces. This book contains the sheet music for that album, and is a matked improvement on The Karl Jenkins Piano Album published by Boosey & Hawkes about a decade ago. In addition to arrangements of choral music written in che last decade (such asthe Stabar Mater), almost all the pices in the previous publication are presented herein superior arrangements, and there are also three solos especially written forthe album. Ranging in difficulty from Grade 5 to 8, this book is sure vo appeal to fans ofthe composer, and represents an ideal introduction to anyone who may be tunfamiliae with his music BEETHOVEN GOES JAZZ PY! Jean Kieeb PUA) Birenreiter ERSEM isrin379-0-006-56612.9 BZ The seven pices inthis took wer compu Beethoven jubilee year (2020) and ae Similar in sf othe arrangements that Jean Klcb published several yas ago ina book tied Casi Go ac. he origina works upon which the aangements re bared are sometimes immediandy recognise (eg, themes from the Sixth and Seventh Symphonic) but in other places, such as in Moonligh, he reworkngs offer only a tenuous lnk to the orginal Thee ore plenty of melodic tangents thoughout that ge the misican inprovcaory fe and the demands made upon the earners hythmic coordination lee the diffcaly upto sround Grade 7, Ths by no mers, cssenll material, bute provides amusing and interesting diversions ftom the anda repertoire. [ MODERN PIANO IMPROVISATION VOLUME I Julia Hilsmann ‘Advance Music ISBN: 978-3-95481.059-8 This is no ground-breaking improvisation tutorial, but rather a book that provides you with material on which to sharpen your improvisacory skills. Ie isthe first volume in the series, bur a basic level of playing (Grade 2 at least) is required. 9. Pianist 209 Reviews by Michael McMillan ‘Twelve ofthe 15 pieces are by Hiismann, and in each piece she asks the performer to improvise For several bars on a set of pre-selected notes, with her own sample solos for these sections printed ar the end, ‘Accode printed at the front of this pricey book allows you to download (rather than stream online) audio files of all the pieces in addition to a complete set of backing tracks, THE ART OF PIANO FINGERING Rami Bar-Niv Andrea, ISBN: 978-1-4792-8527-3 This is surely che world’s frst book dedicated solely to all ‘matters concerning piano fingering. At over 200 pages in length, iis thorough treatise ‘on the subject, beginning with traditional scale and arpeggio fingerings, and moving, through a host of Fingering tools’ such as blocking, substituting, using ewo or more Fingers on the same key, and sliding, All are illustrated with copious examples from the traditional lieracure. There are also interesting suggestions regarding alternative scale fingerings and chromatics, and a whole chapter is chereafer apportioned to double thieds, fourths and so on. Th material, its wordy style of presentation, and its relatively high cost will inevitably limit its porental readership, but keen amateur pianists, ceachers,and professional performers will nd much to enlighten them. kcwaascr) RACHMANINOV Suite No 2 Op I7 for cwo pianos Alfred Music ISBN-13: 978-1-4706-3966-2 Writen berween 1900 and. 1901, this four-movement Suite is a virtuosic work written for wo pianists ac ewo pianos, and lasts around 23, ‘minutes ina complete performance, There are roughly 80 pages, 0 a couple of alert, ppage-trners would be an essential and Fan addition to your performance, Each ‘movement is Grade 8 plus level, with the presto fourth-movemene Tarantella needing tosoar, Brace yourselves! Alfred's edition is based on che original ‘edition published by Gutheil in 1901 Icis typically inexpensive partly due to the stapled (rather than smyth-sewn) binding. and quality of paper, bur the music is helpfully presented in score form, allowing performers to easily follow each others part Without any problems. A smattering of editorial fingsring and pedalling suggestions are included in order to help supplement those printed inthe original editionBreeNlD) De Why not Stay & Play? | Knight Piano DIANOS FOR EVERYONE | [Eguueaetreieuian K10 Model + Sleeps 6 adults & 1 child "3 batrooms +secure siden paring 8 EY dare + Well maintained Boston Baby Grand Piano Model GPIS6 + 50m go beach | + 500m to pubs, cafés & restaurants + Broadband, Netfix on 3V,Senos | | Regularly tuned - Beautiful tone + Close to Beachy Head, The 7 Sisters, Excellent condition Tocal castles and historic towns Basendorter £3250 L - Buyer to collect BD scriMmer : @ [emreetoryat Advertise your business here! SRW Call Sarah on 0113 200 2925 or email sarah.hopton@wamersgroup.co.uk on OD ere. EE ead Samick eankity SCH wwwholidayhomesinsussex.com From Beginner to Advanced levels, there is something for everyone to enjoy Simply browse our ONLy library, checkout and 1,99 ) iten view/print off A SCORE / your sheet music via ~~ your online account VISIT pianistmagazine.com to shop all scoresCHANDOS — THE SOUND OF CLASSICAL Haydn Symphonies a transcribed by * Carl David Stegmann 2 tli¢ has been delighting audiences with these newly discovered transcriptions by Stegmann: ‘The enthusiasm | have encountered wherever Ihave played them has persuaded me to make this recording, to allow more eople to hear Stegmann’s SYMPHONIES - i thc or ahberneots: TRANSCRIBED BY CARL DAVID STEGMANN B bg eet lone IN THEined \ = = Ce Yamaha Hybrid Piano AVANTGRAND Po tee BU UREOae LC mtd te rr co A ecm)Oe Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897), irae Lullaby (simplified arrangement) eee ‘The firs of five Brahms scores inthis issue isa classic. Brahms Playing rips This arrangement rocks gently in tripe time like a ‘came up with the tune for a song from German folk-poctry, slow waltz, with each phrase starting on an upbeat (the third and he dedicated the song to fiiend who had lately given birth beat ofthe bar). The well-known mel tohersecond son. Coun the pute out rng out the melody ne Bars 3 ond 4 are ie @ LU PRACTICE Try plying the three nets in eoch bor loud fore couple of response to bors | ond 2: the sur shows hey togedher.os «chord You cn do thi othe woy rough. bor befor you begin shoul be mere legato ond phrosed in one breath esa grect wy of geen te note unde your ger When you ae wtincomtslety. 'Tenderly ) f 2 3 Ths piece iin ad he eo ey of ‘cma = - * jo = oa —2 . 2 sat * 2 i 4st The Lia he tobe accompaniment Jin each note Ths isthe ed tothe nein order teat a moot eget, wih Dorgan, Sean poe Sig phon onthe fs bea of br Toloffeegenty. begs here. ° 13 . aoa —" ‘The second secton ofthe lob should flow ll he way trough tthe end Try plying italy louder (mezzo-pone). 9 Slow own to rig ty 2 13 ritard, peceplcondenen nd gory ‘ 3 2 1 2 2 Z Hold down he fia chord forthe fl ength of the br. 7 iPLAY TRACK ® Born in Bergen, Edvard Grieg’ talent was discoverd early by the great Norwegian violinist Ole Bull, who made it possible for him co go tothe Leipzig Conserva-toire when he was only 15. After Leipzig and a short stintin Copenhagen, Grieg came ‘back home and soon after began to explore the folk music of ‘Norway, which had long been under Danish political and Andante 2 | p—$—— Edvard GRIEG (1843-1907) Solvcig's Song from Peer Gynt Suite No 2 op 55 no 4 INTERMEDIATE ‘cultural domination. He collected and transcribed folk music, founded a Norwegian Academy of Music, and began adding elements of Norwegian folk music to his own music, such as the Lyric Picces. He eagerly accepted a commission to write the incidental music to Ibsen’ setting of the national play, Peer Gynr, from where this song comes. cantabile ==> aA 4 i | To Ppp = P fF === =Allegretto tranquillamente os poco rit. >—‘orit, a tempo oceit, —sempeAllegretto tranquillamente a — poco rit, Andante TOL Ree ' > e-1PLAY © TRACK ‘The subject of Massener’s hit opera was a courtesan turned saint, first recorded as a legend in the 10th century. The story ‘vas filled oucand spiced up as an anti-clerical satire by Anatole France in a scandalous novel published in 1890. The operas premiere in 1894 also caused a stir when the soprano Sibyl Sanderson, for whom Massenet wrote thetitlerole,‘ecidentally ‘exposed her bust mid-aria. The Meditation is placed a the heart ‘of the opera, but returns in Act 3 to underscore the priest Athanaélsanguish over the deathbed of the sensual Thais, who isarthe last granted a vision of heaven. Playing tips: Lots of slow, precise practice will reveal thar the Andante religioso Jules MASSENET (1842-1912) Méditation from Thais notes fit under the fingers more comfortably than you might think from the page. Dont rely on the given fingerings, bucuse themasaguide, Ample pedalling also means you don't need to rely on the fingers to create legato. The LH is challenging and should be practised on its own, very slowly. Even ifthe tempo isacalm Andante, there's lots of jumping around and, of cours, I needs to sound effortless! Savour those gorgeous, floating moments such as the descending RH triplets in bars 14-15. Pedal tips: One pedal change per bar a the outset, but more lateron (ewo changes per barin bars7-8, 14-15and.o on). Your ‘eat will be your best guide. — 2 2s : gee oft INTERMEDIATE200 = > = a Poo poco 7 nS fe 4 = teste panetets oe “eédez un peu 2 joke tres expressif = aie otPLAY eae Erik SATIE (11 ‘There have been a handful of Pianist readers who have requested, Jere veux (I want you) recently Erk Satielikely composed the ‘original song for the cabaret singer Paulette Darty, whom he'd accompanied for time. Play it in the right mood and you will, find yourself transported back toa Parisian cabaret atthe turn ofthe century. Playing tips: After ashore four-bar introduction, the charming waltz switls into life. Even ifit looks tricky, with all the hand distribution needed, this piece in fact fits well under the hands and is not too technically demanding. The most important 866-1925) Je te veux INTERMEDIATE thingis to bring out the melody nores— whether they're in the RH or LH. Thelistener should not beableo rel the difference! ‘There are of cours some more demanding moments,<.g, when, the RH melody isplayed in octaves. And there are even stretches of a ninth (such asin bar 62)! your hands arent big enough, splic (arpeggiate) the notes. That’ fine. Donitbe put off by the length ofthe piece theresa good deal of repetition. Pedal tips: Apart from the opening, which requires ample pedal, wwe suggest a dab of pedal on the first beat of each bar. Do ‘experiment, however. Modéré ———_ =e ed P : ‘ Pg “je tt Po Ss t mot SSS SS SS - 3 *vere Iu cl Hea ‘ RN ar aretenir 1624 aie a o ai ae 5 git =