Pianist No81 December 2014 January 2015

 

   5    1    0    2    Y    R    A    U    N    A    J      4    1    0    2    R    E    B    M    E    C    E    D

F R  R E  EE      E

W I  I T  T H  H E V  V E  ER    Y  R    I S  Y SS    U  S   E  U     E

40 P   A GE S  S O F  F  S H  HE   EE    T  E    M U  T US    I  S I C     P LU S  S  A  A UDIO T R  A CK S 55+ ONLIN E  LE SSON S

No 81

Helping you become a better player 

WIN! A YAM AMAH AHA A CL CLA AVI VINOV NOVA A

WORTH £1,700!

BOOST YOUR PLA PLAYING YING  Practising away from the piano Tips on staying motivated How to control texture

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

  COREA INNOVATOR AND PIONEER OF JAZZ PIANO

 Learn the famou famous  s  BRAHMS LULLABY 

 Arrange  Arra ngemen ments ts What makes a good arrangement? Arrangements galore in this issue’s Scores 300 years of piano arrangements

12

PIECES PIE CES TO TO 

LEARN

BEGINNER TO AD ADVANCED VANCED

IN-DEPTH

LESSONS ON

Schubert arr. Liszt Der Müller und der Bach 

PIANOS TO PUT ON YOUR CHRISTMAS WISH LIST

 

For information on Steinway & Sons pianos or to arrange a private appointment to visit our London showroom, please call 0207 487 3391 or email [email protected] WWW.STEINWAYHALL.CO.UK  2• Pianist 77

 

Pianist 81

CONTENTS

December 2014 - January 2015 The next issue of Pianist goes on sale 30 January 2015

72

74 10

80 4

Editor’s Note

4 

Composing Competition Preview of our new competition: make your own arrangementt and see it published! arrangemen

  6  Readers’ Letters

8  News Stunning Freire and Bolet CD box sets, Minimalism festival in London, an edgy Bösendorfer on display, celebrity amateur pianists step up on stage

14

24   How to Play 2 Lucy Parham on Liszt’s 24 arrangement of Schubert’s poignant Der Müller und der Bach (Scores Bach (Scores page 59) 26   How to Play 3 Janet 26   Janet Newman on Nazareth’ss exotic Nazareth’ e xotic Valsa Confidências   (Scores page 38) s ection of 40 40 27   The Scores  A pullout section 27 pages of sheet music for all levels. Plus read about our online lessons! 

45   Beginner Keyboard 45 Keyboard Class 9  WIN! Yamaha Yamah a Clavinova worthAover £1,700

Hans-Günter Heumann’s Lesson No 9: e chromatic scale

12   Expert Talk Tim Stein on the value 12 of practising away from the piano, and the Pianoforte Tuners’ Association on dealing with a piano with a heavy touch

67   Pianist Digital Store Find out 67 about the handy new Pianist  online   online store  where you can download downlo ad any score you  want from past issues

14   Chick Corea A vibrant force who 14 pioneered solo jazz piano style, fusion and so much more over the past 60 years, Chick Corea is still a force to be reckoned  with in the world wor ld of jazz. Inge Kjemtrup Kj emtrup talks to him about his amazing career

68   By special arrangement Michael 68 Quinn traces a history of transforma transformation, tion, showing how (and why) composers from past to present successfully re-work music of all styles and genres

18   How to Play 18 Play Masterclass 1  Mark Tanner on staying motivated 20   How to Play 20 Play Masterclass 2  Graham Fitch on bringing out texture Don’t miss Graham’s online lessons! 

  22   How to Play 1 Melanie Spanswick on 22 Gounod’s e Pipers  (Scores  (Scores page 30)

72   Celtic Spirit Barry Douglas talks 72 about his Celtic Reflections  disc,   disc, which includes his own arrangments of Irish songs, and his continuing project to record all of Brahms’s solo piano oeuvre 74   Mahan Esfahani Jessica Duchen 74 meets Mahan Esfahani, one of today’ today’ss most thrilling harpsichord players and a fierce advocate of the overlooked instrument

Cover photo (and centre photo above): Toshi Sakurai (2014), courtesy Chick Corea Productions. Images this page: © Eugene Langan (Douglas); © Hyperion Records (Esfahani); Amy T Zielinski (celebrities). Notice: Every effort has been made to secure permission for copyrighted material in this magazine, however, should copyrighted material inadvertently have been used, copyright acknowledgement will be made in a later issue of the magazine.

78   Subscribe today for just £4.50 an issue 78 by Direct Debit and receive one of Lang Lang’s books from his new ‘Mastering the Piano’ series worth £9.99 80   Piano Round-up It’s a great time 80 of year to consider an upgrade to your existing piano, so Gez Kahan has made a survey of some of the most exciting pianos out there – acoustic, digital and other – and finds a few bargains too 86 CD Review Top marks for Igor Levit’s classy Bach Partitas, with Bavouzet’s Haydn, Danny Driver’s Schumann and Piano Rarities annual not far behind

88   Sheet Music Review Christmas 88 classics, Brazilian and Afro-Caribbean styles, Autumnal jazz and more 89   Classifieds 89

Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter Make sure you keep in touch with our editorial team – what we've been up t o, which pianists we've spoken to, exclusive extra articles and interviews – by registering for our FREE e-newsletter. All you need to do is visit

www.pianistmagazine.com

 

Editor’s note

Pianist

S

ome pieces of music just stand the test of time. We We hear them on the radio or in concert, time and time again, sung by different people, played by different instruments. Just think of Pachelbel’s Pachelbel’s Canon and how it’s been arranged for every conceivable combination of instruments. Yes, the word ‘arrangement’ plays a leading role in this issue. at’ at’ss because I thought it was time to consider what

www.pianistmagazine.com PUBLISHER  Warners Group Publications plc Director: Stephen Warner  Publisher: Janet Davison

an arrangement is – why certain pieces lend themselves so well to being arranged, and what actually makes a good (and bad) arrangement. Start by taking Michael Quinn’s tour of the history of the arrangement on page 68 – beginning with Bach, then winding through the composers of the Classical and Romantic eras and arriving at the present day, where he speaks to some very gifted composer/arrangers. Inside our Scores there are arrangements aplenty, from a simple setting of Brahms’s caressing Lullaby  to  to a jazzy Baroque take on We Wish You a Merry Christmas  and  and a soulful Danny Boy . e advanced piece is Liszt’s arrangement of Schubert’s song Der Müller und der Bach, Bach, perfectly taught by Lucy Parham on page 24. Even concert pianist Barry Douglas is getting hooked: in the article on page 72, he talks about why he decided to arrange Celtic folk tunes. And for the icing on the cake, next issue you issue you will  will be able to enter our unique Composing Competition (see below). I’m sure I’ll find a talented arranger or two among you! Competitions like this are great, aren’t they? Here’s another: for the second issue running, we have a fantastic ‘Win a Piano’ competition. is time it’s an ever-popular Clavinova that’s up for grabs. Should you not be so lucky as to win it, we’re here to tempt you to consider an upgrade or maybe find a bargain in our four-page piano round-up on page 80. After all, it is  Christmas.  Christmas. Back to where I began, with pieces that stand the test of time. If you’re looking for your favourite pieces – those you’ve always wanted to learn, for example, or more pieces from a composer you love – now you can delve into our huge back catalogue of scores with the launch of the Pianist  Digital  Digital Store. Read all about it on page 67. I nearly forgot to mention our cover artist, the one and only Chick Corea. On page 14, Deputy Editor Inge Kjemtrup interviews this legend of jazz, a performer who has, for sure, stood the test of time. P.S. Don’ t forget to enter our fantastic competition on page 9 – it’s it ’s your chance to win a Yamaha Clavinova worth over £1,700! ERICA WORTH, EDITOR

 T ISSUE  THE NEX T   T MISS TH DON ’ T 

EDITORIAL 6 Warrington Crescent, London, W9 1EL, UK  Tel: +44 (0)20 7266 0760 Fax: +44 (0)20 7286 0748 Editor: Erica Worth [email protected] Deputy editor: Inge Kjemtrup [email protected] Designer: Nathan Ward ADVERTISING  A DVERTISING Gareth Macfarlane, Advertising manager  [email protected]  Lottie Day, Advertising executive [email protected] Tel: +44 (0)845 226 0477 Fax: +44 (0)845 226 0377

READER SERVICES

UK & WORLD SUBSCRIPTIONS (EXCEPT USA & CANADA) Pianist Subscriptions Department  Warners Group Publications Publications plc  West Street Bourne, PE10 9PH, UK  Tel: +44 (0)1778 392483 Fax: +44 (0)1778 421706 Email: [email protected] USA & CANADA SUBSCRIPTIONS You can s ubscribe online, via email, fax or by telephone:  Website:: www.expressmag.com  Website Email: [email protected] Toll-free number: +1 (877) 363 1310 Tel: +1 (514) 333 3334 Fax: +1 (514) 355 3332 DISTRIBUTION To find a shop near you that stocks contact our distributor: Tel: +44 (0)1778 391150

EXCLUSIVE PIANIST COMPOSING COMPETITION 

e winning arrangement will be featured inside the Pianist  Scores  Scores and on the covermount CD! Inside the pages of this issue, you can read all about the art of arranging music, and play some of the arrangements included inside this issue’s Scores. Now’s the time to get creative with your own arrangement.  arrangement.  Make an arrangement of a piece you love and enter it in the Pianist   Composing Competition.Your arrangement can be in any style you like and can be based on any music from any genre – Bach, Bacharach, Basie. Anything goes! The entries will be judged by a panel of experts, including Pianist   Editor Erica Worth, ABRSM Syllabus Director Nigel Scaife and Ronnie Scott’s house pianist James Pearson. Don’t miss the next issue of Pianist , out 30 January 2015, for full details. For early access to the competition, register for the Pianist  e-newslett e-newsletter er sent on 16 December. December. SUBSCRIBE to the e-newsletter e-newslett er at www www.pianistmagazine.com .pianistmagazine.com.. In the meantime, get scribbling!

4•  Pianist 64

Pianist ,

Email: [email protected]  BACK ISSUES To purchase back issues, write to Pianist Back Issues Department,  Warners Group Publications Publications plc  West Street Bourne, PE10 9PH, UK  Tel: +44 (0)1778 392483 Email: [email protected] FOR ALL OTHER ENQUIRIES Contact Janet Davison, Publisher   Warners Group Publications Publications Fifth Floor, 31-32 Park Row, Leeds, LS1 5JD, UK  Tel: +44 (0)113 200 2929 Fax: +44 (0)113 200 2928 Registered Address : Warners Group Publica tions, West Street, Bourne , Lincs, PE10 9PH. ©Warners Group Publicati ons plc. All rig hts reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission strictly prohibited. Every care is taken in compiling the magazine an d no responsibility can be taken for any action arising from information given on the papers. All information, prices prices and telephone numbers are correct at the time of going to press. No responsibili ty can be taken for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or transparencies. Printed by Warners Group Publications plc. Pianist ISSN 4200395 is published bi-monthly (6 times a year / February, April, June, August, October, December) by Warners Group Publications c/o USACAN Media Corp. 123A Distribution Way, Building H-1, Suite 104, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 12901 U.S.A.. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Pianist, c/o Express Mag, P.O. BOX 2769, Plattsburgh, N.Y., U.S.A. 12901- 0239.  

ISSN 1475 - 1348

 

Two of the world’s finest grands

...in one piano The true grand piano experience has never been more accessible than with our new Clavinova CLP 500-Series. Complex sample sets, painstakingly borrowed from Ya Yamaha maha’s ’s flagship CFX concert grand, grand, plus  plus a magnificent Bösendorfer Imperial, offer a unique choice of sound. so und. And with Virtual Resonance Modeling, as well as string and damper resonance, the subtle nuances of a grand performance are at your fingertips. Meanwhile, realistic touch, synthetic ivory keytops and an escapement mechanism, make a CLP Clavinova feel just like its acoustic counterpart. Six new CLP models are available in a variety of finishes, so visit uk.yamaha.com to discover your  discover your new new Clavinova**.

5• Pianist 81 * Terms and conditions apply. Ask your dealer for details. ** Model shown is the CLP-585PE. Specifications vary across the range. Not all features mentioned are found on all models.

 

   Readers’ 

  Letters Get in touch

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

STAR LETTER

Chipping away at a piano club in Wales I am writing to you after reading the article in Pianist  No  No 79 on piano clubs to tell you about the club I founded in Wales 2009. I started the piano completely from scratch as an adult and had just done Grade 3. My teacher realised that I had a problem playing in front of others and suggested that I join a piano circle in Cardiff, an hour away. My husband and I drove there one Friday night in the pouring rain. I was made to feel very welcome but I was out of my depth and it was a long way to go on a regular basis. I then thought, why not start a club of my own? I already knew two people who would be interested. e group soon grew. We are now 20 – and there is a waiting list! I was looking for a name for the group so with the help of my first member we came up with the name, ‘Dyfal Donc’, a Welsh proverb that means ‘chipping away at the stone and getting there in the end’.  We meet once every two months and I always al ways host it in i n my home. I email emai l the group about a  week before to t o ask them for their pieces piec es and my husband organises o rganises the th e program. With so s o many players this avoids the ‘can I go first?’, ‘can I go last?’ and so on. I don’t encourage more than five minutes per person as all this takes nearly two hours. ey arrive at 10.30am on a ursday morning and we start with coffee and cakes, often brought in by some of the members, then we start playing at 11ish after all the nattering over coffee. At about 1pm, when we have finished, I ply them with wine and canapés and sometimes lunch. We have a really good time and as we all feel more at ease playing in front of others. To sum up: I really do believe that piano groups are a wonderful idea. ere is enough pressure to learn new pieces and techniques without having to endure exams. Although it is obviously a serious matter, as we all want to play our pieces well in front of others, we have a lot of fun doing so. A piano can be a lonely instrument unless you share it as we ‘Donckers’ do. Kate Probert, Gower Peninsula  What a lovely letter. Your Your piano group sounds ideal (and lunch with wine afterwards – perfect!). A surprise CD is on its way to you.

Diabolical stretching? I really love your magazine, however, your Star Letter in the current issue [No 80] of Pianist   has me open mouthed in astonishmen astonishment! t! ese exercises are quite diabolical and could really destroy the pianist’s hand. I would never, ever recommend them to anyone under any circumstances. e warning given by the gentleman from Canada was insufficient. If I suggested them to my students I would be afraid of being sued! Remember Robert Schumann? I think most of my colleagues c olleagues would agree with me on this topic. It would be very interesting to hear what teachers and pianists think. Brenda Lucas Ogdon, London We’d also be interested to hear what other readers think about these exercises. Are they too extreme? 

‘El Desperados’ fight stage fright Inge Kjemtrup’s Kjemtrup’s article ‘Kindred Spirits’ [issue 79] accurately highlighted the issues adults face when trying to find a sympathetic audience to play their hard-rehearsed pieces. I, too, am in that position (age 60 and working towards t owards Grade 5 Piano) and fully appreciate the problem of ‘shaking hands’  when anyone is listening. listening. As a result, and with

If you have information about Arthur Meyrick for Paula, send an email to [email protected] and we’ll forward it to her.

Phases with a Fazer I have a middle-of-the road upright – the make is Fazer. e supplier told me it is Finnish, but I cannot trace any information about the company. e piano is about 40 years old, overstrung, under-damper, and is 8¼ octaves.  What can you tell te ll me about the t he maker? Tony Bowden, Oxon Fazer was established in 1940 in Helsinki and was bought by Hellas in 1989. You may want check the octave count, as it may have 7¼ octaves, not 8¼. Practically Practical ly the only style of Fazer in the UK was a small 109cm high model made from about 1970 to 1988 that came with a practice pedal and usefully long music desk. Do any other readers own a Fazer?

Loving

Nola 

Many thanks for bringing us the score Nola ,  which appeared appeare d in issue 79. is i s challenging challeng ing piece demonstrating early ‘stride’ style will bring much pleasure once mastered. I’m getting there slowly! e present edition (No 80) features Cole Porter’s I’ve Got You Under My Skin. Skin . It is a valuable exercise in adding extra notes producing more chords and playing in your own style. Chris & Pat Byrne, Dorset 

the encouragement of my music teacher, I have formed ‘El Desperados’. e group exists to give adults who are desperate to overcome the physical

Bringing back the romance!

symptoms of nervousness the opportunity to play in front of others in the same situation. Unlike a piano club, though, I want to encourage students of any instrument. At our first meeting we had four pianists, a recorder player and a trombonist.  We are based in the northwest northwes t of England.  Anyone interested interest ed can find out more m ore by going to  www.eldesperados.weebly.com. Geoff Bennett, Lancashire

in Totnes, Devonshire, I was preoccupied with films and Hollywood stars. Every ursday I  waited for the magical sound sou nd of Picture Show   and Film Review  being  being dropped through our letterbox. I would spend hours poring over every page with unaccountable excitement, reading every review, feature and news item, and scrutinising the photographs of my heroes and stills of the coming films. en I came to New Zealand and my interests changed. ere was no magazine in those days covering British Steam Rail, another of my obsessions. So life seemed to lose its enchantment. I now have romance back in my life with Pianist . I experience the familiar thrill of anticipation each month, even if it is delayed emotional gratification because of the distance from London to New Zealand. I am writing to say thank-you from a rejuvenated pianist in his mid-seventies, and from my longsuffering wife Penny, who now benefits from a better-tempered old man. Best wishes to you all. Dr Garth Chivalle Carpenter, nr Wellington, New Zealand 

Outstanding teacher I am trying to collect information for a biography on my former piano teacher Arthur Meyrick (1916-1985) who lived in Nottingham and taught me in the 1970s. If any of your readers have any information about his life, musical training or career I would be delighted to receive it. He was an outstanding teacher with a unique approach. I was fortunate to observe many hours of him teaching beginners and  would like to document his teaching t eaching method met hod so that others can learn from it. I would also like to place his biography on Wikipedia. Paula Melville-Clark, Queensland, Australia  6• Pianist 81

I really love Pianist  magazine,  magazine, and I do not use the word love casually. When I was a teenager

 

£   1   0   0    

W    I  T    O   H    T    E  V    S  P   E  R   E  N   Y     P  D   A    A  T    U  R    C   C  H    A   A  S  S  I  O   E    O   O  F    N    S   L I  N   E  L  E   E  C   . C   T    E  D  O  . U    M   K    †    O     D  E  L S  ^   ^  

C    A S   I  O    V   O  U   C  H   E  R  

LIFT THE LID ON CASIO THIS CHRISTMAS

RECEIVE A £100 CASIO VOUCHER* WITH EVERY PURCHASE OF SELECTED CELVIANO AND PRIVIA DIGITAL PIANOS^ KEY FEATURES:

• NEW ‘Concert Play’ Ensemble Library • AiR and Tri-Senso ri-Sensorr Technolog echnologyy • New Open-Lid Function and 4-Level Simulator • Audio Record and Playback of External External Sound Sources Sources • 4-Level String and Damper Resonance  plus Hammer Response • 3 Year Warranty Warranty

Offer valid until 31st December 2014

casio.co.uk/emivoucher †

 Example timepieces pictured available at casioonline.co.uk whilst stocks last. ^ Selected models valid are AP-460 and PX-860. * Terms and Conditions apply. See casio.co.uk/emivoucher for details.

7• Pianist 81

 

News 

 All the latest news from the world of the piano

British pianist wins Nottingham British International Jazz Competit Competition ion wenty-nine-year-old British pianist om Hewson has  won first prize in the t he fourth Nottingham International Jazz Piano Competition (NIJPC) 2014.anVying for the top prize  with inte rnational international g roup group of four finalists, Hewson (pictured) gave a thrilling performance in front of a large and enthusiastic audience at the Nottingham Albert Hall on 5 October. In the final, Hewson, along with three other young pianists – Antonio ruyols (American, age 24), Jakub Pluzek (Polish, 26) and Krisztian Olah (Hungarian, 18) – was required to play two compulsory pieces, as  well as about abo ut 25 minutes minu tes of ‘free choice’ pieces pie ces and then t hen a two-minute two- minute improvisation improvis ation based on an ‘unseen motif’, which was only given to him on the evening of the final. Hewson’s prize includes a series of gigs at world-famous venues including Ronnie Scott’s (London), 606 Club (London) and Jazzland (Vienna). Te NIJPC is organised by Nottingham-based Clement Pianos, with support from Bösendorfer (competitors played on a Bösendorfer grand in the final)

THEY’LL TAKE MANHATTAN (AND (AN D LONDON LONDON TOO) Igor Levit, Joanna MacGregor MacG regor,, Danny Driver and more conquer the capitals Tey weren’t separated at birth, but Russian pianists Igor Levit  

   )   n   o   s   w   e    H    (    k   c    i   r   y   e    M    b   o    B      ©   ;    )   t    i   v   e    L    (   e    d   e   o   r    B   x    i    l   e    F      ©    )   ;   r   o   g   e   r    G   c   a    M    (   n   e   s   n   a    H    l   a    P      ©

(pictured above) and Daniil Trifonov  certainly  certainly do have a lot in common. Born in the same Russian city (Nizhny Novgorod) four years apart, they were both prizewinners at major international piano competitions, and, although they are both only in their twenties, they are already wildly admired by critics and audiences. rifonov, who was Pianist  No  No 79’s cover artist, is taking on New York in December and January. He starts with a solo recital featuring Bach/ Liszt, Beethoven (the final Sonata) and Liszt (ranscendental ( ranscendental Etudes) at Etudes) at Carnegie Hall (9 Dec) and then has four dates playing Rachmaninov’s First Piano Concerto with the New York Philharmonic under Juanjo Mena at Lincoln Center (30 Dec; 2, 3 & 6 Jan). Levit, meanwhile, is the focus of a special series at London’s Wigmore Hall. For his first programme on 27 December, he plays Beethoven Sonatas No 22 and 29 (‘Hammerklavier’), Bach’s Partita No 2 and Ronald Stevenson’ Ste venson’ss Peter Grimes Fantasy on Temes from Britten. Britten . Te remainder of the series is comprised of an all-chaikovsky recital on 27 Jan, a duo concert with tenor Simon Bode (8 Feb) and a modern recital (Cardew, Rzewski) on 20 July.  Another Russian, Russ ian, the composer Alexander Scriabin, S criabin, is i s the focus fo cus of a pair of recitals that Garrick Ohlsson is Ohlsson is presenting in several cities. Dates include the Wigmore Hall (6 Jan, 27 April) and San Francisco Performances (7 Dec, 14 Mar). ‘When an art form seems particularly inflated and prolix, springcleaning is in order order,’,’ said American composer John Adams, whose music, along with works by Phillip Glass, erry erry Riley, Arvo Pärt and Steve Reich, features in Minimalism Unwrapped at Kings Place, London. Highlights include Joanna MacGreg MacGregor or (pictured  (pictured above) in an evening devoted

to ‘the godfather of Minimalism’, Erik Satie. Yes, the  the Gymnopédies  will get an outing, but so will the witty  Sports et divertissments (8 Jan). For the quiet end of the Minimalist spectrum, spect rum, there’s Morton Feldman’s Feldman’s Patterns in a Chromatic Field , played by cellist Oliver Coates and pianist

Danny Driver (9 Jan).  Jan). Tere’s a study day (10 Jan) as well if you’re still struggling to get your head around Minimalism. Minimalism. Heading back to New York, German pianist Martin Helmchen plays Dvořák’s infrequently heard Piano Concerto with the New  York  Y ork Philharmonic under under  Christoph von Dohnányi (11-13 Dec) at Lincoln Center. Helmchen made a well-received recording of the Dvořák  a  a few years ago, so audiences are in for a treat. For full details of the concerts described above, go to daniiltrifonov.com, daniiltrifonov.com, wigmore-hall.org.uk, wigmore-hall.org.u k, kingsplace.co kingsplace.co.uk, .uk, carnegiehall.org, sfperformances.org and lincolncenter.org 

and media sponsorship from Pianist . ‘Te standard was higher than ever this year,’ commented Clement Pianos. ‘Being a finalist in the competition has been a great boost for the careers of the pianists from 2008, 2010 and 2012 and we are looking forward to seeing the four 2014 finalists finalists’’ careers flourish over the coming months and years.’ Go to www.nijpc.com to see videos from the NIJPC 2014 grand final 

LIFE ON THE EDGE

Meet the Bösendorfer Bösendorfer designers behind  the inn innov ovat ativ ive e gran grand d on 3 Dec Decemb ember  er  How did Bösendorfer, one of the  world’s oldest piano pi ano companies, companie s, go about building a trail-blazing concept concert grand like the Edge (pictured right)? Find out for yourself by attending a free special event on 3 December at 7pm at Yamaha Music London on Wardour Street. Ferdinand Brau, Bösendorfer’s most senior and technical manager, will introduce guests to the company’s ‘hand build’ philosophy and explain how innovative instruments such as the Edge are conceived, designed and built. Among the innovations of this award-winning instrument are that when its lid is closed the sound is still projected upwards and outwards thanks to a subtle gap between the lid and the body of the instrument. Te Edge presentation is followed by a ‘how to design your own piano’ experience, giving you the opportunity to discuss your dream piano with some of the world’s top craftsmen and piano builders. Te evening concludes with a short recital. o reserve your place at the Edge evening on 3 December, send an email to simaoferreira@yamahamusiclond simaoferreir [email protected] on.com or phone +44 (0)20 7432 4422

8. Pianist 81

 

READER COMPETITION

 WIN!

A CLAVINOVA

One lucky Pianist reader will win a Yamaha Clavinova CLP-535

WORTH OVER £1,700

Readers of Pianist  will  will know by now what a popular instrument the Clavinova is. It’s great for all levels of piano players – from the beginner student to the more advanced pianist. Te new CLP-535, which was launched this spring, is the first Clavinova to feature sound samples taken from both the Yamaha concert grand CFX and Bösendorfer Grand Imperial pianos. In total, there are eight piano and 26 other instrument voices, all of which have been greatly improved compared to previous models. Te model starts  with an affordable price tag of o f £1,415, going goin g up to £1,732 for the Polished Ebony finish. ogether with 88-key sampling and 256-note polyphony, the 30W x2 amplifier and speaker system has also been upgraded to deliver the dynamic sounds of the instrument in superb quality.

interface has been completely redesigned and is now both easier to use and less intrusive. By placing all controls to the left of the keyboard and incorporatingg a new back-lit LCD screen, the whole instrument has been incorporatin given a more sophisticated appearance. Tere’s a 16-track MIDI sequencer, audio recording and a new built-in Tere’s lesson repertoire with over 300 songs. Te instrument can also interface with  Yamaha  Ya maha’s ’s popular NoteStar App App for iPad, with optional wireless connectivity. connectivity. Te styling is designed to create the image of a traditional upright piano and there are six colour choices, including Black Walnut, Dark Rosewood, Mahogany, White, Polished Ebony and the new White Ash. Te lucky  winner will be able ab le to choose choos e whatever finish fini sh they want! LISTEN • LEARN • PLAY  PLAY 

12LEARN

PIECESTO 

BEGINNER TO ADVANCED

IN-DEPTH

LESSON ON

Schubertarr. Liszt D erMüllerundderBach

ouch and response are, of course, extremely important in a piano, and on the CLP-535, they are outstanding thanks to the revolutionary GH3X action with escapement feel and synthetic Ivory key tops. Te user

PLAY THE WISTFUL

Danny Boy (LondonderryAir) yAir) BONUSTRACKS MahanEsfahani p laysCPE B ach &Rameau BarryDouglas plays TheLastRose ofSummer  Schubert&Debussy  onthe latestClavinova SCORES BY GOUNOD CZERNY NAZARETH HAYDN HAYDN GRIEG  GRIEG LYADOV BORODIN BORODINand and moreperformed byChenyinLi moreperformed byChenyinLi p i a inst_ C D co e r - IA I A L i sh n F .i d d

/0 /0

LISTEN TO THE SOUNDS OF THE CLAVINOVA ON OUR CD!  You can hear Schubert’s Schube rt’s Impromptu No 2 and Debussy’s Rêverie played by Yamaha’s latest la test Clavinova on our Covermount CD.

0 :5 6

WIN THIS CLAVINOVA PIANO! To enter, answer the question below Enter online at www.pianistmagazine.com/competitions How many colours does the Clavinova CLP-535 come in? QUESTION: A. 6 B. 10 C. 4 To enter by post, simply send a postcard to: Lauren Roberts, Clavinova Competition (PIA0110), Warners Group Publications, 5th Floor, 31-32 Park Row, Leeds, LS1 5JD. Please include your full name and contact information. Please mark on the postcard if you do not wish to receive information by post, telephone or email from Pianist or Yamaha Music UK. Closing date Friday 30 January 2015. UK entrants only.

 

News 

 All the latest news from the world of the piano

REVIEW: NELSON FREIRE AND  JORGE  JORG E BOLE BOLET T

Birthday Bir thday box sets from two two keyboard giants o Nelson Freire’s 70th birthday thismark part October October, , Sony has collected all of the Brazilian pianist’s CBS/ Columbia Records LPs in a seven-CD box set. Here we can hear the debut release of the young Freire in three of the most popular concertos by chaikovsky, Grieg and Schumann – plus a hairraising Liszt otentanz  (all  (all first released in 1969). What a debut! Te Munich Philharmonic and Rudolf Kempe must have felt that they had let a tiger into the recording studio. Chopin, a composer always close to Freire’s heart, is represented in the box set by a classy account of the 24 Préludes and a selection of mazurkas, along with other  works, all from a new remastering of a 1971 German LP. LP. Te Brahms Brah ms and Schumann Sch umann selection (recorded in 1969) are up among the very best, and the Liszt Sonata (1972) is not far behind the classic account by Freire’s long-time friend Martha Argerich. Te only downside to the new set is that CBS/Columbia’s piano recordings always sounded clangy and studio-dry, however, it’s a small price to pay for such major talent. Decca has recently lured Freire back into the studio to record more top-flight Chopin, scintillating Liszt and some marvellous Brahms concertos with Riccardo Chailly. Now,  with the latest Freire and Chailly combo, we are presented present ed with what will surely surel y be the   reference version of Beethoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto. Beethoven’s last sonata is a bonus to the disc, which shows Freire is a Beethoven player in the very top league.  Another Freire release this th is year, Radio Days , came about when Decca unearthed some radio broadcast tapes from 1968-79. It is a wonderful chance to hear Freire in concertos he might not get the chance to record again. Yes, there is the chaikovsky First again, however, here Kurt Masur is alert, even if the orchestra struggles at times to cope with the Freire brilliance. A towering Rachmaninov Tird and a thrusting Prokofiev First are highlights in this set, which shows Freire as truly deserving of the sobriquet, ‘one of the most exciting pianists of this or any age’. If the Cuban-born pianist Jorge Bolet was still alive, he would have celebrated his 100th birthday in November. Troughout his life Bolet was aloof to the recording executives, choosing to spend less time in the studio and more time at the Curtis Institute, where he taught. However, when he had concert engagements (way too few for his massive talent), he played with perfect technique and a glorious mahogany tone unmistakably unmistakably his own. On this handful of RCA LP transfers included in a new Bolet box set from Sony, we hear Liszt playing on a majestic level. It’s not flashy, bombastic or in any way superficial. On the contrary, some might find this Liszt too sedate and lacking sparkle. Nothing could be further from the truth: it is a direct link back to Bach and Beethoven, with the music sculpted into massive columns of sound. Every single phrase is shaped to perfection no matter how many notes. Tis fine box set also has a few live recordings from Carnegie Hall and it is obvious that Bolet’s note-perfect and overall control of even the most hideously difficult transcriptions were not edited in a recording studio. Bolet is like a huge tank massively forcing his way through mountains of notes, leaving a trail of perfectly rounded and outlined musical thoughts that no other pianist to this day has managed to copy. Listen to what a true master pianist can do with even the slightest Strauss waltz transcription – you’ll be swept off your feet. Marius Dawn

 Nelson Freire Te Complete Columbia Album Collection (  Collection  ( Sony Sony Classical 88750 02282, 7 discs); Beethoven: Piano Concerto No 5 with the Gewandhaus Orchestra, Orchestra, plus Sonata op 111 (Decca 478 6771); Radio Days  (   ( Decca Decca 478 6772)  Jorge Bolet Te Complete RCA and Columbia Album Collection (  Collection  ( Sony Sony Classical RCA Red Seal 88843014722, 10 discs) 10. Pianist 81

WHEN THE STARS COME OUT TO PLAY PLAY For a second year in a row, British pianist and Pianist   contributor Lucy Parham launches her Sunday morning  Word/Play series at Kings Place, Pl ace, London Londo n with a Celebrity C elebrity Christmas Gala. On 7 December at 11.30am, Parham will be joined on stage by an impressive group of actors, writers, comedians and journalists, all of them keen amateur pianists, to play chaikovsky’s Album chaikovsky’s  Album for the t he Young Young and Nutcracker Suite . If last year’s event (pictured, above) is any indication, a great time will be had by all. Tis year’s line-up includes comedian Alistair McGowan; actors Jane  Asher, Edward Fox, Simon Russell Beale, Beal e, Stephen Stephe n Boxer and Niamh Cusack; broadcasters Kate Derham, Clemency Burton-Hill and Sarah Walker; novelist Conrad Williams; Philharmonia MD David Whelton; journalist Rosie Millard and Guardian Guardian Editor  Editor Alan Rusbridger. Te Word/Play series continues on 25 January with a ‘Just William’ story presented by actor Martin Jarvis and composer and pianist Richard Sisson. o find out more about the new season of Word/Play and the Celebrity Christmas Gala, go to kingsplace.co.uk 

YOUR CHANCE TO SHINE ON STAGE

Register now for the Piano Showcase on 23 Januar January  y  Tere’s been an excellent uptake from readers keen to perform at our Piano Showcase on 23 January at Schott Music Recital Hall in London, but there are still a few spaces remainin remaining. g.  As described descr ibed in the th e last issue’s News, this first Piano Showcase, presented by Pianist  magazine   magazine and Schott, aims to be a friendly event that gives pianists at all levels a chance to play in front of a supportive audience. Remember, the Piano Showcase is free of charge, there’s a wide choice of repertoire to choose from, you don’t have to memorise your music, and you can bring along a friend or family member to see you play. Don’t miss this  wonderful opportuni opportunity ty to step st ep on stage! st age! For full details on how to take part in the Piano Showcase, go to www.schott-music.co.uk/schottpianoshowcase 

   )   a    l   a    G   y   t    i   r    b   e    l   e    C    (    i    k   s   n    i    l   e    i    Z    T   y   m    A      ©

 

News 

 All the latest news from the world of the piano

Q&A

with Tim Tim Stein My teacher has suggested that I practise away from the keyboard. Can you give me some suggestions on how best to do this?

Most, if not all, of our practising is done at the piano, and it is just as effective (sometimes even more so) to practise away from it. It might seem odd, but it is a bit like being an objective observer.  When we are so wrapped wrapped up up with the the practicalities practicalities of the instrument, the technical obstacles and so on, we often end up overlooking more essential musical considerations. Practising away from the piano can help us with such things as rhythm, structure and even fingering. More importantly, it can help us develop the all-important ‘inner ear’, in which we can train ourselves to hear the musical sounds in our head.  Where to start is really up to you. You You might want to make a recording of yourself playing your pieces, and then listen back with the score. en, taking a pencil in hand, you can make notes in the score and circle such things as incorrect notes and rhythm. Let’s say that you are unsure about the tempo. Put your metronome on and check that you are keeping a steady beat, tapping with your pencil on the score. You could do this for an individual bar or an entire section. Or it could be that you are unaware of the dynamics or not even sure that you are putting them in convincingly,, so again listening back to what you are playing convincingly can be very helpful.

Practising away from the piano can improves your rhythm, structure and even fingering, and can help develop the all-important ‘inner ear’   When you are away from the instrument, working working out tricky rhythms can seem so much easier. If you don’t don’t know how to play a rhythm in a certain cert ain bar, write in the counts, sub-dividing into smaller musical units if you have to (writing in the half beats, for instance), and then tap out with a pencil. It should make more sense when you eventually play it on the piano. e same can be said of any technical issue or fingering. Sometimes just looking at the difficulties on the page and thinking mentally with a clear head how to break them down into manageable parts can  work wonders, especially when you are not bogged down down  with the physical aspects of playing.  You  Y ou can even use time away from the piano to memorise. Map out on the score with a pencil the contrasting sections, if there are any, and the basic harmonic outline. en, take a short while to look at a small section carefully before going to the piano to see how much you can recall. Bit by bit this process gets easier, until you can eventually remember larger sections. and alistener, bit of effort, youplaying will start to become aWith moretime, objective and your overall  will start to improve greatly. greatly. Go to pianistmagazine.com to watch Tim’s Tim’s online piano lessons  for beginner players, and you can also visit Tim’s Tim’s own website at www.pianowithtim.com

FREE-RANGE PIANOS

How this herd of new Yamaha pianos landed at Leighton Park School near Reading

Should you happen to be strolling around the grounds of Leighton Park School just outside Reading town centre, you will be unlikely to come upon the herd of Yamaha pianos pictured above. e photo was taken to mark the fact that Leighton Park has joined Yamaha’s Music Education Partner Programme, purchasing 19 keyboard instruments from the maker. e co-educational day and boarding school, which boasts an excellent music programme, celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2015. To help choose the instruments at the Yamaha European headquarters in Hamburg, Leighton Park brought in pianist and composer Julian Joseph. e collection of instruments that was selected includes grands, uprights, digital and stage pianos. Leighton Park is also the first UK educational institution to purchase the piano manufacturer’s flagship CFX concert grand. If, like Leighton Park School, you are ready for a keyboard upgrade, look no further than Yamaha’s latest Piano Upgrade scheme. is scheme, for UK-based piano owners only, can give you up to £2,000 in part-exchange to get a newer Silent series piano, or to get a Disklavier, Clavinova or AvantGrand. is special scheme only runs until 15 January, so act quickly! For more information about Yamaha’s Piano Upgrade Scheme, go to www.uk.yamaha.com

UNDER THE LID

Top tuners and technicians from the Pianoforte Tuners’ Association (PTA) tackle your instrument queries e touch on my piano is very heavy. Can it be rectified?  Touch can vary from piano to piano. Some people like a heavy touch, others a light touch. e touch weight of the piano action is set in the factory by adding lead weights to the keys to help balance the key against the action components and hammers. High friction in the piano can cause a heavy touch and this should be checked first. Your piano tuner can advise on this when servicing the piano, which will include reducing friction on problems areas such as key pins, as well as regulation (fine adjustments adjustments to the action so that it works to its optimum).  Another cause ca use might be that the t he replacement replac ement parts part s are heavier heavi er than the th e originals original s – this is mostly due to modern hammers being used on older instruments that had lighter hammers originally. If the action is regulated well and friction is normal, then re-weighting is the only answer. is can be done in the traditional way or a by a new method called PTD, Precision Touch Design.  John ompson, MPTA  12. Pianist 81

 

SCHIMMEL WINTER SPECIAL

 tion:  ted Edi ti Signed Limi te  tiin  t  sa t  walnu t  155 Modern w  1 1 I 1

,   £    taandard  free local s t  fr

 ver y  deli ve

CambridgePianoforte 10-12 Kings Hedges Road Cambridge CB4 2PA Tel: 01223 424007 www.cambridgemusic.net

Forsyth 126 Deansgate Manchester M3 2GR Tel: 0161 834 3281 www.forsyths.co.uk

Peregrine’s Pianos 137A Grays Inn Road London WC1X 8TU Tel: 020 7242 9865 www.peregrines-pianos.com

Sheargold Pianos 162 Anyards Road Cobham | Surrey KT11 2LH Tel: 01932 866577 www.sheargoldmusic.co.uk

13• Pianist 81

Vale Pianos Throckmorton Road | Throckmorton Pershore | Worcestershir Worcestershire e WR10 2JY Tel: 01386 860419 www.valepianos.co.uk

www.schimmel-piano.de

 

INTERVIEW

   K  C   C  H I  C O R E A  ith   w  w th g  n i    y y a l p   r o  fo f   m i  you k no w h  for  r fo  thher y o   , r e  v  Whe t e r o F   o    to t n  tuur  Re t Miles Da vis or e S pain – ck  Corea is  i h C   –   ik   faamous song s l  ja z z leg end. An a wed   f an undeniable up ta  to him s t k  l a   t r  t m e j Inge K 

Y

ou might think that once a performer achieves ‘legend’ status it might mean that the performer would never be able to do anything unexpected ever again. ey’d just be playing their greatest hits endlessly. But if you’re Chick Corea, a certified legend of jazz, and you’ve played with everyone in every corner of the globe, and you’ve gathered truckloads of awards and fivestar reviews, you don’t need to prove anything. You can focus on whatever interests you. All the nervous striving of youth is gone, and you can relax. Not that you can imagine Chick Corea as being anything other than relaxed. is is a man, after all, who has played  with such jazz greats greats as Miles Miles Davies, Davies, Stanley Clark, John McLaughlin, Sarah Vaughan, Herbie Hancock and Gary Burton, and led several of his own bands, notably the influential Return to Forever. He’s greatly admired for his trio outings (his 1968 album Now He Sings, Now He Sobs  is  is a landmark of the genre), while his solo albums are equally ground-breaking. Several of his compositions, including the famous Spain Spain,, are jazz standards,  while he has also delved into the classical classical  world – on his own own terms terms of course – playing Mozart concertos, and writing and performing his own concertos. Last year, at the famous Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, he was honoured with an entire week of concerts. On stage, the 73-year-old star seems as relaxed as he might be in his own living room, as I witness for myself at

 

INTERVIEW

is always creative and always coming up with upgrades. In fact they have an upgrade of their concert grand piano called the CFX, which made a huge gigantic leap in quality as far as I’m concerned, and it’s become my favourite piano so I request it everywhere I go.  go.  Fusion forever

Many listeners know Corea’s work from

G ul d  d a s t  t and ar d  d 

C h  h i  ic    k  c    C o  k or  r  e     a  e a o n  n h o  ow     c o  w o n  n c  ce    r  e r  t  t   p i  i a  an     i  n i s  st  t   F r  ri  i e    d  e    r  d ri  i  c  ch     G u  h u l  l d  da     s p  a p a  ar  r  k    e  k    d  e I became cu d h i  is     i n  s nt  t  e     r  e re    s  e   t  s r ious about   t   i n  n M o  oz     a  z ar  r  t  t    M oz ar t  gr eat  Aust r  t   b a ck  in t he 198 r ian pianist , 0 s   w  hen I met  F r   and he bec Moz ar t  ri edr ich Gul ame a f r  t per f  fo   r mances,  ri end of  min da, t he  h e. He w as w  i s   Beet hov en a I at t  t ended a pia e l l   k  n n d o   B w  ach. But  he  n f or  his  no f est iv al i also lov ed t  n Munich an a duet  conc o impr ov ise d Gulda w a er t  t w it h me. H .  s par t  e said, ‘ I do t of  it , and h him on st ag n’ t  e ask ed t o p t w ant  t o me e.’  W e met  o lay   e t   C hick  bef or  n st age and it  w as a blas ehand, I’ ll m  impr ov ised t . At  one poi   e t  h e e w hole con t   nt  he play ed piece of  mu cer t  t t oget her  a  t his solo an sic. It  w as g n d d     l a u o n r geous. I t ho ched int o t h composing  is compose ught , t his m in t he classi d  ust  be a ca l   s w  as t hat  piece y ou w er e play  t y  y hen t he concer t  t w as ov  ey r  o, uI ng composer ,  inl e d  i d  i  g.? W   ask ed Guld d n  n’  ’  And he loo ’  t  t k n  n o  o w  w w h  a, ‘ W  h a  a t  k  t t h  e Wh   at   d h a    a   a t t    t    w a  me k ind of  l a s  s ? and said because I t h ik e y o  , ‘ T  T hat  w as M o u  u   m  ought , gee,  e e    a a    n n    oz ar t  t hat ’  t !’  And t hat   ’s   beaut if ul. by  Moz ar t  t ook  me aba t’   Because be ’ s   music t ha ck ,  f  t  o   much. I t old r e t hat  I w as said, ‘ Y   Gulda, I’ d li n Ye  s, of  cour  ’ t  t int r  r igued  k e t o lear n m se y ou w oul d.’  T hen a m or e about  t h of  t he Moz a r t  ont h lat er , h at . He  t double con e sent  me t h cer t  t o and said, w it h t he C o e   m   i ‘  n Y Y    ncer t  i scor e  ou play  t he  tg   ebouw  of  second par t   Amst er dam int r  ro   duct ion, a t and w e’ ll p  at  t he Moz a nd I naiv ely  lay   r t  t F est iv al.’  T   accept ed an hat  w as my   d I became  fir st   ent hr alled a f t  t er  t hat .

the years between Milesthat Davis Band andinthe Elektricthe Band, is, his time as leader of Return to Forever. e band began in 1971 with Corea on keyboards, joined by saxophone and flute player Joe Farrell, singer Flora Purim and bassist Stanley Clarke. e sound was ‘fusion’ – a convenient grab-all term for an excitingly hard-topin-down blend of jazz, Latin, rock and more. Corea’s best-known tune, Spain Spain,, came out of this era. Spain  opens gently Spain opens  with Corea’s musings on Rodrigo’ Rodrig o’ss guitar concerto, Concierto de Aranjuez , and explodes into a Latin fiesta that is a sheer expression of joy and energy. Even while he was leading Return to Forever on its high-octane tours, Corea

 At his Barbican Bar bican Centre concert in May, Corea thrilled the audience by playing Spain Spain.. is was not a passive experience though, because he got the audience to sing along. He’s a brilliant communicator, keen to interact with

 was looking to explore explo re a more inward i nward  world, given gi ven his view vie w of the piano as ‘a natural solo instrument’. e logical next step was a solo album and for that, he turned to producer Manfred Eicher and his eclectic ECM label. e result  was Piano Improvisat Improvisations  ions  and  and Children’s Songs , among others. I ask Corea about the role solo piano has played in his career. ‘rough the years I’ve done at least a few solo piano concerts, because I like to assess my own musical output by myself without other musicians, just to see where my imagination might go and where my tendencies might be,’ he explains. ‘ But this year is the longest piano solo tour I’ve ever done. I’m out on the road for a couple of months and I’m really enjoying practising the piano and being out in front of audiences on my own.’

his audiences, even while he keeps them on their toes – one latecomer trying to make her way to a front-row seat after the first tune got a swift comment from him: ‘ere’s a good seat right there!’ Corea places himself in the long line of composer-pianists such as Duke Ellington, Bud Powell, Bill Evans and elonious Monk, a lineage reflected in his Barbican show, which included Ellington’s Sophisticated Lady , Evans’s Waltz for Debby  and  and Monk’s Work . Like those artists, Corea is a great collaborator. A partnership with vibraphonist Gary Burton resulted in several albums from the trance-like Crystal Silence  (1972)  (1972) to Hot House (2013), which won him his 19th and 20th Grammy Awards, for best instrumental solo and best instrumental composition (for Mozart (for Mozart Goes Dancing ). ).

16• Pianist 81

‘My teacher was a good example for me because he got a beautiful sound and played it without a lot of effort, very  grace  gra cefu fully, lly, and th that at was an image that I aspired to’  In recent decades, his collaborations have extended to the classical classic al world – I can can’t ’t help but think that his old ol d piano teacher  would have been delighted by this. Corea had long been drawn to certain composers (Bartók, for one), but it wasn wasn’t ’t until concert pianist Friedrich Gulda dragged him into a public performance of Mozart’s Mozart’s concerto that his interest was really piqued [see box, above]. He’s He’s since  worked with Bobby McFerrin McFerrin on two Mozart discs and composed large-scale  works for piano and orchestra. Today Corea devotes a lot of his energies to a new generation of jazz players and has recently launched a series of online music workshops, ‘so musicians all over the planet can tune into the live broadcast,’ he says. ‘We did our first webcast from a studio near my home. It was like having a TV show  without the th e usual strictures. s trictures. I could go on as long as I want.’ I end my interview by asking Corea  what he thinks th inks of the t he future of jazz, and his answer is refreshingly simple: ‘e future of jazz and the world is in all our hands; it’s up to all of us to put some quality in our lives.’ ■

 

17• Pianist 81

 

  play      HOW TO

Tactics and techniques for  STAYING MOTIVATED

What’s your motivation for playing the piano? How do you get yourself to practise when you feel Tanner shows how to sustain your energy and drive uninspired? Pianist and teacher Mark Tanner shows

S

omeone once quipped that genius is one per cent inspiration, 99 per cent perspiration; the same might be said of piano playing. Sticking to the task is central to the development of any skill-based activity.  When we tot to t up the thousands of o f hours that go into ingraining such skills, any encouragement will prove invaluable.  We are told that success breeds success, suc cess, but sustaining a positive cycle – feeling motivated, practising effectively, steadily improving – isn’t so easy when one is operating under one’s own steam. Te question is, is it fair to expect all this drive and energy to come from our teachers or family, or is it to be found from within? For each of us the answer will be subtly different, although self-motivation is surely the ultimate route to sustained satisfaction and development. Perhaps, for you, the simple pleasure of playing provides all the motivation needed, but in case you feel your playing needs a little LC, here are a few practical tips to ensure your motivation remains high and your piano playing continues to blossom. Practising two ways at once

How can you keep from getting bored  when practising practising your pieces? Te answer answer lies in setting yourself fresh challenges so that there is always something new to be working on within each piece. o this end, I advocate two forms of simultaneous practice, which will continue to pay dividends even when you are getting closer to a performance date. Te first form of practice is what I call the ‘pencil behind the ear’ approach – breaking up the music into sections and getting down to nitty-gritty details such as fingerings or localised coordination coordination issues, but taken slower than the target pace. Te second is what I call the ‘bull in a china shop’ stage, by which I mean allowing yourself to launch yourself at it, albeit still in sections, but now up to something nearer to the target tempo. Te point of this dual attack is to check that your painstaking work is continuing to be both relevant and productive. Naturally, you should expect more clangers to occur when

playing faster, but it is essential to know that your technical and musical strategies  will actually work when up to speed. I have encountered many adult players  who find great difficulty in taking their performances to the next level. In reality, no amount of slow, methodical practice  will help you to play faster – you’ll  just become more adept at playing it slowly! Work at a section for roughly ten minutes, well under speed, then immediately attempt it at a brisker pace before taking a moment to regroup and decide what still needs fixing. Enjoying scales and arpeggios

Te key to improving scales and arpeggios is maximising the satisfaction you get from working them up. It is therefore important to see them as a challenging musical  endeavour,  endeavour, as opposed to a tedious rigmarole. Naturally, scales will soak up varying amounts of your practice time depending on what you are working towards, but it is imperative to thread them into a daily regime so that they become an integral part of your piano playing – after all, this is precisely why   scales are included in exams! Aim to get your scales flowing along early in the learning process as possible, even if at first they are a little steady in tempo and perhaps lack the purposeful shape that

5 

TOP TIPS STAYING MOTIVATED

1

Get yourself a good teacher! Going it alone can be seriously hazardous to your pianistic health.

 2 

Self-motivation ultimately becomes indispensable for pianists; keep inspired by meeting up regularly with fellow pianists with similar skills and ambitions.

 3 

Take full advantage of exams, courses, summer schools, piano clubs, music festivals and concerts, all of which provide invaluable encouragement and orientation.

4 

Take every opportunity to attend professional piano concerts, positioning yourself close to the soloist in order to observe what they are doing.

 5 

Set yourself achievable goals when practising, but alternate regularly between slow and fast practice modes to check things are gradually progressing. 18• Pianist 81

Tanner is a pianist, Mark Tanner composer, ABRSM examiner and writer. A dozen of Mark’s compositions appear on the current TCL and LCM syllabuses. He recently released a CD on the Priory label with Michael George, bass-baritone, singing his own arrangements of well-known folk songs. Mark will be giving the world premiere of Colin Decio’s Piano Concerto ‘In memoriam John Ogdon’ at the Cheltenham Town Town Hall on 31 January 2015, with the Gloucester Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Glynn Oxley. Find out more at www.marktanner.info

 will ultimately ulti mately earn you ‘posh’ marks in music exams. Fundamentally, examiners  want to see se e that two t wo aspects aspect s are firmly firml y in place: key awareness  (i.e.,   (i.e., knowing how many sharps or flats appear in each major and minor key) and technical   (which breaks down into things control  (which like hand coordination and evenness of touch), hence these aspects will need individual attention initially.  At their best, scales should sound intuitive, directed and ‘performed’, not stumbling and syllabic. Te dreaded ‘note-by-note’’ rendition is an indication ‘note-by-note that the machinery is not really working effectively,, and/or that you’ve not yet effectively ingrained a reliable knowledge of the keys. Pay particular attention to the passing of the thumb in both scales and arpeggios – if the thumbs appear visually ungainly,, involving a marked up-down ungainly movement of the wrist, then as likely as not they will sound bumpy too; hence smoothness of action is paramount, even  when playing staccato scales. Changing the rhythm, from straight quavers to dotted for example, is one way of keeping scales fresh and fun to play p lay,, as is starting and finishing at the top of the scale instead of always at the bottom.  Varying  V arying articulation, for example slurslur, dot-dot, is another way of ensuring your scales avoid sounding mechanistic, and again this all feeds into how rewarding they will be to practise. Aim

 

MASTERCLASS to apply a discernible crescendo up to the top note and a decrescendo back down, so a unified, shapely performance results. If you’ve really got the measure of your scales, have a bit of fun by trying to play threes-again threes-against-twos st-twos between the hands (it’s best to start with hands two octaves apart if the left hand is doing the threes); activities of this kind help to prevent the rot setting in and keep the brain ticking. Try climbing up

a fun experience; it’s also an excellent  way of involving i nvolving other o ther members membe rs of the t he family – how many scales and arpeggios can you play without repetition, hesitation or deviation? Examinations offer pianists a rigorous infrastructure for evaluating progress.  Although teachers often use exams as a means of instilling motivation and

1

the scale of C major and then coming straight down through the key of D flat, back up again with D and back down in E flat, and so on. If you can do this chromatic climb through the scales seamlessly, covering just one octave each time, you’ll whizz through all 12 majors (try the minors next!) in perhaps 30 seconds or less, leaving you time for  working on the more troublesome ones. Flashcards are widely used as a means of ensuring all the relevant scales get covered. Write each scale/arpeggio onto a card of its own, for example, ‘Scale of F sharp major, hands together, legato’. It stands to reason that letting yourself off the hook with the easy scales each time  will increase the risk risk of not getting around to, say, B flat melodic minor, so shuffle the pack each day before you get down to business in order to randomise your practice. Keeping one pile for scales and another for arpeggios will also help to mimic what will be asked of you in the exam. Dust off the metronome and fix on a tempo early on – this will only provide a provisional yardstick, for you should gradually be able to ratchet up the pace until you reach a speed that permits comfortable fluidity. Frequently, pianists come to grief at the hand-turns, i.e.,  when negotiating negotiating the upwards into into the downwardss part of the scale/arpeggio, so downward you could usefully spend time going round and round within one octave to tighten up this crucial manoeuvre in as controlled and even way as possible. As far as overall speed is concerned, don’t get overly hung up on achieving a lightningquick pace; evenness and control are immeasurablyy more important that speed immeasurabl for its own sake. Remember to practise all relevant examples hands separately as well as together – it’s surprising how being asked to do this in an exam can unhinge you a little if you’ve not been used to doing it at home. Try to commit them all to memory as you learn them so that you can concentrate on refining how they look, sound and feel under the fingers. A few seconds spent ‘ghosting’ the first octave of the trickier scales or arpeggios might reduce the risk of needing to restart them. Finally, once you’re confident they are shaping up nicely, you might try an adaption of the great BBC Radio 4 game, Just a Minute . It is a brilliant  way of elevating e levating the playing playi ng of scales sc ales from a potentially burdensome task into

discipline, in reality certain aspects easily become neglected when the teacher is not on hand to crack the whip. is is  where self-motivation needs to become channelled into a positive plan of action, as discussed above in the sections on practising pieces and practising scales and arpeggios.

emotional, lyrical tango, bearing no tempo marking, just the indication ‘espressivo’, suggestive of a gently undulating, unflustered pace. For the waltz feel to emerge, you will need to lend gentle emphasis to the first beat of each bar in the LH and place the subsequent chord(s) more delicately. Don’t be in a hurry to reel off the long quaver passages as they work their way up to the top of the piano, and aim to introduce new colours at the sections beginning at bars 33 and 55.

INSPIRED MOMENTS Mark Tanner’s motivating advice on studying 3 of this issue’s scores

Taking examinations

Entering music festivals

Music festivals can play an invaluable role in motivating and promoting the advancementt of the amateur pianist. At advancemen a music festival, pianists frequently get to play on an instrument superior to those encountered at home or belonging to a teacher, while a larger performing space can offer a glimpse of what it is like to play in a professional setting. Quickly getting used to a strange piano is central to success in competitive music festivals, since in most cases you  won’tt be offered  won’ offe red the chance ch ance to try t ry it out o ut beforehand. After the adjudication, piano specialists sometimes give mini-masterclasses, mini-master classes, rendering the overall festival experience a really memorable one by demonstrating and giving advice in ways not possible in an examination. Unlike exams, festivals thrive on audiences, made up principally of parents, teachers and fellow participants. A good way of initially getting to grips with playing to an audience is to imagine there is just one person there – luckily, audiences do not have collective intelligence! Many festivals have adult classes as well as ‘open’ or ‘recital’ classes, and these provide the chance to present several pieces or movements, alongside scope for learning how to take applause. Attending concerts

It is worth pointing out how beneficial and inspirational attending professional piano recitals and concertos can be. I’d urge you to sit as close to the pianist as you can, to really capture the sense of immediacy and energy that top players seem to generate. Pay less attention to flamboyant gestures and notice instead how each part of the pianist’s body is contributing, however subtly, to producing an exquisitely balanced yet  well projected pro jected sound. so und.

 Valsa alsa Confi dências  [Scores  [Scores page 38]: Although the Nazareth V Brazilian composer Ernesto Nazareth received classical training, he readily absorbed styles and idioms from Africa and elsewhere. A Chopinesque flavour often creeps through too. This Valsa  is  is a rather

2

 [Scores page 42]: As was Grieg Gavotte from Holberg Suite  [Scores common in the 19th century, century, Grieg chose to featur feature e music from a bygone era, at the same time paying homage to the Danish-Norwegian playwright, Ludvig Holberg. The Suite comprises five movements, all of them 18th-century dance forms, making this an early example of neo-Classical writing. The Gavotte holds a special charm, with its characteristic launch on the second beat of the bar (bearing in mind that it is written in alla breve  time).  time). Give it a stately, ‘gallant’ feel, bringing the melody clearly to the fore while allowing the grander passages to stand proud by means of the LH’s octaves and bolder dynamics.

3

We Wish You a Me rry Christmas  [Scores  [Scores page 51]: What better motivation is there than the nearness of Christmas, I wonder? Subtitled ‘with apologies to Bach’, Sean Montgomery’s enterprisingly ‘fugal’ arrangement of this topical tune has much to commend it as it wends its way through a number of distant keys. Limit the use of pedal here, just as you would in any Baroque piece, but by all means be liberal with dynamic ideas, ensuring all voice entries are announced confidently. Don’t get bogged down by the contrapuntal complexities and overlook the need for a light-hearted portrayal!

keeping buoyant and motivated. A surprising number of adults seem resigned to functioning without lessons and it has to be said that in many cases this is a recipe for disaster. I would encourage all amateur pianists to have lessons, preferably evenly spaced, but not necessarily weekly or fortnightly fortnightly.. Adult learners need a different kind of teaching from children, though their requirements are every bit as great, and arguably the ramifications of slipping into bad habits can be far worse. Even the thought of a lesson looming in six weeks’ time should be sufficient to steer st eer us away from fro m digital distractions for an hour or so a day and may add a frisson of excitement to the solitary business of practising. Something else to consider is that the thorny topic of repertoire selection really needs input from someone who understands you and your particular attributes, such as stamina, hand size etc. Finally Finally,, we might spare a thought for our teacher, whose own need to feel motivated during the lesson will likely impact on the quality of what is taught to us! ■

Working with a teacher

Lastly, it would be hard to overestimate the importance of a good teacher in 19• Pianist 81

In the next issue Mark Tanner Tanner discusses techniques for playing Romantic music.

 

  play      HOW TO

Bringing clarity to TEXTURE

How can you play with more depth of tone? Teacher and performer

I

Graham Fitch

discusses how

learning to colour, shape and control the texture of a piece can improve your tone hugely

n the last issue’s article on tone, I described how to create a beautiful singing line on the piano. We achieve this not just by playing the melodic line stronger than the background material but also by how  we shade, shape and inflect the t he line, as well as a s the type ty pe of touch t ouch we use. In this article, I am going to talk about texture in piano playing and show how to discover and shape the different types of texture in our pieces so we add dimension and bring the music to life. Most of us are lucky enough to have been brought up on a steady diet of Bach, the Two-Part Inventions being the purest examples of equality between the two hands. As we progress through the Sinfonias and the Preludes and Fugues, we find music in three, four or even more parts. Some piano music is inspired by the orchestra, and knowing the composer’s composer’s symphonies and other orchestral works really does help us play with greater range and understanding. Imagining the timbre of an oboe solo soaring over sustained muted strings, for example, will help us to achieve more colour and dimension in our playing than if we are just thinking in terms of piano sound. Remember that an oboe solo marked  piano will still penetrate firmly – dynamic markings are not all about decibel levels. l evels. Sometimes the music might be inspired by the string s tring quartet, where the texture is more homogenous. We hear each line clearly as a discourse between four equals. In this example from the slow movement of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata in A opus 2 no 2, play the upper three parts without especially favouring the top line – all are more or less equal in the blend. e bass line is surely imitating a pizzicato cello, and we might reproduce the effect of vibrato by adding a short dab of pedal on each note:  Another type ty pe of texture t exture is melody m elody and accompaniment ac companiment,, or foreground fore ground

& ##  ? ## ≈ ≈ ≈ ≈ ≈ ≈ ≈ ≈ ≈ ≈ ≈ ≈ . . . . . . . . . . . . j‰ Œ Œ & ## ? ## ≈ ≈ ≈ ≈ ≈ ≈ j j # J . . . . .

WATCH GRAHAM ONLINE

Don’t miss Graham Fitch Fitch’s ’s video Pianist  lessons on the  website  website at www.pianistm www.pianistmagazine.com. agazine.com. Graham demonstrates everything that he discusses on these pages – and more. There’s nothing like watching the expert! Graham is a pianist, teacher, writer and adjudicator, and writes a popular blog, www.practisingthepiano.com.

4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4

3

 staccato sempre sempre

 

 

3

 

1

 

 

5

 

 

 

 

2

   

3 5

 

2

 

3

3

and background. How far apart we put these two layers of sound depends on the style of the period and our personal taste. Where appropriate, we might decide to play the RH much stronger than the LH (assuming the RH has the melodic line), and we create a ‘Mona Lisa’ sound. e foreground dominates the soundscape and the background is very far away. As we shall see later, what gives this type of texture real depth is very slightly bringing out the basses – those low bass notes that underpin everything everything else. Let’ss look at the first movement of Mozart’ Let’ Mozart’ss Sonata in C K545. ere are places where the RH is clearly the soloist and the LH the accompanist (such as the opening), but later the LH emerges from its servile role and engages in a dialogue with the RH. e hands are now equal partners (see next column):

 When it comes to Alberti basses in ClassicalClassical-period period music, mus ic, we can c an all agree they should be softer than the solo line – they are, after all, accompaniments. But within this soft dynamic level, we need to make a decision as to the type of texture we want to create. Is the LH a smooth surface for the singer to glide across (imagine a plush carpet) or something a bit grittier (perhaps a pebble beach)? We vary our LH touch accordingly, from over-holding the notes of the chord in the first instance to more active fingerwork in the second. e choice is often ours. Before we go much further, we need to look at what voicing is in piano playing. Voicing is our ability to control the tonal balance between the different elements that make up the music, whether this is the voicing of an individual chord or differentiating between the strands that make up the musical texture. Except for percussive tone clusters, a chord on the piano is rarely intended as an amorphous blob of sound. It is a living organism in  which each finger finger involved contributes to the hierarchy hierarchy of tonal tonal priorities, so that the melody finger will be stronger than the filler (or harmony) notes. If both hands are involved, involved, there will be this sense of top (melody) as well as bottom (bass), with harmony notes in between, graded by the ear of the individual player. No two pianists will reproduce exactly the same tonal balance. I have often joked that piano playing would be easier if our hands  were attached attached the other way way round, so that that strong thumbs, instead instead of the weak weak fifth fingers, were on the outsides of the hands, and would be responsible for top melodies and foundation basses (the latter so often neglected). Let’s take the first chord from Schumann’s Etudes Symphoniques  opus  opus 13 and play a game with it. As an academic exercise, I am going to give each note a percentage value based on its contribution to the overall sound. Of

20• Pianist 81

 

MASTERCLASS

course, this is not to be taken literally and it would be impossible to realise it, but I hope it will help me make a point. Here it is in context:

 

#### ? ####

legatissimo

& bbbbbb ≈

   

w

Pedale

 We want the ear to t o be directed direc ted to the t he top note no te of the t he chord since s ince it is i s in the melody line. Remembering that top notes will be naturally less resonant than those underneath, we’ll give it 40 per cent of the total sound. Looking at the RH, the lowest note is an octave doubling of the melody note and as such acts as its shadow. We have to be careful to sketch this in very lightly – say, 5 per cent. Te next note up (the E) is much more important, since it is the third of the chord, and we want to give a very clear sense of minor key here. So we’ll give it 20 per cent. Te lowest note, the bass C sharp is extremely important because it underpins not only the first RH chord but also all the other chords in the bar. But, remembering that it has a good deal of its own natural resonance because of its register, it gets a value of 20 per cent. Te two remaining notes, tonal relations % values the G sharps, are to my ear much less important. We certainly don’t want 40   to hear the growl of a bare fifth in the 5 20 LH, so would play the bass G sharp 5 very lightly, but as much as 10 per cent because of its length. Because we are in danger of exceeding the quota, the other G sharp in the RH gets the 10 remainder (see diagram at right). 20 In music constructed in three layers,  we often find the accompaniment ac companiment in the middle. midd le. In his hi s wonderful book Te Art of Piano Playing , Heinrich Neuhaus spoke of the ‘pot-bellied monster’. Tis is a fault in piano playing where the harmony swallows both bass and melody. If we want to build a hierarchical sound where we can sense foreground, background and middle ground it is not just the volume that counts, but also the texture – the type of touch we use within a given dynamic level. In the example below from Schubert’s G flat Impromptu, it is not hard to see that the harmonic middle needs to be played more softly than the top melody, but the rippling quavers also need to be extremely even tonally and yet rhythmically structured. An Impressionistic wash won’t do here:

 

C C w‰ ?   CC w °   w‰ ?   w

?

.‰

5

 

 

 

 

w

.‰

 

w‰

‰ j R

3

2

3

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

m.s.

  bbb

m.s.

 

&b b b ≈ ≈ j nn j j R R j ? bbbbbb j ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ n 4

3

4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very often a composer will create three layers in the texture but not complicate the page by notating this explicitly – they expect educated musicians to know what is happening. One such example is from Chopin’s D flat Nocturne (shown below), in which the task of the LH is to create not only a transparent harmonic background for the RH melodic line but also a slightly more substantial bass line that underpins the whole:

> b b &b b b ? bbbbb 1

 

5

w

j ‰ ≈

(m.d.)

R ? bbbbbb j ‰ Œ

& bbbbb ? bbbbb

 

 

2 5

accompanimental figurations and we risk losing this if we put them too far accompanimental into the background. In the Intermezzo from Schumann’s Faschingsschwank aus Wien (shown below), it would be a mistake to subdue the brokenchord figuration. Play the accompaniment quite strongly to bring out the turbulence in the music: q 

j

 ™

J

T

2

 

 

...... > 2

 

Sometimes it helps to work with an image. In this Chopin Nocturne, I imagine an aquarium. Tere is a bottom layer of gravel and rocks, plant life floating gently in the middle, and a magnificent angelfish (the RH top melody) swimming serenely. How do we achieve this effect? Te melodic line needs our best quality legato cantabile (always projected, projected, even in  pp); play the bass notes tenuto by playing them slightly firmer and holding them a fraction of a microsecond longer than the rank and file semiquavers. n

 

Te first movement of Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight’  Sonata is another piece in three layers, but it is difficult to say which is the more important – the top melody or the broken chords. Here, we may well feel the ghostly triplets are as important as the melodic line above. Sometimes there is a lot of energy in

In his next article on tone, Graham looks at how to achieve good quality sound in both extremes of the dynamic spectrum, controlling the keyboard in loud and soft playing.

21• Pianist 81

 

  play     

 S S  I S  T M  N ’ T M  IE    IE  D O  LA A N  ’ S  M E L   W IC K  N S W   PA  S PA

Charles GOUNOD (1818-1893)

 O  P A G  PA

The Pipers 

 N    N  S O  S H   E C E  L E   S P I E   H I S P  T  N T  N  E    E

TRACK 3

 2 2

HOW TO

BEGINNER/ INTERMEDIATE

In1861,justafewyearsafterthesuccessfuldebutofhisopera Faust  F aust  ,Frenchcomposer lovelypastoralequalitytoit.Youshouldtryyourhardesttomakethemelody–which Gounodwrotethisjollypieceforpiano.Thetitle Lespifferari,Impromptutrèsfacile    movesquicklyandlightlyupanddownthekeyboard–soundseamless.Noticehow  suggests a merry and light-hearted mood. ‘Pifferari’ comes from an Italian word itdiesawayattheend,asifthepipersare walkingoffintothedistance.Evenifpedal meaning‘smallnine-holeflutesimilartooboe’,thoughinFrenchthewordcameto isnotnecessary,ourhousepianistChenyinLisuggestsadabof shortpedalhereand meanmanykindsofwinds–sowhetherit’saflute,bagpipeoroboeisupto you! there.Seewhatshehassuggestedonthescoreandgiveit atry. Playingandpedaltips: Thispieceischarming,butfullofplayfulness.Italsohasa  ReadMelanieSpanswick’sstep-by-s teplessononthispieceonpage22.

.  = 120

 Allegro

FULL SCORE ON PAGE 30

&&bb &? b >> &? b ? bb  >> ?b &&bb ŒŒ ‰‰ &? b Œ>> ‰ >> &? bb Œ> ‰ > ? b   > > ?b   &&bb   JJ &b J &?? bb J ?b ?b   &&bb ‰‰ &? b ‰ &? bb ‰ ?   ? bb      

. ∑∑ . ∑>. ∑ >> >

 =  =

1 5

1 3

 

 

5

1

2

3

 

 

 

1 3

1 2

 1

5

2

3

1 5

1 3

 

1

 

GOUNOD The Pipers

 

 

3

 

   

 3

13

1

 

 

 3  3

 

2

 

 

5  

 

JJ J J 2

>> > > 1 5

3

1 2

‰‰ >> ‰ > ‰ > ‰‰ ‰ ‰ 2

   

 

 

3

 

 

 

2

1 4

1 5

   

 

 

4

3

2

4

1

 

3

 

 

3

2

1

 

ct

 3

4

 

 

 

   

3

 

 

JJ J J 2

∑∑ ∑> ∑>> > 1 4

 4

‰‰ ‰ ‰

 

 

1 3    

 

 

5

‰‰ ‰ ‰

 

4

 

 

JJ J J

2

‰‰ ‰ ‰

2

   

 

 

1 4

 

3

2

 

1 2

3

1

>> > > ‰‰ ‰ ‰ 1 2

ct1

1 5

 

∑∑ ∑> ∑>> > ‰‰ ‰ ‰ 1 3

ct  sempre  mar cato

 

1 4

 

 

 

3

 

sim.

1

‰‰ ‰‰ >> ‰ >> ‰ >‰ >‰ > > ‰‰ ‰‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ 1

∑∑ ∑> ∑>> > 1 4

 

 

 

9

1 2

2

 

1 5

>> > >

 =

   

1 2    

 

3

‰‰ ‰ ‰

   

4

5

 

 

JJ J J

1 4    

 

2

 

4  

   

5  

 

JJ J J

2

 

1 5

1 3

1 2

1 4

1 5

1 3

1 2

1 4

sim.

30 • Pianist81

30 c or es GO

O- FI AL.indd

30

13/11/ 2014

11:16

A steady pulse in the left hand, eet ngerwork in the right and a wide range of dynamics will help you bring extra zest to this energetic and fun piece, explains teacher and author Melanie Spanswick Beginner

Info Key:  F major  Key: empo:  Allegro empo: Style:  Romantic

 Ability rating

Melanie Spanswick is a classical pianist, teacher, adjudicator, author and presenter. She regularly conducts workshops and masterclasse masterclasses s in Germany as well as for EPTA (European Piano Teachers Association). She adjudicates for the British and International Federation Federat ion of Festiva Festivals ls and curates the Classical Conversations Series, where she interviews eminent classical pianists on camera. These interviews are published on YouTube. Her book, So You Want To Play The Piano?  Pian o?  has  has been critically acclaimed. Find out more about Melanie at www.melaniespan www.melaniespanswick.com swick.com and www.soyouwanttoplaythepiano.com

Will improve your 3Finger

agility grasp 3 Evenness of tone 3 Rhythmic

Tis charming, lively little piece is full of energy and brio. It’s brio. It’s perfect for those with elementary skills (around Grade 2-3 level) who wish to tackle rapid scalic passagework combined with a crisp, dance-like rhythm. Beginner to intermediate intermedia te pianists will appreciate the  joyful and melodious me lodious ‘pipers’ thematic material and the fairly straightforward diatonic harmony. Marked Allegro, this piece requires a swift pace. Experiment pace. Experiment with tempo.  A metronome speed of approximately dotted crotchet equals 120 beats per minute is probably ideal. You may also  want to listen l isten to the recording on the covermount CD for a clear overview of tempo, phrasing and dynamic markings. Fingering is crucial due to the fast, fleeting passagework passagework in the right hand (RH).  Tis passagework is the primary (RH). technical challenge throughout. I have suggested some fingering, which is printed in the score, but you can change it and adjust to suit your hand. Separate hand practice is also important.  Start with the left-hand important. (LH) part, which consists of static chords centred on the key (F major). Te chordal patterns are similar throughout, and the accents require a firm finger grip cushioned by a flexible wrist that will allow the finger tips to sink into the key bed producing a warm sound. Every LH chord has a middle C, played by the thumb.  thumb.  o voice each chord effectively, give the lower note greater emphasis, tone and shape (the notes F and A on beats one 1 and 2 in bar 1, for example). ry balancing the hand towards the weaker fingers, the fourth and the fifth, and make sure they strike each note fully, stroking the keys using plenty of arm weight. Te transfer of weight from the stronger side of the   o   t hand to the weaker should encourage   a   a   z    i    R the thumb to play lightly. Legato is a   e   c    i   r crucial feature in the LH, and without    b   a    F   it, the use of some pedal may be    ©

necessary [see house pianist Chenyin Li’s suggested pedal markings on the score]. As the LH remains in the same position, it’s quite feasible to join every chord. Aim to produce a smooth legato tone, which involves transferring transferring finger  weight evenly, evenl y, while at the same time bringing out the secondary melodic material in the lower part of each chord.

should still be subordinate in volume of sound to the RH melody. Strong fingers provide total clarity in the longer scalic passages such as bars 21 to 29. One 29. One way of achieving the desired full sound is to practise producing

 Learning Tip Tip

Play the scale, arpeggio and related  An interesting character trait in this chords (tonic, subdominant and piece is the use of phrasing in the dominant) of F major as a primer, melodic line. Te 6/8 time signature before you start learning the piece combined with the rests on many of the second quavers (in the groups of three per dotted crotchet), provides a a large tone, with each finger working  wonderful dance-like feel akin to a jig, independently independen tly on the fingertip pad, going capturing the flavour of pipers playing. down, deep into the key bed, encouraging Tis rhythm requires disciplined practice each finger to gather strength. and an incisive pulse is necessary. Practise at half speed to begin with, counting  At the four-part four -part chords cho rds at bar 37 aloud to account for each beat. Doing the outer parts of each hand must this will guard against ‘rushing’ the rests, highlight the melodic matieral and will lead to a stable pulse p ulse and a (especially the RH top line).  line). Practise bouncy, cheerful quality. this line alone, without the other parts, shaping and colouring the melody,  Articulation is paramount, especially before adding the accompanying lines in the RH.  RH. Phrasing also needs vigilance. softly. Ten put hands together slowly, Te fingering for passages such as bars increasing the speed accordingly and 5-8 requires frequent hand position employing the metronome for total changes, which can be very helpful for rhythmic reliability. efficient articulation, forcing the fingers to leave the keyboard in order to make In this piece, Gounod presents us with time for each rest. Te phrase marks (or a wide range of dynamics, from ppp from ppp   slurs) like those in bar 6, benefit from to ff   to  ff   . Tis should be taken into account a ‘drop-roll’ approach, where the hand/ from the outset. It’s much easier to build  wrist sinks down into the keys on the tonal changes into a piece during the first note, beat 3 of the bar (in this case early stages of learning, and it also really a G) and then rolls upwards to beat characterises a performance. Particularly 4 (a B ), lifting off cleanly at the end important are the accents in the LH, the climax from bars 25-29 ( fortissimo ( fortissimo), ), of the note. Bear in mind that note endings are often as important as their and the ending from bars 46-54, which dies away to ppp to  ppp.. Be sure to observe the beginnings. Te second note (the B  )  will be slightly lighter than t han the first fi rst pause on the last chord and add some sustaining pedal for added colour too (as (G), adding to the sparkling, flowing character. Note too, that the rests are marked). A small rit. might work from bar 50 onwards to give the impression crucial in a work such as this; be sure of a band of pipers and their catchy song to account for every one. While the LH chords are meant to be accented, they drifting away into the distance. ■ 22• Pianist 81

 

A new way to practise Piano Practice Par tner

makes playing exam pieces more musical, enjoyable and rewarding. Providing a helping hand with Grade 1 to 3 repertoire, this new tool enables students to practise one part at a time.

... brilliantly easy to navigate and inviting to use ... BBC Music Magazine

Find out more: www.abrsm.org/practicepartner

Proin dui, ABRSM: purus the ex th exam bo b oard of otincidunt f th the Royal Sc Schecongue ools of of Mu Music enim.

www.abrsm.org   facebook.com/abrsm   

@abrsm ABRSM YouTube

Su pporting an and promoting the highest standards of musical learning and assessment since 1889.

playing is believing  We specialise in rebuilding  We rebuild ing ne pianos. Pure crasmanship, unparalleled attention to detail and the highest quality components are our trademarks, resulting in pianos with beautiful sound at exceptional value. Come play for yourself.  First in the UK to use us e bronze bass strings.

 Better value than tha n buying new.

“A great improvement over traditional copper wound bass strings with a warm, deep and clear sound.”  Mr F. Tahmasebi, repeat customer.

Kawai Selection Centre

  grandpassionpianos

gppianos

www.grandpassionpianos.co.uk [email protected]

0800 233 5213 23• Pianist 81

 

 

Tel. 01323 8439 843900 00

www.sussexpianos.co.uk 

 

  play      HOW TO

SCHUBERT SCHU BERT ARR. LISZT

 Der Müller und der Bach Liszt transformed a touching Schubert song into an equally exquisite solo piano piece that demands singing tone and a singer’s mindset. Concert pianist and teacher Lucy Parham takes you through it Info Key: G Key:  G minor empo: Moderato empo:  Moderato Style: Romantic Style:  Romantic

 Ability rating

Advanced

Will improve your 3Cantabile

tone

3 Balance 3Keeping 3 Keeping

a long line

Tis beautiful gem is one of my favourite pieces for solo piano. I have played it many times in recitals and I have never failed to be surprised about how much audiences love it too, as it is extremely poignant. poignant. Tere seems to be a message in this piece that, even without the words, goes straight to the heart. In the 1840s and 50s Schubert’s songs  were rarely heard outside Vienna, Vienna ,  yet Liszt was so sure su re of their future fut ure success that he set about transcribing them for the piano.  piano. When  When Liszt Lis zt was travelling around Europe, dazzling his audiences, the songs of Franz Schubert  were among the th e many new pieces he introduced to his public. Although some people were somewhat derogatory about the piano solo arrangements, we do have Liszt to thank for introducing them to a wider public [read the article on arrangements on page 68]. In fact, Liszt transcribed over 100 of Schubert’s songs as well as many by Mendelssohn, Schumann and even Beethoven. Tey are all well worth discovering. ‘Der Müller und der Bach’ is one of the songs from Schubert’s song cycle Die schöne Müllerin. Te poetry is by Wilhelm Müller and tells the story of a young man journeying through the countryside, who falls in love with a miller’s daughter. He encounters many problems and much heartache along the way. In ‘Der Müller und der Bach’, the penultimate song in the 20-piece cycle, he talks to the brook about his unrequited love for the miller’s daughter. It is a long narrative in the song cycle and there isn’t enough space to explain the whole story here. In essence, the mood of this song is very sombre and yet sometimes the cloud is lifted to reveal hope.

  n    i   e   t   s   n   r    A   n   e   v    S      ©

its inner meaning. I would suggest that you write the translation into the score. Tere are some crucial words that are enhanced by the particular harmony that they fall upon. Secondly, it is very important that you listen to the original song. Liszt  Liszt has embellished the original a lot and it is important to know where this has happened. I believe that Liszt has transcribed this piece with such integrity that the essence of the piece is never lost. You can sense Liszt’s absolute devotion to the piece.  At the opening, make sure you have a real feeling of three beats in a bar. Te 3/8 marking is significant here. Although it is only moderato you still need for the line and melody to keep moving. ,

Lucy Parham performs her words and music programme Beloved Clara  on  on 3 Dec at the Apex, Bury St Edmunds with Martin Jarvis and Joanna David. She performs Odyssey of Love  at  at Salisbury Theatre (Martin Jarvis/Joanna David) on 16 Jan and at Yvonne Arnaud Guildford (Henry Goodman/Harriet Walter) on 17 Jan. Her new season of Sunday morning coffee concerts combining words and music at Kings Place commences on 7 December with a celebrity gala. For other dates and details, please visit www.lucyparham.com

 At the star t of the song, son g, the miller mill er and the brook are talking to each other.  Te miller talking about a true other. heart that is wasting away in love. It’s significant that Schubert uses the key of G minor for the miller and the major key for the brook’s reply. Always try to colour the darker, minor key. Te first two bars represent the piano introduction. Te ‘voice’ (melody) enters in bar 3, so you need to focus on this immediately. ry and balance your tone so that the accompaniment is secondary to the projection of the melody.. In bar 10, try melody tr y to keep a sense of flow and work ‘over’ the bar line. When you encounter a large right-hand (RH) chord (such as in a bar in 19) you can take the top (highest) note with the left hand (LH). Tere’s a sprinkling of fingering within the score. I suggest

you work on the fingering that suits you best, and mark it in clearly. I cannot stress enough the importance of marking your fingering on the score, otherwise, if you return to the work

 Learning Tip Tip Read the English translation of the original song, as it is crucial to know what all the words mean, and listen to the original song

a few weeks later, you might forget what you had chosen.  chosen.  Tere aren’t any pedal markings on the score. Y score. You ou need to t o judge the th e pedal by using your ear. You don’t don’t want any dry sound within this piece. It needs to be well pedalled, but clean. A lot of half pedalling will be needed, especially in bar 3 when the melody enters. Te piece gets more technically difficult at bar 29, but there are some things you can do.  do. On the third semiquaver of the LH (29) you could pop this B into the RH to make it easier. Tis happens a lot, so keep your eyes out for this. Troughout this section, try to feel the optimism of the brook’s reply. ‘Dolce’ is the marking here, so find a real sweetness of sound  without losing l osing the projection of the line and the melody. Also, notice the German word ‘schmerz’ at bar 31. Tis word means ‘pain’ and you need to be aware of this while playing and consequently imbue the harmony with that feeling. In bar 33 the LH becomes more difficult as it is written in tenths.  tenths.  I  would suggest you play these two notes as quickly as possible, almost with a ‘whipping’ feeling from the fifth finger to the thumb, as you do not want the LH to sound laboured. Te word ‘ossia’ on the score at this point means ‘alternativ ‘alternative’. e’.    You  Y ou will see that there is an easier alternative in thirds provided for those  who find this passage difficult. In a lot of his pieces Liszt did this, adding an easier version for pianists with smaller hands.  hands. Keep the sentiment very intimate here and imagine a very private conversation. At bars 38-9 take a gentle ritardando for a bar or two and return to your tempo properly at bar 40. Again, at

wo things are very important as you begin to study this piece. First of all you must read the English translation of the song as it is vital that you know  what all the t he words mean. mea n. Tis piece p iece is very difficult to play if you do not know the story that lies behind it and 24• Pianist 81

 

 S  S  T M I S  ’ S  N ’ T M A M  HA  R H  D O Y  PA A    C Y P  N   N  L U  O IE  S S  C E  P  C  L E  S P  I S  H  T  N T  N  E    O  G E

TRACK 12

Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828) arr. LISZT

Moderato

&bb    ‰‰ &

FULL SCORE ON PAGE 59

   

 

 

 

 

8

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

15

 22

 As Lucy Parham notes in heresson, l Liszt is careful to convey the mood of the originalsongandcoloursthemusicwithreferencetothetext–you’llseethatthewords areprintedinthescore.Inthesong, thelovelornmillertalkstothebrook abouthis belovedturningheraffectionselsewhere,andnow‘Atrueheart/Wastesawayinlove’. LucyParhamgivesastep-by-steplessononthispieceonpage24.

‰ ‰ ‰ ‰J R R R ‰ ##J R ‰ ‰J R R R ‰ #J R ‰ ‰J R R R ‰ #J R ‰ J RRR J R b ‰ ? bb ‰ # ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ bJ ‰ # . . ‰ ≈≈ R ‰ n R R ‰ ‰ bJ RR ‰ # . . .. .. ‰ ≈ R ‰ n R R ‰ ‰ bJ R ‰ # . . . . ‰ ≈ R ‰ n R R ‰ n R R R JR .. . . ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ R R ‰ bbJ R ‰ nn ‰ ‰‰ ##‰ ‰ R R ‰ bbJ R ‰ n ‰ ‰ #‰ ‰ R R ‰ bbJ R ‰ n ‰ ‰ #‰ R R b J R ## ‰‰ ‰ ‰ ## ‰ ‰ b ‰ ‰ ≈R ‰ R R ‰ b R ‰j r R ‰ ≈ R ‰ R R ‰ b j RR ≈ ‰j r R ‰ R ‰ R R ‰ b j R jR j rr R ≈ R R R j j

 &&???bbb    ‰‰ i

li

 

u

l i 

i

u

i t u

u

 

 

 2

i  c

 

 

-

de m

Da

t. 

 

 

j

 

 

 

 

u 

 

 

 

i

 

 

 

i 

 

l

 

i

it

 

i

i

l

i

l

 

 

 

i

 

i

 

 

 

 

 

i

t

’

.

 

M en- shc en n i h ct  

  se hn’ .

i

 

t

’

 

.

 

 

 

 

 

 

i

 

 

 

 

.

 

i

 

’

 

mit seine Thrä -nen d  i e it

t

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

i

u , u

i

u , u

 

 

i

 

 

u ,  u

 

 

 An -

lu

 

lu

 

  

 

 

lu

u

i

i

u

i

i

   

u 

i

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

i

gen   sich zu,   und schluch   u n d s i n -g en   d  i e - zen  

   

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

t  ,

l

 

 

t  ,

 

 

e Se

i

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

i

l

 

 

 

 

 

ll

i

’ ,

g e hn ’ ,

 

 

ll

 

’ , 

 

 

 

 

 

i

l

 

   

 

i

 

it

d a w le - k n e d ei

t,

R R R R

W ol-k ender oll o Vll - mond

 

u

 

 

 

 

i

m uss i n d i e

t.

 

 

 

 

 

 

ivu

B eet.

 

i

 

iv

 

 

i

 

 

  ic

i

 

i

 

iv

‰ ≈ ‰ R ‰‰ ≈ RR ‰‰ RR RR R ≈ R ‰ ≈R ‰ R R R RR R ‰ ‰ ..≈ ‰ ≈R J R‰ J R‰ ‰ .≈ R ‰ .≈ R J R‰ J R R ‰ ‰ # ‰ ‰ ≈R R R # R ≈ R ‰‰ R R ‰ # j R ≈ R ‰‰ R R ‰ # j R ≈R ‰ R R j R j ‰ ‰ ‰ j # # ‰ ‰ jj # # # rr rr ‰ UU‰ j ## # r r ‰ U‰ # rr U ##

Li e - b e v er- g eh t,

i i

 

 1 

  ic

i n

 

 

i t u

 

i  c

 

 

 

ein treues Her- ze

 

3

malinconico i t espressivo u

 

j

 

li

Wo

   

i c tic .

ej

 

 

i

‰ ‰ ‰ ‰

j

L i - l i en a u f

ADVANCED

DerMüllerund derBach

 PA 4  PA  2

ThecomposerandpianistFranzLiszt(1811-1886)wasagreatadmirerofSchubert andarrangedsome100ofSchubert’ssongsforthepiano.In1846,Liszttooksixsongs from Schubert’s DieschöneMüllerin cycle of 20 songs and collected them as .Heplaced‘DerMüllerundderBach’asthesecondpiecein hiscycle,  Müllerlied er   whileitwasthepenultimatepieceinSchubert’scycle.

 

ll

 

 

 

 

 

 

t

l

 

 

 

 

   

’ ,

 

 

l

da

t

i

l i

i

l i

 

 

 

i i

 

 

D a h a l-  t e nd i e   E n gei l n die  

l

 

 

 

 

 

t

 

 

l i

 

   

 

l

u u

l

u

 

   

 

 

l

 

 

i

i

 

 

 

u .’ u .’

 

   

-

 

 

.

u  . ’  

   

 l ezur . Ruh’.

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

.

 smorz.  

 

59 • Pianist81

P59 Scores

bar 41 on the third LH semiquaver (E), trying putting it in the RH to make it easier. is applies for the rest of this passage. e first time you really feel the sense of abandon and passion is in bar 49. at’s 49. at’s the point at which you can really begin to let things go. I  would suggest practising this section  with everything apart from the melody,, and then adding the melody melody later. is will ensure you know what is really going on underneath in the accompaniment. Some LH alone practice here will also be valuable.  At bar 54 make sure you you balance the RH top line and do not get weighed down by the lower line in the LH, especially when you have to spread the chord.  chord. You  You could also try singing the top line while playing at the lower line. At bar 59 you want to ease into the ritardando and into the triplets that are coming up at bar 60. Try Try to create a beautiful sound at bar 62 and 63 when you have a smorzando into the miller’s gentle reply.  At bar 64 the piece reaches rea ches a technically even more challenging level. I would suggest you play the ossia in the bass because it gives more of the effect of the brook. Note that Liszt asks for ‘malinconico espressivo’ – melancholy. If you do decided to go for the triplet version,  version, try getting it really smooth in your LH alone before you add the RH. It’s really  worthwhile to spend some som e time practising hands separately for this passage, not least for the fact you are

HS U- LIS ZT- FI NAL.indd

5 9

13/11/2014

1: 21

trying to get a pizzicato effect in the RH in the lower semiquavers. Bar 82 is so exquisite a moment that you really want to get this correct; take your time over the top RH note. As the mood changes you want to ease into the next section, and fade away until you reach bar 92, which is like the final uttering. In his transcriptions, Liszt often adds an extra verse where there are no words, and this piece is no exception. is final verse forms a gentle and telling coda and he is very explicit about telling you to keep the accompaniment accompanime nt very quiet – see the instruction in bar 92.  At this point poin t in the piece pie ce it is very important that the accompanying demisemiquavers in both hands are kept very much on the key. Do not release your fingers from the surface of the key, otherwise it will sound too clattering. It should sound like a soft murmur here. Give a gentle swell at bar 100 and remember to observe the con anima  marking  marking at 105. is means ‘with love’ and definitely not ‘with animation’ (a common mistake in translation!) Each ensuing two-bar phrase here wants to sound quieter and quieter. You need to feel that the brook is literally ebbing away. Lift the pedal slowly to create the perfect atmospheric ending. ■  Lucy Parham plays this piece on this issue’s’s covermount CD. e track comes issue  from her ‘e Romantic Piano’ Piano’ 2-CD (Sanctuary CD RSB 202). Full details at www.lucyparham.com

Lucy Parham on arrangements to try Other approachable Liszt arrangements of Schubert Schubert include  include ‘Wohin?’ (‘Whither?’),, which also comes from Die schöne Müllerin. (‘Whither?’) Müllerin. Liszt also made a fine arrangement of Schubert’s much-loved ‘Ave Maria’. His arrangement of ‘Ständchen’’ (Serenade) from the song collection Schwanengesang  (Swan ‘Ständchen  (Swan song) appeared inside issue 59 Scores. It’s one of the few Liszt arrangements that he composed of a less virtuosic nature, though there is also a more difficult version. Liszt arranged six of Chopin Chopin’s ’s opus 74 songs under the title Six Chants polonais S480. ‘The Maiden’s Song’ and ‘Frühling’ are the most famous. In 1848, Liszt made an arrangement of Schumann Schumann’s ’s ‘Widmung’ (‘Dedication’), which comes from the Myrthen Myrthen songs  songs that Schumann gave to Clara as a wedding present. Liszt changed the title to ‘Liebeslied’, ‘Liebeslied’, but most know this arrangement as ‘Widmung’. It is one of my favourites. ‘Frühlingsnacht’ comes from Schumann’s song cycle Liederkreis  and  and means ‘spring night’. The The original and the arrangment evoke a spring night with rustling trees, singing birds, etc. Finally, if you want to veer away from Liszt, look at Balakirev Balakirev’s ’s transcription of Glinka’s song ‘The Lark’.

 

  play     

 S

 S  S  I S  ’ T M  T M A N ’  MA  D O N  N E W M  N    N  J JA A N E T S S  O I E  P  C E  L E  IS P  IS  T HA  N T  O N  E    PA G E  P

TRACK 7

Ernesto NAZARETH (1863-1934)

HOW TO

INTERMEDIATE

ValsaConfidências 

 2 6

 We’vepublishedtwotangosbyBraziliancomposerErnestoNazarth(inissues66and sectionappearsatbar33.Makesureyouhavefleetfingers throughout.You’llneeda  70)andhealsowroteover 40waltzes.Thiswaltz,‘inspiredbythepoetCatulloda  strongRHtechnique,withgoodarticu lationandevennessofsound.Practiseveryslowly  PaixãoCearense’waspublish edin1913.ListentorecordingsbyBrazilianpiani stssuch atfirst,onlybuildingupthetempogradually.Makesureeachfinge r/notefeelsseparate asArthurMoreiraLimatogeta senseoftherhythmicfreedomonecanhave. fromthenext.Frombar55,theRHplayshighinthetreble–thisshouldsoundsweet Playingandpedaltips: Thisgorgeouswaltzshouldhaveaniceliltto it.Rubatois and‘tinkly’,almostemulatingamusicalboxsound.Wh enyoureachtheend,goback definitelyallowedhereandthere(listenonourcovermountCD howChenyinLi tothestartandfinishatthe‘Fine’atbar32.Pedallinghasbeenmarkedintothescore. makesagenerousrubatoattheendofbar16,forexample–it’swonderful).Abrighter ReadJanetNewman’sstep-by-steplessononthispieceonpage26.

Espressivo

‰ &&& ‰‰ ‰

FULL SCORE ON PAGE 38

  &????  

3

4

       

  5  

1 2

   

5

&& ‰‰ &&? ‰‰ ?? ?

ŒŒŒ Œ

1 2

ERNESTO NAZARETH

4

3

   

3

3

4

   

ŒŒŒ Œ

     

   

1

4

3

F™ F™

2

F™ F™

4

1 2

   

3

4

3

2

1

3

2

1

2

1

5

4

5

4

F™ 3 F™ F™ F™

       

3

4

ŒŒŒ Œ

   

2

   

ŒŒŒ Œ

1

       

1

ŒŒ ŒŒ

   

   

   

‰ &&& ‰‰ &?? ‰ ??

3

4

   

  5    

&&& ‰‰‰ &? ‰ ???

2

ŒŒ ŒŒ

  3  

   

9

5 3

F™ F™ 3

F™ F™

       

 3  3

 3 13

   

ŒŒ ŒŒ

   

   

1 2 3

   

       

1

ŒŒ ŒŒ

3

4

       

3

2

ŒŒ ŒŒ

3

1

3

2

       

## ##

3

1

5 2

 

4

ŒŒ ŒŒ

1 2 3

38 • Pianist81

38 c or es

AZARET - FI AL.indd

38

13/11/ 2014

11:18

Valsa Confdê Confdências ncias With a soundworld between Piazzolla and Chopin, Nazareth’s beguiling waltz is a pleasure to play – and dramatic rubato and dynamics are a must, says teacher and performer  Janet Newman  Ability rating Intermediate

Info Key:  A minor  Key: empo:  Tempo comodo (relaxed/easy) empo: Style:  Argentinian-inspired waltz

Te Brazilian composer Ernesto Nazareth composed a great deal, mostly in a small-scale forms, with something like 200 works (mostly for piano) composed over his lifetime.  lifetime.  I had not come across Nazareth before, so it has been a pleasure to experience something new both in playing and  writing about abo ut this piece [Nazareth’s Brejeiro appeared Brejeiro  appeared in Pianist  No  No 70’s scores; Tango Brasileiro was Brasileiro was in issue 66]. He used popular idioms in his music, such as the tango, and was in demand as a pianist playing in cafes, clubs and at society parties. I was reminded of the  Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla Piazzo lla  when I played pl ayed the piece, p iece, and certainly, I also picked up something of a flavour of Chopin within the piece as well, which made playing it very enjoyable.  At the star t of the piece piec e the key is  A minor, which gives gi ves a very wistful, wistful , melancholic character to the music. Tere’s a feeling of ‘time passed’, and the reflective quality of the piece can be shown in the way that you judge the rubato that the music clearly calls for. Rubato (literally translated as ‘stol ‘stolen en time’) is extremely difficult to pin down and teach because it is such a personal quality that each player  will interpret inte rpret instinctively. instin ctively. In  In the opening, I feel that the music ‘unwinds’ so start a little slower than you intend and gradually reach the desired speed  within a bar ba r or two – it really reall y is almost almo st impossible to give precise instructions about this as it really is a matter of taste and instinct. I like to linger at the top of the phrases (bar 3 and bar 7) as it feels such an expressive moment and it gives the listener a chance to hear the falling C-B (bar 3) and B-A (bar 7),  which seems see ms to characterise ch aracterise the pensive pensi ve mood set in this opening section. Make a ritardando at the end of bar 16 before you move into the return of the main theme. Te return is almost identical to the opening apart from a few additional ornamentations and lefthand (LH) changes.

Will improve your 3Sense

of rubato of touch 3Memorising 3 Lightness

 A piece like this where the form is clear and very repetitive makes it very easy to memorise. By comparing the sections and the ways in which the music differs, you can get a strong idea of the structure and direction quickly, which will help the memorising process. Memorising puts both the player and the listener into a more direct contact with the music, and by understanding and analysing key structure, you will gain a better all-round musicianship. ry it and see! Starting at bar 17, make sure that the LH keeps balanced and subtle by practising it ‘blind’. On the first beat of bars 17, 18 and 22, when you have a small leap, keep your LH thumb extended above the octave as it gives you a marker and you won’t need to look down at your hand to see if it is in the right place. Tis is quite important, as on the whole, it is best to keep your hand covering the keys so that you can move effectively around the keyboard.

Grammar School in Guildford. In addition to her teaching, she is in demand as a freelance pianist and is an examiner for the ABRSM.

 Learning Tip Practise all of the LH with the pedal to make the coordination between hand and foot become completely instinctive

problems with controlling the evenness of the quavers, do some ‘holding up’ practice that I have mentioned in previous articles: choose one of the three beats in the bar and turn it into crotchets and be able to do this with each beat at will – as this really helps you to gain control over each note.

 At bar 53-54, 53 -54, I rather ra ther naughtily naugh tily like to fade away in dynamic rather than keep it forceful.  forceful. I do this even though this does go against the composer’s own directions at bar 55 where he asks for  p subito  p  subito – and so understandably, you may well prefer to stay boldly boldly forte   forte ! In the final section, which has moved into the key of A major, the RH needs to point out the top notes a little as it is a hint of an inner melody, so just bring  At bar 27 where it is i s marked ‘plangente’ ‘plange nte’ out this out with care. Let the LH act as a cushion of harmony, keeping it (‘sad’ or ‘unhappy’), try to darken the tone as these bars need a firmer quality, almost imperceptible so that the RH has centre stage in this section which, and playing into the keys will help to although it has moved into a brighter colour the sound effectively. key, still has a reticent, nostalgic feel. It’s worth considering what the meaning Play with a livelier and more extrovert approach when the key brightens at of ‘confidências’ in the title might bar 33 and leads into C major (bar 35). bring to the music – the implication of something secretive or hidden is Te waltz can come to life here, even though the dynamic remains pp remains pp,, and for certainly a quality redolent throughout piece.  a short time the mood of the music lifts the piece.  and seems more optimistic. I would Once you get to bar 73, make the also allow the phrases to move forward as the impetus seems to fit the character LH more prominent by keeping the bass line joined and cantabile. cantabile.  Te  well. Te line of the t he music leads to bar 48 and a crescendo would make dotted minim forms a little countermelody and this adds a depth of tone sense here as it will give the music a and contrast to what has so far been high point to aim for. a RH-dominated piece. Also make sure that you help this to stand out by On a more mundane technical point, the right-hand (RH) quavers need playing the chord on the second beat very gently – almost as an afterthought. to be evenly played throughout but Prepare for the final ritardando where it always with a sense of the inner is marked, and just allow the music to phrasing clearly understood. By unwind naturally, just as it began. ■ this I mean let the ending of each bar

Tere’s a feeling of ‘time passed’, and the reflective quality of the  piece can be shown in i n the way w ay that  you judge jud ge the rubat rubatoo throughou thro ughout  t 

Janet Newman is Head of Keyboard at the Royal

naturally lean into the next; feel the third beat leading the music on and never accent the first beat as all this does is make the music leaden and pedestrian. Learn all of the fingering accurately and if you are having

26• Pianist 81

 

Pianist  81 December 2014-January 2015

 Scores 

LEARN MORE WITH OUR VIDEO LESSONS

Contents 28  

BORODIN From Polovtsian Dance No Dance No 17 (arr.)

website to find an array of video lessons – from the basics of playing to more demanding technical issues. www.pianistmagazine.com/tv anistmagazine.com/tv  All you need to do is go to  to  www.pi to get started with the complete piano learning experience!

29  

DI CAPUA ARR. KEMBER O Sole Mio

30  

GOUNOD The Pipers

Our latest videos include:

33

CZERNY No 71 from Practical Exercises for Beginners op Beginners  op 599

34  

BRAHMS ARR. SCAIFE Lullaby 

36  

TRADITIONAL ARR. KEMBER Danny Boy  (Londonderry  (Londonderry Air)

38     42  

NAZARETH Valsa Confidências GRIEG Gavotte, No 3 from Holberg Suite

45  

KEYBOARD CLASS The chromatic scale

49  

HAYDN First movement from Sonata in G Hob.XVI:8

51  

TRADITIONAL ARR. MONTGOMERY We Wish You a Merry Christmas

55  

LYADOV Prelude No 1 op 11

59

SCHUBERT ARR. LISZT Der Müller und der Bach

Go to the the Pianist  Pianist

 and  John Maul Tim Stein and

have made some 30 plus lessons for Pianist , all devoted to the basics of learning the piano. Tim’ Tim’s latest lessons are on slurs, rhythm and using the thumb. Past video lessons include the basics of chord playing, sight-reading, for beginners, how to sit, geography offingering the keyboard and more. ese beginner-level lessons are demonstrated on a Roland.

Graham Fitch continues

his Masterclass series – this time the subject is ‘texture’: how you can learn to colour, shape and control a piece to bring more depth of tone to your playing. Graham’s Graham ’s lessons come directly from Steinway Hall, London, where he demonstrates on a Model D concert grand.

READ PIANIST  ON  ON THE GO Enjoy Pianist as a digital edition wherever you are in the world! Keep up to date with our latest interviews, fascinating piano features and competitions. Our Pianist    App version also includes our pages of Scores from the magazine and has sound files from our tutorial CD, so you can still listen to the scores on the go!  Why not download our FREE Pianist  app  app and then  view our FREE sample edition by visiting visiting  www.pocketmags.com/pianist   www .pocketmags.com/pianist 

Typesetting by Spartan Press Music Publishers Ltd

e Pianist  app  app is available on iPad, iPhone, Android Tablet, Android Smartphone, Kindle Fire, PC and Mac.

Quick guide to UK/North UK/ North American  American  note value terminology w

 WWW.PIANI  WWW .PIANISTMAGAZINE. STMAGAZINE.COM COM For a full list of Scores from past issues, go to  www  www.pianistmagazi .pianistmagazine.com ne.com

semibreve/whole note semibreve/whole h minim/half minim /half note q crotchet/quarter crotchet /quarter note e quaver /eighth /eighth note /16th note x semiquaver /16th

Tel: +44 (0)1778 392 483

y

E: backissues@p [email protected] ianistmagazine.com

demisemiquaver /32nd /32nd note

 

 Alexan  Ale xander der BOROD BORODIN IN (18 (183333-188 1887) 7)

TRACK 1

BEGINNER

From Polovtsian Dance No 17 (arrangement) The Polovtsian Polovtsian (also  (also spelled ‘Polovetsian’) ‘Polovetsian’) Dances  were  were composed for an interlude in Borodin’ss opera Prince Igor . This excerpt, from the 17th dance, is called ‘Gliding Dance Borodin’ of the Maidens’. The song ‘Stranger in Paradise’ from Kismet  also  also uses this thi s melody. melody. Playing tips: Notice the marking at the start st art ‘lento and espressivo’ – very slow and expressive. You You will need to find a really good finger legato in this piece, and we have

The dynamic is

b

‘p’ at the start and it stays soft throughout the piece.

Only use the pedal when all the notes are secure. s ecure.The pedal is there for enhancement!

 

1

 

5

F

 

?b

Key of F major (B flat accidental).

Practise the RH on its own first, so that you get to grips with the phrasing. Feel the bottom of each note, note , to ensure a good singing tone .The fingering will wil l allow for good legato le gato playing.

Lento e espressivo 2

F™ F

  5

4

 

  2 5

3

2

 b ?b

 

 

4

F

b

 

™

2 4 5

2 4 5

2 5

3 5

3 5

2

 

1   3

F™

 

3 5

Taper the phrase off gradually (with a little diminuendo) between bar 6 and the beginning begi nning of bar 8.

4

3

2

3

2

1

 

2

 

3

5

F™ F

™

1 2 4 5

 

5

F™

 

5

F

 

F™

5 1

2   3   4

 

1

F™ F™

The LH needs to be the pulse of the piece. Keep things moving, even if the marking is lento (slow). ( slow).

1

given fingerings that will help you with this. If the fingerings don’t suit your hand, though, do try others. Think in long phrases. The RH has to sing while the LH is the t he calm accompaniment. Pedalling is included in the score, but if you are a real beginner,  we suggest that you don don’’t add add the the pedal pedal until the notes are 100 per cent secure. Take a look at the technical tips within wit hin the score.

 

F

1 2 4 5

1 3 5

 

™

F ™

1 3 5

 

1 3 5

Be prepared for the LH chord at the start of bar 6. It might feel awkward at first. 9

 b ?b n

 

2

F

 

1

5

 

F

 

5

 

b

< > F™ F™

 

™

4

2 4 5

2

1

 

2

 

1 2 5

 

3

3

 

 

4

F

 

™

1 3 5

1 2 5

5

1 3 5

F 1 2 4

13

1

1

4

5

4

3

F

?b n

>F ™ 2 5

 

  2 5

b

F 1 2 4 5

™

  1 2 4 5

4

 

3

2

2

1 3 5

1 2 4

5 2 1

w

w

3 1

F™

 

™

Notice the fingering over the RH F in bar 15.  Move the thumb thumb silently onto the the note. note.

 b

 

F™

  1

w 5

If you have a wide enough hand span, try the fingering 2-3-5.This will wil l allow for a better legato.

28•  Pianist 81

 

Eduardo di CAPUA arr. KEMBER 

TRACK 2

BEGINNER

O Sole Mio Composer and arranger John Kember writes: This writes: This popular Neapolitan song, with music by Eduard di Capua (1865-1917) (1865-191 7) and lyrics by Italian poet Giovanni Capurro, dates from1898. ‘O solo mio’ literally translates as ‘My sunshine’, and begins with the words: ‘Che bella cosa è na jurnata ’e sole’ (‘What a beautiful bea utiful thing is a sunny day’), so your performance needs to sound bright and happy ha ppy to reflect this. Classic recordings of this song are by Enrico Caruso, Beniamino Gigli and Mario Lanza. In 1949 the American

singer Tony Tony Martin recorded There’s No Tomorrow  to   to di Capuo’s melody. While stationed in Germany with the US Army, Elvis Presley heard the melody and on his discharge requested new lyrics. The re-written song, It’s Now or Never , went on to become a worldwide hit for Presley in 1960. Others may remember the melody put to other words advertising a certain brand of ice cream product! Take a look at the technical tips within the t he score.

This piece is a great exercise in RH double note playing. The word ‘cantabile’ at the start means ‘to sing’.

  

Key of C major.

7 

   Œ   ww  w Œ  Œ

13

 

ŒŒ Œ

   

2 1

3 1

5 1

   

4 2

19

       

1

∑∑ ∑

cantabile

ŒŒ Œ

 

ww ŒŒ Œ ŒŒ Œ Œ

       

 

 

1

   

ÓÓ Ó

 

1

ww w ŒŒ Œ

      

ww w ŒŒ Œ 4 2

     

marc.

 

3

   

The word ‘marc.’ is an abbreviation for ‘marcato’,, which means ‘marked’. ‘marcato’

ww w wŒ Œ

3

       

   

5

2

1

 

 

ŒŒ Œ

 

™

 

™

   

™ ™

   

 

ÓÓ Ó

w ŒŒ Œ

   

 

1

 

2

 

   

   

     

2

       

3 5

ww w Œ Œ

   

∑ ∑

   

 

 

 

5

 

   

 

 

 

1

Πww w

2

 

ŒŒ Œ

ŒŒ Œ

The LH now becomes part of the melody. In fact the melody is dispersed between the hands.

 

2

ÓÓ Ó

5

 

ŒŒ Œ jj Œw w

5

5 3

 

2

 

   

 

1

2 4

5

 

 

 

Πww w

 

 

5 3

The LH starts out as a simple accompaniment.   Make sure to raise raise the the hand hand for for the rests.    

∑

  1

ŒŒ Œ

2 1

ÓÓ Ó

  5

2

 

2

5 3

ÓÓ Ó

   

5 3

3 1

 

   

Try to voice the two-note chords, with an emphasis on the melody top note.  

 

5

   ŒŒ  Œ  

 An da dant nt in o

ŒŒ Œ

    5

1    

ÓÓ Ó

ww w ŒŒ Œ

       

       

5

 

2

ww w w w

29•  Pianist 81

 

 S S  M I S  T M  ’ T    N    E E  I  O  D  E LA N  K ’ S  S 

 M  W I C  S  C  S PA N  O  N E    S  P  S  E C  I  E P    S  E  L N T    H I S    O  P A G E

TRACK 3

Charles GOUNOD (1818-1893) The Pipers 

 2 2

In 1861, just a few years after a fter the successful debut of his opera Faust , French composer Gounod wrote this jolly piece for piano. The title Les pifferari, Impromptu très facile   suggests a merry and light-hearted mood. ‘Pifferari’ comes from an Italian word meaning ‘small nine-hole flute similar to oboe’, though in i n French the word came to mean many kinds of winds – so whether it’s a flute, bagpipe or oboe is up to you! Playing and pedal tips: This tips: This piece is charming, but full of playfulness. It also has a

..   = 120

 Al le leg g ro

bb b > ?? b > b > ? b  > ?b bŒ ‰  ? b >>Œ ‰ >> ?  bb >Œ ‰ > ?b > > ?b      bb JJ  b J  ? bb J ?b      bb ‰‰  ? b ‰  ? bb ‰ ? ?b  

∑∑ . ∑>>. ∑> >

 

 

1 5

1 3

 

 

1

2

1 2

‰ >> ‰ ‰ > > ‰‰ ‰ ‰

3

2

   

 

 

1 5

1 3

 

 

1

 1

5

2

3

 

13

1 3

 

1

 

 

 

 

   

 

5  

 

JJ J J 2

lovely pastorale quality to it. You should try your hardest to make the melody – which moves quickly and lightly up and down the keyboard – sound seamless. Notice how it dies away at the end, as if the pipers are walking off into the distance. di stance. Even if pedal is not necessary, our house pianist Chenyin Li suggests a dab of short pedal here and there. See what she has suggested on the score and give it a try. tr y. Read Melanie Spanswick’s Spanswick’s step-by-step lesson on this piece on page 22.

∑∑ ∑>> ∑> > 1 4

‰ >> ‰ ‰ > > ‰‰ ‰ ‰  

3

 

3

 

   

1

 

3

 

 

1 2

 

‰ >> ‰ ‰ > > ‰‰ ‰ ‰ 2

 

 

 

 

3  

 

 

2

1 4

1 5

 

 

4

3

2

4

1

3

   

 

1 5

 

3

2

1

 

∑∑ ∑>> ∑> > ‰ ‰ ‰

>> > > ‰ ‰ ‰

1 3

   sempre marcato

 

 

>> > > 1 5

1 4

2

 

1 5

1  

1 2

sim.

9

>> > >

 

 

5

BEGINNER/ INTERMEDIATE

1 2

 3

4

 

 

 

1 3

1

‰‰ ‰ ‰

3

 

 

JJ J J 2

1 4

 4

 

 

1 3    

 

5  

‰‰ ‰ ‰

 

 

4

 

 

JJ J J 2

1 2    

 

3  

‰‰ ‰ ‰

   

4

5

 

 

 

JJ J J 2

1 4    

 

4  

 

1 5

1 3

sim.

1 2

1 4

1 5

1 3

‰ ‰ ‰

2

   

 

 

1 4

 

3

2

 

1 2

   

∑∑ ∑>> ∑> >

1 2

1 4

   

5  

 

JJ J J 2

30•  Pianist 81

 

Charles GOUNOD (1818-1893)

TRACK 3

BEGINNER/ INTERMEDIATE

The Pipers 

 

17 

 

? 

J

5

 

2

 

J

5

2

 

 

 

4

 

3

2

4

3

2

J

1

2

 

2

J

3

2

 

J

4

2

 

 

1 5

1 3

  ? 

1 2

‰

 21

5

 

1 4

j

1

2

 

 

1

2

1 5

3

1

1 3

2

3

4

1 2

3

1 4

4

2

3

4

1

2

‰

 

 

 p

1

1

1

1

1

1

5

3

2

4

5

3

 24

  ? 

J

5  

3

 

1

2

 

3

4

5

J

 

4

3

j

1

2

 

 

1

 

2

3

2

 

cresc.

1 2

1 4

1 5

1 3

1 2

1 4

4  

  ? 

 27 

 30

3

4

1

2

3

1

3

 

4

1

 

3

‰

2

 

4  

4

 

1 5

1 3

2

 

2

 

1 2

3

 

‰ 1 2

3

1

1 4

 

3

2

1

1 5

3

2

1

1 3

2

3

4

 

 

 ?  

 

2

 

‰ 1 4

1 5

1 3

1 2

1 4

3

2

31•  Pianist 81

 

Charles GOUNOD (1818-1893)

TRACK 3

BEGINNER/ INTERMEDIATE

The Pipers   33

b

?b

   b

‰

5

  ™

?b  b ?b

 42

 

3

 

J

1 2

 b ?b

51

 

 

 

2

‰

3

 

 

3

 

2

1

3

2

1

2

3

2

1

 ™

 ™

1 3

1 2

1 4

1 5

1 3

1 2

1 4

‰

5 1

2 1

3 1

 ™

 ™

 ™

4 2

™

 ™

 ™

 ™

 ™

1 3

1 2

1 4

1 5

J

1

 

J

2

5

 

 

1

 

3

 

2

5 1

2 1

3 1

 ™

 ™

 ™

 ™

 ™

 ™

 ™

 ™

1 3

1 2

1 4

1 5

1 3

dim.

1

 

 

5

J

 

J

1

5

 

4 2

F™

 ™

 ™

 ™

 ™

1 4

1 5

1 3

1 2

1 4

1 5

1 3

jF™

 

 ™

 ™

1 5

1 3

2

j

pp

3

 

 ™

 ™

1 2

1 4

2

j

4

 

FF ™

FF ™

1 5

1 5

ppp

2

j

‰

2

 

j

4

 

FF ™

FF ™

1 5

1 5

3

 

2

j

2

2

j

 ™

 ™

1 2

1 4

3

 

‰ Œ™

4

F™

1 5

5

 

p

U

UFF ™  

J

2

 

 ™

3

5

3

 ™

2

J

 

2

jF™

2

 ™

F™

 

3

 ™

3 2

4

 

1

 ™

 47 

 b ?b

‰

2

 ™

 

5

 

 ™

1 5

   ™

4

 ™

 ™

1

 

 

4

1 5

 37 

‰

 

 

‰ Œ™

2

j

32•  Pianist 81

 

 Johannes  Johan nes BRA BRAHMS HMS (18 (183333-189 1897) 7) arr. SCA SCAIFE IFE

TRACK 5

INTERMEDIATE

Lullaby (Wiegenlied), No 4 from Five Lieder op 49

j ‰

16

 

5

‰

J ‰

F

? 

  

4

4

 

J

 

Œ

F

 

j ‰

4

 

4

 

 

Œ

 

 

 

una corda

3

 

Œ

 20

? 

5

‰

 

4  

j

Œ

J ‰  

5

 

5

4

J ‰

J

   

 

 

5 4

 24

? 

‰  

J ‰

3

J ‰

 

J ‰

F

 

J

   

 

5

 28

F

‰J  

? 

F  

 

  2

‰

 

 

J ‰

3

J ‰

F  

 

3

J ‰  

 

F  

  3

5

rall.

 33

L.H.

U 3

‰

F

? 

 

 

 

J ‰

4

F  

 

J

‰

 

5

4  

J

 

5

‰

U ‰

j

35•  Pianist 81

 

TRADITIONAL arr. KEMBER 

TRACK 6

INTERMEDIATE

Danny Boy (Londonderry Air) Composer and arrangerJohn Kember writes: The writes: The lyrics of Danny Boy  were  were written by played it as an encore on his concert DVD Tokyo Solo Sol o. an English songwriter, s ongwriter, Frederic Frederic Wetherley. Wetherley. He originally set them to another tune but Playing tips: The tips: The lyrics are melancholy, hence the mainly gentle gen tle dynamics. dynamics . You’ll You’ll need in 1913 he altered it to fit fi t the traditional melody Londonderry Air . A popular anthem careful phrasing and a legato touch applied to both the melody and inner lines. among the Irish diaspora, Danny Boy   has been interpreted as a message for a son going  Awareness  Awareness not only of the mood, but of the actual lyrics while playin playingg help to achieve off to war or leaving Ireland to begin a new life abroad. The song has been recorded this. Pianist  has  has added some fingerings, plus pedal markings, in the score. by a variety of artists, artists , including Gracie Fields (1939), Glenn Miller (as a tango, 1940), Pedal tips: It depends how luscious or delicate you want this to sound. We suggest  Andy Willi Williams ams (1961), Elvis Pre Presley sley (1976), Eric Clapto Clapton n (1996), Charlo Charlotte tte Church four pedal changes per bar, but one can also try just two. and Sinead O’Connor (both in 1998). My favourite version is by Keith Jarrett, who Read what John Kember has to say about making arrangements ar rangements on page 68.

Unhurried and molto legato

# j # j ? ## ‰j Œ ? # ‰  Œ j j jj j j 2

 

3 1

 

 

 3

6

?# #  #  #  ? # ?# ?#

  5 2

   

     

™ ™ ™ ™ ™ ™

2 1

™

 

 

™

™

1

1

  1

 

 

 

sim.

J Jj J j j

   

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

5 2

J J J ‰ ‰‰

 

 

 ™  

 ™

 

 ™

1

2

 

   

 

   

F

 

1 F

 

J J J J J

™ ™ ™

4

™ ™

   

2

 

3

4

F™

2

F

 

F

F    

F

F

     

     

™ ™ ™

j j j

    F F F

 

 

1

 

F

 

1

™

™

5

3 1

 

 

™

5

jn jn jn

 

‰ J ‰ J ™

  espress.  

™

 

 

™

 

 

#  #  #  ? #

5 3

3 1

1

  F      

# # #

4 1

5 F   F

 

j # j # j #  

 

   

   

F F F      

2 1

3 1

 

1

36•  Pianist 81

 

TRADITIONAL arr. KEMBER 

TRACK 6

INTERMEDIATE

Danny Boy (Londonderry Air) 9

 

j

   

5

j

2 1

5

  F

2

 

  F

1 1

?

 

12

5 2

J

F  

?

J

 

‰ j 3

2 1

2 1

 

 

 

1

‰ j

 

F

 

 

1

j J

5 2

2 1

1

5 2

5 1

 

 

3 1

 

5 1

 

5 1

J

n n ?

 

 

F

 

5 1

  F

F  

‰ j 1

F

 

 

F

n

18

< >

  n ?

 

2

 

1

 

J J  

j

  

 f

j

 

J

1

 

F F

j

 

J

 

 

 

F

 

f

 

 

J

F

J

n

  F

 

n

< >

J  

j‰ Œ  

F

n  

bUw

dim.

F

Ó

 

Uw

rall.

 

?n

 

 

j

 21

3

 

2

15 3 1

F

 

F

u u F

37•  Pianist 81

 

 S S    M I S  S  T M  ’ T A N ’ S  M  W  D O N N  N E

Ernesto NAZARETH (1863-1934)

   O I N    S  E  C  S    E E  P  S P  L E  I S  H    T T    E  N

 JA N E T  JA

TRACK 7

INTERMEDIATE

Valsa Confidências 

 O  PA G  2 6

 We’ve publishe  We’ve published d two tangos by Brazil Brazilian ian compo composer ser Ernesto Nazar Nazarth th (in issues 66 and 70) and he also wrote over 40 waltzes. This waltz, ‘inspired by the poet Catullo da Paixão Cearense’ Cearense’ was published in 1913. Listen to recordings by Brazilian pianists such as Arthur Moreira Lima to get a sense of the rhythmic freedom one can have. Playing and pedal tips: This gorgeous waltz should have a nice lilt to it. Rubato is definitely allowed here and there (listen on our covermount CD how Chenyin Li makes a generous rubato at the end of bar 16, for example – it’s wonderful). wonderful). A brighter

section appears at bar b ar 33. Make sure s ure you have fleet fingers throughout. You’ll You’ll need a strong RH technique, with good articulation and evenness of sound. Practise very slowly at first, only building up the tempo gradually. Make sure each finger/note feels separate from the next. From bar 55, the RH plays high in the treble – this should sound sweet and ‘tinkly’, ‘tinkly’, almost emulating a musical box sound. When you reach the end, go back to the start and finish at the ‘Fine’ at bar 32. Pedall Pedalling ing has been marked into the score. Read Janet Newman’ Newman’s step-by-step lesson on this piece on page 26.

Espressivo

   5

   ‰‰  ? ‰ ?? ?

‰‰ ‰‰  

?? ??

3

4

       

  5  

1 2

   

   

?

 

ŒŒ ŒŒ

ŒŒ ŒŒ

1 2

3

1

   

2

1

   

3

3

4

1 2

   

3

ŒŒ ŒŒ

 

   

1 2 3

ŒŒ Œ

       

1

3

ŒŒ Œ

3

2

F™

 

3

F™ F™ F™

1

   

3

4

ŒŒ ŒŒ

   

       

4

4

   

4

 

3

F™ F™

   

ŒŒ ŒŒ

1

   

4

2

F™ F™

ŒŒ ŒŒ

   

   

     

13

4

4

   

   ‰‰   ? ‰‰ ?

3

3    

  5    

9

2

5

   

   ‰‰  ? ‰ ??

5 3

3

3

2

5

1

F™ F™ 4

3

F™ F™

       

4

       

3

2

1

2

ŒŒ Œ

3

1

       

2

## # #

3

1 2 3

1

5 2

ŒŒ Œ

 

4

38•  Pianist 81

 

Ernesto NAZARETH (1863-1934)

TRACK 7

INTERMEDIATE

Valsa Confidências  17 

‰

5 3

4

3

2

3

4

3

1

2

1

4

‰ Œ

3

F™

2

 

? 

  

4

2

1

 

p

 22

5 3  

Œ

 

Œ

 

 Ÿ

23 2

2

1

2

3

2

1

Œ Œ ‰ Œ Œ 1

F™

Π?

 

Œ

 

5

4

2

 

 

1

 

5

1 3

 

2

1

3

5

4

2

p

 

F™

F™

3

F ™

 

F™

5

 

F™

4

 

 27 

  ?

Ÿ

Ÿ

13 2

13 2

F

1

3

 

F

2

 

1

F

3

 

2

F

1

5

 

 plangente  plange nte

Œ Œ

  4

 

1

2

1

4

 

2

1

3

 

2

 

Œ Œ

Fine

™ ™

Œ Œ

™ ™

1

 

4 2

 33

  ?  38

™™

 ™

 

J

pp ™ ™

 

‰

4

 

2

5

2

5 3 2

1

5 2 1

™

 

J

™

 

 

5

 

‰

3

5

1

5 1

3

#

™ F™

j

 

p

 

5 2

 n ?  

 ™ F™

j

 

1

 

Œ

2

 

4 1

 

™ F™

cresc.  

2

j

 

 

4

 

1

4

1

 

5

4

2

 

Œ

 

Œ

1

#

5 3 1

™ ™

 

J

1

  3

 

‰  

 

5

1

2

1

 

Π1

2

39•  Pianist 81

 

Ernesto NAZARETH (1863-1934)

TRACK 7

INTERMEDIATE

Valsa Confidências  1.

 43

 

?

 47 

  ?

5 2 1

 ™ ™

‰

 

J

1

4

  3

5

 

2

5

51

1

rit.

 

5

 

 

3

1

3

1

3

1

2   3

  4

 

Œ

Œ

 

 

  ### ? ###

4  

1

3

4

4

1

Œ

 

 

 

# # #   ? ###

  4

4

5

Œ

1

2

 

4

1

 

4

Œ

 

1

2

 

5

 

4

2

 

 

5

5

1 2

5  

1

  3

  5

 subito

Œ

 

  4

5

5 1

5

 

Œ

5

  5

5

Œ

 

1 2

1 2

1

2

”

1

 

1

Œ

™

Œ

 

 

5  

4

5

 

 

 

‰

™

# # # ΠΠΠΠ# ΠΠ### 1

 

1

4

 

4

“>

62

4

3

2 1

“>

57 

4

2. 5

2

4

5 1

 

1

#

 

Œ  

1

 

3

 

>J >J > ‰ ‰ > > > 3

 

 

1

Œ

    ?

 

 

1 2 3

Œ

4 1

 

Œ

 

Œ

 

Œ

 

Œ

1

40•  Pianist 81

 

Ernesto NAZARETH (1863-1934)

TRACK 7

INTERMEDIATE

Valsa Confidências 

“> ## # f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f ? ## # f Œ f Œ f f Œ f f Œ

67 

5

5

1

 

4

2

 

1

 

2

4

5

 

1

4

 

 

1

4

2

 

4

5

1

1 2

 

4

5

“> f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f # #  # 5

71

 

1

 

3

5

4

f

? ## # f

Œ

f

f

Œ

F™

cresc.

 

4

F

5

1

F

F™

1 2

> “  > > f f f f f f f f f > f f f f f f f f # # f f f f f  # f f

75

4

? ## # 79

 

1

 

5

4

1

  ## # f f ? ## # F ™  

 

5

>

# # #   f

83

? ## #

 

5

F

F™  

“>

2

 

4

4

4

5

2

2

4

f f

 

f

f f

5

f f

F

Œ

f f f 3

1

f

 

4

2

1 2

 

1

2

1

Œ

f

 

f f f 2

F

F™  

4

F

f f 4

f

5

2

4

2

3

f f f f F

F™

5

f f f f f f f 5

rit.  

1

F™

f f f f f f f f f f f F ™ FF F™ F 5

4

3

F

F™

F

F™

5

 

 sempre  sempr e

1 2

2

5

1

#F

F™

 

5

 

5

 

1

3

5

5

3

1

1

FF F™

f 3

Œ Œ

D. C. al Fine

Œ Œ

41•  Pianist 81

 

Edvard GRIEG (1843-1907)

TRACK 8

Gavotte, No 3 from Holberg Suite  op  op 40

m

#  

17 

4

m

3 2

4

4 2

4

 

2

4 3

>

4

?# w

 22

> 3

m j>

5 2

4

 

 

™

Œ

-

  ?# w 4

1

5

2

m 4

1

 

 

5

2

 

4 1

3 2

2

>

 

™

4

 

>

m w w

1

 

j

1

 # ?#

  3

4

 

2

m m > . > . > . > . 4

3 2

4

 

23

4

4 2

 

 

2

w

1

 

>

2

ø

4

 

3

> >

2

 peasante

4

 

Ÿ~~~~~~~ j > 532

 

?# > > > > > > > > > >

 

 

- m> > . > . > > >  > .  > . > > m  m

poc o a po co r it.

 z

> j > 1

4

#  

z

 

3

3

 

5

 37 

2

4

3

w w

 

3

ø

 32

1

™    ™

 ™

>  

?# m #

™

Œ

354

2

™

5

3 1

j

4 4

 27 

 

4

23

  1

  #

INTERMEDIATE

™

 

- - -

> > Πn Πn Fine

43•  Pianist 81

 

HANS-GÜNTER HEUMANN

A Z E R T Y

B E Gzerty INNERS XXXX (XXXXX)

KEYBOARD

CLASS

LESSON 9: THE CHROMATIC SCALE

On these four pages, Pianist  covers  covers the most basic stages of learning the piano through a series of Keyboard Keyboard Class lessons created by Hans-Günter Heumann. This ninth lesson covers the subject of the chromati chromaticc scale, which we come across in almost all types of piano music. Here are some playing tips and exercises to get your chromatic scale playing working seamlessly.

Chromatic Scale • The chromatic scale (Greek chroma = colour) consists only of semitones (half tones). It ascends and descends, uses every key, and may begin on any note. • If there is a series of semitone steps in a melody, this is known as chromaticism.

Exercise No 1

Play with your third finger on the black key and first finger on the white key, except where there are two white keys a semitone apart, in which case the fingering is 1–2 or 2–1.

Exercise No 2

Play with each hand separately, then together. Play the chromaticc scale beginning on different notes. The left hand chromati plays an octave lower than notated.

PLAGE

45• Pianist 81

 

H A N S - G Ü N TER H EU M A N N K E Y B O A R D C L A S S

Entry of the Gladiators A op 68 Z PLAGE

E R T Y

XXXX (XXXXX)

 Julius Fučík  (1872-1916)   (1872-1916) If you’ve ever been to a circus, you will recognise the melody that starts at bar 13. This piece offers plenty of chromatic scales to master. An exercise to further develop your chromatic scale playing appears on the final page of this lesson.

zerty

A

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

46• Pianist 81

 

H A N S - G Ü N TER H EU M A N N K E Y B O A R D C L A S S

A Z E R T Y XXXX (XXXXX)

zerty

 Julius Fučík  (1872-1916)

Nationality: Czech Period: Romantic

Born in Prague, Julius  Fučík studied composition with Antonín Dvořák. In 1891 Fučík began military service. In 1895 he was appointed as second bassoonist at the German Theatre in Prague, in 1896 he became conductor of the Prague city theatre and his career as a military musician began in 1897, and over 400 of his works are in existence. Fučík’s most famous piece, the Entry of the Gladiators (also Gladiators (also known as the March the  March of the Gladiators) Gladiators ) is known around the world because it is in the repertoire of circus orchestras of all over the world!

PLAGE

47• Pianist 81

 

H A N S - G Ü N TER H EU M A N N K E Y B O A R D C L A S S

Finger Fitness exer exercise cise A PLAGE

Z E R T Y XXXX (XXXXX)

Building on the fingerings you’ve worked on so far, here’s an excellent exercise full of chromatic challenges to try. Pay special attention to the contrary motion scales at bar 13.

zerty

A

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

48• Pianist 81

 

TRADITIONAL arr arr.. MONTGOMER MONTGOMERY  Y 

TRACK 10

INTERMEDIATE

We Wish You a Merry Christmas (with apologies to J S Bach) Composer and arranger Sean Montgomery writes: The theme makes a great subject for a fugue, and as an organist, I am a huge h uge fan of Bach, hence the decision to arrange it in the style of Bach. It might seem straightforward but isn’t – slow practising is required in order to play it at speed. I would suggest a light detached playing style throughout. Playing tips from Pianist: In this Bach-inspired arrangement of a well-known 16thcentury English carol, you’ll immediately notice how there are no dynamic markings. markings .

Bach would not have written any dynamics had he arranged this piece! We suggest an mf    throughout, with some very subtle crescendos and decrescendos when required. Fingerings have been added by Pianist , and should be used as a guide. The hands sit  well over the notes, so this should be a real real joy to learn and perfor perform. m. Pedal tips: No tips: No pedal required, in order to keep the detached feel. For more information about ab out the composer, visit www.seanmontgomery.com. www.seanmontgomery.com.

= 17 5

 

 

     

1

 

9

     

Œ Œ Œ Œ

∑ ∑ ∑ ∑

   

       

4

∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ 1

 

∑ ∑ ∑ ∑

 

 

1

4

2

 

 

5

2

1

4

∑ ∑ ∑ ∑

2

3

∑ ∑ ∑ ∑

∑ ∑ ∑ ∑

3

2

ΠΠΠΠ2

4

∑ ∑ ∑ ∑

4

Œ Œ Œ Œ

 

 

5  

 

3

2

5

 

13

 

3

2

2

2

1 3

2

1

3

Œ Œ Œ

?

 

?

 

?

 

?

 

51•  Pianist 81

 

TRADITIONAL arr. MONTGOMERY 

TRACK 10

INTERMEDIATE

We Wish You a Merry Christmas (with apologies to J S Bach)

      ?    ?  ? 

17 

 

 21

?  ??   ?  ?  ?  ??   ?    ? 

 25

5 1

5

 

™

 

™

 

?  ? ??    

 33

 

™

 

 

 

  1 ™

™

1

 

 ™

 

 ™

 ™

 ™

 

1

 

™

1

™

 ™

™

 ™

™

 ™

 

 

5 1  

™  

 

™

™

™

 

™

 

  5

1

 ™  ™

1

 

™

™

 

 ™

1™  

 ™

 

 

™

3

Œ ŒŒ Œ Œ

Œ ŒŒ Œ Œ

2

™  

™

4 1

1

™

 ™

 

™

Œ ŒŒ Œ Œ

Œ ŒŒ Œ Œ

 

     

 

 

n nn n n

™  

5 1

Œ ŒŒ Œ Œ

 

™ ™

  ™

 

 

1 ™

 

 

4

     

4 1

1

  ™

  ™

 29

 ??   ??    ?   

™

1

 

™  

Œ ŒŒ Œ Œ 3

Œ ŒŒ Œ Œ

™

 

 

 ™

Œ ŒŒ Œ Œ

Œ ŒŒ Œ Œ

  5  

     

 

Œ ŒŒ Œ Œ

1  

 ™

  ™

 

3    

 

™

 

™

 

™

 ™

™

 ™

™

 

 

 

2

 

  ™

 

 

 ™

™

 

™

 ™

™

2

 

™

™

 

  ™

1

1

™

™

1

1

2

52•  Pianist 81

 

TRADITIONAL arr. MONTGOMERY 

TRACK 10

INTERMEDIATE

We Wish You a Merry Christmas (with apologies to J S Bach)

     ?   ?  ? 

 37 

 

n n n

™ ™

# #

   

  ™

™

 

  ™

™

 

   ™

#

™

 

 

™

 40

 

™ ™

™ ™

     

™

1 ™ 3

™

  5

5

 

1   5

™

 

 43

 ™

 

™  

™

™

   

™

# # # #

  ™  

n  46

™

 

™   ™

 ?   n ?  n ?  ?  Œ Œ ?    Œ Œ ??    

    ™   ™   ™

   

   

™™

       

™

1

  ™

 

5 1

 

2

™

4

™  

   

  ™

™  

 

  ™

™

Œ

Œ

Œ Œ

Œ Œ

 

 

 49

   

   

™ ™

 

™

3

2

   

™  

 

™

   

4 1

 

5 2

™

5 1

 

™

 

 

 

1

 

 

™

 

™

Œ Œ Œ Œ

 

1

3

2

Œ Œ Œ Œ

53•  Pianist 81

 

TRADITIONAL arr. MONTGOMERY 

TRACK 10

INTERMEDIATE

We Wish You a Merry Christmas (with apologies to J S Bach)

      ?   ?  ?   

53

 

ŒŒ Œ

5 2

 

2

1

1 1

 

Œ

Œ Œ Œ

 

1

3

 

2 1

2

   

™

 

™ ™

  ™

 

™

1 ™ ™ ™ ™ ™ ™ ™ ™ ™ ™ ™

 

3 ™ ™

   

™

™    

     

™ ™ ™ ™ ™ ™ ™ ™

 

60

™

   

™ ™ ™ ™ ™ ™ ™ ™ ™ ™ ™ ™ ™ ™ ™ ™ ™ ™ ™

2

1

 

 

3

 

   

™ ™ ™ ™ ™ ™ ™ ™ ™ ™

   

™ ™ ™ ™

 

™

™ ™ ™

™

™

 

 

 

 ™

 

5   2

??   ?    ?  ?  ## # ? ?   # ??   #  

 

™

  ™

 

  ™

 ™

™

 ™

5 1

2

™

 

™

 

 

2

 

 

1 2

™

1 ™

1

5 1

5

™

1

 

5 1

5

™

 

 

66

1

 

??   ?   

63

5 2

4

 

57 

?    ??   ?    ?  ? 

 

5

1

3

4

 

4

54•  Pianist 81

 

 Anatol YADOV OV (18 (185555-191 1914) 4)  Ana tolyy LYAD

TRACK 11

INTERMEDIATE/ ADVANCED

Prelude, No 1 from Three Morceaux op 11

 

19

 

?

 23

 

™ ™

? j

j

 

j

 

f  

j

 

> n

 26

 

?

Œ

n   j

 ™

 

 

 29

 

 

?

4

 

5 2

 f

™  

 

n

  ™

Jj j ‰ Œ  

> ‰ j  

(senza ped.)

 

 33

?

4

 

 

∑

 

4

1

 

∑

4

56•  Pianist 81

 

 Anato toly ly LYAD YADOV OV (18 (185555-191 1914) 4)  Ana

TRACK 11

INTERMEDIATE/ ADVANCED

Prelude, No 1 from Three Morceaux op 11

j   n  J ‰ Œ ? J  

 

 

sf

∑

a tempo

F

 

J

 45

2

 49

?

 

 n  

‰ > 

 

1 5

?

  F

1

2

F

4-5

n j

2

F

 

J

2

  1 5

> ‰  

 

™

J

F

 

54

?

1

?

 

 

F

4-5

 f

 

∑

 

 f

>   ‰  

 41

 

‰ ‰ Œ

>  

j

 

 37 

rit.

™  

J

F

F

rit.

a tempo

 

F F

57•  Pianist 81

 

 S S  M I S    T M  ’ T A M ’ S  H  R  D O N P A   P  Y  L U C    E C E  P I E  S P  I S  H  T      O N PA G E

   O N  S  S  L E

TRACK 12

Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828) arr. LISZT Der Müller und der Bach

 2 4

The composer and pianist Franz Liszt (1811-1886) was a great admirer of Schubert and arranged some 100 of Schubert’s songs for the piano. In 1846, Liszt took six songs from Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin cycle of 20 songs and collected them as  Müllerlieder   Müller lieder  . He placed ‘Der Müller und der Bach’ as the second piece in his cycle,  while it was the penulti penultimate mate piece in Schuber Schubert’ t’ss cycle. cycle.

Moderato

‰‰ ‰‰ ‰‰ J J‰ ‰ ‰ ?   ‰ ‰ ‰J ?  J ?  ‰ ?  ‰ # ‰ J R ‰ #.. . . ‰ J R ‰ #.. . . J R .. . . ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ RR ‰ J R ‰ ‰ RR ‰ J R ‰ ‰ R R ‰ J R ## ‰ ‰ ‰ ## ‰ ≈ ‰ ‰ ‰ R ‰j r RR ‰ ≈ R ‰ ‰j r R ‰ ≈ R ‰ ≈ r R R j j r Wo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3

 

RRR RRR RRR RRR ‰ ≈ ‰ ≈R ‰ ≈R R  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

je

dem 

-

15

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

seine

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thrä - ne ne n d ie  

 

??     ?       ?  ?     ? 

 22

 

 

 

 

 

 

n n n n

 

 

 

 

 An

 

-

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

‰ ‰ nn ‰ n ‰ ‰ ‰  

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

   

   

   

 

 

 

 

se  h’n.  

 

‰

 

 

‰ R R ‰‰ R R R jR R R ‰ jR jR R R j  

 

 

‰‰ R ‰ R R ‰ R ‰ R RR ‰ R ‰ RR ‰# ‰‰ #‰ ‰ #‰ ‰ #‰

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lie Li

 

   

gen   sich si ch zu, zu,   un und d sc schl hluc uch h - ze zen  n und sin - ge  n die  

 

 

 

 

   

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

# #J #J #J J

in

-

‰‰ ‰ ‰

‰‰ RR R R ‰ RR RR ‰ RR RR RR RR ‰ ‰ ..≈ J R‰ ‰ ..≈ R ‰ ≈R J R‰ J R R ‰ ‰ # ‰ ‰ R R ≈ R ‰ R R ‰ # RR ≈ ‰ R #j ≈R ‰ R R ‰ #j R jj # ‰ ‰ ‰ j # # ‰ ‰ j # # # rr rr ‰ UU‰ j # # r r ‰ U‰ # rr U # b  e ver- geht geht,  ,  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

≈ ≈R ≈R ≈R R

da wel - ke ke  n die

 

 

Da mus muss in die Wo Wol-ke n der Voll - mond 

Men - sch  en nicht

 

 

 

 

 

mit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   1

Beet.

 

 

 

 2

 

 

Li - li en auf

?  ?  ?  ? 

‰‰ ‰ ‰

ein ei n tr treu eues es He Herr - ze 

 

8

 As Lucy Parham Parham notes in her lesson, Liszt is careful to convey convey the mood of the original song and colours the music with reference to the text – you’ you’llll see that the words are printed in the score. In the song, the lovelorn miller talks to the brook about his beloved turning her affections affect ions elsewhere, and now ‘A true heart/Wastes away in love’. Lucy Parham gives a step-by-step lesson on this piece on page 24.

malinconico espressivo

 

ADVANCED

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

geh’n,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eng ngle lein in

die  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

 

 

Da hal  - te  n di die e

 

 

 

 

 

See

da

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 le zu zurr

   

 

 

 

Ruh’’. Ruh  

 

 

 

 

 smorz.  

 

59•  Pianist 81

 

Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828) arr. LISZT

TRACK 12

ADVANCED

Der Müller und der Bach

 

Und

wenn  29

sich die

Liebe 5

3

r r

j j

Con intimo sentimento

 

dem

Schmerze    

 

? ‰ nJ ? ‰ nJ

 

 

n n

 33

J J

   

Sternlein

ein

 J  J

   

neu - es,

 

am

 

>

 

ein  

 

 

 

J J

   

 

Him - me mel   

 

 

5

>

 

≈ rr ≈

 

1

1

dolce

 

ent -  ringt,

n n

er

- 

< >

3 2

 

blinkt,

≈ ≈

< >

 

≈ r ≈ r

 

ein  

 

 

 

? ossia

Sternlein,

ein

j j

neu - es,   ne

 37 

  ? ?

   

   

R R

 

 

 

 

r j j ≈j R ≈j R ≈ Rr ≈ .R ≈ R ≈ ? ≈ .R ≈ .R ≈ .R ≈ .R ≈ .R ≈ ? springen

die

Ro 4

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

sen,  

5

       

Him

.r .r . JJr .r j j

   

≈ r ≈ r ‰ ‰

  mel er   -   blinkt.

-

rit.

2 1

 41

. . r . . r

am

 

 

 

    

Da

   

     

r   rR ≈  R ≈ R ≈   ≈ R ≈ R .R ≈ .R ≈ .R ≈  .R ≈ .R ≈

halb

   

roth

       

und

halb ha

weiss,

 

 

 

 

 

 

≈ rr ≈ R R .R ≈ .R die

   

       

 sempre legato  

60•  Pianist 81

 

Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828) arr. LISZT

TRACK 12

ADVANCED

Der Müller und der Bach wel

ken  

-

nicht

wie - de d er  

aus

Dor

  nen - reis,  

-

und

  ≈ R ≈ ≈ R ≈ R ≈ ≈ ≈  R ≈ R ≈   ≈ J . .R . . .R .R . . .R ? J r j

die

 45

 

 

 

 49

 

En

 

 

 

ge   lein

-

 

 

schneiden

die

Flü

 

gel 

-

 

 

sich

 

≈ r

ab,

und

 

 

 

? nJ

J

 

geh’n

al

l e

-

 

 J

 

Mor - gen  

zur

J

 

Er

de  

-

hin

-

 

ab,

≈ r

 

und

53

n

>

 

 

n

 

≈

< >

 

 

? ossia

geh’n

 

57 

?

al

-

l e

zur

 

 

   

j

Mor - gen   rit.

 

r

Er

-

d  e

.r .r J

hin -

 

 

R  

J

. .

rit.

j

ab.

2

 

 

4

2

‰

 

3

1

1

 

3

5

61•  Pianist 81

 

Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828) arr. LISZT

TRACK 12

ADVANCED

Der Müller und der Bach

#  

61

 

2

∑

  4

 

2

2

∑

  4

r j ‰  ‰ ≈ .... .. . . .. Æ . . . .  Ach, Bäch  

2

lein, liebes

   

 

.. ..

malinconico espressivo

?#

du

 

 smorz.  

≈ r .. Æ

Bäch- lein,  

ossia  

meinst

es

so

gut,

-

l ein, aber

weisst

du,

wie

≈ r     j r       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Æ Æ Æ Æ . . . . . ?# . . . . . . .

66

#

ach, Bäch  



 

 

 

?#  

Lie

70

#n

3 2 1

be

r

thut.

Ach

4

Æ

?# ?#

 

'

j

‰ ' '

 

   

 

un

n

 

  ten, da

-

 

? ?

 

 

j n'

?

62•  Pianist 81

 

Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828) arr. LISZT

TRACK 12

ADVANCED

Der Müller und der Bach

74

 #

  ?#

 

un

j

r j

ten  

-

 

die küh

-

le

 

'

 

 

 

 

ach, Bäch

n

 

j

≈  r j

Ruh,

JÆ

?  

'

 

?#

78

j

le in,

-

 

?

1

n

JÆ

2   1 3  

 

 

 

Bäch- lein,  

#

j

?#

1

2 3

so

sin - ge  

zu,

r... . ..  Æ Æ J J  

1

nur

ach Bäch - le in li lieb ebes es Bä ch - le lein in   

≈r Æ J

≈j

 

 

 

 

 

 

Æ J

2 3 1

 

1

2 3

 

 

?#  

 

. . . . . . # sin - ge  

83

n

liebes

nur

Æ J

?# ?#

‰

zu.

 

‰

 

‰

 

 

 

dolce armonioso

 

∑  

‰

∑

∑

∑

 

so

Æ J

r

63•  Pianist 81

 

Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828) arr. LISZT

TRACK 12

ADVANCED

Der Müller und der Bach

#   ‰

‰

88

 

‰

 

cantando espress.

‰

 

® ®

 

 perpendosi  perpendo si

?#

93

   

r > ® ®

j

® ®

 

?# ® #   ® ?# ®

l’accompagnamento

 

  #®

 

 

   

j

r

3

2

5

3

2

 

j #     ® ?# ®

102

 

 

r > ® ®  

 

3

 

 

 

5

 

 

n ®   ®

99

1

≈ r

 

 

 

  #® ?# ®

 

 

  ® ®

96

 

2

4

r

 

® ®

 

1

 

 

2

#

≈  r  

 

® ®

 

   

64•  Pianist 81

 

Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828) arr. LISZT

TRACK 12

ADVANCED

Der Müller und der Bach 105

  ®  

 

n

con anima

 

? ®

 

® > r ≈ ® ®

r

 

 n

®  

®  

® ®

 

 

4 2

 

® ? ®

 

n

>

® ®

 

 

111

 

j

 

 

 

 

>

 

 

108

® ? ®

®

j

n

 

>

®

dolce armonioso

 

 

< >

 

 

una corda

114

  ® ? ®

 

 

 

®  

 

‰

117 

® ? ®

® ®

< >

  calando

 

®

 smorzando

 

 

 

® J

 

∑

 

r

J 65•  Pianist 81

 

Exploring Jazz Piano by Tim Richards The only jazz piano method you’ll need!

•

A comprehensive and welcoming introduction to jazz piano in 2 volumes

•

Containing all styles from the 1940s to the present day and featuring well-known standards throughout

•

Assignments and improvisation tips will guide you towards becoming a procient jazz pianist

•

The included CDs features both demonstration and play-along tracks

Available from all good music shops or online from www.schott-music.co.uk

66• Pianist 81

 

REPERTOIRE

   B s   cia rangement  Michael Quinn traces a history of arranging, showing how everyone

from Bach to Birtwistle B irtwistle has freely re-worked re-worked music of every age, age , genre and style  – and he talks to two contemporary arrangers about the secrets secrets of their craft

C

onsult any music or reference dictionary for a definition of ‘arranging’ and you could be forgiven for thinking that it is a somewhat mechanical artifice employed by composers to make the proverbial circle fit the no less time-honoured square hole. One respectable tome, the Oxford the  Oxford Companion to Music , will tell you that ‘By “arrangement” in music is meant the adaptation to one musical medium of music originally composed for another’. e equally  venerable Encyclopæ Encyclopædia dia Britannica  concurs,   concurs, describing an arrangement as ‘any a composition a medium otherthat than for which it wasadaptation originally of written,’ but goestoa fit little further than bythat adding the telling qualification, ‘while ‘while at the same time retaining the general character of the original’. Somewhat surprisingly, perhaps, Wikipedia gets even closer to the nub  with its elaboration ela boration of arranging arr anging as ‘a musical re-concept re -conceptualization ualization of a previously composed work. It may differ from the original work by means of re-harmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or development of the formal structure’. If nothing else, the art of arranging points to music’s special claim to being the most malleable of all the art forms. All music, from whatever age, in  whatever style or genre has readily lent itself to adaptation adaptation and re-imagining. re-imagining.  While it may be inconceivable inconceivable to imagine someone ‘arranging’ ‘arranging’ the Mona the Mona Lisa ,  Anna Karenina  or  or Citizen Kane , historically composers have had few, if any, any, such inhibitions about re-fashioning their own (and others’) music, regarding it as something wholly amenable to assuming other and new forms.  As early as the t he second half hal f of the 16th 16t h century, madrigals ‘apt for voyces voyce s or viols’ were being composed in arrangements in all but name, while the even earlier and era-defining Fitzwilliam Virginal Book  includes   includes a number of choral pieces arranged for keyboard. No instruments have played a greater part in the history of arrangements than those that belong to the keyboard family. Ever since they began to become more versatile, popular and, with the emergence of the piano in the 19th century, seemingly ubiquitous, keyboards have been at the centre of

 JS Bach was unquestionably unques tionably the th e first master mast er of arranging, arranging , blending artifice and art to often sublimely imaginative ends, even in the unenviable task of arranging 16 violin concertos by Vivaldi for harpsichord (and three others for organ). It was Bach, too, who showed that arranging need be neither slavish nor unoriginal. One noted Bach biographer,  Albert Schweitzer, Sc hweitzer, disapprovingly observed o bserved of his h is harpsichord harpsic hord re-working of his own C minor Concerto for Two Violins and Orchestra: ‘Had he not done it himself, we should be protesting in his name today against so un-Bach-like a transcription.’

‘If it hasn’t got heart and doesn’t pay credit to the original composer, whatever you do won’t be worth it!’  -Composer and arranger John Kember Bach provided a musical mother lode of possibilities for countless generations of composers and arrangers. Mozart arranged fugues from e Well-Tempered Well-Tempered Clavier  for  for string trio, Gounod’s Ave Gounod’s  Ave Maria  borrows   borrows from the first piece in that same work, Liszt almost gleefully plundered Bach with often spectacular results. And Rachmaninov, Elgar, Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Segovia, Berio and Birtwistle have all, like many before and since, succumbed to the seemingly irresistible temptation to arrange his music. As did the very different musical personalities of Brahms and Busoni, both of whom arranged the famous Chaconne from the Second  Violin Partita for piano. p iano. Brahms, enterprisingly, enterp risingly, set it for the t he left hand only o nly [see issue 80’s article on left-hand repertoire]. Busoni was certainly no stranger to arranging Bach, so much so that his wife was often (so legend has it) greeted as ‘Mrs Bach-Busoni’. In his essay ‘e Value of the Arrangement’, Busoni famously argued in defence

the often hidden art of arranging.

of his arrangement of Liszt’s Rhapsodie espagnole  for   for piano and orchestra 68• Pianist 81

 

Left to right: Bach, a noted arranger, whose music in turn was ar ranged by Brahms and others; Liszt, the master arranger, took from Bach, Schubert, Schumann and more; Busoni liked his Bach; Rachmaninov was a dab hand at piano arrangements

by provocatively asking, ‘Where does arrangement begin? Of this Spanish Rhapsody   there  there exists a second by Liszt thatwith bears the of title Fantasy on Spanish Melodies  . Itversion is a different piece some theGrand same motives. Which of them is the arrangement? e one that was written later? Or is the first not already an arrangement of Spanish folk songs?’ Composers and arrangers wrestle with that same dilemma still. As the piano’s popularity grew in the 19th century, it provided both a tool to explore and a platform to elaborate on the music of predecessors and peers and quickly became the conduit of choice for composers who were  wishing to pay p ay homage to, or o r comment upon, up on, existing music mu sic in their own arrangements.  As early as 1826, 1 826, a critic in the magazine Harmonicon Harmonicon was  was declaring: ‘Our age has been called, proverbially, the “arranging age”.’ We still live in that age. Composers, songwriters, musical theatre, television, Hollywood and advertising have all rapaciously re-worked music of every age, genre and style to bend it to their own needs. And to the needs of others. Symphony for four hands For many musicians and audiences, arrangements remain, as they always

have been, a means of encountering – and music might not otherwise have had access to, if only forplaying reasons– of scalethey alone. e earliest known piece for two keyboards is Giles Farnaby’s ‘Piece for Two Virginals’ in the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book , while the first surviving piece for four hands on one instrument was Nicholas Carlton’s A Carlton’s  A Verse Verse for Two to Play on One Virginal or Organ, Organ, which dates from the middle of the 16th century. Bach’s extensive catalogue includes pieces composed for up to four harpsichords and orchestra, while Mozart, who wrote two sonatas and a fugue for two pianos, famously wowed London audiences by playing duets  with his sister sis ter during their t heir visit to the capital capita l in 1764-5. e 19th century witnessed unprecedented growth in the volume of arrangements being made, the form revelling in an elasticity that soon saw pieces being written for two players at one piano, two players at two instruments and even as many of as eight hands on four pianos. Chopin’s cut-crystal miniatures were regularly arranged. Liszt, that most combustible of composer-pianists, did more than most to promote and develop the burgeoning art of arranging, making his debut in St Petersburg in 1842 with a programme comprised entirely of arrangements, including songs by Beethoven ( Adelaide   Adelaide ) and Schubert (e (e Erl-King ) and his own fantasia on airs from Don Giovanni  and  and Chromatic Galop. Galop. Later, Mahler brought arranging into the 20th century with four-hand, two-piano arrangements of a number of his own symphonies, as did others, occasionally to more extravagant effect. (Newly released on Melba Recordings is a first-ever recording of Heinrich von Bocklet’s

Handel Pianos supply a wide range of new and expertly restored pianos by some of the world’s finest makers. We are now proud to introduce the C Bechstein family into our expanding range of pianos.

We would like to wish all Pianist  readers  readers a Merry Christmas and a happy new year! • Tuning • Removals • Repairs

• Restoration • Rental & Hire • Sales

VERVE HOUSE, LONDON ROAD A30, SUNNINGDALE, SL5 0DJ SALESHANDELPIANOS.CO.UK

TEL 01344 873645

1914 arrangement for eight hands on two pianos of the mighty

▲

WWW.HANDELPIANOS.CO.UK

69• Pianist 81

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/HANDELPIANOSLTD

 

Made in England

1. Edinburgh Piano Co.  E15 2EU Tel: 0131 657 1708 www.edinburghpianocompany.co.uk 2. A. Hanna & Sons Pianos Ltd. SW19 1LA Tel: (0208) 540 5541 www.hanna-pianos.co.uk 3. Markson Pianos of Regents Park NW1 4BU Tel : 0808 159 3159/(020) 3582 6828 www.marksonpianos.com 4. Minns Music BH17 7BA Tel: (01202) 657657 www.minnsmusic.com 5. Shackleford Pianos Cheshire SK11 6QU Tel : 0800 032 9919/(01625) 615 033 www.shacklefordpianos.com 6. Dave Steel Pianos Tel: 01275 852 476 www.nicepianos.co.uk 7. Yorkshire Pianos BD23 6HZ Tel: 01756 711 712/07779298149 www.yorkshirepianos.com

Cavendish piano dealers

www.cavendishpianos.com 71• Pianist 81

 

INTERVIEW

CELTIC SPIRIT 

Pianist and composer Barry Douglas reveals another talent in a new CD of his arrangements of the Irish folk music he grew up with inspired red by Irish/Celtic Irish/C eltic folk music to have h ave  You are obviously very inspi released a whole CD. Did you grow up with this music? My mother was from County Sligo and I spent weekends and summers there, and was lucky to be one of the gang in the traditiona traditionall music arena. However, I am a simple classical pianist at the end of the day.  What makes make s Celtic music m usic unique? It is a pure(un)conscious, example of universal human example expression maybe a Jungian collective (un)consciou s, or a beautiful of –music that can emotionally move people from all different cultures around the world.

Tell us about the pieces on the disc. ese pieces are timeless poems and melodies. What is very interesting and note-worthy is that if it had not been for the Linen Hall Library and Edward Bunting [a famous Irish composer and folk music collector], the airs would not have even been written down. In 1792 a huge group of Irish harpists, including Turlough O’Carolan [two pieces by O’Carolan appear on the disc], descended on Belfast so that Bunting could transcribe this great music. A huge achievemen achievement! t!

in a ‘Romantic’ sweep and moves us with his hushed whispers, he is always a sincere and elegant master.

How did the recording come about? It was a lucky moment for me. In September 2013, at the Schubert recording sessions in Cork, we finished the recording more quickly than planned. Chandos encouraged encouraged me to use the extra session time to try something different. ey asked me what I might like to do, and I said

 Which are your favourite fa vourite Brahms solo s olo pieces? I love all of Brahms’s works. However, I have a soft spot for the opus 76 piano pieces, which will be on my final three discs.

 well, I have these Irish airs and folk songs s ongs that I arranged for piano. So we cracked on. I called my friend Eimear [McGeown] and got her in to play Irish flute and tin whistle with my piano arrangements underneath.

of an intermediate standard might learn?  Always the two opus 79 Rhapsodies. Rhapsodi es. e Intermezzi are a re quite accessible ac cessible and many are realisable very quickly. ey really give a lot of satisfaction the more you work at them.

Had you composed/arranged before this project? I have been composing since I was eight years old. Luckily, I was modest and didn’t push my wares! I was a prolific writer of music, writing piano preludes and even a few orchestral pieces between the ages of eight and 15. I wrote services for church and a couple of masses. I played the organ and conducted choirs from the age of 12, which meant I had the chance to play for hours, as improvisation was often needed. I loved to improvise on the piano too and still relax in the evening by meandering around the place musically.  What do you think t hink makes a good arrangement? arr angement? It should have some of the essence of the original and of the new; the arrangementt should feel like it is the original. arrangemen

 What Brahms Brahm s solo piano pieces would you suggest an amateur ama teur pianist

 You played the First  You Fir st Brahms Concerto C oncerto at the BBC Proms this summer  with London Symphony Orchestra Orc hestra and an d Valery Valery Gergiev. Ger giev. How was that? It is always a sheer pleasure to work with Valery. He is a consummate artist, and the LSO is one of my best friends – what a great orchestra!  What are the th e challenges challenge s of playing Brahms? Br ahms? Like in all music, the challenge is to help it project to the audience. Music is full of detail but ironically the trick is to present the essence of the music to the listener. is is sometimes some times quite diffi cult. It is good to prepare pre pare carefully and focus on detail but then when you perform it should be about the broad message to admire. ■ Barry Douglas spoke with Erica Worth.

Chester Music will be releasing your arrangements in a volume of sheet music. What level are they pitched at? ey are for an intermedia intermediate te level, but some can be played by beginners.   n   a   g   n   a    L   e   n   e

 You are in the process of recording rec ording the complete c omplete Brahms Bra hms solo piano pia no  works. What does d oes Brahms mean mea n to you?

is issue’s covermount CD includes Barry Douglas performing ‘e Last Rose of Summer’,, from his Celtic Reflections CD (Chandos Records, CHAN 10821). A  Summer’ A  selection of Celtic Reflections scores will be available soon from Chester Music. Visit www.musicroom.com www.musicroom.com for more details. For further information about Barry Douglas, go to www.b www.barrydouglas.com. arrydouglas.com. Learn an arrangement of the

  g   u    E      ©

I am moved by his Classical foundations. No matter if he spreads his wings

 famous Brahms Brahm s Lullaby inside this th is issue iss ue’s’s Scores on page 34.

72• Pianist 81

 

What’s under your tree this Christmas?   

“A simple step by step guide  for  f or firs firstt time time buyers is on

THE UK’S

our website”

CENTRAL PIANO AUCTION HOUSE

S  t e  ei    n   g r  w  a y    5  f   an    m a  a  h  d   t  6   R  e  o g a   (  c .1 9   M  o  b u  n y  2  8   d  e l   i  l  t    s a  )  i  n   M   b  t i   E  s  i  n    a   t . £   i  n   y  S t e  c  e   1 4   1 9 9  i  n w  a s e .   , 0   0  0   9  a y  0        –  1 8    , 0   0  0   0  

A  Y   a  u  p  m a h  r i   i  g h  a  M   E  s   p o l  y  t  i  n   o d  e l   t . £   e s t  a  b   U   er      l  a c  3   1  , 8   8  0   e  0   -  c a s e  k    £  2      , 1  10     0  

B  l  u  r o  h  o s  t h  e w   n e r   g  5  f  t  o  r  E  s  a    t . £  an  d   (   o d   c a   9   2    , 0   0  0   c .1 9 2   s e   0   -  0  )   £  3      , 0   0  0   0  

 And  An d ma may y al alll yo your ur Ch Chri rist stma mass dr drea eams ms co come me tru true… e… .

Saturday 13th December Auction opens 12 noon

For a valuation of your piano or a catalogue for this sale please call

Viewing times

0161 977 0075 or visit

The Engine Room, Left Bank Spinningfields,

Thursday 11th Dec 14:00 - 20:00 Friday 12th Dec 10:00 10:00 - 20:00 Sat 13th Dec 09:00 - 11:45 Auction Opens 12 noon

www.britanniapianoauctions.com 73  Pianist 81 [email protected]

Manchester M3 3ER

•

 

INSTRUMENTS

 Mahan Esfahani   M   Jessica Duchen meets the th e Iranian-American harpsichordist h arpsichordist Mahan Esfahani, who is transforming the harpsichord from an early music artefact into a dynamic (and regularly programmed) part of today’s today’s concert scene

ahan Esfahani is surely the most thrilling harpsichord player to have emerged on the scene in recent decades, and he's taken this supposedly niche instrument to new heights. I’ve arranged to meet him in a tea-room beside what remains of the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens in London. In the Victorian age this location was such a draw for visitors to the British capital that the Russian word for railway station, ‘Vokzal’, came from it, or so the story goes. Tis salon remains a rare and special taste of times gone by, with flavours (Japanese green tea with toasted

mainstream once again, and contemporary too. All the evidence suggests that his mission is succeeding. Esfahani has had quite a year. ‘Since the beginning of 2014 so much has changed that I can c an’t ’t even think straight,’ he remarks. He is only 30, but has already been a BBC New Generation artist, gave (and sold out) the Proms’’ first-ever harpsichord recital and this year won a Gramophone Award Proms Award for a recording of CPE Bach on Hyperion that set the critics c ritics falling over one another’s another’s superlatives. Now a further vote of confidence has arrived: a contract with Deutsche Grammophon. Future plans include modern as  well as ancient music: he is planning major projects for both concerts and

rice) that are distinctly contemporary. contemporary. It seems a fitting place to meet Esfahani. Te harpsichord, too, was the musical star of a bygone age and Esfahani’s artistry mingles the flavours of past and present in a remarkable way. Tis scarily intelligent Iranian-American musician has chosen to devote himself to a keyboard instrument that might seem confined to the rarefied echelons

recording, including commissioning new works.  What attracted him to the harpsichord in the first place is the same mysterious force that attracts any of us to a particular instrument: ‘I just think it’s it’s a beautiful sound,’ he says. And contrary to popular opinion, he adds, it can produce a sustained and singing line: ‘Of ‘ Of course it sings. You just

  n   o    i   t   c   e    l    l   o    C   e    b    b   o    C   e    h   t   t   a   n   e    k   a   t  ,   s    d   r   o   c   e    R   n   o    i   r   e   p   y

   H      ©   s   o   t

have to know how to play it. It is an uncommon instrument and I feel I am uncommon personally – so I identify with it. Maybe that sounds arrogant,

of early music , but for a few oddball concertos by the likes of Poulenc and Górecki. But Esfahani is a man with a mission: to make the harpsichord

  o    h   p    l    l    A

74• Pianist 81

 

NEW RELEASES but it’s genuinely how I feel. I don don’t ’t play the harpsichord; I live  through  through the harpsichord. It’s me.’ Esfahani was born in Iran, but the family left when he was 12 to settle in the US. His father was a pianist and encouraged the youthful Mahan to play Chopin. ‘I rebelled,’ Esfahani admits. ‘My parents adored Chopin, so my way of getting at them was to think: no, I want to play p lay Bach.’ After attending Stanford University, University, he lived in Italy for two years (‘Tat was my introduction to European culture, and it doesn’t get much better than that!’). Further studies found him his closest mentor, the legendary Zuzana Růźičková in Prague – to date, the only harpsichordist to have recorded

 JEAN-PHILIPPE RAMEAU

 Pièces de clavecin Gramophone-Award-winning harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani has recorded Rameau’s Pièces Rameau’s Pièces de clavecin in the historic setting of the Music Room at Hatchlands Park in Surrey. This double album comprises the whole of Rameau’s output of keyboard suites, and Esfahani rejoices in its wealth of genius, its excite excitement ment and drama.

Bach’s complete works for the instrument. Bach’s Close study ‘I think being a harpsichordist is a life study in precision,’ Esfahani remarks. ‘It’ss a study into how to lift ‘It’ l ift the notes. Some pianists are very good at approaching notes, but not so good at lifting from them. When I started playing the harpsichord instead of the piano I had to completely rethink my technique – obviously the mechanism and the physics of it are different. I

MAHAN ESFAHANI harpsichord CLAUDE DEBUSSY 

 Images & Préludes P réludes II  A new album from Marc-André Hamelin is always cause for celebration. Here in his first Debussy recording for Hyperion he presents the two books of Images of  Images:: Debussy’s colouristic masterpiece, a bewitching compendium of ‘scents, colours and sounds’. Also recorded is the second book of  Préludes  Préludes,, in a poetic and evoca evocative tive performance. performance.

‘I’m forced to think in so many layers of subtlety: the harpsichord is a study in keeping your ears attuned to very small things’

CDA67920

MARC-ANDRÉ HAMELIN piano ROBERT SCHUMANN

 Novelletten & Nachtstücke

spent months, when I first started, peering into the instrument to see the  jacks comeso upimpersonal,’ and pluck. he adds. ‘Unlike the piano, you don’t have a ‘It looks hammer with felt on it hitting three strings; you have one plectrum plucking one string, so you’ you’re re actually controlling a pluck. Tere are so many layers of subtlety in that pluck – and if you can control that, then you can control pretty much anything. And you can control the volume in a big hall: I promise you can, because it’ it’ss all about what people are picking pic king up. I’m forced to think in so many layers of subtlety: the harpsichord is a study in keeping your ears attuned to very small things.’ Life on the road as a harpsichordist is as challenging as that of a travelling pianist, possibly more so. Although Esfahani has a network of local harpsichord technicians whose services he can call on, they are not so numerous – therefore he has learned how to do this work himself. ‘I travel  with my box of tools,’ tools,’ he says. ‘I do my tuning, tuning, I do my string replacing, replacing, I do my jack replacing, I do my quill cutting. I was once in the Balkans and had to get some boys with slingshots to kill a pigeon for the quills.’ He didn’t feel too good about that, he adds, but the show must go on – and in some places the instruments are falling to pieces. ‘What’r ‘ What’ree you gonna do?’ he shrugs. Esfahani speaks with a conviction and honesty that mirrors his playing.  And he has no hesitation he sitation in speaking s peaking out against ag ainst those thos e who in his view vie w might be holding back the cause of his instrument and its music.

CDA68071/2

(2 compact discs)

In this new album Danny Driver brings his impeccable pianism, consummate style and imagination to Schumann’s Novelletten Schumann’s  Novelletten and and Nachtstücke  Nachtstücke,, less wellknown sets from his extraordinary output for the piano.

DANNY DRIVER piano

CDA67983

 Downloading music from www.hyperion-records.co.uk Hyperion and Helios recordings are available for download. The download catalogue includes many recordings no longer available on CD and many that are unavailable for download elsewhere. Hyperion downloads contain as much additional information as possible. This includes cover artwork and, wherever possible, commentaries, sung texts and translations. (Please note, however, that not all media players read all of this information; it is all freely available on our website, as are complete PDF booklets.)

BACH THE ART OF FUGUE

▲

you also get an ePub —ideal for an iPad— and you get to choose the size of the print!

OTHER LABELS AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD DOWNLO AD ON OUR WEBSITE WEBSITE

 Reading booklets on  your phone  or tablet  If you’ve ever tried reading a booklet PDF on your phone, or even on a tablet, you’ll know how unsati unsatisfactor sfactoryy this can be. But did you know most downloads from Hyperion now come with full texts, translations and even sleeve notes actually embedded into the audio file in all the available formats? Ideal when you’re learning the words to songs, or or just to pass the the time on long journeys. There’s also an ePub version of the booklet included with the

CDs, MP3 and lossless downloads of all

Mahan Esfahani at the Cobbe Collection in Surrey. He is playing a harpischord made by Andreas Ruckers in 1636 and refurbished by Henri Hemsch i n Paris in 1763

our recordings are available from Gimell

www.hyperion-records.co.uk

75• Pianist 81

 

INSTRUMENTS

Mahan Esfahani

Up Close  Who are your favourite harpsichord players of the past and present? I have a lot of respect for the harpsichordists of what we might call the ‘grand old manner.’ People like Wanda Landowska, who had that great romantic sense for provocative rhythm, and Ralph Kirkpatrick, who had a technique so frightening that it elicited the respect of people like Horowitz. They are, of course, of two or three generations ago. But some of their playing, as preserved on record, is truly inspiring. I probably listen to Zuzana R˚užiˇ  cková’s harpsichord playing every day – but, of course, I studied with her! Her commitment to new music is something I find to be important. George Malcolm probably had the greatest ability to make the harpsichord a mainstream instrument and I try to follow his model. Of living harpsichordists I have a lot of time for Christophe Rousset – he’s so perfect in

every way. I also think that Blandine Verlet is an absolutely beautiful player and should be better known outside harpsichord circles – it’s so well thought-out and unpredictable at the same time. Can we hear these players on CD? Here are five sets everyone should have as a starter. Then branch out, please! 1. Wanda Landowska: Bach Goldberg Variations  (1931  (1931 and 1945 recordings – HMV and RCA, respectively) 2. Ralph Kirkpatrick: Scarlatti 21 Sonatas  (1971/1966  (1971/1966 – DG/Archiv, reissued in 2004) 3. Christophe Rousset: Couperin Complete Harpsichord Works  Works  (Harmonia  (Harmonia Mundi) 4. Gustav Leonhardt: The Edition  (Sony  (Sony Classical, 2008), especially the discs of English virginals music and Froberger, Froberger, which are not to be believed 5. Hommage à Zuzana R˚  užiˇ  cková , especially the second disc dis c which has three modern concertos (Supraphon 2012)   If you could play only one piece in the whole repertoire, what would it be? The Well-Tempered Well-Tempered C lavier , because I consider it to all be one grand piece. This is, of course, an easy way to cheat on answering this question. If you could play only one composer from now on, who would it be? Johann Sebastian Bach. No contest on that!   One musician, dead or alive, who you’d travel long and far to hear? I would love to have heard the great opera singers of the early bel canto period – Malibran, García, Giuditta Pasta, those sorts of people. My private sin is the most easily parodied period of Italian opera. It would be interesting to have seen Mahler conducting. One composer you’re not quite ready to tackle yet? Xenakis. Just not there yet. But I’ll get there. I don’t have the emotional maturity for the Handel suites yet, or a serious understanding of Froberger in the way that I’d like to have it. A major goal is to spend a few years only with the music of Girolamo Frescobaldi, the Italian Bach. If you weren’t a harpsichordist, what would you be? Probably a popular historian or travel writer of some sort. Or a philologist. I love

to learn languages and script and I can spend all day reading long lists of etymologies; it’s a useful party trick to be able to write and translate words into several scripts and languages, but I would enjoy being dedicated to it as a profession. I like to translate a page of a foreign language every week (or two) simply as a hobby.

Notably, he has even accused the early music movement of ‘intellectual laziness’. ‘First of all, historical performance is a big thing, very important,’ he declares. ‘Musicians of the calibre of Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Gustav Leonhardt made us see music in a new way and stripped away the sort of accoutrements that  were hindering it; all this is well and good. But I remember the composer Peter Maxwell Davies once said: ‘e music knows things that I don’t.’ t.’ I find it very hard to believe that a great composer such as Bach would have yielded his music merely to what knewcreate at themusic time.for posterity – that ‘I think great people composers follows logically,’ logically,’ he continues. ‘ey ‘ ey would not have done the things they did if they t hey were not expecting their music to be under repeated scrutiny for many years. Maybe they didn’t didn ’t expect 500 years, but 50 years is a long time – we have authors like Philip Roth and Kingsley Amis whose  works we have been looking at for 40 years years now and itit follows that music would be the same s ame way.’ way.’ Scores into sound

But intellectual laziness? Really? ‘Intellectual and artistic laziness are actually the same,’ he says. ‘Basically, there are artistic solutions to what we do. So when we “translate “translate”” the score into sound, we have to solve certain things: phrasings, p hrasings, articulations, tempo, dynamics, expression, how to bring the music off the page and make it three-dimensional. To To say that in that period according to a few sources they did this or that,articulated they alwaysnotes did alike certain a cadence and they always this –thing that’ssatsolving that’ those issues in a seemingly objective way that doesn’t doesn’t allow people to criticise you artistically. ‘If you make your decisions solely artistically, we can have a discussion and you can take issue with what I do. But once I start to bring in sources and objective knowledge, then because we live in a society where something that’ that’ss printed is more offi cial and is taken take n more seriously, serious ly, I could use that as ammunition to win that war. at is very lazy – and it is artistic self-abnegation. You’re You’re sidestepping the artistic battle by picking and choosing bits out of history. It’s arrogant. It’s like this is a Taliban that we’ve created. And that’s why there’ss been a reaction on the other side, something I’d call there’  wilful ignorance.’ ‘I’m not against “early music”,’ music”,’ he adds, ‘but I’ll be honest, I don’t don’t socially feel a connection with it. I think there’s a lot of issues of class and race associated with early music and I find this off-putting. Also, I love a lot of other things too. I love piano music, I love new music, I love Wagner for better or worse. Why can’t can’t the harpsichord be part of a brotherhood of instruments?’  Well, exactly exactly.. But supposing you want want to have a shot at playing the harpsichord yourself, having been inspired by his playing: how would you begin? First, says Esfahani, make sure you can play the piano. ‘Get a strong piano technique,’ he insists. ‘If you get to the harpsichord too soon, you risk losing the perspective of its place among all the other instruments. In Italy they require a student to have a piano at home before they study harpsichord, which is very wise.’  As for finding an instrument instrument and a teacher teacher,, that is not so difficult, he says ‘In the big cities cit ies there are instruments instrume nts and teachers; you can hire instruments; and for youngsters there are good junior programmes at the Royal College, Royal  Academyy and Guildha  Academ Guildhall. ll. We’ We’re re well well equipped equipped in this country country.’.’ ere is no excuse, then. Go and hear Esfahani play – and if you have ever discounted the attractions of the harpsichord, perhaps you will find that it’s time to think again. ■ Listen to Mahan Esfahani play Rameau (T (Track rack 13) and CPE Bach (Track (Track 14) on the Pianist covermount CD. See his full

discography at www.hyperionrecords.co.uk and his full schedule of concerts at www.mahanesfahani.com. 76• Pianist 81

 

 

 

Keyboard Skills for Reluctant Pianists Sue Anderson A crash course in increasing practical confidence at the piano.

International Internationa l Chetham’s Summer School & Festival for Pianists

Music Teacher: July 2007

Part One: 14–20 August 2015 Part Two: 20–26 August 2015

Artistic Director: Murray McLachlan

The Friendliest Piano Summer School in the World!

Content includes

• basic harmony at the keyboard

Faculty includes: Dmitri Alexeev, Paul Badura-Skoda,

Philippe Cassard, Peter Donohoe, José Feghali, Carlo Grante, Harry Harris, Nikki Iles, Eugen Indjic, Matthias Kirschnereit, Murray McLachlan, Noriko Ogawa, Artur Pizarro, Vladimir Tropp

• scale playing made easy • how to simplify accompaniments

£21 inc CD ISBN 978-0-9552933-0-6

• 30-week sample timetable

Available from all good bookshops or direct from Sue Anderson on 020 8670 0982

With daily concerts, lectures, improvisation, jazz, composition, intensive one-to-one coaching, duets, organ and harpsichord.

For further information call +44 (0)1625 266899

or [email protected]

or email [email protected] www.pianosummerschool.com

 

Silence is GOLDEN Turn your old piano into gold From 1st September 2014 to 15th January 2015 you can get as much as £2000 extra part exchange allowance allowance when you trade in your old digital or acoustic piano for a beautiful new Yamaha Silent Piano.  All Yamaha Yamaha Pianos Pianos are available available with the Yamaha Silent Silent System - Uprights and and Grands.  Ask your dealer dealer for more information.

92• Pianist 81

uk.yamaha.com/silentpiano

 

MAKERS

This year’s piano round-up Fancy a new piano? It’s a great time of year to consider an upgrade and maybe find a bargain as well. Gez Kahan surveys Kahan surveys some of the most exciting pianos out there – acoustic, digital and other his holly-themed socks. Instead, treatyear, yourforgo lovedthe onereindeer-appliqué (and/or yourself jumpers and yourand family) to a new piano. But what sort, what brand, what price range? at’s where Pianist  can  can help. Here’s a by-nomeans-exhaustive means-exha ustive set of piano possibilities for you to look at during the preChristmas rush or in the January sales. Prices given are generally for standard models and finishes. One important caveat is that the pianos discussed in this article were available in the UK at the time the article was written, but they may or may not be available everywhere – you’ll want to check with your local dealer.

T

GRANDS

Shigeru Kawai SK2 Classic Salon Grand

 We begin in the grand manner, and at the top of the alphabet, a lphabet, with Bechstein. Bechs tein. Its UK distributor describes the C. Bechstein B212 (listing B212 (listing at £76,000) as ‘quite simply the alternative to the Steinway Model B’. Bechstein and Steinway have been rivals at the top end of the piano market since 1853, the year in which both they and Blüthner, another high-quality manufacturer, were established. Bechstein classes the B212, with a length of 6ft 11in or 212cm (hence the name), as a salon grand, with exactly the same feature set as itsSteinway, larger concert grands.has its own alternative to the Steinway Model B, for those whose meanwhile, grandeur doesn’t quite extend to a salon-sized living space. ‘e must-have piano for Christmas,’ says Craig Terry, Managing Director of the company’s UK operation, ‘is the Steinway & Sons Model A grand. It is the perfect size for any home but delivers concert style performance in sound and touch.’ is measures 6ft 2in (188cm) but has the same size keyboard and action as the 6ft 11in Model B, ‘which any concert artist would play with  joy,’’ Terry  joy, Terry says. sa ys. List price for f or Steinway’s Model A is £65,750.  You  Y ou don’t don’t have to have founded your firm in i n 1853 to make a good piano, though. tho ugh. Paolo Fazioli, an Italian engineer and pianist, started his company in 1981, deliberately targeting the same market. Like all top makers, Fazioli has its own clutch of concert pianists and venues that swear by the brand, but is equally conscious that not everyone will have the space (or the £130,000 list price) for its Model F308 (10ft) flagship grand. So there’s a range of smaller options starting from the 5ft Model 156, and including UK distributor  Jaques Samuel Piano’ Pi ano’ss recommendation recommen dation – the th e Fazioli Model F183 (6ft) F183 (6ft) at £69,500.  Just over half a century earlier than t han Fazioli, Koichi Koic hi Kawai establishe e stablished d his own piano p iano brand in Hamamatsu, Japan, and soon gained a reputation for quality and workmanship.  After Koichi’s Koic hi’s death in 1955 his son, Shigeru, took the helm, ultimately ul timately unveiling u nveiling (as his ‘personal legacy to the piano world’) the Shigeru Kawai Grand Piano line of hand-crafted instruments. e instrument pictured top right is the 5ft 11in (180cm) Shigeru Kawai SK2 Classic Salon Grand  (180cm/5ft  (180cm/5ft 11in), priced at £29,900. So far, so traditional. but even in the conservative world of the grand piano, there’s still room for new ideas. One such example is the Phoenix 212 in a ‘Tiger Wood’ finish, where the innovation goes much deeper than the striking veneer. e piano design is based on the acoustic body of Steingraeber and Söhne’s Model Söhne’s Model 212 piano, and produced by the German maker in Bayreuth, but to specifications exclusive to Hurstwood Farm Piano Studios, Kent in the UK. One unique feature is a thin carbon-fibre soundboard (developed at Hurstwood Farm), made possible by the characteristics of the patented Phoenix bridge agraffe system. is allows the piano to be strung without down-bearing, producing, producing, says Geoffrey Sapsford of Hurstwood Farm, ‘its unique longer sound and pure tone, as the board is allowed to “breathe”.’ e piano also incorporates the latest carbon fibre/composite action from Wessel Nickel and Gross. e 6ft 11in Tiger Wood Phoenix 212 retails at  at  £44,795 including VAT, free delivery in mainland UK, free first service in the client’s home and a matching concert bench with buttoned calf leather top.  What if you want a grand g rand piano, but space spac e (or budget) budg et) preclude prec lude the above. UK distributor Intermusic recommends the Ritmüller R9, R9, a 5ft 3in (161cm) instrument made by the Chinese Pearl River factory and coming in at £7,999. It has, says Intermusic, ‘a European mid-range to slightly mellow tone and a light yet responsive touch.’ e design, by Lothar omma, has recently been upgraded with enhanced component quality, newly calculated string lengths and neat touches such as a slow-fall fallboard.  Also from China, and recommended rec ommended by Jaques Samuel Pianos Pia nos for tone t one and touch, touc h, is the t he

C. Bechstein 212

S. Ritter 145 – 145 – a 4ft 9in (145cm) starter-level baby grand piano at £6,499.

Steinway Model A

80• Pianist 81

 

Ritmüller R9 Fazioli F183

Steingraeber Phoenix 212

S. Ritter 145

(in ‘Tiger Wood’ finish)

THE GENRE-BREAKER The U1 TransAcoustic TransAcoustic is both bo th digital and acoustic  We look next at uprights, starting with an instrument that really needs a section of its own (the rest of the uprights are discussed overleaf). When you first play the Yamaha U1 U1 TransAcoustic  TransAcoustic , it is nothing more nor less than the company’s ‘traditional’ U1 upright. Kick in TransAcoustic TransAcoustic technology (literally,, that is – it’s activated via the centre pedal) and you have not just a (literally ‘silent’ piano to keep the neighbours off your back when you feel the need to practice at 3am, but a volume-controllable one. is means that you can practise fff   practise  fff    passages during the day without precipitating a domestic crisis. ere’s more: the TransAcoustic sound module might be a separate sound source, but it links with the piano’s own traditional sound system – the soundboard and string resonance – to make it part of the instrument itself. So when you play a digital sound, whether solo or blended with the natural piano sound, it envelopes you in the same way that the natural resonance of a soundboard coupled with the sympathetic vibration triggered in harmonically related strings makes playing a traditiona traditionall acoustic piano such an immersive experience. ere’s so much more to say about the £9,962 TransAcoustic that we could write a book – but there’s no need. Yamaha already has, and it’s free to download from iTunes. [Read Gez Kahan’s article

▲

Yamaha U1 TransAcoustic

about the TransAcoustic in issue 79]. 81• Pianist 81

 

MAKERS

UPRIGHTS Grands may be grand, but they’re not the only option. As well as being less space hungry, uprights often offer a more-piano-for-your-money alternative to an equivalently priced grand piano. If it’s a high-quality instrument with a small footprint that you’re after, you might find what you  want in the August the  August Förster 116D 11 6D (116cm/45.6in). Built by traditional craftsmen in Löbau near Blüthner Model C

August Förster 116

Cavendish Contemporary 121

Gors & Kallmann Concerto

Dresden, Germany, this uprightyetinincorporates its standard ablack finish clocks in at just £9,950, Renner action and a practice pedal, and comes with a matching stool (and a five-year guarantee). Somewhat larger in the body is the Blüthner Model C, C, a 118cm-tall (46.4in) upright, handcrafted in Leipzig, Germany, which combines, says the company’s UK distributor, ‘elegance and sophistication with superb tone and touch.’ It’s not cheap, at £16,872, but it is classy. ‘Tis piano,  with well-balanced well-bal anced scaling producing a full f ull spectrum spect rum of tonal qualities, would be well suited in any drawing room, study or music room and would be suitable for any pianist from beginner to professional standard,’ says Blüthner. It’s a similar story with the 125cm (49in) Schimmel K125T and, K125T and, at £16,490, a similar price. While Schimmel’s approach – the company

year. Still making its pianos entirely in the Czech Republic, Petrof follows traditional production techniques, focusing on hand crafting, toning and finishing. Pictured is the Petrof 131 M1, M1, priced at £10,299 (131cm/51.6in). Moving further east, Kawai chips in with the Kawai K-300, K-300, promising ‘grand piano technology in a upright piano at an affordable price of £5,000’. Noteworthy features include a soundboard tapered for a richer sustain, an extended keyboard length

has invested heavily in ‘Computer Aided Piano Engineering’ to refine its designs and develop a  way to maximise the t he response of its soundboards soun dboards – might appear to lean toward the mass market (and Schimmel is indeed the largest-volume German manufacturer), this instrument and its 122cm (48in) and 132cm (52in) Konzert series siblings are aimed squarely at serious musicians. Tose looking at Schimmel but wincing at the made-in-Germany made-in-G ermany price might want to consider the made-in-Poland Wilhelm-Sc made-in-Poland  Wilhelm-Schimmel himmel W114T at W114T  at £5,990 or the larger 118cm version at £6,490 (45in and 46.4in, respectively). Te reason for the relative affordability affordab ility of the Wilhelm-Schimmel instruments is that labour costs are significantly lower in countries on Germany’s eastern borders. Tis is no cheap knock-’em-out range, though. Te pianos are made under supervision using the traditional

before the pivot point for similar control of touch to that of a grand piano, Kawai’s proprietary Millennium III Action with ABS-Carbon and a soft close fallboard. (Dimensions: 122cm/48in.)  And staying with wit h Far Eastern manufacture manufact ure (albeit  with a German name), name) , there’s the Gors & Kallmann Concerto (120cm/47in). Tis is a large, traditionalstyle upright, available in black or dark rosewood at £3,015. It’s aimed at the learner rather than the professional market. Howard Martyn of the UK distributor, Piano Warehouse, says, ‘It would take a student right up to Grade 8 and beyond.’ Finally, while we’re in the ‘traditional’ upright section, there’s a new brand and, glory be, it’s English. Cavendish Pianos is a family business based in the Yorkshire Dales – a team of cabinetmakers, stringers, action builders and tuners hand-building pianos on the rural Bolton

Schimmel method – even after the woods have been conditioned, the soundboards, for instance, still take six months to produce. Te same economic benefits apply to Petrof, a brand that celebrates its 105th anniversary this

 Abbey estate. estate . Te company pitches p itches its Cavendish Contemporary 121 (£6,995; 121 (£6,995; 121cm/47.6in) at those who value ‘a mellow European sound and attention to detail’, and want ‘an ideal piano to see them through their grades and beyond’.

Schimmel K125T

▲

Wilhelm-Schimmel W114T Kawai K-300

Petrof 131 M1 82• Pianist 81

 

2014 PIANO RELEASES      7      9      3      D       C       G      I       S

 Alessio Bax plays Beethoven EDITOR’S CHOICE

Gramophone November Nov ember 2014      8      8      3      D       C       G      I       S

 Wagner Without Words  Wagner  ŷ r Williams Ll ŷ  “... technically superb ...the colours WiIliams creates from the keyboard in Siegfried’s Rhine Journey and the Parsifal suite are radiant and entrancing.” Te Guardian

     1      7      3      D       C       G      I       S

FIVE • James Rhodes

“a sincere, communicative and mindful musician ... Rhodes’s  fusion of instinct, mindfulness and individuality stand out in any era.”  Gramophone

 www.signumre  www .signumrecords.com cords.com  

Peregrine’s Pianos “Peregrine’s Pianos is a business  with friendly staff who are driven driven  by a genuine passion for pianos”

"I would like to thank you for our  beautiful piano which is now the pride and joy of our music department”

"I am really enjoying my new piano! I think that that every time I play it” “Peregrine's Pianos is one of my favorite London treasures”

“After trying out dozens of instruments around the country, I found my dream piano at Peregrine's Pianos in London”

“Owning a grand piano was a long held dream. Peregrine's Pianos  were able to make it a reality” reality”

“I'm so pleased I chose this one!”

Peregrine’s Pianos is here to sell and hire out fine, modern upright and grand pianos: we are the exclusive dealer in London for Schimmel pianos and Britain’s only August Förster dealer. Quotes are unsolicited and taken from our website:  www.peregrines-pianos.com

Peregrine’s Pianos, Pianos, 137A Grays Inn Road, Road, London WC1X WC1X 8TU Tel: 020 7242 9865 9865

 

DIGITALS Tere are plenty of reasons for choosing an entirely digital piano: economy of space, portability, connectivity and sonic variety are just some of them, and affordability is practically a given. Whereas few ‘acoustic’ pianos come into the ‘impulse purchase’ category, there are some digitals that cause rather less bruising to the wallet. One such is the Casio AP-250, AP-250, the company’s ‘Xmas special’ for 2014. Te introductory model in Casio’s Celviano range, the AP-250 Casio’s latest technology including its AiRincorporates (Acoustic and Intelligent Resonator)) sound generation system, which includes Resonator details such as Damper Resonance to add to the realism of the piano sound, and the ri-Sensor graded hammer action. Te Casio AP-250 is on promotion until the end of 2014 with a Christmas special price point of £499 (reduced from £699). Kawai has a new model in its ES portable piano lineup. Te Kawai ES100 (£609) ES100 (£609) has an authentic keyboard action and excellent piano voices (using technologies including 88-key sampling, advanced resonance effects and Kawai’s Harmonic Imaging system). Tere are also other instrumental and drum sounds, and features such as dual and split playing modes. Te Korg LP-180 (£569.99) LP-180 (£569.99) exudes, says the company, ‘a sense of quality that exceeds its class.’ Te manufacturer also stresses its ‘slim, stylish body’ (just 27cm/10.7in deep), rich piano sound and weighted hammer action keyboard. Tere are ten sounds in total, plus three pedals, twin headphone jacks and reverb and chorus effects. Te Roland F-20 (£479) F-20 (£479) is aimed at beginners. Along  with piano tones and an action derived from from the company’s company’s flagship models, the F-20 incorporates learning-specific features such as recording and metronome functions, and onboard rhythm accompaniment. Tere are also free Roland educational and play-along apps available for iPhone, iPad or iPod touch in conjunction with the F-20. Bringing our look at the seasonal piano market to a close, Yamaha has a new range of Clavinova digitals. digitals. Te sonic heart of the new six-strong CLP-500 series is the sound of Yamaha’s CFX concert grand piano. Tere’s also the sound of the Bösendorfer Imperial, Imperial, plus a collection of complementary voices, including electric pianos and historic and orchestral instruments. [You can enter the  Win a Clavinova competiti c ompetition on inside this t his issue; issu e; turn back b ack to page 9 for details.] For some of the models in this new range, Yamaha has developed a natural wood keyboard with a new action and a refined escapement mechanism for increased control over sound and dynamics. Other features include a new reverb system accurately replicating the ambience of a range of venues, and a stereophonic equalizer to enhance the sound image when used with headphones. Ranging in price from £1,115–£3,792, Yamaha’s new Clavinova series includes Slimline Upright and Grand designs, and a variety of finishes. Pictured is the CLP535 PE model priced at £1,732. You can also see a video featuring Pianist  magazine’s   magazine’s amateur competition winner Dominic Piers Smith playing the CLP-585 PE (£3,515) by entering the word ‘Dominic’ at uk.yamaha.com n

Casio Celviano AP250

Yamaha Clavinova CLP-535 PE

Korg LP-180

Roland F-20

MEET THE MAKERS  MAKERS  Bechstein www.bechstein.co.uk | www.bechstein.com Blüthner www.bluthner.co.uk | www.bluthnerpiano.com Casio www.casio.co.uk | www.casio.com Cavendish  www.cavendishpianos.com Fazioli www.jspianos.com | www.fazioli.com August Förster www.peregrines-pianos.com | www.august-foerster.de Gors & Kallmann www.piano-warehouse.co.uk | www.gorsandkallmann.com Kawai  www.kawai.de | www.kawaius.com Korg www.korg.com Petrof www.jspianos.com | www.petrof.com Ritmüller www.intermusic.com | www.ritmullerusa.com S. Ritter www.jspianos.com | www.sritter.cn Roland www.roland.co.uk | www.roland.com Schimmel www.forsyths.co.uk (Manchester) | www.peregrines-pianos.com (London) | www.schimmel-piano.de Steingraeber (and Phoenix) www.hurstwoodfarmpianos.co.uk | www.steingraeberpianos.com Steinway & Sons www.steinway.co.uk | www.steinway www.steinway.com .com

Yamaha www.uk.yamaha.com | www.usa.yamaha.com Kawai ES100

84• Pianist 81

 

PERFECT PIANO PRESENTS FROM

Take advantage of an exclusive Pianist Magazine reader discount* on selected titles by visiting:  www.fab  www .faberm ermusi usicsto cstore.com re.com/PianistMag /PianistMagazine azine 

*Terms and conditions apply. Discount is only available to purchases made online at www.fabermusicstore.com. Offer ends 24/12/14.

 

R E V I E W  C D Modern Bach playing from Igor Levit gets top marks from Marius Dawn, along with Bav Bavouzet’ ouzet’ss Haydn concertos and Driver’s Driver’s all-Schumann CD Pianist star ratings: Pianist star ratings: ★★★★★ ★★★★★Essential – go get it!  it!  ★★★★ ★★★★Really great ★★★ ★★★A fine release  ★★ ★★Average Average   ★Fair Buy these CDs from the Pianist website. Visit Visit http://pianistmag/cdre http://pianistmag/cdreviews views

Editor’s

YULI LIAN ANN NA AV AVDEEV EVA A

CHOICE IGOR LEVIT Bach: The Partitas (Nos 1-6, BWV 825-830) Sony Classical 88843036822

★★★★★

JEAN-EFFLAM BA BAVOUZET

Chopin: Préludes op 28; Schubert: Klavierstücke D946; D 946; Prokofiev: Sonata No 7 Mirare MIR 252 ★★★★

Haydn Piano Concertos: Hob.XVIII:3, 4, & 11 Manchester   Manchester Camerata/Gabór Takács-Nagy Chandos CHAN 10808 ★★★★★

I have been more than delighted with the Haydn sonata series that JeanEfflam Bavouzet Bavou zet has been recording rec ording for Chandos, and this new disc of the three piano concertos is a wonderful interlude to the project. Haydn’s concertos are a far cry from Mozart’s concertos – they are more fun, more

Igor Levit received a deluge of praise for his recording of the last three Beethoven sonatas, and justifiably so. at recording was, in every ever y respect, epoch-making and immediately put Levit on the list of top-league pianists. His technical control is simply awe-inspiring and he adds a personal touch  without compromising what is set out by the composer. Levit stamps his own impression throughout, from the very first bars of the

 Yulianna Avdeeva is the only woman  Yulianna after Martha Argerich to have won the Chopin Competition, but where  Argerich is the firebrand, Avdeeva,  who is no slouch, is more restrained. On this disc, her Schubert Klavierstücke are thoughtful and finely played, and her Prokofiev

First Partita (always a litmus test for any Bach player). He never rushes; the tempos are firm but never rigid. e balance of the tone is beautiful without being Romantic, and the dynamic range is kept finely within the limits of the Baroque. Often, such as in the less inspiring ird Partita, he has a clear rhythmic sense of the forward drive which holds together the dance in a subtle way. e darker Sixth Partita, with its demanding opening Toccata, needs the pianist to keep a clear view of the line through all the movements, and Levit does exactly that, with an overview one gets so rarely. Levit’s cornucopia of Bach is in many ways even more convincing than his Beethoven sonatas, simply because the composer’s parameters are narrower. Levit is a modern Bach player whose intelligence allows him to play in a clear Baroque style, while always maintaining a singing tone from the grand piano.

Sonata No 7 is never vulgar, even in robust and more boisterous. With his the thunderous finale. Most of the own cadenzas, Bavouzet gives us a Chopin préludes border on cautious truly playful Haydn, a composer who (e.g. Nos 22 and 23), however they did not need to imitate Mozart in are played with elegance and tonal any case. From the sonorous sounds beauty. Avdeeva had the idea of of the slow movement to his control combining these composers on one of the flow of the outer movements, programme – the contrast between Bavouzet brings light, delicate joy the thoughtful Schubert, volatile and ‘Spielfreude’ to the concertos. Prokofiev and multifaceted Chopin  Accolades to conductor Takács-Nagy Takács-Nagy,, should be persuasive, even if I found  who makes the Manchester Camerata it more confusing than convincing. sound on top form.

DANNY DRIVER

JAVIER PERIANES

Schumann: Novelletten,,  Novelletten Nachtstücke,, Nachtstücke Romanze in F sharp op 28 no 2 Hyperion CDA67983 ★★★★★

PIA IANO NO MU MUSI SIC C RA RARI RIT TIE IES S

Mendelssohn: Songs without Words (selection), Rondo capriccioso, capricc ioso, Variations sérieuses,, etc sérieuses Harmonia Mundi HMC 902195 ★★★★

 With their consta constant nt  fortes   and It’ It’ss nice to come down from the lofty  fortissimos   fortissi mos , Schumann’s Novelletten Novelletten are  are heights of the complete Mendelssohn not easy to play. e performer must  works for piano and orchestra by be able to correctly judge the tempo, Oleg Marshev that I reviewed in last the phrasing and the overall sound, issue to the drawing-room  which Dann Dannyy Drive Driverr does to perfect perfection ion Mendelssohn on this new disc. on this new disc. From the first massive Perianes has selected some of the chords, he plays with a beautiful tone, Songs without Words  Words  and   and a few other  with each harm harmony ony clearl clearlyy pedal pedalled led  works such as the Variations sérieuses , and a rock-steady tempo throughout. all of which he plays with fine tone e evening reflections of Nachtstücke and crystalline sparkle. In fact, the are like a balmy afterthought at the  whol e reci recital tal is stri pped of end of a boisterous day. e final piece, superficiality and performed with a the Romanze from opus 28, is one magical atmosphere. I would have of the most tender of Schumann’s preferred to hear all the Songs without  works and and is a fitting end to a day that Words   and not only this limited started out with so much festive selection, but maybe Perianes will get

SIMO SI MON N TR TRP PCESKI  ˇ 

Tchaikovsky: Piano Concertos Nos 1 &2 Royal Liverpool PO/ Vasily Petrenko Onyx 4135

 At Schloss Schloss vor Husum Husum 2013. Works by Grieg, Korngold, Ornstein, Sibelius, Sinding & more Various pianists Danacord DACOCD 739 ★★★★★

★★★

e annual CD from the North Simon Trpčeski and Vasily Petrenko German festival of Rarities of Piano have recorded some hard-hitting Music is a collector’s item. Each of the Rachmaninov concertos, and they 27-plus discs in the series features employ the same iron fist approach in leading pianists and always includes this new Tchaikovsky release. e music recorded for the first time. is First Concerto can take some heavy latest release begins with music from beating and fast tempos (think of how Norway played by Håvard Gimse and  Argerich races through it), however however,, ends with enchanting early Korngold the Second is a more intricate work played by Artur Pizarro. Two complete and could do with some reflection and sonatas by Sibelius and Leo Ornstein pauses for breath. Fast tempos can be challenge the notion that this series exhilarating and can create a stir in a only presents short works. e live concert, but repeated listening can Friedman Passacaglia   and the Sibelius be tiring. Disappointingly, the slow Belshazzar’s Feast , played with masterly movement of No 2 is performed in control by Soa Gülbadamova and the truncated Siloti version, and with Henri Sigfridsson, are also substantial. such fine playing from the orchestra,

bravura. An Olympian achievement a chance to record the rest of them. I from Driver.  will surely be the first to listen!

 All lovers of piano music byways should invest in this adventurous series.

Trpčeski should have presented it as Tchaikovsky intended.

86•  Pianist 81

 

 

When you need printed music,  just visit the Hound ...

... and see for yourself why so many customers  from around the world return to ...

www.sheetmusichound.com

 

Jean-Efflam

Bavouzet

an established leader in print music one-stop shopping

 

over 400,000 competitively priced scores listed online

  used by music librarians across the world

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

For media sales and sponsorship enquiries within enquiries within Pianist  Magazine,  Magazine, please contact CHSA 5147

 .N E T  P. N  CA L S H O P  C  I  S  S A  L  C  E  H  T  a t T d o w n l oa d   d  r  o    f f  W  O  N N    2 0 1 5  la b l e  J Ja n ua r y 2 A va i l    2 2    :   :  e  t a  d d    e  r e l ea s  C D r ALSO AVAILABLE ‘Bavouzet plays with finesse and limpid colouring, with Yan Pascal Tortelier matching him in taste and eloquence.’

 

Gramophone Award 2014

(Concerto) Gramophone 

 

Gareth MacFarlane 

Lottie Day 

Advertising Manager [email protected]

Executive [email protected]

CHSA 5084

STAY IN THE KNOW

New releases   Reviews   Special offers   Artist features •

•

•

Or call us on 0845 226 0477  0477  to discuss what we can do for you

www.chandos.net www.theclassicalshop.net (24-bit studio masters, lossless, MP3)

 

R E V I E W  S H E E T

MUSIC

Christmas classics, Autumnal jazz, Smetana and Dvoˇrák rák duets, Beethoven’s Beethoven’s Third Concert Concerto, o, American greats and more feature in Michael McMillan’s McMillan’s round-up this issue CLASSICAL PIANO METHOD   JAZZ IN THE AUTUMN

CHRISTMAS COLLECTION

ONE OF A KIND SOLOS: BOOKS 1-4

DUETS

Hans-Günter Heumann

Nikki Iles Oxford University

Wynn-Anne Rossi Alfred

Smetana: Vltava Dvoˇrák: rák: Slavonic

Schott ISBN: 978-1-84761331-8

Press ISBN: 978-0-19339465-0

ISBN: 1053-1978-1-4706(Bk 1); -1054-8 (Bk 2); -1055-5 (Bk 3); -1056-2 (Bk 4)

Dances

op 46 Bärenreiter ISMN: 979-0-26010590-4 (Smetana); -0576-8 (Dvoˇrák) rák)

Te Christmas Collection is a welcome Tis volume contains nine jazzy pieces  Wynn-Anne  Wynn-Anne Rossi is a contemporary Vltava  is  is the most mos t popular of Smetana’s addition to Hans-Günter Heumann’s for Grades 5 to 8 (one of the pieces  American composer with over six symphonic poems known recent piano tutorial for older – September in the Rain  – is on the 70 titles to her name. Te four collectively as Má vlast  (‘My  (‘My Country’). beginners. Its range of difficulty new ABRSM Grade 8 syllabus). It is volumes here each contain around Tis piano duet version by the (Grades 0-2) provides supplementary Nikki Iles’s Iles’s fourth book, which brings ten typically creative pieces, with composer, printed here with the parts material for students learning from to completion her season-themed techniques such as pedalling, crossed facing each other, was not intended for either of the two Method Books in the books, including  Jazz on a Winter’s hands and glissando appearing from public performance, but rather as a series. Te 35 pieces include well- Night ,  Jazz on a Summer’s Day , and the very first book. With titles such as means for the public to familiarise known carols, traditional songs, pieces  Jazz in Springtime . Te composer ‘Banana Popsicle’, ‘Dragon Dreams’ themselves with the work. Smetana’s heard around Christmas time (e.g. admits she had to look beyond the and ‘Labradoodle’, and with only  writing reflects his mastery of the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy , obvious choices due to the difficulties a couple of chords larger than a sixth, instrument, and only pianists above Hallelujah Chorus ), ), and several winter- of working with copyrighted material, the first two books (at about Grade 0 Grade 8 will be able to successfully themed pieces such as chaikovsky’s but everyone will surely be familiar to 2) are clearly aimed at pre-teens. ‘December’ (from Te Seasons ), ), and  with Danny Boy  and  and Somewhere Over Te difficulty level reaches around Schumann’s ‘Winter ime’ (from the Rainbow , both beautifully and Grade 4 by the last volume of the  Album for the Young ). ). Te arrangements pianistically arranged here in Iles’s four, and no piece in the series is are straightforward, have no harmonic characteristically imaginative style. longer than three pages. Although I surprises or distortions, and mostly lie Te CD has performances of all the  wasn’t  wasn’t overwhelmed by the musical  well under under the hand. Te lyrics for all pieces and is particularly helpful content, teachers will be satisfied the songs have been helpfully printed, for Iles’s three originals. As with her  with the technical nutrients provided so that enthusiastic friends and family other volumes, Iles encourages the by the music here, and students will can sing along over your shoulder if performer to freely extemporise in enjoy the wide variety of musical they want to! order to make these pieces their own. styles on offer.

negotiate its 36 pages. Around the time Smetana was composing Vltava , Dvořák wrote his first set of eight Slavonic Dances   opus 46, now often heard in orchestral form, but originally for piano duet. Both parts are printed on the same pages in this desirable edition, which boasts a fresh typesetting of the edition published in 1955 as part of the Complete Edition of the Works of Antonín Dvořák .

BRAZILIAN PIANO COLLECTION

BOOSEY & HAWKE HAWKES: S: AMERICAN GREATS

Edited by John Crawford de Cominges and Tim Richards Schott ISMN: 979-0-22013472-2

im Richards and John Crawford de Cominges recently co-wrote a large (250+ pages), well-received Latin tutorial called Exploring Latin Piano. Tis new Brazilian collection contains six of their original compositions from that volume, three additional new pieces from the pair, and 10 further  works by three other composers – Francisca Gonzaga, Ernesto Nazareth and Marcelo Andrade. A couple of the easiest pieces are about Grade 4, but the majority are slightly harder (Grade 6); none goes beyond Grade 8. I enjoyed two of the Nazareth pieces,  Apanhei-te,  Apanhe i-te, Cavaqu Cavaquinho inho  (which includes slight modifications) and Odeon. I found the remainder of the pieces less interesting, though perfectly serviceable. Te book comes with a

BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No 3 in C minor Bärenreiter ISMN: 979-0-00652301-6

STYLE COLLECTION: JAZZ & AFRO-CARIBBEAN Mike Cornick  Schott ISBN: 978-3-70247219-1 (Jazz); -72573 (Afro-Carib (Afro-Caribbean) bean)

Boosey & Hawkes ISBN: 978-0-8562-657-4

Bärenreiter’s edition of Beethoven’s Readers familiar with Cornick’s output Tis is the sixth volume in Boosey & Tird Piano Concerto exudes quality  will know that all his material material is well- Hawkes’ attractive Solo Piano and has been prepared by Jonathan  written for developi developing ng pianists, and Collection  series, which draws together Del Mar, whose scholarly editions of these new books are no exception. For Grade 4-7 material from a variety of Beethoven’s nine symphonies are teachers who are asked by their pupils sources. Tese include solo piano championed by leading conductors. for Afro-Caribbean music or for arrangements of music for other Te edition is comprised of two books. Grade 3 to 5 pianists interested in instruments, simplified versions of One book presents the music in popular music from this region, difficult piano music, and solo piano familiar piano concerto format, with a Cornick’s Afro-Caribbean volume has music in its original form. wenty-six piano reduction of the orchestral score his arrangements of 13 pieces, such as of the 33 pieces here are arrangements underneath the solo part. In this Sloop John B (Bahamas), Cordelia by composers such as Bernstein, edition, however, the soloist’s part is Brown (Antigua), and Linstead Market Sondheim, Ellington, Gershwin and printed in smaller writing than the (Jamaica). Don’t expect to find  Joplin,  Joplin, most of which have been accompaniment. Te reason for this modern jazz standards in the Jazz arranged by Hywel Davies. Te oddity is explained by the presence of volume, because Cornick has chosen remaining seven pieces are solos in the other book, which serves as the to arrange mostly traditional numbers their original form by Copland, pianist’s working copy: it contains the (e.g. When the Saints Go Marching In , Bernstein, MacDowell, and others, solo part, with all orchestral interludes Li’l Liza Jane ), ), presumably to avoid plus Rachmaninov’s setting of Te Star outlined in small print. No fingering issues of copyright. Each book comes Spangled Banner . Te repertoire is suggestions are given, and Beethoven’s  with a CD that includes includes both a demo  wide-ra  wide-ranging, nging, and provid provides es an

CD with performances of the pieces by the editors.

own cadenza to the first movement is included at the end of the volume.

track as well as a backing track for all the pieces.

excellent introduction to American music to explore at the piano.

88 81 Pianist #13 88• • Pianist

 

 W H E R E C A N I F I N D . . . RETAILERS EAST SUSSEX & KENT Y O R K S H I R E

TUITION

CHESHIRE

N O RT RT H W E S T

Shackleford Pianos

Forsyth

Sussex Pianos

Stephen Brandon Pianos

Athey Street

126 Deansgate, Manchester M3 2GR

Unit 14a, Rural Business Centre,

23B Whitby Avenue, Avenue, York, North

Macclesfield

0161 834 3281

Broad Farm, North Street, Hellingly Hellingly,,

Yorkshire, YO311EU

Pianists Together

Cheshire

[email protected]

East Sussex, BN27 4DU

01904 430270 / 01904430270

Weekly workshop near

SK116QU

www.forsyths.co.uk

Tel: 01323 843900 Email:

[email protected]

Brentwood/Chelmsford: Brentwood/Chelms ford: duets,

0800 0329919

With over 150 years of experience

[email protected]

www.stephenbrandonpianos.co.uk

accompaniment, musicianship,

[email protected]

Forsyth offers the complete piano

A family run business since 1995 &

We have been selling high quality

solo performance, kindred spirits

The UK’s Premiere Piano Centre-

service.

located in the Sussex countryside,

pianos for over 30 years. We stock a

and friendly atmosphere! Free

Over 150 pianos in 4000sq feet of

Unrivalled selection of quality new

we offer a wide range of services

large selection of new, second hand

taster session. Individual tuition tuition

showrooms and workshops

and used pianos agents for

for piano owners including Tuning,

and restored upright and grand pianos

also offered. w ww.cagmus.org.uk/ 

Specialists in - Piano sales |

Bösendorfer, Bechstein, Kawai,

Repairsand Restoration.

.Our showroom is open every Saturday

piano.html 07801 258261

Restoration | French polishing |

Kemble, May-Berlin, Schimmel,

Servicing | Piano transport | Event hire

Vogel & Yamaha

GLOUCESTERSHIRE

Rebuilt & Pre-owned by Bechstein, Bluthner, Fazioli, Ibach & Steinway

W OR C ES T ER S HI R E

OXON

Cheltenham

Cheltenham Piano Centre

Gloucestershire, GL52 2HP 01242517635

01242 25079 250794 4

Gloucestershire, GL52 2HP

Cheltenham Piano Centre

www.cheltenham-piano-centre.co.uk

01242517635

01242 25079 250794 4

52 Winchcombe Street,

Bluthner, Yamaha, Yamaha, Bechstein, Kemble,

www.cheltenham-piano-centre.co.uk

Cheltenham, Gloucestershire,

Dale Forty Restorations and repairs

Bluthner, Yamaha, Bechstein, Kemble,

GL52 2HP

undertaken in our workshops

Dale Forty Restorations and repairs

01242517635 01242 250794

undertaken in our workshops

www.cheltenham-piano-centre.co.uk

Vale Pianos

Bluthner, Yamaha, Bechstein,

Piano Specialists with over 100

Kemble, Dale Forty

pianos on display. Family business.

Cheltenham Piano Centre

Restorations and repairs undertaken

Workshops and showrooms.

52 Winchcombe Street,

in our workshops

Visit www.valepianos.co.uk

HEREFORD

Cheltenham Gloucestershire,

SURREY

GL52 2HP

Piano Warehouse

01242517635

111-113 Ewell Road, Surbiton,

01242 01 242 250794 25 0794

Surrey, KT6 6AL

www.cheltenham-piano-centre.co.uk

0208 399 411 4110 0

Bluthner, Yamaha, Yamaha, Bechstein, Kemble,

www.piano-warehouse.co.uk

Dale Forty Restorations and repairs undertaken in our workshops

Specialists in sales and rentals.

LONDON

Piano Workshop Workshop of Reigate

Sales-Rental-Restoration

Peregrine’s Pianos

Practice and teaching rooms for hire

137A Grays Inn Road . London

ABRSM exam centre

WC1X 8TU

www.pianoworkshop.co.uk

Tel: 020 7242 9865

SURREY BORDERS

E: info@peregrines-pianos. [email protected] com W: www.peregrines-pianos.com We are here to sell and hire out fine, modern upright and grand pianos, and to provide a unique working

Handel Pianos

environment for the music profession.

Verve House, London Road (A30),

NW LONDON

  advisable on weekdays.

52 Winchcombe Street, Cheltenham

Cheltenham Piano Centre

52 Winchcombe Street,

10.30am to 5.00pm. An appointment is

Sunningdale, Berkshire, SL5 0DJ 0DJ 01344 873645

PianoWarehouse

[email protected]

291-295 Willesden Lane

www.handelpianos.co.uk

London

Complete range of new and restored

NW2 5HY

upright and grand pianos, for the

01386 860419

“Looking for a label  which speaks of  quality and trust? Find  it on all of our pianos”

01323 843900 www.sussexpianos.co.uk

ESSEX

0207 267 7671

beginner through to the professional.

www.piano-warehouse.co.uk

Appointed Bosendorfer and Kemble

Specialists in sales and rentals

agents. As new, restored pianos from Bluthner & Bechs Bechstein tein

 

 

CLASSIFIEDS For Sale - Steinway & Sons

 .  .

 Piano specialists specialists for over four four generations

We have over 70 pianos on offer from

    :

The

 

Malvern Hills  Piano Holiday 

A fine ebonised eb onised upright piano 1894-96 with an accompanying Steinway Steinway stool. Outstanding conditio condition. n.

01270 626 744, Cheshire. £4950.

 | Bluthner  Bosendorfer  | Bechstein | Kemble  Yamaha | Kawai

    -

With many other new and quality pre loved pianos. With delivery arranged countrywide

  :

www.handelpianos.co.uk Tel: 01344 873645 Email: sales@hande [email protected] lpianos.co.uk  o.uk 

Monday 3rd - Friday 7th August 2015

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

 The Elgar School School of Music, Worcester Worcester

1966 Steinway Baby Grand

:

For Sale - Knight Upright Piano

Summer School for adults of all ages and abilities led by Stephen Watkins Watkins with David Quigley & Steve Tromans • • •

In family from new. Photographs available. Warwickshire.

•

Masterclasses  Workshops Concerts Excursions

•

Group Lessons

•

One-to-one tuition

Rebuilt 2004 by 1066 Pianos, Cambridge, (certificate of work available) Lacquer gloss cabinet finish, re-tuned Oct. 2014 to concert pitch.

£520 to include all tuition, excursions, meals & concerts. Accommodation not included but available at Worcester University.

r.hartley49@gmai [email protected] l.com or telephone 07867500282  

HOLIDAY PROPERTY

:

“Supportive and non-competitive, while at the same time stimulating a desire desire to improve. The teaching was all excellent; both instructive and, perhaps most importantly, motivating - even inspirational!”  Mr I Whiteford – Piano Holiday 2013  

For rent: spacious apartment at belgian

seaside (de Panne) with piano.Possibility pianomeetings. Wifi, Wifi, no smoking. sm oking. Special price for singles.

www.pianoholidays.co.uk   Drinkwell Cottage, 25 The Village, Powick, Worcestershire WR2 4QR  ☏07886 726096 

[email protected] +3247755514 +32477555142 2

PIANO WORKSHOP 

Est. 1982

Grotrian Steinweg ‘Cabinet’ Grand in Ebony 192cm

Restoration specialists - pianos purchase d. Over 90 pianos on di splay.

Contact to view (Saffron Walden Walden Essex) Tel: 01799 522858 Price £ 6750

.

:

 ww w.pianowor w.pianoworksh kshop.co.uk op.co.uk

Tel: 01 01737 737 242174 242174

 46b Albert Road North, Reigate, Surrey Surrey RH2 9EL