Piano_Journal_104

JOU R NAL EPTAEUROPEAN PIANO TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION Interview with Benjamin Grosvenor Memories of Jan Ekier and Dinu Lipatti MUSIC REVIEWS - BOOK REVIEWS THE EUROPEAN JOURNAL FOR PIANISTS AND PIANO TEACHERS ISSUE 104 2014 £3.00

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JOU R NAL Founder Carola Grindea CONTENTS 4 Editoral & letters Editor Murray McLachlan 6 Benjamin Grosvenor 10 Jan Ekier [email protected] 16 Memories of Dinu Lipatti 20 African folk music and the piano sonata Tel/fax 01625 266899 23 EPTA Forum 28 Reviews Editorial Consultant Nadia Lasserson 36 EPTA news 34 Carver Road COVER IMAG:E BENJAMIN GROSVENOR: BY KIND PERMISSION OF DECCA/SOPHIE WRIGHT London SE24 9LT EPTA Netherlands will host the 38th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of Tel: 020 7274 6821 EPTA ASSOCIATIONS. Assistant Editors Key Connections Angela Fogg Malcolm Miller How do we manage important connections within our profession? Our Nancy Lee Harper connection to our instrument and its manifold music, with our students Alberto Portugheis and their world, with our audience, to other art disciplines, and to sci- Piano Journal ence. Questions and answers from each EPTA country Published by EPTA www.eptanederland.nl/epta-netherlands and produced by Come and meet European colleagues in Amsterdam Impromptu Publishing Suite 1F, Blackfriars House, Parsonage, Manchester M3 2JA UK Tel 0161 236 9526 www.impromptupublishing.com Advertising Marcus Netherwood [email protected] Tel 0161 236 9526 Art Director Henrietta Creedy Designers James Kerr, David Mercer Proof reader: Helen Tabor Piano Journal ISSN 0267 7253 Published: Spring, Summer, Winter Subscription for three issues UK Members £13.00 (including postage) EUROPEAN Members £14.00 (including postage) Corporate Members/Libraries UK £14.00 European £19.00 Outside Europe £26.00 (US$ 60.00) EPTA Associate Members (resident outside Europe) Surface Mail £20.00 or US$47.00 Airmail £24.00 or US$56.00 If paying US$ cheques, we regret that we have been obliged to add $10 to cover crippling bank charges BUT all subscriptions can be paid via EPTA’s website at the sterling rate: epta-europe.org All subscriptions can now be paid online via the website. Piano Journal subscriptions should be sent to: Nadia Lasserson, Organising Secretary 34 Carver Road London SE24 9LT Tel: 020 7274 6821 Email: [email protected] The opinions expressed or implied, the methods recommended or advice given in the Piano Journal are not necessarily representative of EPTA’s views and therefore EPTA takes no responsibility for them. Appearance of an advertisement does not necessarily indicate EPTA’s approval of the product or service. The editor welcomes letters from members but reserves the right to edit them for publication. This product is copyright material and may not be copied in whole or in part for any purpose whatsoever without the permission of the copyright owner.

Editorial touchingly described in a moving way during the early chapter's of Teichman's Murray McLachlan book. Ekier’s sister was also a pianist and teacher, and brother and sister often A s 2014 draws to a close it is of one of Lipatti’s pupils. Though we performed as a duet team in the early fitting to pay tribute to the all continue to delight and marvel on a days. After moving to Warsaw in 1934 outstanding contribution regular basis at the masterful playing and continuing composition study with made to EPTA by Malcolm still available via remastered CD reissues Kazimierz Sikorski, piano with Zbigniew Troup, both as chair of the Executive of Lipatti’s piano playing, awareness of Drzewiecki and organ with Bronislaw committee and long standing editor of Lipatti as a teacher is much rarer. This Rutkowski, Ekier entered the third ‘Piano Journal’. I am very honoured to beautiful homage to Lipatti the mentor International Chopin Competition at very be following in his illustrious footsteps does something to rectify this state of short notice, winning eighth prize and and in this current issue, my first as new affairs. I hope readers will be as deeply assuring himself national respect and editor, we celebrate both the past and the moved as I was by the loving care and authority which would continuously grow future. Youth looks forward: still only in intensity with which the essay was and develop in the decades to follow. his early twenties, Benjamin Grosvenor is written. already an established and authoritative The Second World War years were international soloist and recording artist. The passing of the great Polish of course extremely difficult for all His remarkable talent, dedication to pianist, composer, musicologist, editor, Poles, and Ekier consistently showed music and vision as a recreative artist of teacher, organist and competition juror remarkable courage and spirit by uncommon individuality and sensitivity Jan Ekier in August 2014, a fortnight taking part in clandestine events, make him stand out as one of today’s short of his 101st birthday, marked the risking execution by performing in towering young lions of the keyboard. end of an extraordinary era. Ekier’s life patriotic concerts. In the post-war era Of course in Grosvenor’s impressive coincided with epoch-making political Ekier’s reputation grew apace, and he generation of virtuoso pianists the word events. His own achievements on many frequently performed internationally ‘brilliant’ has become almost over-used. levels as an artist were remarkable. I am on tours. As well as tackling both How delightful and gratifying therefore extremely grateful to Aneta Teichman Chopin concertos, he became famous to always encounter so much more than for giving us permission to publish the for his interpretations of Szymanowski’s mere surface glitter when Benjamin translation of her fascinating article Symphonie concertante, Prokofiev’s third performs! And there is no doubt either about this energised, charismatic yet concerto and the keyboard concertos of that Grosvenor’s greatest achievements extremely modest and under-appreciated Bach. Teichman’s book lists the many still lie ahead. His career continues musician. Indeed it is fair to say that too radio broadcasts of solo repertoire given to grow apace. As Nadia Lasserson few musicians outside of Poland know by Ekier as well as the smaller selection reminds us in her interview with him, very much about Jan Ekier at all. Of of commercial recordings. The music of early encouragement came to Benjamin course we are all aware of his name in Chopin predominates, but there are some via participation in the EPTA UK piano connection with the new state-of-the-art intriguing inclusions, notably of Ekier’s competition. It is surely a special National Edition of the complete works own compositions. pleasure and delight for all of us in EPTA of Chopin. We probably all recognise the to count Benjamin as one of the overall huge contributions made by Jan Ekier Because I am fortunate to have past winners of this annual event. We as editor in chief to this monumental a devoted Ekier student, Marta therefore look forward to celebrating project. But the story of how this series Karbownicka, as my colleague, I was able his continued success and enjoying his of scholarly publications came into being to obtain a selection of his original piano future recordings and concerts with the is dramatic, and it is deeply moving to works on loan for study. Marta has been greatest of pleasure. learn of the phenomenal struggle, the a piano teacher at Chetham’s School of Herculian efforts that Ekier gave to make Music in Manchester for many years, and In this issue we look back with the national edition a reality. It was an I am extremely grateful to her not only for nostalgia and respect at our European almost unimaginable workload that took providing material relevant to Jan Ekier’s legacy via two towering figures - one many decades to complete and which life and work, but also for putting me from the distant past and another who many a lesser mortal would surely have directly in touch with Aneta Teichman. has only just departed. Both have left a abandoned early on. lasting legacy that will remain with us As one would expect from a master always. From decades ago we remember In fact Ekier was exceptional on pianist, Jan Ekier’s music is most the extraordinary genius and artistry many other levels. Aneta Teichman has elegantly laid out for the instrument. It of Dinu Lipatti. There is an EPTA produced a detailed 450-page biography provides a great deal of tactile pleasure. connection with this towering figure: in (available in Polish – 2013 – as well The selection of works I studied may his early years in Romania Lipatti was as English - 2014) which is nothing have been miniatures, but they were in the same class as our founder Carola short of a labour of love. Certainly all fascinating in different ways. Grindea. Carola translated a large book her painstakingly thorough research Along with the acute sensitivity to about Lipatti from her native Romanian and insights do full justice to the man ‘pianistic geometry’ they all possessed into English. The article presented here and his music. Born in Krakow on 29 an elegance, neoclassical clarity and give us an all-too-rare description of his August 1913 into a musical family, charming simplicity. On the evidence I teaching. This comes from the perspective Ekier was profoundly influenced by was given, Ekier’s compositional muse his first teacher, Olga Stolfowa. This is appears serene. He utilises simple melodies that are far from trite - on the contrary many of them are stubbornly memorable! Under and over his ‘spartan’ tunes comes subsidiary material that can never be taken for granted. Accompanimental textures in Ekier’s piano music are consistently intriguing. Subsidiary figures, chords and notes are often extremely unusual, droll... but 4

Letters More thoughts on competitions always ‘right’ and beautiful. They act like Anton Voigt raises some crucial, and workmanlike professional who got proverbial litmus paper against which often ignored, aspects of judging nothing wrong. So of course everyone’s the naïve melodic material constantly in his excellent article published second choice wins the competition, changes in perspective. Stylistically in the last issue of Piano Journal: having achieved the highest average. Ekier seems to have been deeply “Competitions: Opportunity or Lion’s Hence the considerable number of influenced by both Bartók and Prokofiev, Den?”. The visual importance in uninteresting pianists that win major but his music is never derivative. He has particular of a performance is greatly competitions. his own slant and expression. Apart from underestimated, and indeed the public his work as a composer and editor, Ekier as well as jurors is vulnerable to this There are ways round this. In was a devoted teacher, counting Piotr aspect of a performance. I recall being my Institute we have developed a Paleczny and other laureates amongst his in the Festival Hall in London listening system that uses no numbers at all, scores of students. They all benefited over to what seemed to be a charismatic recognises peaks and not averages, the decades from his wisdom, inspiration and convincing performance of and where the lowest mark is no mark and kindness as a mentor. In fact Ekier’s Chopin’s Preludes by one of today’s at all, thus preventing “torpedoing” journey as a teacher began at the age of leading musicians - until I took my through negative marking. twenty when he taught solfège in Krakow. eyes off the stage for two minutes. It From 1953 he worked as Professor at the was pianistically and musically of a How one arrives at a personal University of Music in Warsaw, holding very poor level. judgement is another matter, however. the chair of the piano department there After many years in this business, it with only a two-year break from 1964– Arguably since most of the boils down to whether I want to hear 2000. public sees rather than hears, it is the person again, and on a higher right that we should be influenced, level, whether I would be prepared to Jan Ekier served on the Chopin though I must confess to often not pay for it. After all, we are ultimately competition jury on nine occasions looking at performers in exams all members of the public. and was a regular guest juror around and competitions. Since most the world at many of the other most performances are now experienced Martin Hughes famous competitions. These included as recordings, it is surely just as the Busoni, Van Cliburn, Rubinstein important as ever to judge what we Dear Malcolm, and Liszt-Bartók, Prague, Leipzig and hear. this letter is part of the response that Geneva competitions. He was honoured we, EPTA representatives of our own with many awards during his long and Many competitions are indeed countries, decided to publish in the eventful life, including the Order of the corrupt, either intentionally or by last edition of the EPTA Journal. It White Eagle, the highest Polish state default. Any competition (or exam, for was meant to be a response to your distinction, which he received in 2010. that matter) where all the marks are letter sent to our Oslo conference. Ekier’s death in hospital on the night of not open to all members of the jury, August 14–15 was symbolic as it marked and where the decisions are made Speaking for myself and exactly the 70th anniversary of a other than in the presence of the jury appreciating your life’s work, this concert he gave at the Warsaw Technical based on these same marks must by incredibly rich oeuvre, first of all I University for soldiers fighting in the definition be regarded as suspect, and would like to express my gratitude for Warsaw uprising. no stories of computer calculations all those things I learned from your or whatever are an excuse. Some editorials and articles. Having you as From South Africa we discover the competition authorities have a publisher and chief editor of EPTA piano sonata of Hendrik Hofmeyr in apparently made their own decisions Journal meant not only that we were Justin Krawitz's essay. This brings fond right from the beginning, and use a educated again and again on unique memories of the Oslo EPTA European (usually large) jury, who of course may gems, historic rarities, but it also conference last June when the theme of not communicate with each other, as secured the highest, uncompromising folk music from 1814-2014 produced so a rubber stamp. quality of the entire journal year after many stimulating presentations. Along year, issue after issue. with the usual selection of reviews and Then there is incompetence by news from all the EPTA countries, we default. Any competition using marks, While I have to understand and have an extended edition from Nancy for instance 0–25, will fall into this accept your decision, I think I’m Lee Harper of the teachers' forum on trap. First of all any one of us will give speaking for all of us when I ask fascinating performance research. pianist ‘A’ 15 points on Monday, and you to keep being involved as closely for the same performance 16 or 14 as possible with the Journal, and It is a great pleasure and privilege to points on Thursday. Then of course keep informing and educating the be working as editor for this wonderful there are those old hands who under- community of musicians on topics magazine and I sincerely hope that mark everyone, so that when their that help broaden our professional you will all enjoy reading the articles competitor plays, the average will rise horizon. It is paramount that we learn presented as much as I have. dramatically. Also one person or (since to look and see beyond our everyday the introduction of the abolition of the practical, professional problems, that ‘Jan Ekier’ by Aneta Teichman. (Versions lowest and highest marks) two people we are aware of the past such that working together can ruin the chances we can properly judge and if needed, in Polish and English). Publisher: Polskie of a rival competititor by giving the criticize the present. Your inquisitive lowest imaginable mark. mind and superb knowledge can Wydawnictwo Muzyczne. First published provide unique insights to the readers Assuming though that the jury is of this Journal. in Polish, Jan 2013, 450 pages, ISBN-10: honest and competent, there remains the final pitfall: there are probably I wish you a fast and full recovery 8322409575 ISBN-13: 978-8322409572 three pianists who are sufficiently from the consequences of your interesting for a first prize. Even unfortunate accident, such that you an honest jury cannot be expected can continue your irreplaceable work to have the same taste. However, with the usual intellectual energy! everybody’s second choice is the Please accept my best wishes, from a loving and respecting old friend, Mariann Abraham, EPTA Hungary 5

PHOTO: BY KIND PERMISSION OF DECCA/SOPHIE WRIGHT Benjamin Grosvenor In conversation with Nadia Lasserson A t the tender age of 21 before the BBC Young Musician When I was fourteen I took my A-levels Benjamin Grosvenor has Competition? early, essentially skipping GCSE. already experienced phenom- enal and sustained interna- Yes, in 2003 I won four competitions Which subjects did you take? tional success. With seven Wigmore Hall - The Southend Young Musician of the English Literature, Music and recitals under his belt and five CDs to Year, The Essex Young Musician of the his name, he has won two Gramophone Year, The Emanuel Trophy and The Mathematics and got As in all of them Awards - ‘Instrumental Award’ and EPTA Trophy. which then enabled me to start my ‘Young Artist Award’. This makes him degree in music at the Academy. “The Gramophone’s” youngest ever dou- And then you came and gave us some ble award winner. Benjamin was also Recitals. For me, your special piece And you had the school behind you. awarded a Classic Brit ‘Critics’ Choice or signature tune was the Musical They were so proud of you being a Award’ for his Chopin/Liszt/Ravel CD Box by Stephen Hough. You played it student there and always supported on Decca. magnificently, do you still play it? you by helping to create practice time for you during the school day. Earlier this year Nadia Lasserson No, I don’t still play it. I played it so met up with this brilliant, prodigious much and it is a very beautiful piece The Head teacher was extremely yet touchingly self-effacing and modest but I got tired of it, as one does, and accommodating and that was a great help. British virtuoso in his Southend home. now I should revise it again. Though he had only just come off a long It is on your first CD “Ben at Ten” Have you always lived in Southend? haul flight from Singapore, Benjamin and on the next one but I don’t think Yes, I did not move to London for my showed no signs of fatigue. Nadia began it is on the “This and That” ? You by reminding Benjamin of his early had already discarded it by then. degree and have always lived in this association with EPTA UK as one of the house where I was born. first winners of the piano competition: When did you actually leave school? When I was fourteen as I took my How old were you when you first Benjamin, it is a privilege to meet started piano lessons? you in your own home with two A-levels early and then entered the pianos in this room. Royal Academy of Music at fifteen. I officially started aged six but actually my mother first taught me How old were you when we all I read somewhere that you took when I was five and there is a video I first met you at the EPTA UK Piano O-level maths when still at Primary have recently discovered of me sight- competition? School. Is that correct? reading Christmas carols at the age of five-and-a-half so I could read music I think I was nine. Yes I did the Intermediate papers. by then. She taught me until I was nine going on ten and then I went onto And if I remember rightly, did you You had two years preparing for the Hilary Coates and I studied with her play the Moszkowski Tarantella? BBC Young Musician competition until I won the first round of the BBC while still at school. How did that and then she put me onto Christopher Yes, I believe I did. work? Elton. That was the Intermediate 2 class of I had a lot of free periods in the Those were your sole teachers then? the 2001 EPTA Piano Competition. timetable and I had the advantage at Hilary Coates and then Chris Elton You then returned two years later the age of ten of knowing which career and won the overall EPTA Trophy I wanted to follow. I did not do certain until I was thirteen or fourteen though over all senior music college students subjects such as games and art which I my mother continued to help and in 2003, aged 11! Was that the year sometimes regret in retrospect but I did support my playing until I went full have some extra daytime to practise. time to the Royal Academy of Music 6

and had another teacher there as well, thirteen then? I have been reading a book by Daniel-Ben Pienaar, who helped me a I was actually twelve at the time Chasins, an American broadcaster, lot. They were not strictly piano lessons, critic and pianist who wrote that we listened to recordings and discussed and it was just a few months after one pianist decided that all the them together. He became my mentor the BBC Young Musician. I think I Fugues are so predictable that he and still listens to me playing when I played Rachmaninov’s transcription of only performed the Preludes which have to prepare a programme. I play to Kreisler’s Liebesleid as an encore. is where all the meat of Bach’s him when I need his input. inventive genius lies.What do you Yes, I do remember - and it was think of this idea? Excellent, but you are still with quite extraordinary! You have Christopher Elton? always performed extremely original That’s an interesting artistic decision mixed programmes. One of your and yes, there is some justification in Yes, I graduated from my degree last CDs combines Chopin Nocturnes that the structure of a fugue is known year but I am still going to the RAM. & Scherzos with Chopin-Liszt whereas the preludes all vary so much transcriptions leading onto a gem with original ideas and moods. And yet I was coming to that; so you have of a Liszt miniature, En rêve, before they do still vary. I just came back from actually finished being a student? Ravel’s Gaspard de la nuit. What a Singapore where my teacher Daniel-Ben wonderful cocktail! Pienaar played the whole of Book 1 of Yes but of course as a pianist, you the 48 and will play Books I and II in are always studying. Probably my taste for mixed the autumn on consecutive evenings. programmes comes from my early days That would terrify me. The first time I How much time do you spend in playing in restaurants and cafés to gain played Bach, I was extremely nervous the Academy now? Do you have one experience. I would play Chopin, Billy because of the complex counterpoint. lesson a week? Mayerl and Haydn Sonata movements One is scared of losing one’s way - and in strange eclectic mixtures to include that was only the Partitas! I am quite busy and touring a good as much of the huge wealth of available deal at the moment so I don’t manage piano repertoire as possible. I suppose Let’s talk about your travels and to have lessons so frequently; I will not it is from then that I have always put tours. Did you do many tours abroad be able to schedule a lesson until late a lot of variety into my programmes. in your teens? August when I shall ask Christopher There is so much of the repertoire that to hear my new programme for the is not played much and I have tried to Not ‘touring’ as such - although I was autumn. include as much as possible to create doing concerts as my parents knew that interest. Chopin and Ravel side by side I loved playing and performing. I had What’s that? made me want to have a narrative with other studies with school and was also Quite a mixed programme with a link in the middle. The Liszt seemed learning new repertoire, so they helped appropriate as that short piece in the me organise three blocks of concerts several composers but I think it should middle comes from a period where every year, with different repertoire in work quite well: Mendelssohn Rondo Liszt was extremely economical and each block. I toured Minnesota when Capriccioso op.14, Schubert Impromptu sparing of the fiery technical demands I was thirteen, gave my debut at the in G flat op.90 no.3, and Schumann while becoming introvert and religious. Chopin Society and also played the Humoresque which is the main work Additionally, it contains an inventive Ravel G major Concerto with a youth in the programme. Then in the second harmonic language which looks forward orchestra at Carnegie Hall. I performed half we have Mompou. Mompou is a to Ravel’s harmonic language. in Brazil at 14 but otherwise gave no composer whose music I really like and extensive tours. The most pressurised is not often heard. Absolutely, what a brilliant narrative tour I have given so far consisted of and journey for the listeners. fifteen concerts in seventeen days. It He appears very simple but has great Continuing on repertoire, do you was very intensive but I am glad I have hidden depths. see yourself ever considering the done this as it has made me realise complete Beethoven Sonatas? what I am capable of doing. Not all the Yes he does. After that in the new concerts were high pressure and my programme comes some Medtner, whose No, I don’t do single composers at the brother and mother also came and we music is not often played but who is moment although I love all the Sonatas had good fun... making a comeback and becoming and have performed several of them - very fashionable in Europe right now but mixed with other repertoire. I don’t How do you think you could cope with with his Sonatas and shorter pieces. I see myself ever doing a complete cycle, that as a lifestyle in years to come? shall be playing two of his Fairy Tales. although I may change my mind. Many artists do this all the time. The recital is completed with the Ravel Valses Nobles et Sentimentales and, to And Bach? I don’t think that I would want to end, Liszt’s transcription of the Gounod I have not played a lot of Bach: I only do that many... Some artists do 150 Faust-Waltz. concerts a year, which I find too much. came to like Bach when I was fourteen. The most I have done is eighty. That’s That is such a typical Grosvenor I had heard many recordings of his plenty for me! programme; ever since I have known music which I found dry and thought you, you have always compiled that this was Bach’s language until I All memorised? programmes that are not often heard Samuel Feinberg. His approached Yes, except when I play chamber played - a wonderful mix-and-match the “48” with so much colour and potpourri – and when you gave excitement that the window opened music - which I love doing as I can use your first Wigmore Hall recital, you for me. I will be recording Bach’s Fifth the music and that’s an added layer of played a lot of shorter pieces and Partita in the autumn. pressure taken off. included a Liszt transcription and some fiery pieces. And I will tell you I also enjoyed a recent Bach project I was very pleasantly surprised to that, before the concert, Christopher with schoolchildren in the Purcell Room hear you play in the Debussy Violin Elton whispered to me that you play which included a good mix of his works. and Piano Sonata in the Purcell the fiendish repertoire better than he does. I think you were twelve or 7

Room just recently. I did not think suggestions - but I was not there in a You were justified in being nervous that you perform much chamber teaching capacity. In fact I have not had after winning the Piano section of music and thought that you prefer to any teaching experience - I have had a the BBC competition as you had concentrate on solo performing. few requests to do masterclasses, but I such a huge responsibility to live up would not like to do something publicly to and everyone expected so much Yes, I had to do some at the Academy that I have not done privately first. from you. as part of my degree. I played with a violinist and a singer there as well as Do you think that when you are older Possibly, but I was still so young at in several groups. My first professional you might be willing to do some the time. At eleven you do not think appearance was in Wigmore Hall with teaching on an individual basis just about being nervous - and I always members of the English Chamber to be able to impart your incredible enjoyed the excitement of performing. I Ensemble whom I worked with a couple knowledge and expertise? assumed that people would be indulgent of times afterwards. For the BBC New with me until I was gradually getting Generation Scheme I have performed I think teaching is something I would older and becoming more self-conscious. chamber music with the Elias Quartet. enjoy - except for the first pupil. I find I also played with the Escher Quartet at the idea of teaching someone for the The last topic I would like to discuss the Cheltenham Festival. I played the first time quite daunting! with you is what Carola Grindea Brahms Piano Quartet no.3 with the Elias called the “Peak Experience” or and it was one of the most enjoyable days Perhaps your mother would advise “flow”, in her book “Conversations I have ever had in the studio, and the a little. My mother, Carola Grindea, with Great Pedagogues”. Peak Piano Quintet with the Escher Quartet advised me at the start and gradually experience is that magic moment last year which I did again with the I formulated my own ideas. I have to when the music seems to take Endellion Quartet. I am always looking say that I am a far better teacher now over and acquire new supreme to play as much chamber music as I in my old age, than I was thirty years dimensions. You are on the platform possibly can. ago, and have gained far more wisdom and in a performance when suddenly and experienced over the years. you are not in it and everything Your Purcell Room performance of just flows magnificently as though that Debussy Violin and Piano Sonata Let’s now move on to discuss you are floating on a different with the German/Korean violinist nerves and what my mother planet. Have you ever experienced was absolutely stunning. That style called the “Peak Experience”. You this? It does not happen with every of music is totally appropriate to mentioned that Bach terrified you performance I can assure you! you when you go into your quiet, the first time you performed the sensitive colour mode. You have an fourth Partita. I always imagined that Yes, I think I have experienced that. exquisite touch. you, being so youthful when you had You mean you become so absorbed in so much success, must have hardly the music. Thank you! I love that piece and it was known what nerves were! Have you great to play it, she is a fantastic violinist. found that little nerves have crept in Carola always thought that it as you have grown older? happened when people were But you really love whatever you are completely relaxed and the body playing at the moment, don’t you? That’s exactly where I am. When I was in a state of total balance and You are always in the “now”! was ten and eleven and with the BBC relaxation. That’s when it can Young Musician, I was not really very happen... Can you remember when Yes I am - except sometimes I feel nervous at all. I don’t think you feel the you might have experienced this? that a piece can become a little jaded if I pressure at that age - which makes me have been playing it for a long time. On think that eleven is the ideal age to do a A concert hall in Scotland with balance, I do love everything that I play. major competition... a Chopin recital where I felt totally I choose repertoire that I really like, as at home and comfortable with the I feel it is not good to play something in It has been interesting to perform all environment and the audience. public that I do not enjoy myself. through my teens as I found that when I was thirteen and fourteen, my nerves Did you feel you were enveloping I totally agree with you - and that crept in and affected my performance. them into your performance, sucking is incredibly honest and genuinely More self awareness developed and it them in? sincere of you. Benjamin, at only 21 was a very important aspect to have you are of course a little young to to learn to overcome these nerves. It’s that sense of quiet, that silence have done a great deal of teaching Generally, once I get on the stage and I in the Hall. You feel it most when you but I am sure you have done some concentrate, nerves dissipate. But I do know there’s a body of people there and mentoring. You have already realise that there are occasions when I yet there is absolute stillness. mentioned that Bach project with do not play at my best - and that half young schoolchildren in Clapham hour or so before a concert begins can And you have to be outside the which ended up in the Purcell Room be very unpleasant. performance, as you cannot afford a couple of months ago. to get too emotionally wrapped up in My first teacher at the Academy yourself... Actually to be honest I have not done was Robin Wood who also taught any mentoring, and the nature of my Christopher Elton. After he returned I tell you the ideal state to be in involvement with the children on that to Canada I studied with Max Pirani is almost to be listening to yourself project was just to work with them as who had such a wise dictum: “You playing as if you are a third person. It performers. They were all violinists. cannot always play your best, but you sounds strange but that is probably They did, however, turn up “en masse” do have to have a very good worst.” how it is... I was once playing in a to my last Wigmore Hall recital where church in Wendover at the Festival they all cheered enthusiastically I think that’s right. You spend so there. It’s a very nice church with a and especially enjoyed hearing, once much time doing technical practice splendid acoustic and the first half of again, the Bach that I had played with just to be able to go into auto-pilot if the concert did not go particularly well. them. I may have advised with a few anything goes amiss - and you never I was extremely nervous and I had not know when that is going to happen! been playing the pieces for very long. 8

The second half included Albéniz’s I am preparing a very large new ins to repair small mistakes. It is different with an orchestra as on occasions the Iberia, book one. For some reason, I programme over the summer for some orchestra can play well whilst the pianist can be less good. The reverse can also suddenly felt “in the zone” and was concerts in the USA, the Netherlands happen. This means that it can be very hard to use longer takes! playing almost as if I was not playing and my debut in Russia which should be But surely it’s so much more while listening to the lines. It was as interesting. It will be held in Katerinburg, realistic if recordings are not perfect? though I was hearing myself shaping in December, and I shall also be making If I think back, most of my favourite phrases and colour contours. I think my debut with the City of Birmingham piano recordings are live and many of them are very early recordings which that is what it is. Symphony Orchestra in the same month were all live in those days as they had no editing capacity. I think there is with the Saint-Saëns Concerto in G minor. something about the electricity of a live performance that tends to enhance the Yes, completely in the zone - as if And more concerts in the New Year, playing. another spirit is guiding and making the Dvoˇrák Piano Quintet with the Escher We all agree with that statement. When is your next Wigmore ? and it happen. Quartet again and this should be fun. any other London Performances? Yes. I have a recital at the Barbican in January,  and I believe my After the Decca recording, do you next Wigmore will be in 2016-17. I shall do my best to attend every Tell me abut your plans for the have others already formulated? concert. Thank you so much for giving of your time and good luck future? Are you thinking of more I am not sure about the next one. It with all your future projects CDs? You say you are going to play gets difficult as you have to schedule It was a pleasure. some Schubert? so far in advance which relies on so See reviews of Benjamin Grosvenor’s latest CDs on page 34-35. That is for my next recital many other things as well. That’s why programme. My CD next month is a one puts on disc the repertoire one is dance theme album with another varied performing in concerts at the time. programme including a good deal of repertoire: Bach Fourth Partita, with When recording, on the whole, do you two Chopin Polonaises, some Scriabin do much cutting and pasting or do Mazurkas and Waltzes op 38, Granados you play once and are you generally Valses Poéticos, a set of waltzes which satisfied with the first take? That’s a is an early piece by Granados, Blue tough question to ask you! Danube transcription by Schulz-Evler It depends, I try to play a lot of long who was a Polish composer. There’s a takes at first. I often found with my first EPTA sgurmematerd1e4alCoOfVvEaRrSie_tEyPiTnAtShuamt 2p0r1o3gr0a5m/0m8/2e0.14 0do9ni:s5ec9ss tPthhaaagtet wtcheerelotnhge early takes were the most satisfying. Quite And what for the 2014–2015 concert often the chosen takes are based on these season? - it is possible simply to add a few drop- 9 PI A N O

Jan Ekier - the Inventor of New Chopinology by Aneta Teichman translated Aleksander Koziel Over the course of many years War II his acquaintance with the Polish works. Jan Ekier’s curiosity resulted in Jan Ekier familiarised himself composer was predominantly through many valuable observations. He looked with Frédéric Chopin not only the notations of his works. During the at Chopin from the perspective of his life through reading books and occupation, when Chopin’s music was and works, his personality and artistic articles about the famous composer, but prohibited by the occupying forces, he output, and penetrated the very soul of by studying his letters, listening to his played his mazurkas, polonaises and the composer - his experiences, plans, works, playing his music, examining his etudes at secret concerts. It was then disappointments, pain, illness, and his handwriting and musical notation, look- that Ekier realised the genius of Frédéric sometimes concealed happiness, hopes, ing at the things he left behind, and by Chopin, and became fascinated with him. joys, and loves. He did not try to evaluate casting his eye over the many surviving He also discovered this music’s audience his work, but rather to examine him. portraits. He systematically accumulated impact: how it does not leave a single this knowledge – his own thoughts and listener feeling indifferent. After the war, He first presented his deliberations observations – but it was in fact only his he promoted the works of Chopin, and about Chopin in an article entitled ‘What own life experience that allowed him to reinforced his own position as a Chopin is Chopin for me?’ which was published fully engage with Chopin’s music, his specialist. He became a juror (and later by the Polish music press in 1949. psyche, and that propelled him to share a three-time jury leader) of the Chopin this knowledge with others. Competitions, and worked on a multitude What is Chopin for me? of recordings of Frédéric Chopin. Jan Ekier developed an interest in This relatively short text is Jan Ekier’s Chopin’s music in his early youth. In his After the war he conducted research artistic declaration - his life’s credo. For home town of Krakow, where he lived on and edited the works of Frédéric the first and only time the author opens until 1934, he listened to acclaimed Chopin, intending to create an urtext up, and allows the reader to see him as performances of the composer’s works, edition of his repertoire. Moreover, he he truly is. On the basis of this article and became fascinated with their various noticed that some parts of Chopin’s it is possible to come to the conclusion interpretations. During his musicology artistic output were considered more that those who were under the impres- studies, he became acquainted with important than others. Ekier also sion that Jan Ekier was rather emotion- Professor Zdzislaw Jachimecki’s views discovered that monographs published ally distant with regard to many issues on Chopin’s artistic output. When at a later period did not correlate with – sometimes including music – are studying at the Warsaw Conservatoire earlier publications, which propelled him incredibly wrong, and even do not truly under the auspices of Professor Zbigniew to verify these too. Instead of reading know him. Drzewiecki, Ekier explored the mysteries only what others had said and thought of performing the composer’s works. In about Chopin, he also dedicated a lot In this article, Ekier analyses the 1937 he won the International Frédéric of attention to what Chopin himself effect of Chopin’s music on human Chopin Competition. Prior to World thought and said about his life and life – including his own – showing his fascination with the composer’s works, and revealing his intention to dedicate 10

his whole life to researching Chopin’s articles, essays, books, and forewords to performance of Chopin through heritage. His opinions are subtle and other publications constitute a treasury the lens of the composer’s personal well-thought-out, his words carefully of his thoughts about the composer. He predispositions. He wanted to establish chosen, and his thoughts deep. This discovered unknown aspects of Chopin whether Chopin really did dislike giving text, written in 1949, confirms the as a pedagogue and a pianist. As early public performances, what factors could belief that Ekier’s artistic and spiritual as the 1960s, he was certain that the have caused this, and he also tried breakthrough was brought about by composer was an outstanding and natu- to determine whether this reluctance World War II and that his thoughts were ral pedagogue whose methods and ideas lasted throughout the composer’s life. profoundly influenced by the dramatic formed the foundation of twentieth-cen- What proved useful here was “evidence” experiences he underwent during that tury pedagogy. With this claim, he com- from the past about Frédéric Chopin’s period. This well might have been pletely swept away the often repeated relationship with public performance what he had in mind when he shared – yet never academically supported – starting from the earliest years to the the following thought: “It is curious opinion that Chopin was an incompetent last months of his life, when he was that a person who one has never met, teacher. Those holding this line support tremendously weakened by long-term and who lived in a different age and their argument with the following: none illness. Jan Ekier noticed that one factor environment, and left us with only a of Chopin’s students made a career that greatly affected Chopin was the few hundred pages filled with musical out of being a successful pianist; the performance site itself: in each location, notation, could so strongly influence composer did not create a piano school; be it a concert hall, an artistic salon, the the life of a different person living in a nor did he write a work about teaching house of a friend, during a lesson with a different age and in such completely and learning the instrument, but in pupil, or when surrounded by only those different conditions”.1 When asked before fact treated piano lessons as a means of closest to him, he played differently. the war about how he felt about music, earning a wage to maintain a comforta- Ekier came to the conclusion that a Ekier spoke of the beauty of the Polish ble standard of living. These views were “Reconstruction [of his] playing [...] is mountains and the charm of the raw repeated by subsequent generations possible [and] necessary [...] Research folk music, which he had heard on many of scholars specialising in the life of into reconstructing Chopin’s playing an occasion during his country walks, Frédéric Chopin. Jan Ekier, on the other should focus on both on the analytical but not once did he mention the works hand, dismissed this view as unfounded aspects – studying the argument for of Chopin. It is due to this fact that it and harmful towards the composer. Due each of the elements of his pianism is possible to draw the conclusion that to the fact that he was engaged in editing separately – as well as the synthetic his wartime experiences changed the work, he could not completely devote – looking at the bigger picture of his way he looked at and thought about the himself to this issue. However, he looked performance as an expression of the composer’s artistic output. The influence into Chopin’s personal correspondence, artist’s personality and how it affected of Chopin’s music on the life and moral and used it as the basis to challenge the the audience”.3 attitude of Jan Ekier reflects those who arguments that had been prevalent for survived the war. Ekier himself spoke of so many years. His deliberations formed Jan Ekier accurately described this phenomenon on many occasions. the starting point for future analyses, Frederic Chopin’s unique type of and triggered motivation for this issue creativity. He reasoned that variety Chopin chose Ekier to be settled. Jan Ekier’s opinions about is an integral element of Chopin’s the composer’s pedagogical compe- compositional technique – not merely The more Ekier contemplated the works tencies have been confirmed by the a side effect that proves problematic of Chopin, and the more comprehen- research of J. J. Eigelginer, amongst for the editor. He reached all his sively he analysed them, the more his others, who was responsible for an enor- conclusions singlehandedly, and all his fascination and awe for the composer’s mous yet unappreciated input into this theses were formulated on the basis of genius grew: “I am not attempting to field. Jan Ekier explained that Chopin his own analyses. It wasn’t enough for explain the phenomenon of Chopin’s deliberately did not equate his pedagogi- him to simply repeat the opinions of influence on my character – I don’t know cal activity with his work as a composer, others, such as: that Chopin’s works if it is possible to explain it – I am only because he wanted to be viewed and were like a “torrent of valuable matter” stating a fact, emphasizing its oddity, evaluated primarily as the latter. (J. Fontana); that the composer was and identifying the place he [Chopin] has frequently uncertain about a musical in my life”.2 Ekier’s huge respect for Twenty years later he concentrated version (St. Tarnowski, G. Sand); or and genuine enchantment with Chopin’s on Chopin’s pianism. Not only did that he considered himself the “most music were not only brought to life in his he emphasise the importance of this indecisive being in the world”. Jan Ekier striking statements. These beliefs affect- aspect in regard to getting to know could formulate his own theses, as he ed his life and the area of study in which the composer’s life, but he also viewed had at his disposal information about he was involved. Through his art, Cho- it as a collection of indicators that the composer’s attitude in addition pin “captivated” Ekier to such a degree would help the interpretation of the to his manuscripts and his work. He that dedicating his life to “serving the composer’s works. Ekier was under the knew that even though the composer music of Chopin” seemed like something impression that Chopin wrote down loved his “boredom writings”, he completely natural to him. Something his music the way that he performed wasn’t particularly oversensitive about towards which he felt, perhaps, destined. it, and thus treated it as a clue to publishing issues (as was shown in the understanding Chopin’s intentions. manner that he asked M. Schlesinger Towards new Chopinology The frequently repeated feeling of to restore the correct page order to a “poeticism” found in nineteenth- published piece). After the publication of the above-men- century listeners’ accounts was first tioned 1949 article, Jan Ekier systemat- and foremost linked by Ekier with the Why did these issues interest Ekier, ically shared his thoughts and findings sound of the piano, and also with the why did he make it his aim to understand on the heritage of Chopin. His many way that Chopin shaped the musical them and to come to practical phrase, the rubato, and especially with conclusions? He sensed that the key 1 J. Ekier. Czym jest dla mnie Chopin [What is Chopin for me]? the general level of artistic sensitivity. to understanding Chopin’s work lay in „Ruch Muzyczny” [Musical Movement] 1949 5/6 p. 7 He attempted to evaluate the concert 3 J. Ekier. Jak grał Chopin? [How did Chopin play]. Rocznik 2 J. Ekier. Czym jest dla mnie Chopin? [What is Chopin for Chopinowski [The Chopin Annual] me] „Ruch Muzyczny” [Musical Movement]1949 5/6 p. 8 11

understanding the composer’s personality first applied for the rights to publish covering the works published when the and thoughts. Ekier attempted to an urtext edition in 1946. Since then, composer was alive and the second (B) elucidate the great discrepancies which there has been a long-standing battle for containing posthumous compositions existed between the various manuscripts publication. This period can be divided – he respected the will of Chopin, who and various publications, because that into five stages: stage one – 1946–1959 divided his works into those that had is what was required for his work on the – applying for permission to work on the been published, and those that had not. greatest editorial project in the history of urtext edition of the works of Frédéric Nobody before Ekier had ever accom- Chopinism – the National Edition of the Chopin; stage two – 1959–1967 – plished this task with such a degree of Works of Frederic Chopin. He wanted to enthusiasm and great hope following consistency and in a manner that took explain what lay behind these variations the official acceptance of the publishing into account the entirety of the compos- and to find out where they came from, project, as well as intensive work and er’s work. as not all of them stem from Chopin’s also extreme disappointment; stage pen. Synthesising all this knowledge, three – 1967–1977 – stagnation; stage Driven by Chopin’s last will – about Ekier stated that the composer’s constant four – 1977–1993 – resuming work and his unpublished, handwritten work – itch to improve his works stemmed developing the form of the publication; Jan Ekier separated the composer’s from two factors: from his rich artistic stage five – 1993–2010 – completing the public works from his private output, vision, and his indecisiveness – which publication on stable terms. which very much corresponded to the was certainly intertwined with the conception of the National Edition, artist’s immense musical imagination. These 60 plus years were filled with a and which aimed to realise Chopin’s This is how he explained his reasoning multitude of emotions: from uncertainty, intentions and share them with the whilst working on the National Edition anger, misunderstanding, sadness and edition’s recipients. of the Works of Frédéric Chopin. He was regret, to joy, satisfaction, gratitude and seldom able to base his research on the serenity. For the most part, Jan Ekier Even though the composer did not composer’s own manuscripts, because strove to publish Chopin’s works alone. really leave behind an artistic testament, they had constantly been corrected; Despite the assurance of good will and the last words he uttered on his death a process which he called the “detail- support from the musical community, he bed can be looked upon as his last will. chiselling”. Here, he frequently referred was left alone to accomplish this great They were heard by many of his friends, to the numerous examples of changes task. More than once, due to this feeling even though accounts of this event are implemented by Chopin at the last of isolation, he contemplated abandoning by no means unanimous or consistent. moment before publication. the project. However, he did not succumb At the end of October 1849, Wojciech to these thoughts, as he believed that this Grzymała told August Léo about the It was on the basis of these would “betray Chopin, as well as himself”. composer’s precisely formulated wish- conclusions that Ekier formulated one This is why he tried to move his work for- es. Chopin, he maintained, said: “Many of the ground rules of the National ward as much as he could. His persever- pieces will be found, which are in some Edition: the gathering of all the possible ance and determination brought effects; way or other not up to my standards; in source material to a given piece and an the dark period came to an end; the the name of the attachment that you feel exclusively individual approach to each “moment of trial” (as he called it) passed, towards me, please burn them all apart composition, taking into account the and with the help of his assistants he from the beginning of the method; I am comprehensive analysis of the source. was able to complete the monumental leaving this to Alkan and Reber, let them Ekier maintained that when looking at Chopinist project. have some sort of use out of it. The rest Chopin’s works, it was pointless to believe – without exception – must be consumed that one type of source put across the Jan Ekier respected the will of by fire, as I bestow a great deal of respect author’s intentions more accurately than Frédéric Chopin to the audience, and do not want to be another. He remained faithful to this rule responsible for pieces not worthy of them throughout his work on the publication. Whilst preserving the compositional to be published in my name”.4 Stanislaw It is precisely the sources that remain one heritage of Chopin, Jan Ekier invented Tarnowski recorded a slightly less radical of the unquestionable strengths of the a new Chopinology; he laid the meth- testament, based on the account given by National Edition of the Works of Frédéric odological foundations of the National Marcelina Czartoryska: “He gave his last Chopin today. Edition. Whilst compiling the whole pub- two instructions when fully conscious: lication, he was consistently driven by he asked his sisters to ‘burn all his lesser The magnum opus of Jan Ekier the primary rule of finding and reflecting compositions’ and said,‘ I am indebted to Jan Ekier’s objective was to make the the composer’s intentions. Dividing the the audience - and have announced only National Edition of the Works of Frédéric edition into two sections – the first (A) positive affairs; I have adhered to that Chopin a practical and critical as well as principle my whole life, and I shall adhere source-based publication: he achieved to it now’”.5 August Franchomme present- this goal. The National Edition is held up ed this scene in a different light: “[Ignaz] as the source-based edition, because it Pleyel asked Chopin what to do with his uses sources: handwritten transcripts, manuscripts. Chopin replied that they publications, various editions, teaching should be divided amongst friends, and materials, and pupils’ accounts. It is also that he did not wish for any of them be regarded as a critical publication, due to published, and some of them should even the fact that it establishes the text ac- be destroyed”.6 Each of these witness cording to specific and presented criteria accounts differs, but all of them involve a (editorial rules), and documents and jus- publication prohibition. tifies decisions which have been taken. It is also treated as a practical edition, as it 4 Korespondencja Fryderyka Chopina [The Correspondence is aimed at the performer. of Frédéric Chopin]. Compiled and developed by Br. E. Sydow. PIW, Warsaw 1955, T. II, p. 324. Jan Ekier dedicated a significant portion of his life to this work: 64 5 St. Tarnowski. Chopin i Grottger. Dwa Szkice [Chopin and years. Few remember that Jan Ekier Grottger. Two Sketches]. Wydane Nakładem Księgarni Spółki Wydawniczej Polskiej. Krakow 1892, p 43. 12 6 M. Tomaszewski. Chopin. Człowiek, dzieło, rezonans [Chopin. The Man, the Work, the Resonance]. PWM, Krakow 2005 p. 179

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After Chopin’s death, the composer’s posthumously, and thereby dividing character seem to interact with all the remarks concerning the division of the Frédéric Chopin’s artistic output fields of his artistic outlook. What is pieces into those that – in his opinion – into two main “streams”, Jan Ekier most striking here is his loyalty to him- were of value, those that were unfinished, attempted to respect the composer’s self and his bravery, as he was able to and those that were just “musical gifts” death-bed wishes whilst developing the transfer onto paper that “which was in for his friends were forgotten relatively National Edition. Apart from that, he his eyes valuable [...] even if it threat- quickly. The first posthumous publication claimed that this division would “help us ened to bring forth objections or res- of Chopin’s works – put together by understand the criteria which Chopin ervations from others”.9 The composer Julian Fontana with the permission of himself applied both to value and degree was honest, and he was never afraid to the composer’s family – already divided of workmanship, and also allow us to reveal his deepest feelings in his work. his friends. Some believed Fontana to consider his lesser works, which is made It was thus justifiable to emulate his be right in offering the collection to the up of compositions which indicate that behaviour - but only his artistic posture public, whereas others claimed that the genius of Chopin must have initially and his attitude towards his work, but the composer’s last wish was the most been subjected to the influence of other not its effects. One cannot simply don important, and were strongly against composers, the laws of development, and the Master’s clothing to be like to him. the publication plans. The fact that the the laws of fatigue”.8 pieces which had not been published Chopin is a treasure during the composer’s lifetime were given Chopin taught Ekier faith Frédéric Chopin and his music should inauthentic opus numbers – from 66 to in his own convictions be treated like a national treasure - 74 – also gave rise to controversy. Jan In Chopin, Jan Ekier saw, above all, according to Jan Ekier: there is no Ekier, upon realising this discrepancy, a musical genius, an unsurpassable exaggeration in these words. He came stated that Fontana’s editions allowed ideal - but he also saw a man who had to this conclusion because he saw that the “survival” of the composer’s works, distinguished himself through his the mazurkas, etudes and polonaises “of which many – as history has proven integrity and his sensitivity. He “read” a which he played resurrected the Polish – would have certainly not survived until lot of information in his correspondence spirit. He believed that “Chopin’s music our times”.7 and handwritten music. He believed is so close to all of us, that it could that Chopin could, in many situations, be [...] the key to self-discovery of the By dividing the works into those be regarded as a role model. In particu- Polish nation”.10 published during the composer’s lar, many features of the composer’s lifetime, and those published 7 J. Ekier. Wstęp do Wydania Narodowego Dzieł Fryderyka 8 J. Ekier. Wstęp do Wydania Narodowego Dzieł Fryderyka 9 J. Ekier. Czym jest dla mnie Chopin? [What is Chopin for me] Chopina. Cz. I – Zagadnienia Edytorskie [Introduction to the Chopina. Cz. I – Zagadnienia Edytorskie [Introduction to the „Ruch Muzyczny” [Musical Movement] 1949 5/6 p. 9 National Edition of the Works of Frederic Chopin. Pt. 1 – National Edition of the Works of Frederic Chopin. Pt. 1 – 10 J. Ekier. Czym jest dla mnie Chopin? [What is Chopin for Editorial Issues]. PWM-TiFC. Krakow-Warsaw 1974 p. 22 Editorial Issues]. PWM-TiFC. Krakow-Warsaw 1974 p. 22 me] „Ruch Muzyczny” [Musical Movement] 1949 5/6 p. 9 Teaching and Learning with Bärenreiter Piano Urtext Editions You can download BACH MENDELSSOHN- Mozart’s music. BARTHOLDY You can’t download BA 10848 Goldberg Variations, his genius! with fingering BA 9069 Songs without Words BA 5191 Well-Tempered Clavier I BA 5192 Well-Tempered Clavier II MOZART BEETHOVEN BA 4861 Piano Sonatas I BA 4862 Piano Sonatas II BA 10851 Grande Sonate pathétique MUSSORGSKY BA 10852 Appassionata Sonata BA 9621 Pictures at an Exhibition BRAHMS SCHUBERT BA 9630 Piano Pieces op. 118 BA 9607 Variations and Fugue on BA 9647 Moments Musicaux D 780 a Theme by Handel op. 24 BA 9648 Impromptus DEBUSSY D 899, D 935 BA 8767 Children's Corner SKRJABIN BA 8769 Suite bergamasque Complete Piano Sonatas LISZT BA 9616 – Sonatas I BA 9617 – Sonatas II BA 9650 Sonata in B minor Bärenreiter Urtext Your next performance is worth it. FocramtaawsolkowrgefwouUre.brot2aue0exr1rt4Peip/na2irna0eno1it5oMeaeru.ndcsdoiitcmivoisnist Burnt Mill, Elizabeth Way, Harlow, Essex, CM20 2HX, UK · [email protected] · Phone (01279) 828930 · Fax (01279) 828931

Istudied with Dinu Lipatti in 1950, Memories of needed! In reality there is no hierarchy the last year of his life. He was al- Dinu Lipatti of strong and weak beats within the ready gravely ill, and no longer gave measure, but a forward motion that lessons at the Geneva Conservatory. by Alain Naudé traverses beats and measures. In this Nadia Boulanger had asked him to see dynamic flow, which is the very life me and give me advice from time to time, translated by Ken Johansen of music, the impulse goes from the as his health permitted. In this way, he weak beat (or upbeat) to the strong taught me through the greater part of considering him uncouth, in the same beat (or downbeat), and not the other that year, calling me on the telephone way, an uneducated musician will way around. The strong beat is only when he was able to see me. These les- always be limited (for Igor Markevitch, the result of a rebounding from the sons, which he called “visits”, took place “handicapped” was not too strong a preceding weak beat. at irregular intervals, and always lasted word), whereas an educated musician several hours. They transformed my life. can work in complete freedom. An amusing incident illustrating this musical article of faith occurred while Memories fade with time, but fifty This fundamental education he was recording for His Master’s Voice years after his death, it seems to me includes solfège (always and above at Radio Geneva in July 1950. He was that every moment I spent with him everything else), harmony, counterpoint, playing in a studio on the first floor. The remains engraved in my memory as if analysis, sight-reading, score-reading, studio was linked by a thick skein of it were yesterday - his words, his voice, improvisation, and all the refinements cables to a magnificent truck the size his gestures, his position at the piano, of taste and style that belong to musical of a bus parked beneath the window. his beautiful sensitive hands on the culture. Nadia Boulanger taught all the This is where Walter Legge and the keyboard (very large when open, smaller facets of this training (and composition sound engineers were recording him. when closed), his precise and refined as well) at the Paris Conservatory. Her It was one of their first recordings on French, the ineffable look of kindness in formidable course bore the innocent magnetic tape for the new long-playing his eyes. title “Accompanying”! The musician’s discs that would make their debut a formation, she said, comes down in few months later, and Walter Legge was Dinu Lipatti was assuredly one of the end to the development of the ear. justifiably proud to be able to record the greatest pianists of all time, and “It is not enough to listen, we must the world’s greatest pianist using the many musicians found his talent as hear. It is not enough to hear, we must latest technology. He had just recorded a composer to be equally remarkable. understand.” Pablo Casals at the Prades festival. From every point of view, he was one The young Elisabeth Schwarzkopf was of the most accomplished musicians of Lipatti said that the most with him, beautiful and charming, and his time. His brief but dazzling career fundamental and indispensable element wearing a large diamond engagement has bequeathed to us the imperishable of music is rhythm, and that no other ring. Madeleine Lipatti was with them treasures of his recordings and element can even exist without it. in the small sound booth set up in compositions. His life and musical career It follows that the gravest errors in the truck. Together with Legge, she have been exhaustively documented performance are rhythmic errors. followed attentively the scores of the by Grigore Bargauanu and Dragos They are, unfortunately, also the most pieces Lipatti was playing. From time to Tanasescu in their definitive biography frequent. And the worst of them is time, Legge offered comments on what (Dinu Lipatti, Editions Payot, Lausanne, the entrenched habit, inculcated in he heard. I was seated on the steps of 1991*), and by other authors who have generation after generation of students, the truck, from where I could hear the published illuminating articles about of accenting the so-called “strong” beats recording that was being monitored him in various countries. But more to the detriment of the so-called “weak” inside. When Lipatti began Chopin’s important than his glory as a musician, beats. It is exactly the opposite of what is Waltz in C-sharp minor, Op. 64, no. 2, he was an angelic being. He belonged he gave a good stress to the upbeat G to that rare flowering of humanity that sharp that spiritedly launches the piece. approaches the divine. Of that, it is very Legge stopped him. “Dinu,” he said, difficult to write. “you played that upbeat too strong in relationship to the following first beat He was an incomparable teacher. - even stronger. The accent should be Each lesson was in a certain way on the first beat.” Silence, then Lipatti complete: he spoke in detail about the up in the studio said, “all right,” and pieces and how to practise them, about began again. This time he played the G problems both technical and otherwise, sharp perhaps even a tiny bit louder. and above all about the music. He Legge said nothing, and Lipatti played a never tired of saying that before being a waltz overflowing with charm. Madeleine performer (pianist, singer or conductor), exclaimed, Schwarzkopf was enraptured, one must be a complete musician, with and Legge smiled. I often wondered a mastery of the grammar, structure whether he gave in, or whether he and usage of the musical language. thought the G sharp was actually a little Without knowing music – naturally, softer the second time. intimately and deeply – one cannot make music, and it is useless to learn to play Lipatti recorded Mozart’s Sonata, an instrument. Just as an uneducated K. 310 on July 8–9, a Saturday and man will never behave appropriately in Sunday. He started with the first society, and will always be uncultivated, movement and played it perfectly the even if he carefully avoids bad words first time. He nevertheless asked to do and vulgar expressions, while an it again. Legge was against it because educated man will always have the he thought it was impossible to play it freedom to do as he likes without anyone better, but Lipatti insisted. To everyone’s surprise, he played it even better the *This book was translated into English by Carola Grindea, ed. 16

second time. Incredibly, he then asked to pianissimo puff of air. At the same time, we must never practise technique on do one more take. And so it continued in he captures the humour, now raucous our pieces. Our technique should be a long series of retakes, each one more and mocking, now tart and precious, more than adequate to each piece we stunning than the previous one, until that is characteristic of the Iberian learn. We don’t have the right to tarnish late Sunday afternoon when, having Ravel. masterpieces by repeating mistakes recorded the entire sonata at a level engendered by a defective technique. of perfection that exceeded everyone’s The most astounding of all these Technique should be cultivated outside wildest expectations, he declared himself surprises is perhaps his recording of of the repertoire, with Hanon or Czerny satisfied. After each take, he went Enescu’s Third Sonata. This is the for example. In this, he took the opposite down into the truck to listen to what he music of his country, of his soul. A position to that of Cortot, whom he had recorded, leaning forward slightly pianist unfamiliar with this idiom would nevertheless loved and admired probably on his chair, his eyes shining with a have difficulty decoding this score more than any other pianist. Cortot lively intensity. No one dared to speak. laden with insinuation and fantastical published practice editions of most of The sound engineers felt his intense ornamentation. Lipatti makes of this the Romantic repertoire, in which he concentration, and brought their own Sonata a marvel that places Enescu in invented technical exercises for all the fervour to the occasion. An atmosphere the front rank of composers of his time, difficulties in the score! of euphoria reigned over everyone who even if he had written nothing else. attended these recording sessions, as if There are simply no words to describe Above all, we must play very each of us realised we were participating the bewitching spell he casts in this naturally, without thinking about in an historic event. Lipatti concentrated recording. technique. “If dogs had hands like ours, on his task as if nothing else existed in they would no doubt play better than the world. Late one evening recently, someone we do because they don’t think, and are played for me a series of recordings of incapable of doing anything unnatural. He told me that he much preferred Liszt’s Gnomenreigen made by several Thought is limited. One does not create recording to playing in public because in famous pianists of the pre-war era. with the mind. Inspiration comes from a public he was always so nervous that he higher place; thought comes afterwards lost “a hundred percent of his powers”, \"He was an to inspect and justify.” He admired the whereas he felt at ease in the recording incomparable teacher. playing of Backhaus for its frank, direct studio knowing that he could redo a Each lesson was in a honesty, and judged mediocre those recording as many times as he liked. “A certain way complete: pianists who didn’t have this quality. He recording must be impeccable. One may he spoke in detail also particularly admired the playing of be allowed a few wrong notes in a recital about the pieces and Fischer, Gieseking and Haskil. (and everyone has them), but never in how to practise them, a recording.” I asked him if there was about problems both He also spoke of a basic tenet of piano a remedy for stage fright. He said no, technical and other- technique that could be applied to all but knowing that he lost a hundred wise, and above all the different touches, sonorities, and percent of his powers when he played in about the music.\" figurations in piano playing, namely public, he always made sure to have two that the fingertips should be as “hard as hundred percent! Then stage fright no They were all extraordinary, but the last iron”, but the arms should be as “soft as longer mattered. one eclipsed all the others. The playing spaghetti” all the way up to the shoulder. seemed to evoke, as if from beyond, the One day he asked me to stand up, then All of Lipatti’s recordings attest to spectre of a superhuman rapture (Pan clasped my hand in his and shook my his incomparable mastery, and they or Eros perhaps). It was a recording entire arm all the way to the shoulder have been exhaustively documented of Lipatti of which I was previously (as one shakes a carpet), telling me not in detailed discographies. But a unaware. to let go of his hand. “Instead of having consideration of four or five of them fingers of iron and arms of spaghetti, in particular gives an idea of his I often asked him questions about many pianists have fingers of spaghetti astonishing ability to excel in diverse technique and sound, looking for and arms of iron,” he said laughingly. styles. principles that would give me assurance Playing in this way, one should feel in these matters. He said first of all that as if one is in a bathtub full of warm To start with, there is the first Partita water, with the arms floating lightly of Bach, which he plays with an austere on the surface of the water. Although discipline and a fidelity to Baroque the fingers should be firm, this in no style that would satisfy even the most way means they should be stiff and uncompromising purist. Yet at the insensitive! On the contrary, they should same time, he infuses it with a singing “taste the keys with voluptuousness, the sonority and a deeply-moving emotion way the tongue tastes a good ice-cream.” that makes one’s heart soar heavenward. To cultivate this heightened tactile sensitivity, he suggested playing a piece In Mozart’s A-minor Sonata, he uses without sounding the notes, but only all the resources of the modern piano touching the keys silently. He did this and of his own transcendental technique with visible pleasure while continuing to reveal behind the Mozartian virtuosity to speak. “This is how I work on sound. the tragic and painful atmosphere that You must follow the music in your head one associates with the Requiem and the while you play silently.” last Symphonies. Another method he used to work on He plays Ravel’s Alborado del gracioso sound was to improvise in the style of better than anyone, tossing off with ease the great composers. We usually think some of the most difficult challenges of working on sound as a technical in the piano repertoire, including matter, but for him it was a matter of rapid repeated notes and glissandos musicality. To demonstrate this, he sat in double notes that change direction, intensity and speed, before finishing in a 17

down at the piano and improvised the more parallel with the keys, putting in my opinion, and in his, to detect the most ravishing passages of the purest the thumb further from the black notes arrangements. He went even further in Bach, Chopin, Schubert, Schumann than with Chopin. Going further back in Albéniz’s Navarra, which he completely and Debussy. For him, this was the time, we know from Bach’s music that rewrote in his “personal version”. most natural thing in the world. The he was the first composer-performer to language of music was as natural and use the thumb regularly on black notes. According to Lipatti, he owed easy for him as speaking. This reminds This was a great innovation in keyboard everything to his teacher Florica me of a story Nadia Boulanger told me. technique. Musicescu; she had taught him She was listening one day to a recital everything he knew about the piano. of Bach by Marcel Dupré. At a certain When I brought him the Etude Op. Cortot affirmed that he had nothing point, he forgot which work came next in 10, no. 2, Lipatti at first demurred, to teach him, and considered him a the programme. Without hesitation, he saying that he didn’t really play it colleague rather than a student. But it improvised a piece of his own in the style because it was too difficult, but that was perhaps Nadia Boulanger who had of Bach, in the correct key and character. sometimes at night when he couldn’t influenced and formed him the most, to “If I hadn’t known these works by heart,” sleep he would hear in his mind what the point that, in my lessons with him, she said, “I wouldn’t have been aware of it should sound like. Whereupon I often thought I was hearing her. She the substitution.” (One wonders whom to he sat down and played it straight was not a pianist, but there was in her admire most in this story.) through like a flash of silver – supple, playing (especially her playing of Bach) flowing, uninterrupted, perfectly equal, a certain rhythmic turn of phrase – one Lipatti stressed the importance legatissimo, and without pedal – without might almost call it a gait – that was of developing an independence of ever accentuating the cadences or at once direct, simple, and immensely sonority within the same hand in order allowing the tension to slacken at the noble, and which one recognised from to bring out the different voices in ends of phrases, like a dizzying vocalise the first note. It was as impersonal as contrapuntal music. He illustrated this sung from beginning to end in one the façade of Notre Dame and at the in Bach’s Chorale, “Jesu, Joy of Man’s breath. He often told me that one must same time as characteristic, a gait that Desiring”, which he played in Myra play Chopin as one plays Bach: with belonged to no one, yet was the very Hess’s transcription. He brought out the the same sound, the same discipline, hallmark of Nadia Boulanger. When melody of the Chorale with a sonorous and the same attention to detail, in a one played for her, she had a way of singing tone while keeping the quavers word, with the same respect. For the making you anticipate the closing of of the accompaniment piano, legato works of Chopin, he preferred the Peters an approaching cadence; well before and flowing. To achieve this, he played edition edited by Scholtz. He didn’t like the end of the phrase she would say, the notes of the melody a split second the revision made by Von Pozniak, who “it’s already finished!” Lipatti had in his before the accompanying notes. The changed Scholtz’s excellent fingerings. playing this same step, as inexorable listener was unaware of this difference of For Beethoven, he liked Casella’s edition, as fate. Perhaps he owed to her also his timing, and only perceived the complete again because of the fingerings. predilection for arrangements of Bach, independence of the voices. I know of in which his style of playing recalled no other pianist who solved the problem His fidelity to the text was down to the smallest details her manner of playing with different layers of sound scrupulous, but his fidelity to the music of reducing Bach cantatas at the piano in this way; most of them do the exact was even greater. Therefore he didn’t when we sang them in class. opposite, playing the voice they want hesitate to change the way the notes to bring out slightly after the other are distributed between the hands, One does not live by words alone, voices. This was a noticeable habit of or on rare occasions even the notes but words have a great power in Paderewski’s playing, which made Saint- themselves if the written text seemed human destiny (think of the weight of Saëns quip that he never knew which clumsy to him. In the second movement the Commandments). I have in mind hand to accompany when he conducted of Bartók’s third piano concerto, which certain phrases that Nadia Boulanger a concerto with him. he premiered in Switzerland, there are repeated often to her students. Thinking passages unplayable as Bartók wrote of the luminosity that emanated from Lipatti thought that Chopin was the them. He showed me his arrangements Lipatti – from his playing as well as from greatest of all pianists, even greater than of these passages, which rendered them his being – I was often struck by how Liszt. He said that the works of these two both easier and clearer. It is impossible much he brought to mind the words of composers – their way of writing for the the woman he considered his “spiritual piano – show us clearly how they played, mother”. their technique and position of the hands on the piano, and that Chopin’s “We must live each moment before the playing was more innovative than Liszt’s. Absolute.” One sees that Chopin played with the hands turned slightly to the outside, “We are in the world to save quality.” towards the extremities of the keyboard, “Are you sure that you are always putting the thumbs nearer the black doing your best, or even better than your notes and at the same distance from best?” the fall board as the other fingers, thus It is not that Lipatti imitated the facilitating octave technique, among style or manner of Nadia Boulanger; in other things. The astonishing Etude Op. any case, she had no idiosyncrasies to 10, no. 2, in which the outer fingers of imitate. It was rather the transmission of the right hand cross over each other in a a supreme mastery shorn of all personal, vertiginous chromatic perpetual motion, subjective sentimentality. Here we reach is much easier to play with this hand the very heart of that which separates position. (It has not been sufficiently the great musicians from the others, the noticed that Czerny had already written principle which Nadia Boulanger and a similar study in his Op. 365.) Lipatti Dinu Lipatti followed uncompromisingly, thought that Liszt played with the fingers and which united them inextricably: the self-effacement of the performer before the music. This rule is the

musical expression of the greatest depth of his being. I knew him during medical treatments that exhausted him spiritual principle: the effacement of the the brief respite of the disease that he as much as the illness itself. Above his subjective personal ego before life. knew would soon kill him. It would have desk he hung up a card inscribed with been understandable if he had given a saying by William of Orange: “Hope is In music as in life, there are up all hope and sunk into inactivity. not needed to undertake something, nor essentially two possible paths - to serve But he maintained an unshakable faith success to persevere.” One is reminded oneself or to serve others, to take or to and a luminous face in spite of his of the verse from the Bhagavad Gita that give, ego or life. This principle is the circumstances. He continued to work tells us to work as those do who work for fundamental teaching of all the religions as if nothing was wrong, tolerating the fruit of their labour, but without any in all ages. The performer who imposes the decline of his powers and the expectation of the fruit of our labour. It himself on the composer’s text in order ravages of the disease with courage was during the last years of his life, the to “express himself” and create “his and an equable spirit. He never lost most difficult ones, that he produced version” of the work is but another his smile, never renounced projects most of the treasures he left us. instance of the ego acting and imposing of long duration, and never showed to itself on life. In either case, it betrays the world a face of tragedy or despair. From the first moment I met him the original intention of the creator, and He didn’t speak about the increasingly I was touched to the bottom of my creates distortion - in music, vulgarity disturbing prognosis of his condition, heart. He set vibrating within me and caricature, and in life all the evil nor of the blood transfusions and a fundamental tone of which I had and misery that has marked the world been unaware until then. The whole since the beginning of time. On the Alain Naudé was born in Pretoria, direction of my life changed from that other hand, when the ego is effaced from South Africa, in 1927. At the age of day. My aspirations and destiny, this musical performance it becomes united eighteen, he went to Paris, where he self that chooses, decides and acts, with the music, and the music appears would live for ten years. It was during remain connected across the decades as it truly is; and when it is effaced that time that he studied with Dinu to that moment. Since then, not a day from life, it is united with the divine and Lipatti and Nadia Boulanger. He also has passed in which I haven’t thought the heavens open. It is blessed, and it had lessons from many other promi- of him. The last time I left him, he blesses. Thus music is a model of life, nent French pianists and teachers of remained on the steps of his house in and the performer is a model of the that time, including Marguerite Long, Chêne-Bourg as I walked down the path individual who chooses, and in the end Lazare-Lévy, Jean Doyen, Vlado Per- to the garden gate, then to the street. creates, his own destiny. This is what lemuter and Yves Nat. A man of deep Each time I looked back, he was smiling Lipatti meant when he said that “music culture and many interests, he also and waving at me. I didn’t know that is a serious matter”, and it is why the befriended the archeologists Jean- I would never see him again. But I see responsibility of the musician’s life – for Claude Gardin and Henri Seyrig, the him every day. He is always there, with it really is a question of giving it all of actress Delphine Seyrig, and the art- his hand raised. He will be there until one’s life, aspiration, energy and heart ists Alberto Giacometti, Jean Bazaine, the end of my days. Dallas, 19 March, 2000 – is so heavy that Nadia Boulanger said Jack Youngerman and Ellsworth Kelly. that one should only devote oneself to and the United States to help arrange music if it is impossible to do otherwise. Returning to South Africa in the late his talks, publish his books and 1950s, Alain Naudé began a concert establish the Krishnamurti schools. This was certainly true of Lipatti. career that took him all over that There was no separation between his country as well as to Europe and the In the early 1970s, Alain Naudé music and his life. In addition to all Middle East. He also began his career settled in San Francisco, teaching that his music brought to the world, as a teacher at that time, obtaining piano privately during the school year, the example of his life is a unique and posts at the University of Pretoria and and examining for the University of priceless gift. All the musicians who knew the University of Stellenbosch. South Africa (UNISA) in the summer. him spoke of his spiritual and moral During these years, he began to devote greatness. The grace that radiated from In 1964, he left behind his concert more of his time and energy to another his being also shone in his music. For and teaching career in order to long-standing interest - the alternative him, the individual’s spiritual evolution devote himself to the study of Eastern medicine homeopathy. He became the was the most important thing in the philosophy. For several years, he was editor of several of the most important world, the very object of life. Speaking the personal assistant of the teacher homeopathic journals, and made one day about two of his students, he and philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti, what is widely considered to be the said that one of them played better than travelling each year to India, Europe best translation of the sourcebook of the other, but that the other was a better homeopathy, Samuel Hahnemann’s human being, and that it was infinitely Organon of Medicine. more important to be spiritually good than to be a good musician. Another of In 1988, at the invitation of a his students confided in me that she colleague, he moved to Dallas, Texas, felt jealous because she thought Lipatti where he established himself as a saw his other students more often homeopathic practitioner. In 2002, than he saw her. She wrote him a letter he relocated to Baltimore, where he complaining that for him she was just a lived until his death in 2013. In all piece of old scrap metal in his class. She his activities, his primary interest showed me his response, which was that was in helping others, and he will be there was no piece of old scrap metal remembered by all those who knew among his students, and he advised her him for his great human warmth, to purify her aura rather than entertain wonderful wit, immense culture and such thoughts. dedication to Lipatti’s principle that music, and indeed all of life, is a His conduct in life, especially during serious matter. his very difficult final years, reveals the 19

African Folk Music and the Piano Sonata of Hendrik Hofmeyr by Justin Krawitz The recent EPTA conference forms with indigenous African ones.2 in African music, such as repetitive in Oslo saw pianists and But it sometimes feels as if such melodic figures, modal inflections pedagogues from around the hybridisations are forced, or that and irregular metre. Hofmeyr notes world exploring the influence the African elements are included in that the use as harmonic basis of two of folk music on art music over the a superficial way - as an expedient alternating notes a whole-tone apart course of the last two centuries. The means by which to justify an artistic is typical of much of the music of the conference theme provided a platform product. This perhaps highlights Xhosas and Zulus, (fig.2). for members of the pianistic communi- how, in our nation’s striving to find ty to revel in their respective heritag- equilibrium, the prioritising of certain Hartbreekrivier (River of Sorrow), es. The folk traditions of each nation folk traditions over others has become the third movement of the set, is were presented with a distinct sense institutionalised: composers feel an based on an African folksong in which of pride, as elements which contrib- often external pressure to engage a mother laments by the river in which ute to the construction of identity with ‘African-ness’ in whatever terms her child was drowned. Not only is the and nationhood. Traces of these folk possible. But to frame the situation melodic material derived from African traditions in art music were proposed with less scepticism, art music has music, but the particular realisation of – often implicitly – as incontrovertibly certainly become a context in which the accompaniment, suggestive of the positive markers of national affinity. to explore cross-cultural perspectives murmuring waters, has as its model However, the issue of folk music’s and issues of cultural inclusivity, a texture typical of traditional African influence on the art music coming and has become an important tool marimba ensembles, (fig.3). out of South Africa is not quite so in the search for reconciliation and straightforward. The music of Hendrik integration. The concluding movement, Hofmeyr (b.1957), and particularly Kalunga, takes the form of a toccata- his recent Piano Sonata, provides Hendrik Hofmeyr, one of South style perpetuum mobile depicting abundant opportunity to consider this Africa’s foremost composers, has the incessant, macabre dance of interesting situation. shown a particular preoccupation Kalunga, the God of Death and Lord with the country’s political struggles. of the Netherworld of the Nguni. Like From both an ethnic and a Before the abolition of Apartheid, many African dances, the movement linguistic point of view, the countries of he spent ten years in Italy as a is characterised by the use of rapid Europe are made up of comparatively conscientious objector, furthering his compound metre, punctuated by homogenous societies. This situation studies during this period of self- irregular cross-rhythms. Hofmeyr is fundamentally different to that in imposed exile. Hofmeyr was born into also notes that much of the pitch South Africa - a post-colonial society an Afrikaans family and his open material was generated by juxtaposing characterised by a wide variety of defiance of the previous political two complementary forms of the ethnicities and language groups, each regime may confound those who still pentatonic scale. In some passages in with its own particular folk heritage simplistically equate Afrikaner culture this movement, alternating hands are and folk music. Of course, to some with the injustices perpetrated by the employed in much the same way that extent there is a cumulative South predominantly Afrikaans Apartheid- they would be in traditional African African cultural heritage, but the issue era government. drumming, (fig4). is a politically charged one. What are the implications of drawing on the folk Hofmeyr’s music exhibits the The explicit reference to Africa in heritage of a group to which one does influence of Szymanowski, Fauré and the title of Hofmeyr’s Partita africana not belong? Do such borrowings infer Wagner, but also the distinct imprint is exceptional in his oeuvre, as is the a claim of membership? Do they rely of African musics. In Hofmeyr’s output pervasiveness of traits drawn from on the precept of a shared cultural for piano, the influence of African folk African folk music. Hofmeyr’s Piano heritage? Or are they merely examples traditions is most clearly detectable Sonata (2011), written for the present of expropriation? It is impossible to in his four-movement Partita africana author on commission by the South ignore the potential political subtext of (2006). In the first movement, African Music Rights Organisation, a Sotho composer borrowing an English Preludio, Hofmeyr strives to integrate presents far less overt references lullaby, a Xhosa composer drawing the traditional slow Baroque prelude to African musical traditions. The on Khoisan musical traditions, or an with its fugal second part, with influence of African folk traditions is, Afrikaans composer making reference to elements commonly found in African in fact, felt only in the third (and final) a Zulu rain dance. music, such as the pentatonic scale movement, entitled Danza fugata. and modal inflections. Hofmeyr Written in 5/8, the movement evokes In our relatively young democracy, clarifies in his introductory notes the asymmetric rhythm cycles found South African artists are expected to that, with the starkness of the in some African music, (fig.6). engage quite visibly with our history, harmonic language and the use of our politics, with our ‘African-ness’. piano harmonics, he was attempting The considerable contrapuntal Composers have responded to this to evoke the open plains of Africa. The ingenuity demonstrated in the expectation in various ways. Some lyrical motif, first given out in m.4 and movement coalesces elegantly with the composers and musicologists in marked flebile e lontano, was derived imitative tendencies evident in much South Africa and elsewhere on the from a fragment of a Bushman song in African folk music, but derives rather continent have gone so far as to try the Bleek Collection, (fig.1). from Hofmeyr’s long preoccupation to codify an ‘African pianism’.1 Other with Baroque counterpoint. composers have attempted to create The second movement, Umsindo, is hybrid forms that blend Western not based on a folk melody, but uses When asked about the integration elements that are commonly found of African elements in his music, Hofmeyr clarified: ‘My work is firmly within the traditions of classical 20

music, and I do not consider it a form Fig.1 H. Hofmeyr: Partita africana: Preludio, mm.4-5 of hybridisation. Like many classical Fig.2:H. Hofmeyr: Partita africana: Umsindo mm.1-8 composers, I include in my writing a response to a variety of other musical Fig.3 H. Hofmeyr: Partita africana: Hartbreeekrivier, mm.1-6 stimuli which interest me. I try to stay faithful to that response, and do not interrogate myself as to whether it is permissible or fashionable or politically correct to do so. Such questions lead, at best, to a tendency to want to be “acceptable”, and, at worst, to political expediency. Both options seem to me to compromise artistic integrity. For that reason, and because I regard any form of nationalism as potentially harmful, I do not subscribe to the frenzy for “Africanisation” that has inundated South African culture, but there is always the risk that works which include African elements may be seen as jumping on this bandwagon.’ 3 This pragmatic attitude has ensured that Hofmeyr’s output maintains a distinct sense of integrity, irrespective of the political milieu in which it is heard. Delegates at the EPTA conference in Oslo could judge this for themselves, based on a complete performance of his Piano Sonata. Hofmeyr’s Piano Sonata had an interesting premiere that perhaps links it to the conference theme in another way. The work was first performed in March 2012 on the main concourse of Cape Town Central Train Station as part of the public arts festival Infecting the City. The festival aims to engage with the general public in novel ways by curating performances in public spaces. So, in a sense, this music has been music for the ‘folk’ – the common man – from its very first performance. It certainly presents a different window into the influence of folk music on the art music of our time. South African pianist Justin Krawitz joins Fig.4 H. Hofmeyr: Partita africana: Kalunga, mm.1-3 the University of Northern Colorado in Fig.5 H. Hofmeyr: Piano Sonata: III. Danza fugata, mm.1-6 autumn 2014 as Assistant Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy. He is currently a Lecturer in Piano at the University of Cape Town. Previously he has served on the faculties of the University of Wisconsin- Madison, Luther College (Iowa), and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp (Michigan). Dr Krawitz has been published in the EPTA Piano Journal and the ISSTIP Journal Tension in Performance, and he is an editor of the periodical Martinu˚ Revue. He is an external collaborator of the Bohuslav Martinu˚ Institute in Prague and a board member of the International Martinu˚ Circle. 1 See for instance Towards an African Pianism: Keyboard Music of Africa and the Diaspora, ed. Cynthia Tse Kimberlin and Akin Euba (Point Richmond, CA: MRI Press, 2005). 2 One such work is Jeanne Zaidel-Rudolph’s Lifecycle (2003) for Ngqoko Women’s Choir, traditional instruments and an ensemble of 11 Western instruments. 3 Email communication, 5 June 2013. 21

Japan Piano Teachers Association (Public Interest Incorporated Foundation) Affiliated with EPTA Chief Director : Kosei Ueno President : Akemi Murakami The 31st JPTA Study Convention 2015 29-30 March (Tokyo) Theme : Facing to the Classic Music The 100th Anniversary Hall : Tokyo College of Music March 29, Sunday March 30, Monday ●10 : 00～11 : 30 ●9 : 00～10 : 00 (Classroom A200) Lecture “: Dramaturgy in the Piano Works of Mozart Study Presentation by the members of JPTA ～In Relation to his Opera Buffa～” Lecturer : Akeo Okada ●10 : 00～12 : 00 Interview with Elisso Virsaladze ●11 : 45～12 : 15 Mini Concert by Yuko Kamahora “On the Musical Environment in which I grew up, Mozart :“L'amerò”from Il Rè Pastore and Interpersonal Exchanges with the Great Pianists” Das Veilchen, K.476 Interviewers : Minoru Nojima, Takaakira Aosawa “Giunse alfin il momento～Deh vieni, non tardar” from Le Nozze di Figaro ●12 : 15～12 : 45 Soprano : Yuko Kamahora Dmitry Feygin Chamber Music Concert Piano : Shoko Tategami L. van Beethoven : Violoncello Sonate No.4, Op.102-1 7 Variations on the Theme ●13 : 15～14 : 45 “Magic Flute”, WoO46 Lecture “: Mozart's Piano Concertos～The Essence, History, Violoncello : Dmitry Feygin and Performance～” Piano : Hiroko Feygin Lecturer : Tadashi Isoyama ●13 : 45～15 : 15 ●15 : 00～16 : 15 (Classroom A200) Piano Education Seminar General Meeting for JPTA Members Lecture : Piano Education in Great Britain, What you see in British Musicians ●16 : 30～18 : 30 Lecturer : Noriko Ogawa Elisso Virsaladze Piano Recital (proposed program) F. Schubert : Four Impromptus, D899 (Op.90) ●15 : 30～18 : 45 Six Moments Musicaux, D780 (Op.94), No.2 Andantino Master Class by Elisso Virsaladze F. Liszt : Soirées de Vienne, 9 Valses caprices d'après Schubert No.6 Division A (10-12 years old) W. A. Mozart : 9 Variations on“Lison dormait”KV.264 Division B (12-15 years old) R. Schumann : Arabeske in C major, Op.18 Division C (15-18 years old) R. Schumann-F. Liszt : Widmung Division D (18-25 years old) F. Liszt : Trois Études de concert, No.1 Il Lamento Consolation No.3 ●19 : 00～20 : 30 (Students Cafeteria) Social Gathering The 30th Study Convention (March 2014) Japan Piano Teachers Association Office : #403, 4-4-8 Iidabashi, Chiyoda-ku, 102-0072 Tokyo, JAPAN Fax : 03-3239-8299

European Piano Teachers’ Forum “Simulating and Stimulating” Performance by Nancy Lee Harper INTRODUCTION results showed that the musicians Figure 2. “(A) A still from the CCTV Do you, or your students, feel close “found the simulations to be realistic footage displayed in the backstage to the precipice when performing? and convincing…and recognising area of the recital simulation. (B) A Does impending disaster seem to their positive value for developing still of the virtual audience projected be just about to happen? If you performance skills. Moreover, when in the stage area, framed by spotlights, answered in the affirmative you may examining participants’ self-reported loudspeakers, and (not shown) stage find this Forum, which covers topics anxiety and physiological responses to curtains.”10 related to improving performance and performance stress in the simulated performance preparation, to be helpful. audition versus a real audition, there Figure 3.“Stills of the virtual audition Some pertinent scientific studies will be were no significant differences in state panel (A) responding positively, (B) mentioned, and some technological and anxiety between the two conditions, showing displeasure, and (C) stopping psychological tools will be presented. while significant differences emerged the audition.”11 in physiological responses for the pre- Carola Grindea, who was performance period, the direction of STIMULATING PERFORMANCE instrumental in the founding of EPTA, response was the same for both and If performance could be practised used to say that for any performer there there were no apparent differences enough, then theoretically performance are three performances: 1) the one in the during the performance…comparable jitters would be minimised. Psychologist studio, or in practice; 2) the one onstage, psychological and physiological Paul Lehrer once commented that if or the actual performance; 3) the ideal responses were evoked across both performers could perform at least five performance, or the performance that auditions, real and simulated.”5 days in the week, they would conquer we envision to be our most satisfying. their nerves. Most of us would agree The latter, which may also occur in our Previous results of studies by other that some adrenalin is needed to practice, is rarely attained onstage. authors in managing music performance give our best, to concentrate to the Even experienced artists admit that they anxiety have been mixed. “On the one maximum, and to be able to play “in have achieved their ideal performances hand, exposure to performing conditions the zone”. Rare, however, are repeated only a handful of times during their using simulation has been shown performances and opportunities to test careers. This unexpected assertion to decrease state anxiety [anxiety of this theory. All too often performers raises questions: Do we aim too high the moment or event]….On the other, find themselves onstage wishing that or expect too much of our students or [another study] found no discernible, they had had more preparation, which ourselves? In performing, is failure an consistent patterns of change in either should not be confused with the inherent part of the learning process? self-reported anxiety levels or heart practise of the notes. Does practice make perfect? How do we rate for musicians taking part in an practise performance and are there any intervention offering graded exposure Two other experiments – one with “safe” ways? What are the tools that can to stressful performance situations.”6 Italian violin and piano duo12 and the assist us in attaining closer perfection The observation is that the varied other solo oboe13 – that were recently in performance? These questions will be backgrounds of the individuals who realised in the course of PhD studies addressed below. participated, their engagement into the in Portugal had important findings. A experiment, and the quality of the follow- word of clarification here - the word VIRTUAL SIMULATION up interview determined these outcomes.7 anxiety refers here to the psychological Virtual environments offer opportunities state, while the word stress refers to to develop performance skills when In comparison to these other studies, real-life opportunities are limited or Williamon’s study was clear. The lacking. These environments have been results “were essentially twofold: (1) used effectively in aviation, surgery, the simulations were realistic and and sports.2 By applying this tool to as such (2) the musicians felt that the music performance, a recent study simulations could be used to enhance was created by Aaron Williamon, Head their performance, fine tuning their of Performance Science at the Royal stage skills, and manage performance College of Music (RCM) in London, and problems, such as debilitating anxiety.”8 two of his colleagues.3 Figure 1. “The performance Recognising that solo performance simulator, showing backstage (right) is the most stressful of all performance and stage (left) areas. Backstage, situations, Williamon’s study involved CCTV footage of the virtual audience 11 violinists from the RCM of six men or audition panel is shown on a wall- and five women with the average age mounted flat-screen monitor, and of 22.45 years. Their average playing controls for operating the audience and experience was 16.18 years. All had audition panel are located on a nearby begun studying at an early age with computer. Onstage, a ceiling-mounted first performance at an average of 6.50 beamer projects the life-sized audience years of age. All performed regularly or audition panel onto a wall, with and practised close to four hours daily. spotlights and loudspeakers on both The subjects were tested [Fig. 1] under sides. Stage curtains (not shown) frame two scenarios while performing the the projected image.”9 “Allemande” from J. S. Bach’s Partita no. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004: “1. a recital with 24 virtual audience members [Fig. 2]; 2. an audition [Fig. 3] with three ‘expert’ virtual judges.”4 Without going into all of the details of this multi-disciplinary study, the 23

physiological markers. Here are some of Fig. 6. Pianist’s physiological Step no. 1. Planning and Preparation the findings of these two studies: measurements in three moments (A, B, Strategies C) of eight recitals, in which Series I is • Selection of activities to be done. The duo clearly indicated constituted of the first four recitals and reduced psychological anxiety and Series II is constituted of the last four “Deliberate practice” or “goal physiological stress through repetition recitals. It is clear how the stress has oriented practice”. of performance. The former was diminished in the second series both in • Organisation of activities to be measured through the administration cortisol and heart rate. done. of psychological tests for state and • Establishment of the goals and trait anxiety, as well as others. The Planning / objectives of the practice. latter was measured by bio-mechanical Preparting • Management of time. markers (cortisol testing [Fig. 4]; EKG Holter-type monitoring [Fig. 5]). The duo Meta- Practising: Executing Step no. 2. Strategies for Execution was clearly more relaxed during their strategies Preparing for • Short rehearsals second series of recitals, in which they Performance • Long rehearsals performed one piece from the first series • Preparing for Performance plus new repertoire but maintained the Evaluating same venues and times [Fig. 6]. Step no. 3. Strategies for Fig. 7. Oboist’s average cortisol Self-Assessment In the case of the duo, the ironic readings for three moments (A, B, C) in • Evaluation of the process of finding was that the pianist was three recitals, where “A” is just before more stressed with the long-time entering the stage; “B” is just finishing practising partner than with the new violinist. performance; and “C” is 30 minutes • Evaluation of the product of The probable reason was that the duo after performance. “R1” is Recital 1; aimed for perfection and had a certain “O” is oboist; “P” is public. In each case practising reputation to maintain. In other words, (“B” moment), the public is much less the stakes were higher. stressed than the performer, even in Step no. 4. Meta Strategies maximum stress. • Knowledge of the strategies to be From perception tests administered to a selected “blind” audience, the long-term Does practice make perfect? used duo was their preference even though “I played it perfectly at home.” Most • Control of the strategies (in order to the pianist was the same in both and teachers have heard this remark from both violinists were of high professional the majority of their pupils at one control the results of performance) standards with years of experience. The time or another. Many books have synchronicity and dialogue of the long- been written on practising. Mostly, Jørgensen rightfully places the role term duo was more perceptible than with the subject is conveyed through oral of improvement on the individual, the new partner. tradition, from teacher to pupil. Harald requiring each person not only to Jørgensen’s ground-breaking research play and prepare the performance (or In the case of the oboist, the selected on practising, which was presented practice) but afterwards to evaluate and audience, who also were measured at the first International Conference develop meta-strategies for betterment. with the same psychological and of Research on Instrumental Practice By asking important questions in the physiological assessments, showed (Oslo, August 1996) confirmed that evaluation process – such as: “What did proportionate relaxation to the while practice may not make perfect if I like about my performance?” or “What performer’s stress. In other words, the the right moves are not done “Practice could have been better?” or “How did I higher the physiological stress of the makes Permanent.”14 He characterises feel when I played this passage or this oboist, the more relaxed the audience Practising as “Self-Learning” with four contrapuntal work?” – self-awareness [Fig. 7]. This is the mark of a true essential steps15: and the development of meta-strategies professional, that the musician is able become invaluable tools for the next to control the stress so as not to impede cycle of Planning and Preparation. the performance. But why suffer so much for one’s art? Another pivotal study is found in Practicing Perfection. Memory and Fig. 4. Cortisol testing instruments and Piano Performance.16 The objective was swabs from Salimetrics used in both to study the memorisation processes studies. involved in the learning of the third movement of J. S. Bach’s Italian Fig. 5. Holter-type EKG monitoring Concerto by Rumanian pianist Gabriela devices and software with wearable Imreh. Through videotaping and T-shirts called VitalJacket®. journal-keeping, six learning stages were identified: • Overview, global analysis • Section by section study • “Grey” stage where the work is not quite memorised • Putting all the pieces together and stitching it up • Perfecting, 1st time, 2nd time • Maintaining Fig. 8. Four essential steps to Gabriela commented after the study successful practising for performance was completed: by H. Jørgensen. I do not think our research has changed my playing, but knowing myself better does help. Perhaps it has made me more efficient in practice and 24

more focused. Probably the biggest Rethinking Practice How to Practise thing I have learned is that memory is Rule 1. Encode Success. Give your Rule 9. Analyse the Game. The most not voodoo. It give me great confidence pupil success by matching skill to task. important first step to learning any new to know that there is a scientific basis To increase the skills, even if the task is piece is analysing it, to take into account for what I do It has helped me develop large, break down into small steps, each key, metre, clefs, form, style, etc. Even in better strategies and memorize faster….I of which must be mastered before going contemporary music, motifs and patterns have also developed better ways to test ahead. For example, some recent brain can be the key to understanding the memory17. research propounds fast, not slow, character of the piece, while composer’s practising in small sections.21 indications will hint at the mood. I have Technological tools to enhance sometimes had transfer students who practice Rule 2. Practise the 20. Practise the could not even identify a scale or arpeggio With the easy accessibility of cellular 20% that produces 80% results. The because they had not been taught even phones and tablet computers, it is very goal is excellence. For example, pattern these fundamentals. How sad that the easy to videotape ourselves or have our practice can save lots of time and can parents have paid all that money and pupils do this on a regular basis to test be a shortcut to learning. Practise the the student has little autonomy or self- their progress. One study definitely highest priority segments first. This is reliance! Musical literacy is the teacher’s showed the advantages of these tools a form of “deliberate practice” or goal- responsibility. when a group of pianos students were oriented practice. asked to practise normally and the Rule 10. Isolate the Skill. Teaching other group using videotaping as an Rule 3. Let the Mind follow the Body. pupils how to practise is one of the integral part of their study. The latter Stress learning layers of skills. One of most important roles of the teacher, group made much more progress.18 And the reasons that we teach and learn whether it be to develop technique, to it’s fun! scales and arpeggios is not only to memorise or other. Skill isolation is acquire technique but also to shortcut imperative if the pupil will be able to Another tool being used in the our learning in repertoire that contains build upon it. Optimal Health Class by Dr. Kathleen these patterns. Riley at the Cincinnati Institute for Rule 11. Name it. Technique Music is InnerBalance™ (HeartMath) Rule 4. Unlock Creativity…with acquisition can be aided by using a application for tablets and other mobile Repetition. Creativity demands vocabulary that students understand. devices (Fig. 9). It is based on em domination of some technical skills, Some years ago in Piano Journal I Wave technology and is designed to without which creativity cannot be mentioned Guy Maier’s vocabulary for reduce the negative impact of stress, brought out of the mind into the children for the various touches - “lame to improve wellness “through training, physical realm. I recently saw a young duck” for two-note slurs; “scooter” and education and self-monitoring. It helps 7-year old beginner immediately take “skater” for three- and four-note slurs; you change your reaction to stress, out her iPhone after her piano lesson “arm circles” for five-note slurs that gain insights in your shifting moods and play what she had learned on the end and begin on the same note, and and create a more positive outlook mobile application called Magic Piano. so on. Peter Feuchtwanger’s wonderful on life, while tracking your progress, This was a spontaneous act on her part. approach to technique also employs journaling your accomplishments and this idea, much in the same way that sharing it with others.”19 I am reminded Rule 5. Replace with Purpose (with an the martial arts have names for the of a bio-feedback Masters study by Objective). Skills should be taught in various moves. Peter uses imagery such Katy Antoniou, supervised by Malcolm a sequence of measurable, manageable as “parachutes”, ”richochet”, “quick Troup at City University in London, objectives. Teaching two-note phrases release”, and others.22 which studied the effects of Carola’s with their requisite correct “touch” is a one-minute “Grindea Technique” that first step to larger three-four-five-note Rule 12. Integrate the Skills. To give she taught to pupils before entering the patterns. only one example and to use the above stage. example of the “lame duck”, children Rule 6. Practise “Bright Spots”. love to find all of these touches in Fig. 9. InnerBalance™ application on Identify areas of both weakness and their music. By telling them that the mobile phone. strength. When the pupil needs a boost second note is softer they will learn Webinars are a wonderful way to or to overcome a plateau, review the an important listening skill as well as do continuing education for piano strong points as encouragement. produce a beautiful sound at the piano. teachers. You do not have to live nearby How many older pianists still cannot in order to benefit from them, merely Rule 7. Differentiate Drill from do this skill well because they stop have access to an internet connection Scrimmage. In the context of piano listening to themselves. and you can connect to any webinar in teaching, “drill” would apply to practice the world. or learning even in the lesson whereas Rule 13. Make a Plan. As teachers, “scrimmage” would apply to “practising we often make our yearly plans around Practice then becomes a process of performance” either at the lesson or in important events such as recitals, attaining to our “ideal performance”. safe venues. competitions, auditions, and the like. What follows is a summary of Practice It would also behoove us to have a Perfect: 42 Rules for Getting Better20 Rule 8. Correct instead of Critique. macroplan for the pupil, such as a and my own adaptation of the authors’ Very sensitive students need project to perform with orchestra axioms. encouragement, so correcting their even if a concertino, or to complete a errors in a positive way and reinforcing certificate programme for each year. The them through repetition can be very microplan may include teaching the effective. Self-critiquing by the student pupil how to practise, what to practise, is also another helpful tool. when to practise. 25

Rule 14. Make each minute matter. originality and interpretation style. Rule 24. Apply first, then reflect. After Our teaching time has gotten shorter in I remember when I was a freshman getting the feedback, try it out. Then, some instances. Recently, in Portugal, in college that my teacher did not reflect whether the feedback – slow down some of the young pupils only receive encourage us to listen to any recordings here, accent there, walk onstage more 22.5, yes 22.5, minutes per lesson. This until we had first mastered the piece(s) confidently, etc. – is helpful and why. is calculated on getting two students we were learning so as not to be This kind of a meta-strategy propels into a 45-minute time slot. What stress influenced by a style of playing that was learning and maturity in performance. for the teacher! The disinterested pupil not indicated for us. is delighted with such short lessons. Rule 25. Shorten the Feedback Loop. Some tips for these short lessons is Rule 19. Insist they “Walk this As the pupil or performer becomes to record them, even with the cellular Way”. The Russian, German and more adept at integrating feedback, phones or tablet computers, or midi- French “schools” of piano playing have the learning curve shortens. A pupil, keyboards. This way, the pupil goes had strict rules for technique and for as a result of feedback, may learn to home with something in hand that interpretation, or at least they used to. concentrate better or to control that reinforces the practising. In spite of strictness, there are merits anxious moment before going onstage in model interpretations and model or get over that complex whatever it is. Using Modelling piano technique for they give a basis Rule 15. Model and Describe. The old of comparison. These rules grew out Rule 26. Use the Power of Positive. Master-Apprentice model still has many of cultural heritage and evolution and Positive reinforcement is so important advantages. However, some teachers may not always apply to everyone even in a pupil’s performance and learning either never continue to play, much though they may be greatly admired. trajectory. In a few cases, the opposite less perform, but have difficulty in is true. It is up to the teacher to figure describing essential musical concepts. Rule 20. Model Skinny Parts. Showing out what works best with each pupil. Even in this dismal example, care off the best – whether it be a brilliant should be taken that what the pupils scale, a gorgeous tone, a moving Rule 27. Limit Yourself. Over-praising or listen to, especially on the internet, interpretation, an awesome ability to criticising a pupil can become ineffective. are good models of the works they are sight-read or improvise – is one of the Too much praise and the pupil does not studying. In this case, the teacher can most rewarding acts a teacher can give believe it. Too much criticism and the take the time to find the links for the a pupil. This kind of modelling is the pupil may shut down. “Moderation in all desired interpretations and present to basis of creating “schools”. Certainly, things” is a good axiom. the pupil. my high school teacher was a model of this and now has an international piano Rule 28. Make it an Everyday Thing. Rule 16. Call the shots. The teacher is competition named for her. The art of developing good feedback is a sometimes in a delicate position. Either quality that teachers can inculcate into the pupil has to get a good grade or will Rule 21. Model the Path. Teachers their pupils. By that is meant that the go to another teacher or the pupil has do not have to be brilliant concert pupil needs to self-analyse the practice, to be kept happy or will go to another pianists in order to be great or even learning, and performance on a daily teacher or quit lessons altogether. It good teachers. What they need is a basis. Knowledge of self is the quickest is important for the teacher to “call comprehensive understanding of how and most secure learning tool, to know the shots” with the parents and pupil, to take the pupil to the top. I remember one’s weaknesses and strengths. even when the situation is not the most Yundi Li’s teacher, when I asked him pleasant. Only through participatory how he started a beginner, said to me: “I Rule 29. Describe the Solution (not dialogue and honest confrontation will first analyse the pupil’s personality and the Problem). It is helpful for the obstacles have a chance to be overcome. teacher to that.” Then, he dropped his pupil to first describe the solution Sometimes it is like walking a tightrope right arm in a gesture of dead weight to to a perceived problem. In doing and experienced teachers will know just how he started the first lesson. so, it becomes clear that the pupil how far they can go. understands, or not, the exact nature of Rule 22. Get Ready for your Close- the problem. For example, the pupil had Rule 17. Make models believable. If, Up. Trial runs for performances are a slip in performance but in reality it as in the internet example of Rule 15, invaluable, whether dress rehearsals or was not a memory slip but an insecure the model is too far above the pupil’s other. Recording and/or filming these fingering that caused it. By observing level, the pupil will be inspired for a moments help the performer to correct the difference, the pupil can correct it short time but most likely will give up. any lingering imperfections just before and have no fear of it happening again The rule of matching task to skill level going onstage. This kind of practice can if the proper steps are taken. applies here too. Children will often be also instil confidence before the actual much more inspired by another young performance. Rule 30. Lock it in. Locking in success person performing than a veteran can come from paying attention to the pianist. However, it is important to Feedback feedback we receive even if painful. By choose the best model for the child. Rule 23. Practise using feedback (not ignoring it, we often continue to make Peer learning is one of the greatest of all just getting it). Using feedback from the same errors. teaching tools. reliable sources such as teachers, peers or parents can assist in overcoming Culture of Practice Rule 18. Try Super-modelling. Rapid hurdles, getting back on our feet or Rule 31. Normalise Error. Jazz progress will often be made if the pupil leaping forward to the next performance musicians, at least in the eyes of tries to imitate his/her musical hero. with greater success. Reliable sources classical performers, have an easier Both audio and video recordings can are those who have our best interest at job of “normalising error’ through be helpful at this stage of learning heart and do not lie to us in order tell improvisation. They too have structure but should not interfere with a more us what they think we want to hear. and rules. Learning involves making advanced pupil’s need to develop mistakes and pupils should not feel that 26

they have to be perfect but rather that Post-Practice: Making new Notes they love learning. One great philosopher Skills stick 1 ©Un known. said: “He who asks questions is a fool Rule 38. Look for the Right Things. If 2 Williamon et al, 2014, 5. for a moment but he who does not ask the pupil has just acquired great octave 3 Williamon, A., Aufegger, L., & H. Eiholzer, H. questions is a fool for a lifetime.” technique, it might be a good idea to (04 Feb. 2014) “Simulating and stimulating continue this type of study so that the performance: introducing distributed simulation Rule 32. Break down the Barriers skill is reinforced. Octave studies could to enhance musical learning and performance” to Practice. “Baby steps” may be the be the next step. Making skills stick are in Frontiers in Psychology, pp. 5-25, doi:10.3389/ answer for some students, while making the responsibility of the teacher. Memory fpsyg.2014.00025. goal-setting and stimulation may the could be another skill to reinforce. To 4 Williamon et al, 2014, 10. answer for others. make this skill stick, different techniques 5 Williamon et al, 2014, 17-18. might be used such as mental practice, 6 Williamon et al, 2014, 6. Rule 33. Make it Fun to Practise. first learning a work away from the piano 7 ibidem While I always loved to practise and in the Leimer-Geiseking way.24 8 Private correspondence of the author with Aaron discover the world of the piano, it Williamon, 10 October 2014. is hard for me to understand those Rule 39. Coach during the Game 9 Williamon et al., 2014, p. 10. Figures used with pupils who do not. So, if we must make (don’t Teach). There is a time in every kind permission of the principal author, Aaron practising “fun”, then we may start pupil’s development and before that all Williamon. out by asking our pupils what they important performance that no more 10 Williamon et al., 2014, p. 11. Figures used with like and do not like about practising. teaching is necessary. To give the pupil kind permission of the principal author, Aaron Sometimes, a simple clock near by can adequate moral and emotional support, Williamon. help them get through the “daily grind” a good teacher will know how and when 11 Williamon et al., 2014, p. 12. Figures used with or perhaps a scale competition can to be there, whether to simply hear kind permission of the principal author, Aaron help or a rewards chart for practising the programme through in the venue, Williamon. or a big reward at the end of the term. to have a performance class just for 12 Facchini, F. (2014) Psycho-physio dynamics Practising in different ways, for all of that pupil, or involve the parents in a in violin-piano duo: A pianist’s perspective. us, certainly helps any monotony that healthy way. Coaching also contains an Unpublished PhD dissertation. Aveiro: may creep in. element of respect and trust, respect for Universidade de Aveiro. the pupil’s progress and trust that the 13 Silva, J. F. O. (2013) A performance do silêncio Rule 34. Everybody Does It. teacher did the best possible under the na música contemporânea para oboé. Unpublished Everybody who has succeeded in the circumstances. Coaching shows that the PhD dissertation. Aveiro: Universidade de Aveiro. world of music has put many hours pupil has entered into a more mature http://ria.ua.pt/handle/10773/12657. of practise into developing their art phase of development and that only 14 Jørgensen, Harald (1997). Does practice and craft. Ask the pupil who is their a little polishing is needed in order to make perfect? Currenty theory and research on “musical hero” and try to find out more maintain the fine work that was done. instrumental music practice. Edited by H. Jørgensen how that success was gained. and A. C. Lehmann. Oslo: Norges musikkhøgskole. Rule 40. Keep talking. A gentle NMH-publikasjoner. Rule 35. Leverage Peer-to-Peer reminder from time to time helps pupils 15 Jørgensen, H. in Williamon, A. (2004) Musical Accountability. More advances in a to remember important lessons that Excellence. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 85- pupil’s learning have been made when they have learned. A musical nudge to 104. confronted with a peer who plays better. even better the dynamic contrasts of a 16 Chaffin R., Imreh, G.& Crawford, M.(2002) Some teachers deliberately schedule piece or a suggestion to explore more Practicing Perfection. Memory and Piano once-a-month performance classes. historically informed performances Performance. London: Lawrence Erbaum In one study in Lisbon, a conservatory on the Beethoven sonata that the Associates. teacher scheduled regular “open” pupil is studying shows the continued 17 Chaffin et al, 262. monthly classes, either performance involvement of the teacher. 18 Viegas, R. J. A. F. (2012) O vídeo como estratégia or field trips with her piano pupils to de estudo para alunos de iniciação ao piano. concerts, museums, etc.23 Needless to Rule 41. Walk the Line (Between Unpublished Masters thesis. Aveiro: Universidade say, their cultural interest improved Support and Demand). This fine line de Aveiro. http://ria.ua.pt/handle/10773/10169. vastly. is the mark of the greatest of teachers. 19 http://www.heartmath.com/innerbalance/#2- Often students, out of fear of their teacher tab, accessed on 10 Oct. 2014. Rule 36. Hire for Practice. Older or fear of failure, will do good work but 20 Lemov, D. Woolway, E., Yezzi, K. (2012) Practice pupils or siblings may be in a position they may not enjoy their music. A teacher Perfect. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. to help younger ones to practise. who “walks the line” will know just 21 Parncutt, R. & McPherson, G. (2002) The Science Certainly, the fortunate pupil who has how much can be gotten out of a pupil. and Psychology of Music Performance. Creative this situation will advance more rapidly. Sometimes, external events get in the way Strategies for Teaching and Learning. Oxford: and unforeseen obstacles do occur but Oxford University Press. Rule 37. Praise the Work. I recently with a good support system previously 22 Feuchtwanger, P. (2004) Peter Feuchtwanger heard the daughter of a famous music built in with the parents or care-givers Klavierübungen zur Keilung physiologisher educator, who is herself a piano teacher, these events will have a minimum effect Spielstörungen und zum Erlernen eines funktionell- say that she only gives thirty-minute on the musical development of the pupil. natürlichen Klavierspiels. www.peter-feuchtwanger. lessons to the more advanced students. de. This is because these students have little Rule 42. Measure Success. How is 23 Várzea, I. (2010). Aplicação do formato de aulas time but over the years she has done success measured? By the trophies, abertas no ensino do piano. Unpublished Masters such a good job of teaching them how competitions or awards the pupil has thesis. Aveiro: Universidade de Aveiro. http://ria. to practise that they know what to do won? Or is it by the progress the pupil has ua.pt/handle/10773/1248. without so much need for her instruction. made? Or is it in the degree to which the 24 Leimer, K. and Gieseking, W. (1972) Piano This is a good example of how far the pupil loves to make music at the piano? Technique. New York: Dover Publications. right amount of praise can go. Each must answer for him/herself. 27

Reviews Sheet Music and setting it in its historic Novelette. A great opportunity part. These are very effective context. Contributors to the to explore a wide variety of and add another dimension G. Henle Verlag text include Michael Berkeley, Poulenc’s work. to the performance. Asturias Albéniz 800, e6,00 Sandy Burnett, Peter Dick- Ibéria Book 4 Albéniz, inson, Anthony Meredith, Lennox Berkeley wrote Aimed at the intermediate 650, e20,00 Jon Paxman and Nicholas a considerable amount pianist, around Grade 4 level, Tango Albéniz 753, e4,50 Reyland. of music for piano and this is a joyful book which Klaviersonate No. 14 C# included here are pieces will appeal to students of all minor (Moonlight) All of these composers are from Five Short Pieces Op.4, ages. Angela Fogg Beethoven 1062, e6,50 key figures from the 20th Three Impromptus Op.7, the Scherzo in E flat minor century. They brought new Berceuse from Three Pieces Spartan Press Op.4 Brahms 569, e7,50 and innovative ideas to piano for Piano Op.2 and two of the Get Set Jazz Drei Intermezzi Op 117 music including new rhythms, Six Preludes Op 23. Again a Ben Crosland Brahms 1042, e8,00 timbre and a changing har- great variety of music from SP1266 £6.95 Avant-dernières Pensées monic world. These books one composer giving students Satie 1181, e6,00 enable us to examine their an opportunity to sample a Get Set Jazz is a collection music from the perspective of good range of their music. of original jazzy pieces for This wonderful selection of the 21st century and assess Richard Rodney Bennett beginners to Grade 2. All the music needs little introduc- the continuing development was a student of Lennox pieces have been thoroughly tion but is now available of piano music since the birth Berkeley and the most recent tried out by the composer’s in new editions from Henle of Manuel de Falla in Cadiz of these composers, passing own students and the result Verlag. Each piece is meticu- in 1876 and Igor Stravinsky’s away recently in 2012. The is a very playable selection of lously researched to provide composition lessons with selection of his music for music. us with a score that reflects Rimsky-Korsakov in the early piano includes Tango After the composer’s intentions as 1900s to the present day. Syrinx, Rosemary’s Waltz from There are pieces with swing closely as possible. It is also Tender is the Night as well rhythm such as Remember The very useful to the student to The earliest of these as a piece from Partridge Pie, Day and Waltz In Blue. There’s be able to buy single pieces, composers is Manuel de Three Romantic Pieces and a very attractive and expressive both financially and practical- Falla whose music is imbued Excursions. piece called Someone To Love ly. One Beethoven Sonata is with the flamenco rhythms and a simple Two Hands far less weighty than a volume of Andalucia. Amongst other This is a well thought-out Blues. ‘Til Tomorrow Comes of fifteen or more! Important works there are two pieces and well presented series and I’ll Just Follow are a couple repertoire for the advanced from El Amor Brujo, an of books offering fantastic of rock-style pieces and a piano student. Intermezzo from Fantasia repertoire for students in ragtime is represented with Bætica, The Miller’s Dance the later grades. I cannot Roundabout Rag. Angela Fogg from the ballet The Three- recommend them enough! Cornered Hat, written The rhythm of the words Wise Publications for Serge Diaghilev and Angela Fogg from the titles are used in Composer Portraits the Ballets Russes, and the music helping students Witold Lutoslawski Le Tombeau de Claude Universal Edition with the syncopated and AM1008513 Debussy from Homenaje. Igor Style Collection – tricky rhythms. For example, Manuel de Falla Stravinsky also famously Afro-Caribbean Better Believe It uses four AM1008524 wrote for the Ballets Russes Mike Cornick quavers with the fourth tied Richard Rodney Bennett and extracts from The Firebird UE 21 651 £13.99 to a crotchet followed by AM1007886 and Pulcinella are included another crotchet, and quaver Igor Stravinsky here along with music This is the second in Mike rest, three quavers, crotchet AM1007897 written specifically for piano Cornick’s Style Collection crotchet semibreve for ‘I kinda Lennox Berkeley including two simple pieces series. The first volume was like your style’ in Like Your AM1008832 from Les Cinq Doigts and more Jazz and there is a third vol- Style. Francis Poulenc complicated works such as ume coming out after Christ- AM1007864 Piano-Rag-Music and Waltz mas called Evergreens. As you Catchy and attractive £9.95 from Three Easy Pieces. would expect, the Afro-Carib- music for the younger pianist. bean book is sunny and lively The Composer Portraits series Some slightly easier pieces and Mike Cornick’s arrange- Angela Fogg makes interesting reading as can be found in the selection ments do not disappoint. well as interesting playing. of Folk Melodies and the Schott Each book begins with a short Bucolics by Witold Lutoslawski The tunes arranged here The Classical Piano Method biography of the composer - music with great character are well-known folk melodies, Duet Collection 3 and includes information and appeal for students of Mango Walk, Yellow Bird, by Hans-Gunter Heumann about every piece, describing all ages. More challenging Hill and Gully Rider, Sloop ED 13583 £9.99 (CD) how it came to be written would be the Allegro from John B, Brown Girl In The Two Studies and the opening Ring, to name just a few of The books of Hans-Gunter 28 from the Paganini Variations. the thirteen arrangements. Heumann are now an The music and life experience The music is infused with establishment in the piano of Francis Poulenc could syncopation which can be teaching world and this hardly be more different to challenging to count but the latest one completes level that of Witold Lutoslawski. accompanying CD will help 3. Duets are always one of Included in this volume are students learn the melodies the most enjoyable part of some excepts from L’histoire aurally, the way they have piano teaching and studying de Babar, le petit éléphant and been traditionally taught. The and this book is a welcome an Impromptu, a Mouvements CD also provides a backing addition to the galaxy of duet Perpétuels, Nocturne and track to play along with once volumes. It includes many students have mastered their original works and a few arrangements of well-known

popular classical music such Little Variations for Piano that this latest new series of Survey of “Composition in as “Papageno’s Aria” from only uses seven notes, A A# “New Classics to Moderns” is the US from 1990–2015” by Mozart’s Magic Flute, “Winter” B C E F F#, and this series a most welcome extra addition a musicologist and author, by Vivaldi, and Handel’s “Air of semitones is the basis for to teaching as my old volumes Paul Griffiths, who had been in F” which will be especially each of these short Variations. are now so worn and torn. a music critic for The Times appealing to adult re-starters They are all very different Excellent value for money, the and significant New York daily who would, no doubt, be in character: rushing, books offer students of every papers. Once again, winners familiar with the music. Much jolly, heavy, deeply sad, level a well-balanced musical of no fewer than 43 interna- of the selected repertoire is joking, marching and finally diet covering over four hun- tional music competitions well-known but there are relentlessly agitated. dred years of wonderful music are listed, to enable readers a few hitherto neglected as well as offering a wide to become familiar with the gems such as Ballade by The music is not range of sight-reading materi- many opportunities for young Gretchaninov, Polonaise by technically difficult but its al to advanced students. musicians to compete globally. Wohlfahrt, and Little Pieces by fractured nature makes it Much of the information is Bruckner. Professor Heumann difficult musically and tricky Nadia Lasserson to be expected in a diary - has compiled a highly original to read. Grade 5–6 students Conversion tables, Clothing selection of popular and less should enjoy the challenge! Doblinger sizes, Average temperatures, well-known duets in this Rhythm & Moods Religious Festivals, Notable volume for students to play Angela Fogg Diana Valentina Menezes dates, National information of with their friends, teachers 01 445 £11.95 52 countries with their cap- or parents. A CD is included Yorktown Music Press itals, Currency and National with complete performances New Classics to Moderns This is a fun selection of new holidays, Telephone dialling to help students hear 1–6, Third Series pieces for the Grade 1–2 pupil. codes from country to country professional playing of each Edited by Sam Lung The music is expressive and as well as from the UK, Maps piece as well as single tracks 1–3 £7.99, 4–6 £8.99 varied with all kinds of moods of the London Underground, of all secondo parts to enable to explore. National Rail Lines, and The- young pianists to practise the Many piano teachers have atres & Cinemas in the West duets at home. Piano students been using the original six vol- The swing rhythm and End of London. There are cer- of all ages will benefit from umes of Classics to Moderns staccato touch brings the tain items that we have come this latest volume as there is ever since they were published mischief to The Mischievous to expect and “In Memoriam” such a wide variety of styles in 1977, soon to be followed Elf and a little sustain pedal this time it lists the great thus offering something for with More Classics to Mod- adds an ethereal quality to musicians who passed away everyone to experience the erns in 1979. The pieces are Half Way To The Milky Way. A in 2013, memorable musical joys of music making together. graded in order of difficulty half pedal is held throughout events that took place 100, with students covering much The Rising of the Moon making 50 and 25 years ago (1915, Nadia Lasserson of the standard repertoire the sounds blur and linger. 1965 & 1990), anniversaries from beginner to advanced Easter Rabbit bounds along for the next five years – 2016, PWM level in the six volumes. Now, with lots of energy and An 2017, 2018, 2019 & 2020 Gnomes Dances for Piano at last, Sam Lung has com- Irish Green is a lovely piece – and the “Mini Directory” Zygmunt Krauze piled a third collection in this with gentle syncopation. which includes Concert halls, PWM 11 390 £8.95 important and very necessary There’s a change of mood Opera and Dance companies, Little Variations for Piano teaching repertoire. Over one and atmosphere for A Long Orchestras, Broadcasting & Zygmunt Krauze hundred pieces of graded Forgotten Church with a slow Recording companies, Edu- PWM 11 389 £8.95 difficulty are included in the and steady bass line whilst cation, Public and Private Or- six volumes providing more Rumbustious Dance is lively ganisations, Press Periodicals, These two new and slender wonderful and essential rep- and boisterous. Publishers and Music Festi- publications are written in ertoire for all piano students. vals all over the UK. It is ironic a modern, yet approachable Mr Lung’s challenge was to Plenty of music to choose that it is called “mini” with so style. maintain similar standards from and many of the pieces many listed inclusions. New for each volume and this has would be perfect for concerts. since 2013 are lists of more The Gnomes Dances been expertly achieved. Each unusual musical terms in for Piano have a title that book includes pieces from Angela Fogg Italian, French and German describes them perfectly. They the Baroque, Classical and and a 22-page Alphabetical are strange and unpredictable. Romantic eras but this series Schott/Boosey & Hawkes Index of listed musicians, vital The first is written over three now incorporates interesting The Music Diary 2015 now that so many are includ- staves and has a very high repertoire from the twentieth £6.99 ed through the years’ dates. melodic line, a low F pedal and twenty-first centuries in- Present day practice can offer note and shifting chromatic cluding distinguished British Inflation seems to cause all this data on various apps thirds in between. The composers Lennox Berkeley, increased prices for everything as well as on the internet, but extremes of dynamic are also Peter Maxwell Davies, Brian on the market but some- for those of us above a certain rather unsettling. The second Chapple, Richard Rodney how, the Music Diary has age who still like a paper dance is sprite like with its Bennett, Giles Swayne, remained the same price for diary, this one offers all that staccato motifs and the third Michael Hurd, Alec Rowley, several years and becomes working professional musi- malevolently playful with its Iain Kendall, Colin Matthews, even better value for money cians, amateurs, students and dotted minim pedal notes Stanley Glasser and Rob- each year. This latest edition young teenagers could ever and snatched acciaccatura. ert Walker. The volume also of the diary includes so much need to have at their musical The final dance, Risoluto, has inlcudes interesting foreign useful information that one fingertips. Nadia Lasserson a repeated rhythm pattern repertoire, by Poulenc, Ravel, could be forgiven for omitting which makes it feel more Lutoslawski, Stravinsky, to look up a specific date while settled and less skittish than Montsalvatge, Rodolfo Halffter being distracted en route and the other dances. and Einardi. There is no doubt gleaning new data from the various charts and lists. The main article is a Personal 29

Alfred accompanying CD which is Light; The Consciousness Faber Piano Extravaganza Books great to listen to. of Love; The Spheres in The EPTA UK Piano Professional Robert D. Vandall Loser; The 24 Preludes by Series: THE FOUNDATIONS Book 1 00-42633, £5.95 This is not a book for Lopes-Graça; A view on OF TECHNIQUE Book 2 00-42634, £5.95 the complete beginner; as António Fragoso’s Music; Murray McLachlan. £9.99 Book 3 00-42635, £6.95 Wolfgang Wierzyk says in Piano Performance Pedagogy. the introduction, students He draws on years of pianistic Subscribers to International The three Piano Extravaganza should have had two or experience and looks at the Piano Magazine will already books offer a fun selection of three years of lessons before subject both from a student be familiar with articles on pieces that would be particu- beginning this course. For and a teacher viewpoint. piano technique by Murray larly good for recitals. the more advanced student it McLachlan which have been has a lot to offer. Whilst they Of particular interest in appearing since 2001. A fine Book 1 is for Grade 2–3 may find the early lessons the book is the attempt to pianist and teacher himself, students who will really straightforward the later unite the philosophical with Murray McLachlan has been enjoy exuberant pieces exercises are quite technically the neurological aspects of the Head of Keyboard at like Dynamo! in 5/8 and demanding and musically piano playing. Henriques Chetham’s School of Music for Toccatina in E minor or challenging. uses terminology to define many years and also teaches gentler pieces like Serenade the positions and touches at the Royal Northern School and Gymnopédie. Book 2 is Angela Fogg of which he writes. Some of of Music in Manchester. slightly more difficult and for these include the “spiderhand” Many of his students win Grade 3–4 students. Again Books for joint calibrations; the international competitions there is a good variety of “anemone” (tension-release), and this recent publication, music including Dennison University Press of America Inc. or sea creature who has a the first in the EPTA UK Depot Blues, a really striking THE (WELL) INFORMED rapid defense mechanism in series, is invaluable to all piece called Fireworks and an PIANO. Artistry and shutting down; the passing people interested in the piano expressive piece with pedal Knowledge by Miguel G. of the thumb; jumps or - teachers, students, amateurs called After The Storm. Book Henriques (2014). 256 pp. leaps; glissandi; and others. and self-taught players. Prof 3 caters for Grade 5 students. ISBN 978-0-7618-6095-2. His succinct explanations McLachlan believes that the Here, the Toccata is very www.roman.com £19.95 and drawings illustrate information in each chapter is impressive, Midnight Chase is the points without being as relevant to beginners and exciting and Missing You nice Taking its title cue from an tedious and therefore are intermediate pianists as it is and dreamy. earlier pedagogical book, The easy to understand. The to postgraduate students and Well-Tempered Piano Teacher final Appendix offers detailed professional pianists. A very playable and (Uszler, Gordon, McBride- instructions for the “Daily enjoyable selection of new Smith; Schirmer Books, New Routine” and suggestions of Indeed, the book is music. Angela Fogg York, 1991, 2000), Miguel “how to practise”. extraordinarily thorough with Henriques can trace his twenty chapters covering Schott pianistic lineage to Clara Another interest is found every aspect of technique Discovering Boogie Schumann. So, naturally in the musical examples from the thumb, touch, finger and Blues Piano he would be interested in drawn from Henriques’ native strength & brilliance, scales, Wolfgang Wierzyk his piano legacy. As such, country of Portugal. Here, he arpeggios, broken chords, ED13246, £13.99 his book addresses issues draws from contemporary ornaments, double notes of not only a technical and (António Pinho Vargas) and thirds, repeated notes, Discovering Boogie and Blues musical nature, but also looks and 20th-century examples chords, octaves, leaps and Piano is part of a series of at historical and polemical (António Fragoso and correct use of the three pedals books from Schott exploring philosophical/ethical issues Fernando Lopes-Graça). The as well as an introductory modern piano styles. The related to piano study. The value of this exercise is to chapter on “Prevention is composer, Wolfgang Wier- book “maintains continuity expose little known and model better than cure”. The book zyk, is also a performer and with the major contributions Portuguese music to a wider is full of detailed steps for teacher and the material in of Ludwig Deppe, Tobais international audience. The each aspect of technique this book has been well tried Matthay, Grigory Kogan, author himself has recorded and every chapter advocates and tested by many of his Heinrich Neuhaus and George some of this music, which is steady, slow and patient students. Kochevitsky.” available on CD. practice. Constant reminders on posture checks, body The book offers a well Henriques divides his The diversity of subjects alignment and total relaxation thought-out progressive book into the following covered in this book will be prelude every new aspect of course of fifteen lessons. Every chapters: Preface; Operative of interest to a wide public. work at the keyboard, while lesson introduces another Thoughts; Issues on Music By not opting to focus on never overdoing the practice aspect of basic boogie piano Interpretation’s Ethics; The only one theme, such as of anything strenuous and such as the first blue note or Approach to a Musical Piece; the biomechanics of piano new. Repeated mini-breaks varying the root licks. There The Performance Project; playing, Henriques has taken are advocated throughout is a considerable amount of Pianistic Technical Learnings; the holistic option to tie all lengthy practice sessions in explanatory text that is well Piano Actions Heavy and together the various aspects order to maintain a relaxed written and informative. Each of the complex art of piano and composed state of mind topic, such as blues scales, playing and piano pedagogy and body to attempt the new comping, seventh chords, through human development. exercises. “Sound quality and third licks and scale loops, His approach is novel and variety of touch / tone must comes with several practical for that we congratulate his remain the top priorities in all exercises and works towards efforts. Henriques is piano work” and advice to achieve a complete piece. All of these professor at the Superior exercises and examples School of Music in Lisbon. of the pieces are on the Nancy Lee Harper 30

this is to play single notes proficiency in scales and CDs reviewer at the 10th Van up and down the keyboard arpeggios starting with very Cliburn International Piano at all dynamic levels and basic three-note patterns by Nancy Lee Harper Competition as the “audience with different colours as a before using all fingers. It favourite”. He is on the faculty daily starter exercise. The is a truism that most books Carter Pann: The Piano’s of Florida State University. chapter on finger strength and dealing with piano technique 12 Sides, The Bills, The independence is considerably tend to neglect broken chords Cheese Grater, Your Touch; The Piano’s 12 Sides detailed with advice on how and Murray McLachlan Joel Hastings piano. is a large work of an hour to work each finger separately points out that Mozart Piano NAXOS CD 8.559043, in length and dating from with a “touch and press” from Concertos abound with American Classics, 2014, 2011/2012. The twelve the other hand in order to them and require sparkling www.naxos.com movements give ample range cultivate even dexterity and rippling passagework for the pianist (and the beautiful sound production which can be attained by “A match made in heaven” composer) to explore the rich from each finger. Much space working at his progressive describexs this happy and colourful facets of the is devoted to the thumb exercises on this chapter. collaboration between piano’s timbre and all of the and its free movement in Double thirds and other composer Carter Pann and Americanisms within. The set passagework, being the double notes are extensively pianist Joel Hastings, both of is at once accessible to the root of so much uneven covered with numerous whom attended the University listener, diverse in expression and over-accented playing examples showing different of Michigan. This is American and styles, and delightful as when uncontrolled. There fingerings and discussing music at its contemporary a set or as individual pieces. are several useful exercises “slide fingering” while faking best. Pann’s harmonic language for loosening the thumb as a legato sound as a solution does not bring anything new it is of vital importance to to tricky passages. Practice Award-winning composer to the palette but rather plays gain its independence so that for octave passagework and pianist Carter Pann (b. with existing idioms. His the whole technique can be suggests trying the passage 1972) received a GRAMMY® sense of juxtaposition of styles stabilised. Three detailed with single fingers, first the nomination for his Piano is always tasteful while being chapters on touch show the fifth finger and then the Concerto. He has had his innovative, whether lyrical or reader its great importance thumb and always with total music performed by the jazzy. His musical language and vast world it covers from freedom of movement, before London Symphony, City of is direct and charming. non-legato, several types of attempting the octaves and Birmingham Symphony, These qualities may account staccato, and different forms gradually building the speed Tchaikovsky Symphony and for some of his impressive of legato. Murray McLachlan with gradually increasing Seattle Symphony orchestras, successes around the world. omits no aspect of the world metronome marks. Similar many radio orchestras in of sound and how to achieve advice is given for achieving Europe, youth orchestras in The first movement, it, explaining that the required wide leaps across the New York and Chicago, and “Silhouette”, dedicated to staccato varies considerably keyboard with an added many soloists and ensembles. Maria Fernanda Nieto- with each composer and suggestion of practising His Second String Quartet was Pulido, is a kind of “poem” period of music and the with eyes closed for greater commissioned by the Takács that sets the stage for the “legato” chapter covers security. The final chapters Quartet to be premiered in following pieces and contains “finger pedalling”, “finger on using the damper pedal, 2015. Currently he teaches at ingredients that will appear substitutions” and “legato the una corda pedal and the the University of Colorado at in them. Out of a nebulous overlaps”, all, no doubt, middle sustaining pedal are Boulder. beginning a “verse” appears touched on by pianists while brimming with tips, advice, in what turns out to be a performing without truly exercises and words of Canadian pianist Joel strophic piece. Its language considering all the positive warning of over-using these. Hastings began his career as is that of Ravel. It closes with implications for developing an organist, winning several a brilliant right-hand scale and improving the tone Every chapter includes competitions including played simultaneously with quality when so doing. Finger an enormous amount of the International Bach a left-hand glissando. The strength and brilliance can musical examples from the Competition at the Kennedy 10-minute length of this piece be cultivated with strong standard repertoire and clear Center in Washington, D. C., is balanced by “Grande Etude- knuckles that do not collapse guidance through every step and Eighth International Web Fantasy”, while all the others so long as the arm and of achieving the relevant Concert Hall Competition range from two to seven wrist are always loose and technical skill. Murray in 2006. He has performed minutes. relaxed. Many pianists start McLachlan is constantly extensively in the USA, their practice with scales insisting that care is taken to Canada and Europe. His “Figurines”, dedicated and arpeggios merely to check posture, relaxation of discography includes Chopin’s to Peter Collins, combines warm up and get the blood arms, elbows and wrists at all 24 Etudes, Liszt’s song and a “hyper-virtuosic” music flowing through the fingers times and his zany sense of operatic transcriptions, and similar to a Debussy Etude but reading this book makes humour is laced throughout other 19th- and 20th-century with a centrepiece “Perpetual everyone aware that scales are the book, maintaining a light works, which have been March” that is to be played useful to all pianists, even at touch in this very important, selected for Canadian critics’ without rubato. the highest levels, to cultivate serious material; but the most awards and praised by the sound production and tonal prominent and important American Record Guide and “Legend”, dedicated to variety while practising them maxim which is constantly Musicweb International. Rob Auler, is a “modal study” with the numerous types of stated is that in every exercise He was described by one tightly knit by a recurring touch already discussed in the covering the technique, the three-note motif, not unlike book. Many useful exercises pianist must always listen and Ravel’s pathos of his famous and practice tips are included strive for a pleasing sound “Pavane”. in these chapters to develop that is always musical. Nadia “White Moon over Water”, Lasserson dedicated to Avguste Antonov, is like a stream of watercolours and contains no melodic line to anchor it, 31

but rather portrays a sense Hastings juxtaposed late and Beethoven, Schubert, “Prelude in C minor, op. 23, of timelessness or “eternal forward-looking Liszt with Chopin, Tchaikovsky, no. 7”. Fitenko’s playing is suspension”, giving the pianist some of these contemporary Mussorgsky, Rachmaninov. particularly haunting in the ample opportunity to display works. Hastings has the Classical Records CR-163, last work. control of pianissimos. technique to play these 2014. works as though effortless www.classicalrecords.com Tchaikovsky’s “Barcarolle” “Le Branle”, dedicated to articulation. His pedalling (June) from The Seasons Ryan MacEvoy McCullough, is always clear and his The beautiful Bach-Siloti is wonderfully subdued gives both pianist and listener dynamic range is broad so Prelude in G minor opens this and voiced in this heartfelt lots of enjoyment in this that he can choose to focus recital-like CD, produced rendering by the pianist. kind of perpetual motion on mid- range to pianissimo in Russia and containing “brawl-dance” in which with much variety; when he Russian–English programme The centre-piece of this two arguments occur and opts to play loudly the pieces notes. It is hauntingly played disc is Mussorgsky’s tour are drawn to an end with a have a defined line that by Fitenko whose controlled de force of Pictures at an “playful but goading whistle” draws attention to the most opening sets the stage for his Exhibition. Fitenko opts for a of the main theme. important elements, whether brilliant passage work that lyrical approach and carefully voicing, rubato, or other. This follows. The reverberation of chooses his voicings in order “Classic Rock”, dedicated is a pianist worth watching the recording engineer gives to convey the powerful musical to Jack Gaffney, is an elegant and listening to. the impression of a huge structure and character of work that portrays the title cathedral organ. By contrast, the various movements or in the centre of the piece in a The Bills (1997) is a tribute the Bach-Siloti Prelude in B tableaux of the piece. His most lyrical way. to two American composers – minor follows. Here, Fitenko octaves are strong and bring William Albright and William tastefully handles the majesty to the final thrilling “She Steals Me”, dedicated Bolcom – both of whom were rolled chords by playing the passages that close the work. to Kristin Kuster, is a professors at the University of principal note on the beat Fitenko is Associate Professor “plaintive Appalachian waltz” Michigan. “William Albright – so as not to interrupt the at the Catholic University in that admits influences of A Concert Rag” is an elegant right passages, which often Washington, D.C.. Schubert and Stravinsky and slow rag à la Joplin’s happens in performances and is not dissimilar to some “Bethena”. Hastings carefully of pianists who are less Katerina Zaitseva. of the best of Dave Grusin’s controls the tempo of the work experienced. The customary Schubert, Schumann, Liszt. film music (On Golden Pond; and brings out its delightful repeat features the right Classical Records CR-156, Goonies; etc.). subtleties. “William Bolcom hand subdued to the left. 2013. – An Elaborate Fancy” is a Fitenko opts not to play this www.classicalrecords.com “Soirée macabre”, jivey Gershwin-type two-step. work as Sokolov and some dedicated to Nikki Melville, Here, Hastings’ left-hand other Russian pianists who The wonderful Schubert gladly gives us glimpses of control is admirable and never emphasise the drill-like Impromptus, op. 90 open William Bolcom’s “Grateful overshadows the melody of figures of the right hand. this CD, which is produced Ghost Rag”, while employing the right hand and makes in Moscow and contains “blood-soaked” harmonies and the work sound like child’s Fitenko’s interpretation programme notes in Russian zombie malevolence, but the play, which it definitely is of Beethoven’s Sonata, op. and English. Zaitseva chooses piece is so charming that one not. He ends with a virtuosic 101 chooses to reveal the a careful tempo in the first cannot be afraid. swirl, in the line of Godowsky Romantic qualities of the one, which enables all the transcriptions, and a good opening rather than the subtle harmonies to sing. “Orion”, dedicated to chuckle. Classical structure. His The second Impromptu is Hsing-ay Hsu, occupies “a playing is ethereal and unrolls full of charm as Zaitseva cosmic realm” and is a kind of The Cheese Grater – A as though he himself were portrays well the character of “un-written” and unmeasured Mean Two-Step (1996) is a the composer. The Scherzo “wind over a wheat field” in “Debussy prelude”. Like an mean work designed to keep movement offers a strong her smooth and directional improvisation, the piece offers the pianist well focused on the contrast and employs the long phrasing. These qualities vast expressive opportunities ivories in this “Gaspard-like pedal indicated by Beethoven. serve her well in the third for the pianist. ragtime” that is “interrupted Fitenko is well suited to the Impromptu in which the by a short waltz” before somber and fantasia-like non-stop accompaniment of “Cradle Song”, dedicated to returning to frolicking rag- lyrical third movement. The the inner voices is held well Marina Lomazov, is a subdued time. Hastings’ technique is fourth movement closes with in check to allow the melody and dark lullaby that presents well up to the challenge and good Beethoven energy. to be heard. Her heartfelt the pianist with the challenge he delivers a clean, clear and interpretation shines in the of voicing three lines. humorous rendering of the Chopin’s Waltz in F minor, last Impromptu. piece. op. 70, no. 2 is sensitively “Grande Etude-Fantasy”, interpreted by Fitenko, who Zaitseva’s playing comes dedicated to Winton Choi, is Your Touch (1997) is the employs ample rubato. to the fore in Schumann’s described by the composer centre movement taken from infrequently heard Drei as a “bi-tonal exploration of Pann’s Piano Concerto. It Schubert’s Moments Fantasiestücke, op. 111. The Bachian frenzy”. It is a difficult is bluesy, smokey, sensual musicaux, no. 3 is offered passion, tenderness, fantasy piece in the Lisztian idiom and laid-back as though complementary to the and flow of the music are well that is well worth the effort. “evoking the smoke-filled preceding work and it is in suited to her. She tells a story lounge of a dark jazz club”. this miniature that Fitenko with these pieces. “An Irish Tune”, Hastings’ rambling crooning gives some of his best playing. dedicated to Barry Synder, style successfully portrays Schumann’s is the composer’s sensitive the imagery and leaves the Three well known and Faschingsschwank aus Wien, arrangement of “Londonderry listener wanting more. loved Rachmaninov preludes op. 16 is beautifully played Air”. follow: “Prelude in G# minor, by Zaitseva. She carefully Nikita Fitenko. Bach, op. 32, no. 12”, “Prelude in controls the voices when Joel Hastings’ playing is C# minor, op. 3, no. 2”, and necessary to bring out the brilliant, expressive, colourful, sensitive and thrilling. I first heard a few of these pieces at the 2014 American Liszt Society Festival, at which time 32

contrapuntal parts. She plays father and Italian mother, Concerto No. 2 in E flat captures the complete with good rhythmic definition. Napoleão with an Italian minor, op. 31 also has three attention of the listener Her Florestan and Eusebius father and Portuguese mother. movements: Andantino and that each work is of a are definitely up to the task Both were child prodigies. maestoso; Scherzo (Allegro consistently high level from of this well-loved cycle. Both became active concert vivace – più lento, Tempo I); both the composer and the The Romance movement is pianists, pedagogues and Allegro – Più vivo. The exact performer. We are indebted to exquisitely sensitive, while composers who were widely date of this work is unverified the young Portuguese pianist, the Scherzino is delightful and travelled. The year 1868 was as yet but probably is dated Miguel Campinho, for the dance-like. The Intermezzo turning point for the two from around the same time undertaking of recording and is boiling with passion but sixteen-year olds: Oswald as Oswald’s. It is dedicated co-producing the complete never erupts. The Finale is gave his ‘farewell recital’ to the Portuguese King Luís. Sonatas and Sonatinas of played at an appropriate and left to study in Europe; The composer first performed Eurico Tomás de Lima, both brisk tempo, which Zaitseva Napoleão went to Brazil to the work in a solo version, from the northern Portuguese cleanly drives to the end. seek his fortunes. They were while the orchestrated version city of Porto. Included in this heard by the magnanimous was premiered by Portuguese world-premiere undertaking Liszt’s Rhapsodie monarch of Brazil, D. Pedro pianist Evaristo de Campos are also two suites from espagnole brilliantly brings II (r. 1831 - 1889): Napoleão Coelho (1903 – 1988) – with two breathtaking areas of this CD to a satisfying close. in 1869 in Rio and Oswald in whom Artur Pizarro studied Portugal: the Algarve and Our congratulations go to 1879 in Florence, at which as a young child – and the Madeira Island. the pianist who has chosen time a royal patronage was Orquestra Filarmónica de repertoire well suited to her bestowed for several years. Lisboa, conducted by Ivo Cruz, The composer was also a notable pianistic talents. She Both musicians lived to see at the Teatro da Trindade in brilliant pianist on a par with is currently on the faculties life beyond the monarchy, but Lisbon. The first movement other composer–pianists, José of the Levine School of Music only one beyond WWI. Their is akin to Chopin’s E-minor Vianna da Motta (1868–1948) and International School of paths may have crossed in Piano Concerto, while and Óscar da Silva (1870– Music in Washington, D.C.. Brazil. Both returned to their the second is a charming 1958), a fact not lost in his native cities where they died: Scherzo reminiscent of a piano compositions, which are The Romantic Piano Oswald to Rio de Janeiro, Mendelssohn or a Saint-Saëns. at once extremely pianistic Concerto - 64. Oswald: Brazil; Napoleão to Porto, The exuberance of the third and simultaneously clear in Piano Concerto in G minor, Portugal. And both became movement reminds us of their intent. The excellent op. 10. Napoleão: Piano ‘prophets in foreign lands’. In Offenbach but the “can-can” is bilingual (Portuguese, English) Concerto in E flat minor, an era before recordings, only interrupted by a reoccurrence programme notes, written op. 31. Artur Pizarro piano; their critics, correspondence of themes from the preceding and translated by Campinho, BBC National Orchestra of or compositions can tell movements and a bit of the attest to the composer’s Wales, Martyn Brabbins. something about how they Portuguese longing or saudade evolving style and whose Hyperion Records Limited, played. As composers, they before coming to a rousing sonata output in the 20th London, England, 2014. knew their art well.” end. century is only exceeded by www.hyperion-records.co.uk Fernando Lopes Graça (1906– Henrique Oswald Piano Pizarro is an outstanding 1994), with six sonatas and The Brazilian Henrique Concerto in G minor, op.10: pianist of his generation. He two sonatinas, and António Oswald and the Portuguese Allegro (un poco agitato); possesses the extraordinary Victorino d’Almeida (b. 1940), Alfredo Napoleão are not Adagio; Allegro dates from qualities of pure technical with seven sonatas and one exactly household names. 1886. The composer has been mastery with a delicious sonatina. Tomás de Lima’s And yet their two piano said to have written “the most sensitivity and wide palette output here includes four concerti recorded here in refined piano music in the of pianistic colours. He is sonatas and two sonatinas Hyperion’s continuing series history of Brazilian music”. perfectly suited to these works dating from 1933 to 1954 attest to their talents as Artur Rubinstein called him and indeed brings them to life and undoubtedly revering pianists–composers who made “the Brazilian Gabriel Fauré”. in a way that emphasises their the Beethovian model. The important contributions to In spite of the French perfume better qualities. His playing is two suites date from 1941 the romantic literature. From that permeates this concerto, at times effervescent, somber, (Algarve) and 1966 (Madeira). the programme notes written there are also influences from lyrical and tender, exciting and The works are presented here by me, we learn something of the late Germanic and Russian brilliant; at no time is it boring. in chronological order. It is their backgrounds: styles. The soloist has plenty thanks to the Universidade to do in the virtuosic writing Pizarro is the pianist’s do Minho in Braga, Portugal, “The great Romantic spirit of the first movement, which pianist. He recently was where the archive of the touched the lives and works is followed by the calm and bestowed the Albéniz medal composer resides, that these of the two brilliant pianists– sensual second movement. for his interpretation of that works come to us. composers represented The last, which begins with composer’s gigantic suite here: Henrique Oswald (14 an attacca, is in the style of Iberia. Portugal should be Sonata no. 1 in C# minor April 1852 – 9 June 1931) an Italian perpetual motion proud to have such a native dates from 1933 and has the and Alfredo Napoleão (31 tarantella. This movement son. standard three movements: January 1852 – 1917). Many brings the concerto to a Allegro maestoso; Andante similarities exist between brilliant close. The composer Saber Ouvir - Eurico Tomás sostenuto ed molto doloroso; them. Born in the same year also made a quintet version of de Lima (1908–1989); Finale – Allegro con fuoco. less than three months apart – the work in 1890 (recorded by Miguel Campinho piano. Chopin, rather than in a year in which Schumann, José Eduardo Martins and the Numérica Double Beethoven, “seems to be the Brahms and Liszt were alive Rubio Quartet on YouTube) CD 1249, 2013, model here”. “Rather than and Chopin’s demise still a and a two-piano version in www.numerica-multimedia.com a memorable melody, the fresh wound – both were sons 1892. primary means of expression of European immigrants: It is rare that a new recording is harmonic colour” in the Oswald with a Swiss–German Alfredo Napoleão’s Piano of an unknown composer second movement. The last, a 33

rondo, is influenced by African major (1950) presents “the and academic studies began influenza at a very early age. dances (“danças negras”) and assurance of a mature style in Portugal and then took His music shows influences of not too far removed from the which easily integrates the him to Vienna, Reading and Chopin, Fauré and Debussy American ragtime. seemingly irreconcilable Leeds. He is Head of Piano and his work is quoted as elements of classically- and Chamber Music studies “beautiful melancholy music Sonata no. 2 in E minor inspired form, romantic at the University of Minho which has an identity of its (1935) is a long, four- poetic lyricism, cosmopolitan and frequently appears as own”. This is certainly true movement work: Allegro modernism and dialogue with a soloist, often premiering of the magnificent Andante appassionato; Scherzo – Allegro national folklore.” contemporary music with Lamentoso first movement. deciso, Molto più lento, Tempo occasional ones by himself. Berceuse is in similar primo; Andante cantabile; Sonata no. 4 in F major vein with more dissonant Finale – Allegro impetuoso. It (1954) has three movements: The CD opens with My harmonies enhancing the is in this work that we hear Allegro giocoso; Andante; Beautiful Blue Country by darker colours. Dança, the signs of maturity in the Vivace. It is the “culmination Alfredo Keil (1850–1907) who although lively, still has the composer’s writing, placing of a musical voyage of was a prominent Romantic sad flavour that pervades the this sonata in line with the discovery and personal musician and painter. He Suite. The CD ends with Luis great romantic sonatas by affirmation...” It was recorded gained recognition through Pipa’s suite Portugal, which Portuguese composers such as by the composer in 1956 his operas but is immortally opens with a stormy, fiery Vianna da Motta for the Portuguese National remembered for composing and tempestuous Heroes of Radio. “Beethovenian form, the Portuguese National the Sea, followed by Noble Sonatina no. 1 in A major romantic poetics, ‘modern’ Anthem “A Portuguese” which People. The third movement (1938) has three movements: language and evocation of was officially adopted in 1911. combines Among the Mists Allegro moderato (sonata folklore” (the last movement is Two Sonatas by Carlos Seixas of Memory with “the voice of form); Andante (jazzy seventh a “Chula” of great virtuosity) (1704–1742) follow - both your egregious ancestors is chords); Allegro assai are found in this sonata. have several movements and felt” where a brief mention of (toccata). The nomination of are not dissimilar to those music from Seixa’s Sonata “sonatina” should not belie Ilha do Paraíso (Isle of Scarlatti. This is hardly is heard. The Finlae consists the work’s attractive musical of Paradise), Suite in six surprising considering that of fragments from previous and pianistic substance. tableaux, dates from 1966 Seixas asked the Maestro movements combined into and was written in Funchal, for lessons and apparently an agitated fantasia to Algarve (Suite for piano) Madeira, during the year Scarlatti thought he should comprise The Splendour 1941 was composed the year in which the composer take lessons from Seixas. of Portugal. Composed in following the composer’s stint was Artistic Director of the Many of his numerous 2009, this work is full of with the Cultural Missions Academy of Music and Fine compositions were destroyed noble melodies interspersed of the National Secretariat Arts of the Island of Madeira. in the great fire of Lisbon with excitement and drama for Propaganda in which he The composer declared: “I but, luckily, one hundred which will certainly make its performed concerts all over couldn’t be insensitive to the Keyboard Sonatas and three mark in future anthologies of Portugal. This work was beauty of this magical island – symphonies survive. João de Portuguese Music. recorded by the composer and I had to express myself in Sousa Carvalho (1745–1798) in 1960 for the Portuguese music – beautiful, evanescent studied in Naples and was Luis Pipa is a pianist of National Radio and appears and seductive music, which considered the foremost great depth, power and poise. on YouTube by Campinho awakens in the hearts of composer of his day. He The tonal quality is always in a couple of different men a world of dreams that taught the Portuguese Royal sonorous and never harsh - live performances. The only poetry can perfectly Family. Tonor in G minor in fact the selected works all movements are as colourful understand.” The movements is also still reminiscent of display contemplative and as their names: Aben-Afan; are: Nossa Senhoa do Monte; Scarlatti in genre and style melancholc qualities which Praia da Rocha: D. Paio Péres Funchal by the Moonlight; with the slow movement Pipa highlights to the full in Correia; Ponta da Piedade; Penha d’Aguia; Ribeiro Frio; showing early Romantic this remarkable and original Olhão – “Cubist Village”; Crossed ‘Bailhos’; Cabo Girão. traits. João Domingos CD. EPTA is fortunate in Gardens of Estói; Bailarico; Bomtempo (1775–1842) went having such a fine artist for its Sagres. The listener cannot Campinho’s playing is to Paris to pursue a career new EPTA Portugal President. help but be seduced by this always powerful with a as a virtuoso pianist. He also charming suite. purposeful direction. His came to London where he Benjamin Grosvenor - technique serves him well founded the Philharmonic Chopin/Liszt/Ravel. Sonata no. 3 in A minor through lucid phrasing, Society to promote DECCA 478 320 (1948; 2nd version 1963) uncannily clearly executed contemporary concerts. He contains three movements: passages, judicious pedalling, left numerous Concertos, Benjamin Grosvenor’s first Allegro risoluto; Andante; all combined with a sensibility Sonatas, Variations and contract Decca Recording Vivo. This sonata portrays the for this music that brings Fantasies, two symphonies of 2011, when 18, delights composer’s most vivid use of it to an exciting and vivid and a masterpiece of a the listener not only with primitivism as found in the life. Campinho is a pianist Requiem. The F-minor his magnificent and mature first movement, alongside to watch – and to listen to – Sonata opus 18/2 which playing but also with the the use of chromaticism reaffirming the title of this CD, Pipa has selected is certainly imagination in compiling the and imitation of Gregorian “Saber Ouvir”.Nancy Lee Harper more complex, lengthy and programme. To incorporate chant. The second movement technically demanding than two of the largest “war horses” contains “three clear-cut Portugal by Luis Pipa. the earlier works on the of the repertoire, namely thematic groups” and “metric Piano DN CD. Petite Suite by Antonio the four Scherzos of Chopin irregularity”, while the last Fragoso (1897–1918) is a and Gaspard de la nuit by movement is based on a folk Luis Pipa, the new President of gem to be treasured as the Ravel, is already daring and dance from northern Portugal, EPTA Portugal, compiled this composer died suddenly of incredible but then to make a “Vira” from Ponte de Lima/ CD of Portuguese keyboard Ponte da Barca. music in 2009. His pianistic Sonatina no. 2 in C 34

SS 2015 134x89:Layout 1 07/07/2014 11:14 Page 1 this journey via Liszt with offers us his sixth CD which Chetham’s International two transcriptions of Chopin is solely formed of dances... Summer School & makes the entire CD even Apparently, in 1909, Busoni Festival for Pianists more original and interesting. wrote to his student Egon The Chopin Scherzos are Petri suggesting a programme Artistic Director: Murray McLachlan interleaved with Nocturnes in consisting solely of dances Part One: 14–20 August 2015 F# major op 15/2, E minor for his forthcoming recital. Part Two: 20–26 August 2015 op post 72/1 and C# minor, Over one hundred years later, adding further colouration Benjamin Grosvenor has The Friendliest Piano Summer and calm amongst the stormy done just this and includes School in the World! vehemence of the Scherzos, several well-known dance- where each one is given a inspired works as well as Faculty includes: Dmitri Alexeev, John Byrne, unique forceful character and some more obscure repertoire. Marcella Crudeli, Alicja Fiderkiewicz, making the second unusual Partita no. 4 in D major is the Leslie Howard, Nikki Iles, Songwen Li, and unforgettable, raising it opening with every movement Ory Shihor, Einar Steen-Nøkleberg, Fali Pavri to an unparalleled height of dancing to its extreme limits, exciting rhythmic drive and enhancing already familiar With daily concerts, lectures, improvisation, jazz, composition, energy. EPTA UK has known music with extra lilting intensive one-to-one coaching, duets, organ and harpsichord. his fine execution of Chopin rhythms and twists in the Nocturnes for many years musical phrasing. His brilliant For further information call +44 (0)1625 266899 and these three only further lightweight touch in moments or email [email protected] enhance his exquisite sense of the Chopin Andante www.pianosummerschool.com of colouring and timing with spianato et grande polonaise most original use of rubato. brillante and Polonaise EPTA 134x89:Layout 1 05/09/2014 10:13 Page 1 Two of Chopin’s Polish songs in F# minor contrast well transcribed by Liszt display with the vitality and energy Based on McLachlan’s shimmering finger virtuosity displayed. The two selected long-standing and acclaimed and dexterity to the full. The works by Chopin also offer series of articles for International late sparce and economical interesting musical contrast Piano, this innovative approach is work, En rêve, follows as the as they were composed in for everyone interested in piano direct link from Chopin to different periods of his life and playing and teaching. Ravel as Liszt was a direct Benjamin Grosvenor reflects contemporary of Chopin at the this appropriately in his most Price £9.99 start of his long life and also colourful playing. Scriabin’s ISBN: 0-571-53275-6 had an enormous harmonic Three Mazurkas op. 3 and EAN13: 978-0-571-53275-9 influence on Ravel. Gaspard Waltz op. 38 are the start of www.epta-uk.org de la nuit shows Grosvenor’s the lesser-known part of the brilliance of technique while CD. Played with great finesse, painting a whole new palette élan and some exquisitely of colour into the sound controlled pianissimo world. Seemingly unafraid passages, the music is of all technical challenges, brought to life making us Grosvenor unfolds the work wonder why they are rarely with impish confidence and heard in recital. Granados’ bravura as well as veiled, 8 Valses Poéticos follow imaginative undertones and Benjamin Grosvenor is in his element here with This may be the first CD his daring rubato used to that Benjamin Grosvenor extreme limits and making the has been contracted with music dance with a hitherto Decca but in actual fact it unknown buoyancy. Often is his fourth (the first was played singly, all eight pieces recorded at the age of ten - are rarely played in concert “Ben at Ten”). Although he's as a whole and Benjamin still a teenager, it displays the Grosvenor certainly portrays artistry of a mature, highly the individual character of gifted and hugely original each waltz incorporating them pianist to be heard as often as into one whole piece of great possible in years to come. musical interest. Technical prowess and shimmeringly DANCES by Benjamin light finger dexterity come to Grosvenor. the fore in Adolf Schulz-Evler’s Decca 478 5334. Arabesques. Nadia Lasserson Benjamin Grosvenor is one of the UK’s most followed young pianists after winning the BBC Young Musician Piano section at the tender age of twelve. At the age of twenty two, he now

EPTA News EPTA - European Piano Teachers EPTA ASSOCIATE MEMBERS EPTA AUSTRIA Association Piano teachers and pianists residing Honorary President Prof. Walter The Parent Organisation outside Europe Groppenberger Charity Registered Number 1094973 £20.00 or US$47.00 Surface Mail President Prof. Anton Voigt 34 Carver Road, London SE24 9LT £24.00 or US$56.00 Air Mail Tel. +43 664 73 609 503 Tel 020 7274 6821 UK Subscriptions: £13.00 p.a. [email protected] Email [email protected] EUROPEAN Subscriptions: £14.00 p.a. Vice-president Dagmar Schinnerl Website: www.epta-europe.org CORPORATE INSTITUTIONS / Libraries Secretary General Heidemarie UK £14.00 p.a. Schneider-Klimpfinger Founder Carola Grindea European £19.00 p.a. Email: [email protected] Hon. European President Outside Europe £26.00 (US$56.00) p.a. Treasurer Gianfranco Sannicandro Dominique Merlet There is a reduction of $10 if paid 2013 Conference Coordinator Brigitte Hon. Vice Presidents online at epta-europe.org Zimmermann Paul Badura Skoda, Peter Feuchtwanger, Alberto Portugheis, Fanny Waterman DBE All National Associations receive the Miklos Spanyi (harpsichord, fortepiano) PIANO JOURNAL, thus it reaches a and Anton Voigt (fortepiano and EPTA EUROPEAN PRESIDENT wide readership throughout the world modern instrument) gave a masterclass (2014/2015) of music. on C. P. E. Bach to commemorate his David Kuyken 300th birthday, at Schloss Kremsegg, (President EPTA Netherlands) It can aptly be said that EPTA Upper Austria. The topic was the VICE PRESIDENTS represents THE VOICE OF PIANO Berlin-Vienna connection i.e. C. P. E. All Presidents of EPTA National TEACHERS EVERYWHERE. Bach’s influence on Viennese Classical Associations style. http://www.schloss_kremsegg. EPTA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE EPTA ALBANIA at/schloss/deutsch_schloss/index.htm Chairman Murray McLachlan President Takuina Adami, Secretary Nadia Lasserson Secretary Petrika Trako 24th–26th October 2014 EPTA Austria Treasurer Bruce Burford Jordan Misja High School of Arts, held its 29th Annual Conference on Members of Executive Committee Tirana “Interpretation” at the Anton Bruckner Alan Paul & Susan Bettaney Tel + 355 42 23 743 University, Linz. Speakers and artists Fax + 355 42 51 792 included Elisabeth Aigner-Monarth EPTA – the Parent Organisation – is Email: takuina [email protected] (Vienna), Bernhard Billeter (Zurich), constantly expanding not only in Sven Birch (Arhus/Linz), Florian Birsak Europe but also throughout the world EPTA Albania have been celebrating 21 (Munich/Salzburg), Wolfgang Brunner through its Affiliations with the most years of activities and we send them our (Salzburg), Wilhelm Eisner (Innsbruck), important Piano Teachers Associations: heartfelt congratulations. In 1997 the Arthur Greene (UMICH, Ann Arbor, MTNA Music Teachers National late Carola Grindea headed the Jury of USA - Ives: Concord Sonata - a Association the second “Young Pianist Festival” and milestone in interpretation!), Andri Joel Piano Teachers National Association established a prize in her name. Harison (Vienna - talented winner of of Japan (Founder Yasuko Fukuda) Austria’s youth competition “Prima la Japan Piano Teachers Association 22nd-24th May 2015 EPTA ALBANIA musica”), Michael Korstick (Linz), Brett (President Prof Masayasu Oshima) will hold the 20th “Young Pianist Leighton (Linz), Peter Röbke (Vienna), Canadian Federation of Music Festival” in Tirana. The Jury wil and Christian Wagner (Schwaz). Teachers Associations (Co-ordinator consist of Heribert Koch (Germany), Prof Ireneus Zuk) Theresa Trevisan and Flavio Zaccaria Representatives of ConBrio, Doblinger, Latin American Piano Teachers (Italy). and Universal Edition publishers Association (Argentine, Chile, (Wiener Urtext Edition) were also in Ecuador, Brazil) EPTA ARMENIA attendance with music and scores for President (Chile) Freda Conn Honorary presidents Prof. Sergey general perusal and purchase. Hong Kong Piano Teachers Sarajyan, Prof. Armine Grigoryan Association President Anna Hambaryan 6th–8th November 2015 EPTA New England Piano Teachers Email: [email protected]) AUSTRIA will hold its next Conference Association Tserents Armenia. Str. 7a Apt. 8, celebrating thirty years. More details Yerevan - 0032 will be decided later and can be seen at EPTA ASSOCIATES: Vice President Zaruhi Mkrtchyan www.epta-austria.at EPTA NEW YORK Administrator Astghik Bakhshiyan Associates: Prof Salvatore Moltisanti Email: [email protected] EPTA BELARUS EPTA INDIA Secretary Alina Hambaryan President Vadim Yakonyuk, Associates :Founder-Director Prabhu- Email: [email protected] c/o Academy of Music, 220030 00375 das Ivanson Minsk; Tel/Fax 0172-27-00-13 EPTA ISRAEL 8th–9th September 2014 EPTA Email: [email protected] Associates: Prof Eitan Globerson Armenia held its Second National PIANO JOURNAL – EPTA’s official Conference with more than 50 piano EPTA BELGIUM-Flanders/Brussels organ – published three times a year; teachers. The programme included a Honorary Presidents Louise Hesbain, INTERVIEWS with great pianists of our lecture by Zaruhi Mkrtchyan on “The Roland De Munck, President Levente time, important articles relevant to educational significance of music”, a Kende, [email protected] piano performance and teaching, book recital and two masterclasses with Mag. Secretaries Lieve van Puyvelde and and music reviews, etc. Jovanka Banjac from Austria. Marc Theuns, Mechelsesteenweg 109/6, EPTA NEWS of activities in all 39 EPTA Certificates were awarded to the best 2018 Antwerp. Tel/Fax +32 3 281 Associations. Available by Subscription: teachers in appreciation for their 0595) F+32 2 380 08 27 intensive professional activities. 36

Marleen Geerts-Meeusen wilmaro@ jury Mariann Abraham, Diane Andersen, 5700; Fax: +372 670 5800. pandora.be Naum Grubert, Heribert Koch and Ida The Journal of the Estonian Piano Gamulin (www.epta-croatia.hr). Teachers Association is published EPTA BELGIUM-Wallonie/Bruxelles Details and information from the biannually. www.ema.edu.ee/KK President Diane Andersen, website: www.epta-croatia.hr Lotsesteenweg 186, B-1653 Dworp. EPTA FINLAND Tel +32 2380 0827 Fax +32 2 380 08 27 EPTA CYPRUS hopes to be President Katarina Nummi-Kuisma Email: [email protected] re-established soon under new Kelohongantie 8B, 02120 Espoo Secretary Marie-Dominique GILLES leadership. Further confirmation to be Helsinki phone +358405615877 [email protected] announced. [email protected] Vice President Eeva Sarmanto-Neuvonen, 8th February 2014 Recital given by EPTA CZECH REPUBLIC Meripuistotie 3A 17, 00200 Helsinki, Wen Ming, young Chinese pianist and Founder and Honorary President Tel +358505266440 e-mail eeva. Laureate of the 12th “Rencontres Radoslav Kvapil Email: [email protected] [email protected] Internationales des Jeunes Pianistes” at President Milan Franek Secretary Peter Lönnqvist Grez Doiceau. [email protected] Orvokkitie 25, 00900 Helsinki, Finland Tel: 00420728896891 email: [email protected] 2015 EPTA Wallonie/Bruxelles will Vice-President Dr Jitka Fowler Frankova Tel: +358505658503 organise the Annual EPTA pedagogical Schnirchova 25, 70 00 Praha Committee Members Junio Kimanen day. Topics and exact dates to be [email protected] (webmaster), Katariina Liimatainen, announced later. Tel 00420 - 775 - 974 - 327 Niklas Pokki and Tuomas Mali (editor of www.epta-cz.com “Pianisti” which is distributed to all 2nd–7th February 2016 The 13th members). “Rencontres Internationales des Jeunes All information of activities is available Pianistes” will take place in the Espace on the website: www.epta-cz.com 8th–9th February 2014 EPTA Finland Culturel of Grez Doiceau. held its annual weekend in Helsinki at EPTA DENMARK the Metropolia University of Applied www.epta-belgium.be for all information President Elsebeth Brodersen Sciences. The programme included in French, English & Flemish Carit Etlarsvej 4, 2840 Holte. lectures (the evaluation and feedback Email: [email protected] Tel: +45 45-42-29-63 Fax: +45 38-33- for students in exams), demonstrations or phone: +32 2 380 08 27 or 52-58 Email: [email protected] www.epta.dk (Anto Pett: Improvisation), concerts and +3210452403 panel discussion (exam policies in 20th–26th July 2014 EPTA Denmark different schools). The evening recital EPTA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA held its 15th International Piano Week was given by Jukka Nykänen who There are plans to reorganise EPTA with concerts and Master Classes for performed his own transcription of Bosnia and Herzegovina. young pianists between the ages of Sravinsky’s Rite of Spring. 14–26. Professors were Mikhail EPTA BULGARIA Voskresensky, (Moscow Conservatory) 7th–8th February 2015 EPTA Finland President Milena Mollova, Paolo Giacometti (Düsseldorf will hold its next annual weekend in c/o Hypodruma Bl 1612 Sofia Musikhochschule) and Eugen Indjic the Music Academy of Tampere. Tel. +359-2/521197 (Schola Cantorum, Paris). Email: [email protected] Further details from the website: 19th–25th July 2015 are the dates for www2.siba.fi/pianopedagogit EPTA CROATIA the 16th International Piano Week to be Hon President Vladimir Krpan, held in Ollerup. EPTA FRANCE President Ida Gamulin President Herve N’Kaoua, 37 Rue Paul Email: [email protected] 4th–5th October 2014 EPTA Denmark Camelle, 33100 Bordeaux Vice President Ivanka Kordaec joined forces with ESTA to run a Tel/Fax 0033 5 5686 9132 Chamber Music Masterclass in Email [email protected] 7th July–21st August 2014 EPTA Copenhagen with the Danish Piano There are plans to reorganise EPTA International Masterclasses were held “Trio con Brio”. France during the course of 2014. at the Laus Academy in Dubrovnik (www.laus-dubrov nik.org) with pianists April 2015 EPTA Grade Exams will EPTA GEORGIA Dmitri Bashkirov, Jun Kanno, Michiko take place. Honorary President Alexandre Toradze, Shoi, Naum Grubert, Johan Schmidt, President Nino Kutsishvili, Professor at Vladimir Krpan and Ida Gamulin, EPTA Denmark has a new website, Tbilisi Music Academy, c/o Dolidze Str offering to a large number of students which includes a members list which 28, Apt 87, Tbilisi 380015 Georgia the opportunity to perform at the will find a local piano teacher by zip Tel: 00995 99 586815 exquisite concert venues in Dubrovnik. code, and where every member can Email: [email protected] announce his activities. Young EPTA 18th November 2014 EPTA Croatia will has its own page. There is an English EPTA GERMANY hold its AGM at the Zagreb Music section where international activities Presidium: Heribert Koch (Langerwehe), Academy ending with a Gala Concert of can be found. Please visit www.epta.dk Marilia Patricio (Köln), Manja Lippert. EPTA prize-winners in the Lisinski (Munster), Prof Linde Grossman Concert Hall. EPTA ESTONIA (Berlin), Andreas Eschen President Peep Lassmann, peep@ema. Secretary: Siegrid Neumann, 7th–11th April 2015 The 9th EPTA edu.ee, Secretary Lilian Semper, Koenigswarter Str. 4, D-36039 Fulda, International Competition for Young c/o Tallinn Conservatory, Revala pst Email: [email protected] Pianists will be held in Osijek with the 16, Tallinn EE 10143. Tel: +372 667 Treasurer: Dr. Rainer Lorenz, 37

Schanzenstr. 24, D-34130, Kassel piano teachers. Icelandic music was recorded by local radio stations. Tel: 0049 561 68082 teachers have been on strike since This year there were 143 contestants Fax: 0049 561 66778 22nd October and it does not seem to from 32 countries. [email protected] be ending any time soon.The www.epta–germany.de Association of Music School Teachers 2014/2015 EPTA Italy will organise a EPTA Germany continues to run (FT) is the only subgroup of the further ten concerts in the Auditorium bi-annual Conferences in different Icelandic Teachers´ Union (KI) that have of the CASC Italina Bank, Italy, and regions to enable the greatest number not had their contracts renewed. What also in the Nazareth Institute, Rome. of members to attend easily. they are being offered is a disgrace, almost 30% lower wages than other January 2015 EPTA Italy will be October 2015 EPTA Germany’s teachers in the Teachers´ Union (with organising a concert in the Naxos Conference was held in the comparable education). This is of Festival in Southern Italy. Steingraeber Piano Manufacturer, course unacceptable! We even had to Bayreuth and in May 2016 the second postpone our 2nd EPTA Conference Marcella Crudeli continues her popular Conference on the same theme will be because of the situation monthly Salon concerts in her home held in the Musikhochschule, Munster. www.epta-deutschland.de November 2015 EPTA Iceland will hold Further information at www.chopinroma.it its Sixth Piano Competition. EPTA GREECE EPTA LATVIA President Natalia Michailidou September 2016 EPTA Iceland looks President Juris Kalnciems, Email: [email protected] forward to hosting the 38th Secretary Irena Strause, Dzirnavu Iela Vice Presidents: Dora Bakopoulos & European Conference of EPTA 118-4, Riga LV-1050 Kalliopi Germanou, Secretary Sofia Associations in Reykjavík. Tel ++371 (7)-226875 Dousia, Treasurer Kostas Tourkakis, EPTA IRELAND Fax ++371 (7) 820271) Foreign Affairs Public Relations Stefanos Theodoridis, Patrons: Frank Heneghan, Philip Martin, Co-ordinator Tom Ostrovskis Member of executive committee Sara John O’Conor, Hugh Tinney. Email: [email protected] Galanopoulou. President Owen Lorigan, www.music.Lv/EPTA/Jurmala2004.htm Administrator Eithne Gallagher 1st November 2014 Hara Trouli gave a 16 Rowanbyrn, Blackrock, Co. Dublin News about activities of EPTA Latvia lecture on “The Pianist’s Hand”. Tel/Fax: ++353 1 289 3701 can be found on the following webpage: New email: [email protected] http://www.music.lv/epta/events.htm January 2015 Masterclasses with www.epta.ie David Lively EPTA LITHUANIA EPTA Ireland has launched a new President Kestutis Grybauskas February 2015 Student Pedagogical advisory panel to assist members with e-mail: [email protected] Sessions specific teaching queries and is delighted Secretary Mrs Vida Badaitiene to welcome Réamonn Keary and David Latvia 7-2, LT 02101 Vilnius March 2015 Masterclasses with Dora Mooney as specialist advisors. Tel + 370 52138771, + 370 614 15535 Bacopoulou EPTA Ireland is pleased to announce EPTA MACEDONIA EPTA HUNGARY that Owen Lorigan has taken up the President Todor Svetiev, Vice-President President Mariann Ábraham position of Chairperson. Juliana Zabeva [email protected] Hollosy S.u. 15, 1126 Budapest Secretary Dragoijub Apostolov c/o Tel/fax: ++ 361 3560562. 27th February–1st March 2014 The Academy of Music, Pitu Guli 1, 91000 Email: [email protected] third EPTA Ireland Piano Festival took Skopje Tel/Fax ++389 91 231614 www.parlando.hu place in the National Concert Hall, Please note new email address. Dublin. November 2014 EPTA Macedonia held its Annual Piano Festival for young EPTA ICELAND www.epta.ie pianists from primary music schools in President Anna Rún Atladóttir Email: [email protected] the Skopje State music school. Email: [email protected] www.facebook.com/EPTAIreland Secretary: Eva Þyri Hilmarsdóttir Further details from Todor Svetiev Email: [email protected] EPTA ITALY [email protected] or Treasurer Olof Jonsdottir President Marcella Crudeli, Secretary [email protected] Email: [email protected] Silvia Rinaldi, Aldo Ciccolini, Lear EPTA Iceland, [email protected] Maestosi, Carla Giudici EPTA MALTA EPTA Iceland website www.epta.is Via Pierfranco Bonetti 90, 00128 Rome EPTA Malta is about to restart with a Tel/Fax: ++39 06 507 3889 new team and we wish them every EPTA Iceland continues to be extremely NB new email [email protected] success. active with its new energetic committee www.chopinroma.it Honorary President Fransina Abela and started its own news journal which EPTA Italy www.eptaitaly.it Acting President Evelina V. Batey is sent out on a bi-monthly basis to [email protected] members. This announces forthcoming 2nd October 2014 EPTA Italy organised Tel: +356 9980 2226 events, competitions, conferences and a concert in Savona (Altare). Secretary Shirley Psaila other material of interest to members. Email: [email protected] 15th–22nd October 2014 The Roma Tel. +356 2142 1112 4th October 2014 EPTA Iceland held XXIVth International Piano Competition www.epta-malta.com its second Annual Conference. These took place in Rome, with the Final Facebook: Malta Piano Teachers are difficult times here in Iceland for Winners’ Concert on 25 October which Association EPTA Malta 38

September 2014 EPTA Malta will hold for one day only. It was held in new 21st–23rd November 2014 EPTA its first meeting with local teachers premises in the centre of Holland - a Norway and the Norwegian Music renovated army building now made Teachers’ Association arranged the 2018 EPTA Malta will host the suitable for rehearsals and all types of annual “Competition for Young European Conference, the year that conferences. Speakers included Wieke Musicians”. After regional preliminary Valetta celebrates its year as City of Karten (Music Study and the Brain), rounds, the final was held in the Culture. and Rembrandt Frerichs (Round the Norwegian Music Academy, Oslo. World in 88 Keys); Rudolf Jansen held EPTA MONTENEGRO a Masterclass for Voice and Piano for 6th–8th February 2015 EPTA Norway President Ratimir Martinovic EPTA members and Marcel Worms returns to its annual EPTA conference Music School Kotor, 85330, Kotor presented the Brazilian composer in Kristiansund, connected with the Montenegro. Tel/Fax: +382 82 334 623 Francisco Mignone. famous opera festival. Focus will be on Email: [email protected] Group Tuition (Beginners and early Honorary president Vladimir Bockariov Autumn 2014 There was a course for Intermediates) with Presentations, Dean, Music Academy, Cetinje and EPTA members on “Pop music in the Lecture-Recitals, Concerts and Head of piano department Piano Lesson”. A small group was Exhibitions. Further info from Vice-Presidents Liliana Radovic, Kotor, guided by pop and jazz pianist Tilmar [email protected] Dragica Gregovic, Podgorica. Junius. By popular demand, the course Secretary Marina Mikic will be repeated in 2015. EPTA POLAND President Pawel Skrzypek, Director of For details of EPTA Montenegro’s 22nd–25th October 2015 EPTA ZPSM im. F.Chopina ul. Bednarska 11, activities, please contact the Secretary. NETHERLANDS will host the 00-310 Warsaw European Conference of EPTA Email: [email protected] EPTA NETHERLANDS Associations. The topic is “KEY Tel: +48 601 801 331 President David Kuyken, CONNECTIONS” Vice President Flor Verhey EPTA Netherlands’ DOCUMENTATION EPTA-Poland has its active website, Secretary Hetty Floors & STUDY CENTRE (EDSC), which can be visited at two addresses: IJsseldijk 65 8194 LB Veessen AMSTERDAM www.epta-poland.org and www.epta- Tel 0031578618842 A large collection of books, music, LPs, poland Email [email protected] CDs, tapes and many other valuable Email [email protected] Treasurer Wim Bovy, Committee: materials is housed in the Public Christo Lelie, Marc Pauwela, Tilmar Library of Amsterdam (Openbare EPTA PORTUGAL Honorary members: Junius pop/jazz Bibliotheek Amsterdam, OBA) near the Fernando Laires, Artur Pizarro and www.eptanederland.nl Central Station of Amsterdam. EPTA Helena Sá e Costa (deceased). members and other music scholars can Luis Pipa [email protected] EPTA Netherlands has recently joined make use of the Centre, as it was Caminho do Agro, 47, 4900-012 Afife, forces with the YPF (Young Pianist intended, for research and reference. Portugal. Tel +351 258331860 Foundation) Piano Festival which takes The Centre collaborates with EPTA UK’s Moblie +351 934210439 place at the same time in the Information Centre at the Royal College Muziekgebouw aan het IJ. Delegates of of Music. EPTA ROMANIA the EPTA conference attended two of Honorary President Dragos Tanasescu, the YPF lectures by Neal Peres da Costa All EPTA Netherlands members receive President Constantin Ionescu Vovu, and by Paul Badura-Skoda. the Piano Journal as well as the Secretary Andrei Podlacha 35 Str Vasile Piano Bulletin. Lascar , 7-211 Bucharest Tel ++40 1 EPTA Netherlands has special Editor Chisto Lelie, Broerhuisstr 44, 2611 211 1263 Fax ++40 1 211 3095 Committees for its National conference, GD Delft Tel/Fax ++31 15 212 6695 Email: [email protected] International conferences, Research methods for beginners, PR, Workshops, EPTA NORWAY EPTA RUSSIA post-graduate studies, and Exams for President Einar Sten-Nøkleberg, Honorary President Viktor Merzjanov students (LGS). [email protected] President Irina Osipova Vice President Elin Persson Leninskiy Prospect (avenue) 64/2 Apt 5th October 2014 EPTA Netherlands [email protected] 150, Moscow 119296 Tel/Fax ++ 7 499 organised a special day to discuss the Treasurer Gisela Herb 1371526 National Graduation System and how to [email protected] Email: [email protected] mark its examinations. Discussions were Tellev Juva [email protected] Home: [email protected] led by Professors Walter van Hauwe and Tori Stødle [email protected] www.iospiano.ru Marc Pauwels, both specialists on the subject. At the AGM held on the same 26th–29th June 2014 EPTA Norway EPTA Russia structure: day, Lisette van de Loo stood down from hosted the 36th EUROPEAN St. Peterburg - Chairman Dmitrily the Committee and Coosje de Wit retired CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS Chasovitin from the EPTA Netherlands Board after at the Oslo Music Academy. EPTA Kurgan (Siberia) - Chairman Lyudmila 28 years of dedicated work since the very Norway would like to thank all Martinova start of EPTA. EPTA would like to thank colleagues and friends who took part Tambov - Chairman Irina Tsareva Coosje personally for all her devoted and made it a fantastic event! And Ryazan - Chairman Svetlana Platonova years to help maintain the popularity EPTA is extremely grateful to Einar Tver - Chairman Galina Solodova and success of EPTA Netherlands. Sten-Nøkleberg and Elin Persson for all Sochi - Chairman Tatyana Agafonova the hard work they put into making the Petrozavodsk - Chairman Victor Portnoy 15th November 2014 EPTA conference the enormous success that Ufa - Chairman Rustam Shayhutdinov Netherlands ran its Annual Conference it was. Samara - Chairman Sergey Zagadkin 39

Chelyabinsk (Ural) - Chairman Andrey EPTA SLOVAKIA Facebook: Epta Slovenia Nechaev President Eva Fischerova Kazan, Tatarstan is being planned. Zilinska 18, 81105 Bratislava EPTA SPAIN tel: +421 2 52493751 President Ana Guijarro EPTA Russia has published the 58th [email protected] Issue of the Russian Piano Journal EPTA SLOVENIA Vice President Luis Ponce de León (Edited by Irina Osipova). Honorary president Dubravka Tomsic Email: [email protected] Srebotnjak tel +34 666367865, EPTA SERBIA President Ana Avbersek Secretary Alberto Urroz Honorary Presidents Arbo Valdma & Email: [email protected] [email protected], C/Luis Vives, Dusan Trbojevic, President Dejan Ljubljanska 16, 3320 Velenje Vice 8. 4º A. E-28002 Madrid Tel +34 915 Sinadinovic [email protected] Presidents Vladimir Milnaric 630 807 Mobile: +34 639 894 349 www.sinadin.com Email: [email protected] Treasurer Paloma Molina. Young EPTA Vice President Milos Pavlovic c/o Akademija za Glasbo, Stari Trg 34, Spain Francisco Fierro, Committee Email: [email protected] 1000 Ljubljana member Javier Herguera EPTA Serbia Faculty of Music and Arts, Tel/Fax ++386 1 425 4857 l Email: [email protected] Kralja Milana 50, Belgrade 11000 Secretary Primoz Mavric www.epta-spain.com Tel ++381 11 362 1170 Email: [email protected] Fax ++381 112 64 3598 29th March 2014 EPTA Spain EPTA Slovenia welcomes new members organised its first event for members EPTA Serbia puts considerable to its Committee and wishes them every and included a lecture on “different emphasis on establishing a bridge success: Nuša Gregoric nusagregoric@ methods of Pedagogy for Primary Level” between the lower, middle and hotmail.com, Dejan Jakšicˇ dejan.golf@ given by Aida Gavrilova .Ana Guijarro University level of music education in siol.net, Suzana Zorko zorko.suzana@ gave masterclasses, Alberto Urroz gave Serbia. They organise a number of gmail.com, Urška Roškar u_roskar@ a recital of music by the Romantic master classes and round table yahoo.com and Mirjam Strlic still Spanish composer Martin Sánchez Allú, discussions with distinguished continues with her excellent English and Ignacio Zaragoza talked on professors from the Faculty of Music in translation work for the Journal. cardiovascular experiments during Belgrade and Serbian schools. This performance. enables members of EPTA Serbia to PIANISSIMO The concerts for the obtain specific requirements for season 2014/15 will be given by Brina Plans for the winter include Javier entrance examinations as well as Kozlevcˇar and Urban Stanicˇ and the Herguera to give a lecture-recital on the gaining details of the courses in higher Scaramouche Duo in various Slovenian 24 Chopin etudes and a two-day music education. This has received cities. Co-ordinator Dejan Jakšiˇc Conference with Luis Ponce - “Career such a terrific response that EPTA Opportunities for Musicians in the Serbia will expand the scheme to 24th–26th October 2014 EPTA Slovenia XXIst Century”, Francisco Fierro on include as many more Serbian schools held the 2nd International Aci improvisation, Fernando Sanz - talk next year. Bertoncelj Piano Competition in about recently published books on collaboration with Consortium Musicae stage fright, Javier Perianes - life as a 26th–28th December 2014 EPTA Velanensis Association and the Fran busy pianist, Dr. Escudero - physical Serbia will organise the 13th EPTA Korun Kozˇeljski Music school in exercises for pianists, Ana Benedicto - Serbia Piano Competition, which will, Velenje. marketing for pianists, and Yamaha hopefully become international as from Spain will present a workshop for next year. 15th–17th November 2014 EPTA young pianists. Slovenia organised its annual For more information about activities of conference in Laško-Radecˇe. The title of EPTA Spain plans to award a prize for EPTA Serbia, visit www.epta.rs the conference was “Piano...duo, trio, the best piano research by a piano orchestra...”, with some very interesting graduate student. EPTA SERBIA-VOJVODINA presentations: “Accompaniment - a President Dorian Leljak punishment or creativity” by Zoltan EPTA Spain is looking to attract new Email: [email protected] Peter, and several sessions focussing on members from other regions of Spain www.wpta.info duo playing, its history and wealth of such as the Vasque Country, Catalonia, Academy of Arts Djure Jaksica 7 21000 literature. Marina Horak and Lovorka Andalucia, Galicia and Castilla. Novi Sad Serbia Tel: +381 63 8382988 Nemes Dular performed and lecturers www.yalesmn.org were Bojan Glavina and Milan EPTA SWEDEN eptavoyvodina.htm Miladinovic .EPTA Slovenia is delighted President Stefan Bojsten to involve many schools and their Email: [email protected] January 2015 EPTA Serbia-Voyvodina projects at their Annual Conference Secretary Johan Fröst will run the Musica Ricertata which enables teachers to share their Email: [email protected] International Winter School in the Isidor work with EPTA members .Carina Joly Bajic Music School, Novi Sad, Serbia. from Brazil presented a workshop on 26th–28th September 2014. EPTA posture and stability for good tone Sweden held its Annual Conference in 11th–21st March 2016 EPTA production. Recitals were given by Gothenburg featuring lectures by Serbia-Voyvodina will hold the 8th Vladimir Mlinaric and the Excentury Thomas Rydfeldt Young Pianists, Eva International Isidor Bajic Piano Duo. Wedin To develop your language with Memorial Competition. music, Tim Richards, Valentina Lorenz www.pianomemorial.rs More details on web page: Cammans, Elisabeth Lang ABRSM Email: [email protected] www.velanensis.si/?lang=en presentation and workshop, Mats www.epta.si/eng Widlund Masterclass, Magdalena Prahl- 40

Broström Music Mind Games, Björn Patron Ronald Stevenson are now being planned in over fourteen Månsson, Pia Yngwe, Anna Simon, Chairman Murray McLachlan EPTA regions. Further information from Maja Radic, Mirjam Mastromonaco, Administrator Huw Morgan [email protected] Helene Sällfors and Ha-Young Sul 4 Pen-y-Garn Terrace, Maesteg, Mid Bladner Private piano schools, Berit Glamorgan CF34 9AU EPTA's Archives are now rehoused in Thover Pianists and Pedagogues of the Tel: 08456 581054 the Library of the Royal College of 1900 in Gothenburg, Martin Edin Piano Email: [email protected] Music, London. These contain a improvisation. www.epta-uk.org valuable reference collection of books, music, teaching methods, audio and 20th October 2014 Murray McLachlan, EPTA UK is delighted to welcome Huw video tapes which members of all EPTA Chairman of EPTA UK and the EPTA Morgan as its new Administrator and Associations are welcome to consult. Executive, gave a fantastic recital in wishes him many happy years with Stockholm. After the recital, members of EPTA UK. Kathryn Page has stepped Members are invited to peruse the EPTA Sweden were invited to talk with down as the Administrator after six valuable archives of the EPTA Murray McLachlan and to discuss the extremely successful years. EPTA is Netherlands ‘Documentation and future of EPTA. The event was highly most grateful to her for all her tireless Study Centre’ (EDSC, Curators Frans appreciated by EPTA Sweden’s members. hard work and wishes her every Schreuder and Albert Brussee). success in her new role as Marketing 29th November 2014 EPTA Sweden and Promotions Administrator. EPTA UK Administrator, organised its Student Concert. 4 Pen-y-Garn Terrace, Maesteg, 25th–27th September 2015 EPTA EPTA UK did not have a residential Mid Glamorgan CF34 9AU Sweden’s next conference will be held Conference last year but ran three Tel 08456 581054 in Västerås. extremely successful one-day Email: [email protected] Conferences. 2015 EPTA Sweden is proud to EPTA INDIA ASSOCIATES celebrate five years of print with its 5th April 2014 EPTA UK one-day Founder/Director Prabhudas Ivanson issue of the magazine “Svenska Conference in Oxford with concluding [email protected] Pianobulletinen” (Swedish national concert given by Piers Lane EPTA Journal). 29th–30th August 2014 EPTA UK one- The regular Chennai Western Music www.sppf.net day Conference in Belfast with an Association Concerts were established extremely high level at the concluding six months ago by Prabhudas Ivanson EPTA SWITZERLAND Pupils’ Concert President Prof. Jean-Jaques Dünki 4th October 2014 EPTA UK one-day July 2014 The Chennai Western Music Bruderholzallee 12 4058 Basel Conference in Bolton with massed Association held a two-day Festival of Email [email protected] piano performances organised by Beate Western classical Music featuring Secretary Niklaus Meyer Wilmshurst. Chelsea and Chloe de Souza (both Malvenweg 11, CH-9000 St. Gallen students at Oberlin Conservatory, Ohio, Tel. 071 866 29 32, Fax 071 866 30 83 The Practical Piano Teaching course, USA). The popular programme featured Email: epta.ch@ bluewin.ch run by Lucinda Mackworth-Young, is in piano duets in which Prabhudas its fifth successful year. Ivanson also performed. EPTA Switzerland continues to organise two events each year. 3rd October 2014 EPTA UK's 18th August 2014 A Clarinet and Piano Piano Competition Winners performed Recital was given by Oliver Darnhofer 22nd–23rd November 2014. “Chamber in St Martin in the Fields, London. from Austria and Andrea Fernandes Music” from Goa, now residing in Europe. May 2015 “Chamber Music” The Joint Winners of the 2014 trophy November 2015 were Tom Hicks, a student of Murray EPTA ISRAEL ASSOCIATES McLachlan,.and Dominic Doutney, a Committee: Chairman Prof. Eitan EPTA TURKEY EPTA Turkey is in the student of Ian Jones. Globerson, Mr. Yuval Admony, Ms. process of finally being born and we Miriam Boskovich, Prof. Emanuel await further information with great 11th October 2014 EPTA UK held a Krassovski, Prof. Tomer Lev , Prof. anticipation. packed-out one-day event at Yamaha Vadim Monastyrski, Mr. Yaron Music, London, on the ABRSM new Rosenthal, Dr. Ron Regev, Dr. Michal Tal Hande Dalkilic performed in Oslo and syllabus. This will be repeated in 2015, Academy of Music and Dance, is planning to set Turkey on the EPTA by popular demand. Jerusalem - The Buchman - Mehta map. School of Music, Tel-Aviv University 18th October 2014 EPTA UK organised Secretary Ms. Dana Kasma EPTA UKRAINE another popular Steinway Day for adult email [email protected] Olga Kuznetsova pupil and teachers. http://sites.google.com/site/eptaisrael/ App. 8, 4 per. Faninsky, 61166, home KharkÏv, Ukraine 8th November 2014 EPTA UK Tel.: +38-057-714543, organised a one-day event to include EPTA Israel Associates is now in its +38-057-7025550 Winners of the EPTA UK Composers third year and is growing in members Mobile phone: +38-050-3230138 Competition led by Camden Reeves. and stature with more activities Fax: +38-057-7010916 Sally Cathcart also talked about the throughout the country. Email: [email protected] new Associated Board Examination Syllabus. EPTA Israel is happy to announce a EPTA UK January 2015 Preliminary Rounds for new working “Teachers’ Forum” Founder Carola Grindea the19th EPTA UK Piano Competition initiated by the Piano Duo Tami 41

Kanazawa and Yuval Admoni which Branches as well as the “Teachers' Sciences, and Concert Hall of Bnai Brith among others. meets regularly at their home in “Neve Forum” are preparing their monthly The exchange programme with Alapp Chile continues. Shalom – “Peace Oasis” – a village of programmes for the new season. ALAPP CHILE co-existence between Jews and Arabs. Founder Malcolm Troup, President Miguel Angel Jimenez, Secretary Ruth ALAPP ARGENTINA (Association of Sanchez Pasten, Co-Secretary Pedro Berestain, Treasurer Flor Magri 23rd October 2014 EPTA Israel Latin American Pianists and www.alapp.cl Tel 633 4080/235 0736/232 2175 Associates held an extremely successful Pedagogues) ALAPP Chile organises courses towards one-day Conference at the Jerusalem This organisation is based in Buenos the career development of Private Piano Teachers as well as concerts by Academy of Music in lieu of the July event Aires under a Committee formed by themselves and their students, and an Annual Piano Competition in the which was cancelled for security reasons. Valentín Surif (President), Estela Universidad Central which last year celebrated its 10th Anniversary. The programme included Nadia Lasserson Telerman (Secretary), Lilia Noguera Recently it has begun organising workshops on contemporary Chilean (UK) - Piano Needn’t Be Lonely; Dr. Boris (Treasurer), Alfredo Corral (member), piano music so as to promote and widen the teaching and performing Kleiner, organist, harpsichordist (JAMD) - Ana María Mondolo (member), Martha repertoire. ALAPP Chile has frequently collaborated with ALAPP Argentina. “Learning while Listening to Recordings of Bongiorno (Deputy member), Guillermo This year our Founder, Professor Malcolm Troup returned in March to the 18th Century; Dr. Ron Regev, pianist, Carro (Deputy member) and Gloria perform the Chilean premiere of Ernest Bloch’s Concerto Grosso no. 1 with the head of piano dept (JAMD) - “Analysis and Diograzia Val (Auditor). Orquestra de Camera de Chile in his capacity as Chairman of the Interpretation”; Dr. Ron Weidberg, Further information from Valentín Surif International Bloch Society. composer, pianist, writer (Open University) Arcos 2030 15 “C” Buenos Aires (1428) - presenting a rich and varied list of his Tel: (54-11) 4784-0583 piano compositions for young students Email: [email protected] and pianists; three method books - “The www.musicaclasicaargentina.com/surif Keyboard Class”; Dr. Avi Bar Eitan (JAMD, Hebrew Univ.) - “Computer 2015 ALAPP Argentina is organising Programmes as useful Tools for Musicians masterclasses by Carmen Piazzini and the Piano Lesson”; and a concluding (Germany-Argentina), Estela Telerman concert given by outstanding students and Valentin Surif on Romanticism and EPTA summer 14 pafgreos_mEPTAthSuemmCer2o0n13scoepryv0a5/0t8o/2r01y4 o11f:27thPaegeJ22erusalem Argentinian Composers. Academy of Music and Dance. There was also an exhibition of piano-related books There will also be a Piano Competition for and music by Ron Weidberg, Yuvalas they arrived and Myra Hess invited them to yoHeussnwegnt pianists, who willto Kenneth Clarke the following day offer concerts at and after tea, when it was time to walk back, tea on the 3rd. They walked from West Admoni, Talia Umanski, Nadia LassersonCromwell Road to Hampstead Garden Suburb Carola asked Myra if she might consider very the Museum Isaac Fernandez Blanco,and Musical London has never looked back. kindly playing them just one short piece on the The concerts were organised right in the heart and Lotte Amit.and reached her home when Chamberlain piano. So Myra unlocked a piano and played a Auditorium of the National Library,of the building under the high dome with the Brahms Intermezzo. Everyone was so moved greatest number of walls to the street in order Broadcast at 3pm that England was at war. At this point, Myra Hess locked her two 2015 EPTA Israel Associates RegionalSteinway pianos and vowed that she would not and in tears. At this point, Carola just said: Auditorium of the Centre of Economicto enable the greatest possible protection from “This is what Myra Hess should be doing for bombs. And Carola can be seen on the far left open them again until the war was over. Carola the Nation during the war years, anyone can of the second row at every concert on various and Miron helped her to blackout her windows drive an ambulance.” The rest is history. Myra newsreels. Nadia Lasserson 22 J PO I U AR NN O A L 42 A4 P

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