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Sergei Wassiljevitsch Rachmaninoff – 1873-1943

Roberta Pili — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:53:33 +0000

He was one of the most inspiring pianists of the twentieth century. His remarkable personality as a unique artist was perfectly reflected in all his compositions. Sergei Rachmaninoff charcterized the last Romantic piano tradition with his charming, lyric and expressive playing and creative interpretations.
A virtuoso technique, rhythmic precision, colorful tone, polyphonic clarity of inner voices, incomparable sense of lyricism, accurate interpretation of different musical styles, force of expression through every detail of a composition: Rachmaninoff was in absolute possession of all these peculiar “instruments” for his performing.
The great charisma of this pianist came through especially when he played his own works. Due to his personal composing style, which was first influenced by Tschaikovsky, he further developed a contrapuntal writing and a distinguished variety in the chromatic harmonic structure, both deriving from Bach and Chopin.
He certainly dedicated a profound study, work and way of musical thinking from those great composers, becoming idiosyncratic when he created his own music.

It is known that Rachmaninoff suffered from a severe depression, caused by a breakdown after the premiere of his First Symphony. An unproductive period of about three years stressed him that much, but finally he recovered through a hypnotic therapy by the psychologist Nikolai Dahl. He was able to compose again and he wrote his gorgeous Second Piano Concerto, which was dedicated to his therapist. He recovered from that deep psychological crisis, finally being successful with the premiere of the Concerto.

Nevertheless a sort of darkness characterized the soul of his following works. Even his playing changed and became the idealized source of sadness of his inner being.
Probably because of his emotional power Rachmaninoff´s music has been often criticized by puristic tendencies, reduced just into sentimental patterns.
Of course we would face his works on the wrong side when accepting this theory, rather a deep understanding of his personality and his highly-structured music would bring us to a more faithful interpretation of the great composer.
In conclusion, Rachmaninoff remains an Immortal in the universe of great pianists.

When the piano “is playing” the pianist

Roberta Pili — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:40:25 +0000

Be aware of getting a good piano for your practicing or performances. Otherwise you will be not playing the piano but the piano will be playing you! One of the essential requirements pianists should take care for is their instrument, both for practicing and performing. The well-regulated action of the piano is as important as a perfectly tuned car for a driver of Formula 1. Pianists happen to be often facing some problems with the instrument, particularly regarding the action, which can reveal unevennesses in the technical adjustment of the keyboard in relation to the other workpieces.
It is essential to recognize that the piano action is like the anatomy of the instrument, as arm, wrist, hand and fingers are the anatomy of a pianist. Both mechanisms are based on the leverage principle. Knowing how the action works on this system means understanding our own anatomy by playing.
A well-regulated action has to be sensitive and responsive in order to fit the variety of touch and technical abilities of the player. A professional piano technician usually works in direct relationship and communication with the pianist, in doing so he can operate on the action as far as the pianist is demanding this kind of technical support to meet his own needs. The further positive aspect of this work leads in a balanced tone production. The pianist can then build up his work on a perfect instrument, which is the starting point for a performance on a high artistic level.

Sometimes, having a high-developed piano technique can depend on a perfect piano action. And a perfect piano action depends on a very good technician. If we can find a good technician, we can develod our technique…

Being a competitive pianist

Roberta Pili — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:34:25 +0000

Competitions, competitions, competitions.
Almost every piano student has tried to participate at least in one piano competition during his music education.
A motivating piano teacher is mostly the first impulse to prepare a specific program of different piano works to perform in front of a jury. The more “pressure” the student is receiving from his teacher, the more he will get his adrenalin pumping for the competition. In other words preparing the program for a high-level performance will create the strong feeling of being compared with other competitors’ playing.
Setting those goals as “I want to be the best pianist” truly chracterizes the striving for a perfect performance to show the achieved abilities on the piano. It happens very often in piano competitions that not the best prepared pianist is the winner, but the one who wants to be the winner. The pianist who is able to reflect his strong winning desire through his most expressive playing and interpretation of the selected works will be probably be awarded first prize by the jury.

Do piano competitors want to simply impress the jury, or are they seeking for attention in order to get upcoming engagements through artist’s management, or do they even want to verify their level of stage-fright while performing before an audience?
Each of them will certainly have different personal purposes to decide to go to a competition.

This kind of competitive thinking can be also turned as profitable for the further development as a musician. In fact we can create our own competition in mind to spread the wings of a unique maturing process.
A concert career inevitably involves the performing pianist into a competition with other concert pianists. So we never stop to be compared with our colleagues. But who is the jury in this case? The audience, of course, and maybe the critics as well.

Finally, the true path of this challenge for pianists seems to be only one: being competitive with themselves, working every day to play better and better, searching and researching for new inspiration, improving the communication with the composer, producing an individual standard of excellence.
Pianists! Never be happy of your achievements today, but set them as the essential step to build up your mastery for tomorrow.

2008 A. Rubinstein Competition – Final Round –
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Uri Segal at Mann Auditorium in Tel Aviv, Israel –
Roman Rabinovich, pianist

When the pupil is ready for his master

Roberta Pili — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:47:52 +0000

It has been said that the best teacher always recognizes when his pupil is ready to learn something new.
In other words a really good teacher can be as good as his pupil is able to understand and to apply new knowledge upon particular topics related to the learning process.
As usual students are tending to model his master, whithout thinking about the quintessential purpose of those teaching methods.
But how long does it take to step further from the level of simple modeling to the consciousness of active learning and finally reaching at least the same level of the master? When are students ready to develop theirselves and become masters of their own, last but not least to even try to pursue the path which the master has shown?

Individuality, a strong personality, the power of determination are actually the main requisites to reach mastership.
Doubtless we are speaking here about a work-in-progress, during the entire life.
Being a pianist for a choice of profession is a lifelong task, to which we are personally committed to achieve the peak of mastership in being a musician.
Who is the best master that we can find in order to reach this level?
Practicing is the best master to us, and we are never-ending students…

Shura Cherkassky – 1909-1995

Roberta Pili — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:39:15 +0000

A terrific singing piano tone, a sublime technique, always serving the purpose of the musical message, and a perfect seducing interpretation.
Alexander Isaakovic Cherkassky, known as Shura Cherkassky, was one of the leading personalities among the generation of great pianists of the 20th century. He started his early piano education with his mother Lydia. Later on he became pupil of Jozéf Hofmann.
His concert career lasted through his long life, in fact he was actively performing until his death 1995.

What made his approach to the piano that singular?
He was able to focus on the keys with astonishing concentrating power, his interpretations were full of inventive musical atmosphere, he always created inspiring piano recitals for the audience.
Shura never played the same piece the same way. Spontaneity and freshness characterized his playing, the purpose of creating the music in every single moment drove this excellent artist to the highest level of musicianship.

One of the best recordings of Shura Cherkassky to be absolutely mentioned is Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1 B-Flat minor. The best Maestoso of this concerto ( first movement ) ever played.
No other other pianist could reach this peak in this particular piece like Shura Cherkassky. Hard to believe, but true.

A tribute to his teacher Hofmann: Kaleidoscope

“Pardon me for sitting down while I play…”

Roberta Pili — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:24:54 +0000

This week our cover story is dedicated to a wonderful pianist, who actually was more a fantastic entertainer: Danish pianist, conductor and comedian Victor Borge.
His funny point about famous piano pieces and telling several music jokes have been characterizing his performances.
It is interesting to notice that Victor Borge enjoyed the best music education when he was a child, his teachers were Liszt´s student Frederic Lamond and Busoni´s pupil Egon Petri.
But he discovered quite early that he didn´t really like the serious concert business, so he rather took the more funny path of a music career.
As he said, “Laughter is the shortest distance between two people”.
If you look at his videos, you will certainly not be able to contain your laughter…Victor Borge was right!
In music it´s often about fun…

2010 – Schumann meets Chopin

Roberta Pili — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 21:50:53 +0000

Next year 2010 two great romantic composers share the celebration of their year of birth, obviously 200 years later.
Robert Alexander Schumann ( June 8th, 1810 ) and Frédéric François Chopin ( March 1st, 1810 ) marked the Romanticism in its musical and mostly piano tradition for a couple of decades in the middle of the 19th century.
Both defined a very personal style of musical expression.

Schumann’s art of composing was focused on the strong character of German cultural influence “Sturm und Drang”, perpetuating Beethoven’s message of a universal impact of music. Due to his early education, Schumann further developed a more personal style between literary ideas and musical representation. This can be heard in his pieces Papillons Op.2 and mostly in the Carnaval Op.9.
Pianists have generally a problem by interpreting Schumann, especially when they have to follow the indications of Tempi in his piano works. Schumann also characterized his state of mind by regularly changing the speed related to the different thematic expositions. In fact this was the way how the composer perfectly reflected his tormented soul. The pianist should be able to immerge in Schumann’s divided psyche, otherwise the execution of his works will remain nothing but a distorted interpretation which is dispraising the author’s intention.

Chopin was the eternal romantic poet of the black and white keys.
His entire inner being was dedicated to his instrument, the piano. His style is particularly known for the rubato (Italian stolen time ), a special feeling by playing musical phrases in the balance between speeding up and slowing down the tempo.
Chopin’s nature was introverted. Like Schumann he also perfectly reflected this character into his music, creating a very personal and unique art of musical painting.
Chopin was definitely inspired by Bach and Mozart. Bach delivered him the understanding of polyphony and motivic thorough-composition, instead Mozart offered him the simplicity and clarity of a melodic line. Nevertheless Chopin was able to be idiosyncratic enough to personalize his compositions.

Many pianists will get their hands full next year with these two masters.
A question still remains: who will be finally able to pay the most respectful interpretative tribute to Schumann and Chopin?
We will listen full of expectation…

Adiós Alicia

Roberta Pili — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 18:01:33 +0000

One of the last great personalities of the piano history left us: Spanish pianist Alicia de Larrocha.
I remember very well that I had the pleasure to attend one of her recitals in Vienna about 20 years ago. A little woman came on stage, but a big sound came out of the piano.
She had an incredible charisma and a powerful way of communicating with the audience. Her gesture at the instrument was not that kind of visual flashy demonstration of flying hands over the keyboard, rather a perfect choreography of well-thought movements.
Her playing reminds us of the great old piano tradition, as pianists like Josef Hofmann, Benno Moiseiwitsch, Shura Cherkassky, Vladimir Horowitz, Rosalyn Tureck belong to it.
This tradition was characterized by a charming piano sound, full of color and vibrating nuances, letting sing the instrument as the human voice, expressing all emotions of the music and perfectly translating the composer’s message.
The Grande Dame of the piano, Alicia de Larrocha died on September 25, 2009.
It seems to be a strange but curious coincidence, that she passed away on the same day Glenn Gould would be celebrating his birthday if he still lived…maybe she has been invited to celebrate with him and his / her old piano friends on another world…

The old piano tradition has now definately reached an end. Unfortunately.
Who knows, a new Renaissance will come?

Happy Birthday Glenn!

Roberta Pili — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:14:01 +0000

He was born on September 25, 1932.
If he still lived, he would celebrate today his 77th birthday.
Glenn Gould, a unique musical personality of the 20th century, one of the greatest pianists and a controversial figure, yet a remarkable thinker and philosopher regarding musical points of view and composing.
Doubtless this genius is still among us, we can feel his presence, especially when we listen to his unforgettable recordings…
Happy birthday Glenn!

One of Gould´s funniest moments of his creative streak – Scottish Rhapsody

Sviatoslav Richter – 1915-1997

Roberta Pili — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:30:35 +0000

He was self-critical, self-demanding, objective in front of the music score and devoted to the audience.
Sviatoslav Richter represents one of the utmost exceptional figures in the pianists´history. His teacher, Heinrich Neuhaus, considered him as a “genius pupil”.
Doubtless he belongs to the generation of the greatest pianists in the past century.
His particular dedication to practice, building up his repertoire studying intensively several works of the piano literature, characterized his serious approach to the music.

Sometimes his performances have been criticized as “cold”, without the proper expression of feelings in the music.
But his intention was targeted at an execution of the composer´s work to the letter, he saw himself as an interpreter, being just between the composer´s message and the receiver – the audience.
He didn´t want to “recreate” the work, rather be captured and dissolved in the music.

Richter was enigmatic, a personality outside every normal path of musician. Probably, that´s why he gained his fame.

We don´t need to approve all his ideas and interpretations. Yet there are some performances of Sviatoslav Richter which are simply overwhelming and distinguish his charisma from other pianists.
Even Glenn Gould praised him as “one of the most powerful communicators the world of music has produced in our time”.