One of my Oberlin Conservatory piano teachers regarded Vladimir Horowitz as a fire and ice player. He referred to the maestro as having the uncanny ability to turn out a hot performance with a cool demeanor. (The physical control, of course, was AMAZING!)
Example:
Same applies to Yuja Wang, pianist, who delivers a sizzling performance of Bumbleebee.
Evgeny Kissin is equally well known for having steel nerves under fire plus jaw–dropping technique: (“La Campanella”)
And why not add a pulsating harpsichord performance rendered by Elaine Comparone: Domenico Scarlatti Sonata in D minor, K. 517
(Comparone’s learning style: “Lots of practice—–with metronome—-until it’s a cinch without it”)
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While most of us will never rise to such levels of virtuosity, we can still try to incorporate a few hands-on techniques to assist in navigating notably challenging pieces. (Breathing through phrases is an important dimension our practicing right from the start–along with slow rendering with a singing pulse)
But using the fire/ice paradigm, as a point of departure, I explored five of Burgmuller’s colorful character pieces (Op. 100) that are played at brisk tempo and have swift, often abrupt mood changes: These include: “Ballade,” “The Chase,” “Inquietude,” and “Tarentelle.” (I also added “The Clear Stream” for its unwavering flow of triplets at peak speed)
The video below fleshes out an assortment of learning approaches
Play-throughs:
“Inquietude”
“Ballade”
“La Chasse” (The Chase)
“Tarentelle”
