I've come full circle back to a "signature" piece that has grown over decades as I've worked with students discovering its many challenges. The so-called "facile" Sonata in C, K. 545, by W.A. Mozart that's quickly retrievable from my memory-labeled archive, is not "easily" dismissed as a thinly composed romp through C Major. With its… Continue reading Weaving threads of melody through W.A. Mozart, K. 545-Allegro
It's easy to be dismissive of the Classical era Minuet form, though in the hands of a wunderkind like Mozart, a set of these 3/4 meter Binary dances springs to life with a myriad of embedded learning and performance challenges. For example, the Minuet in F Major, K. 2 composed by Mozart at age 6,… Continue reading W.A. Mozart Minuets: Valuable Journeys of Discovery
I thought it would never happen! An instant banishment from cyber-space! Mozart's beloved Andante from Sonata K. 283 was the victim of pure and simple tyranny by the you tube police! The stand-in argonaut imperialist Hyperion, a recording company whose reach extended above and beyond PUBLIC DOMAIN, wrenched my upload from its earthly existence with… Continue reading Would Mozart believe he was “banned” worldwide?!
The learning exchange between student and teacher is heightened when a new piece is introduced. In the case of Mozart's charming, early period Sonata no. 5 in G, it became a revisit for me that brought new revelations that I shared during the course of weekly lessons. *** Mozart presents a challenge in capturing a… Continue reading Exploring Mozart Sonata No. 5 in G, K. 283 (First movement, Allegro)
Just when I thought my wellspring of blog inspired ideas had endured a drought, I had a nagging thirst to explore how technical tools (playing scales, arpeggios, chords, octaves, etc) are woven into music study. Allied to this undertaking, was the idea of inferences and how we make certain decisions about phrasing, articulation, etc. based… Continue reading Applying technical skills to sensitive music learning, and reading between the lines
Grigory Sokolov grabs a deserved spotlight in this bedazzling performance of Schubert's Klavierstucke No. 1 http://youtu.be/zuwi9W3A3tM Bruno Sainmangeon, producer and documentarian captured Sokolov in the same acoustically favorable Berlin space that Murray Perahia chose to deliver the memorable Bach Partita in E minor: http://youtu.be/ELShZDVjoFw Add in Perahia's most recent tour de force in Japan: Beethoven's… Continue reading Chiming in the New Year with my favorite piano performance picks!
I haven't mastered the split screen on iMovie 11, but I decided to aim my camcorder at Mac and Steinway to get the same effect. Basically I recorded Primo first and on playback added Secondo to Mozart's final 4-hand movement, Sonata 1, K.318-Allegro Molto. Needless to say, it's valuable to learn both parts when contemplating… Continue reading Mac, me and Mozart: a continuing 4-hand journey
Last night, I challenged myself to have a double duo identity. I separately recorded the bass and treble parts of Mozart's Sonata No. 1, K. 318, scored for 4-hands at one piano. Logistics-wise, I had to decide which part to render first as the playback for the other's insertion. But that wasn't fair to either… Continue reading When two hands play a 4-hand Mozart Sonata
I can't fathom why a historically great NYC-based Classical music station like WQXR F.M. would choose to feature a big-splash juvenile ONLINE thumbs down to a J.S. Bach masterwork! http://www.wqxr.org/#!/story/three-nyc-kids-give-bach-big-thumbs-down/ My published comment criticized the posting: "This is a waste of space considering that WQXR has been a fountain of great music for decades. I… Continue reading Shame on WQXR F.M. for shining a spotlight on Kids’ dislike of Bach’s music
