Last weekend I attended another of my teacher’s 3-day intensive courses for advanced pianists. This is now the third course I have been on, and each time I have gained a great deal from it. The course is open to all advanced pianists, amateur or professional, student or teacher, and offers guidance on repertoire, technique, teaching and exercises to prevent tension and injury. It is particularly helpful for those preparing for Diplomas (as I am), auditions or public performances, but it is also an enjoyable forum to exchange ideas, hear new repertoire and share thoughts. The best part, for me, is total immersion in all things piano for three whole days.

This time we were quite a mixed bunch: three students from Trinity Laban Conservatoire where my teacher is Professor of Piano, two of whom I had met before on previous courses, a professional pianist and teacher who specialises in contemporary and twentieth-century repertoire, and a teacher from South-East London who, like me, is preparing for the ATCL Recital Diploma this winter. While the course is organised in the form of a masterclass, there is nothing intimidating nor scary about the experience (at least, not after one has got over one’s initial anxiety on the first day of playing to a group of people you’ve never met before!), and the whole atmosphere is very supportive and encouraging.

Despite slaughtering Schubert’s Impromptu Opus 90, No. 2 in E flat when I played it for the first time on the Friday, I managed to redeem myself – and the music – by Sunday, having spent two days thinking about what I wanted to do with the music, rather than hack away at it at the piano. One of the key things to come out of this course is to allow oneself “thinking time” before playing, hearing the sounds you would like to produce in your head. One student, Stephen, who was preparing for a competition in Germany, seemed particularly good at this, and his second performance of Debussy’s Prelude Ce qu’a vu le vent d’ouest was atmospheric and very colourful.

Helen, meanwhile, a teacher and pianist based in Brighton, astonished us all (teacher included) with her choice of repertoire, from David Rakowski’s witty and sprightly etude A Gliss is Just a Gliss to Peter Feuchtwanger’s Tariqa 1 in which Helen recreated the sounds of a Middle Eastern plucked instrument, and Somei Satoh’s arresting Incarnation II, during which we all forgot we were listening to a piano being played!

Even the more traditional repertoire (Beethoven, Bach, Liszt and Chopin) was played with individuality and flair, and it was wonderful to hear each person’s performance (the Spotify playlist at the end of this post includes tracks of nearly all of the music we played over the weekend, except the Satoh, which is on YouTube with Helen playing it). What was particularly helpful for me, apart from having my own playing critiqued, of course, was to hear Lorraine, a fellow piano teacher, play two of the pieces I am including in my Diploma programme, Liszt’s ethereal and romantic Sonetto 123 del Petrarca, and Messiaen’s meditation Regard de la Vierge, from the ‘Vingt Regards de l’enfant Jesus’. It was very helpful to compare notes about these pieces with someone who, like me, is now on pretty intimate terms with them, and reassuring to find that certain passages or sections were bugbears for both of us, particularly in the Messiaen.

One of the most revelatory things about these courses is hearing how a performance can be transformed with just a few words or suggestions from teacher. Maddie’s G-flat Impromptu became serene and spacious as she allowed the music to “breathe”, while Sally’s final movement of Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata was nicely held in check, colourful and urgent, though without sounding hurried (far too many pianists take this movement at such a lick, one misses all the really interesting parts of it). Lorraine’s Malambo by Ginastera (also for her Diploma programme) was earthy and vibrant.

The course always ends with a concert. Participation is not obligatory and nobody is forced to play if they don’t want to. In fact, it is less nerve-wracking than one might imagine, playing for friends and family. It is also an important part of one’s study, for new ideas or insights often emerge during a performance, allowing one to view one’s music from a slightly different perspective. I opted to play the Messiaen, and while I “winged” it in places, overall I was pleased with it and have resumed working on it with renewed enthusiasm and interest. And suddenly, the sections which seemed so hard before are beginning to come together nicely, and the overall shape and flow of the piece is far better.

For anyone thinking about doing a piano course, Penelope Roskell is offering some “piano days” to give one a taster of the full course. More details about piano courses and workshops for piano teachers here:

Courses and Workshops for Pianists and Piano Teachers (details of courses and workshops run by my teacher, Penelope Roskell)

Piano Course – April 2011 (includes information about other piano courses and summer schools around the UK and beyond)

What we played…..