By |

Remembering Sviatoslav Richter, on the centenary of his birth, in words, pictures and music….. Please feel free to add more reminiscences, articles, pictures, video etc in the comments box below….

Sviatoslav Richter 1992 ©roberto ugolini
Sviatoslav Richter 1992
©roberto ugolini

Rubenstein on Richter:

“I was curious to hear the “great Richter” and went to his concert. He played three pieces by Ravel, simply incredibly! A sound of prodigious beauty! I had never heard before a piano sound like that. It was an other instrument. It brought tears to my eyes. Richter is a gigantic musician with great intelligence. He plays the piano, and the piano responds. He sings with the piano.”

Richter’s aversion to television (article)

Sviatoslav Richter about himself

I was born in Zhitomir in 1915, in Berditchev Street which was later called Karl Marx Street, even though it turned into Berditchev Highway, thus preserving the original name. This highway led to a bridge over the Teterev River. In a cabin at the edge of the city – I am digressing – lived Irina Ivanova, whom I knew as a girl, and her mother. When you entered the cabin, you ran the risk of tumbling head over heels. Irina later became the wife of Lev Nikolaevich Naumov. Neuhaus was very fond of him. Naumov was a magnificent musician, almost a saintly one, and was a loyal adherent of the Neuhaus School. A likeable and emotional man. I heard him play Chopin’s fourth Scherzo wonderfully well… From the bridge, looking to the left, one could make out a church in the distance, and it awakened hopes, as it were, of something both fascinating and mysterious. I always had a longing to go there – the name of the village was Stanishovka – but we never got there. The grown-ups always dodged my questions, they ascribed no importance to them. Stanishovka will remain forever in my memory… My first memories are dreams.

Aus Walentina Tschemberdschi
Swjatoslaw Richter, Eine Reise durch Sibirien
Residenz-Verlag Salzburg 1992

Sviatoslav Richter is dead – New York Times obituary

Benjamin Britten listens to a point being made by Richter in 1968. (Photography: Brian See)

Maris Jansons: “This is [pianist] Sviatoslav Richter and my father rehearsing when the Leningrad Philharmonic was at its summer home. It was around 1953. I knew all the artists very well; they were very good friends with my father. It was a family there in the summertime. We all lived for two months in a hotel, so we spent breakfast, lunch and dinner together. Of course I didn’t speak too much because I was quite shy. Since I studied music, it was all so interesting. I was all the time in the musical atmosphere … and I learned intrigue, bad things, things behind the scenes.”

10338622_936953876345610_8479147831750593336_o

Schubert Sonata in G Major, D 894

Richter in his own words….

“The interpreter is really an executant, carrying out the composer’s intentions to the letter. He doesn’t add anything that isn’t already in the work. If he is talented, he allows us to glimpse the truth of the work that is in itself a thing of genius and that is reflected in him. He shouldn’t dominate the music, but should dissolve into it.” Or, similarly: “I am not a complete idiot, but whether from weakness or laziness have no talent for thinking. I know only how to reflect: I am a mirror . . . Logic does not exist for me. I float on the waves of art and life and never really know how to distinguish what belongs to the one or the other or what is common to both. Life unfolds for me like a theatre presenting a sequence of somewhat unreal sentiments; while the things of art are real to me and go straight to my heart.”

Richter on Stalin’s funeral (from Richter: The Enigma, a film by Bruno Monsaingeon)

The Wild Man of Classical Music – filmmaker Bruno Monsaingeon recalls his first meeting with Richter

By |

Who or what inspired you to take up the piano and make it your career?

My older brother used to play the piano, so there was a piano in the house which I ended up spending more time with.   I loved to imitate what I heard and to improvise.  I went to study piano at conservatoire and even though music was my life-blood, I was interested in so many things – I studied maths, Italian literature, Latin and musicology at University, but in the end, the piano just stuck very naturally.

Who or what were the most important influences on your musical life and career?

The professor who had the strongest influence on me was undoubtedly Dominique Weber. He was taught by Eduardo Vercelli and Leon Fleisher, where he also served as an assistant at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore. His instinct and his musical intelligence make him an extraordinary pianist and outstanding pedagogue. During the 4 years I studied with him, he helped me consolidate my technique and develop my sense of structure, rhythm and beauty of sound. He taught me the need to be engaged fully, to communicate and to search for my own sense of expression. He was an ideal professor. Dominique Weber’s recitals, which I am delighted to have listened to, have been unforgettable moments in my life as a musician.

I often played for Paul Badura-Skoda, the most illustrious representative of the Viennese tradition. With him, I had an opportunity to study works of Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven and Schubert on original instruments. His open-minded approach and broad interests enriched his understanding of art and this was a major source of inspiration to me.

I also have regularly taken classes with John Perry in Germany. John Perry is one of the most talented musicians I have met. His knowledge of the repertoire is impressive. He is a magnificent artist, able to move his audience as he sits at the piano. He can draw out the best out of each student while respecting their own personality.

What have been the greatest challenges of your career so far?

There have been so many.  One recent example which springs to mind was recording two discs at the same time of Schumann Lieder and Haydn sonatas in four days.

Which performance/recordings are you most proud of?

Even if I would do everything again differently today, I still have a close recognition of those recordings and I don’t know which ones I prefer of the three for solo piano – Schumann, Schubert or Haydn.  This is compounded by the different circumstances – all three in 3 different halls with 3 different pianos – so they all have their own personalities and reflect where I was at the time of playing them.

A challenge presented itself recently which I am particularly happy about.   I was due to go to hear a concert at a festival an hour and a half away from home.   I had bought the ticket online, and I was just walking out the door, when the festival director gave me a ring to say that the pianist due to perform that evening was ill and did I want to play instead. I went back inside to change and I arrived on the stage at the last minute.  The strange thing is that probably if the director had phoned me the day before, I’d probably have turned it down, but the fact that the suggestion had come just at two hours notice, it was was so mad that I had gone ahead with it without thinking and chose the programme in the car on the way.  The concert went very well and it was the first time that I had bought a ticket to my own recital.

Which particular works do you think you play best?

That’s something to ask the audience.   I’m particularly drawn to the German repertoire, and audiences seem to find that I have a particular affinity for Schubert.

How do you make your repertoire choices from season to season?

There are promoters who ask me to perform certain works.  If not, I try to find a balance between something new and pieces I already have in my repertoire.

Do you have a favourite concert venue to perform in and why?

There are so many, but I am very happy to be returning in a couple of weeks time to Sala Mahler di Dobbiaco in Italy for the next recording of Bach (French Overture, 4th English Suite and the 1st Partita).    The acoutic is fabulous, and I will be playing a very wonderful piano – a Steinway D which is called Rufus, prepared by my favourite technician.

Favourite pieces to perform? Listen to?

It’s always a pleasure to play Schubert, which is often requested by promoters.   I often go to concerts, not only of classical music, and I seldom listen to piano discs.  At home, I willingly listen to jazz, lieder and string quartets.   A disc I particularly like is of pieces for lute by Bach played by Jakob Lindberg. 

Who are your favourite musicians?

It’s difficult to make a complete list.   I admire many pianists – Radu Lupu, Sergio Fiorentino, and amongst the musicians I have recently listened to live and which made a big impression, I’d mention Christoph Pregardien accompanied by the pianist Michael Gees, the Belcea Quartet, pianist Grigory Sokolov.   And that’s without forgetting jazz musicians like Keith Jarrett, Brad Mehldau and Bill Evans….

What is your most memorable concert experience?

I don’t know what to say.  I love playing solo in recital but I have experienced some magical moments on the stage with cellist Henri Demarquette or with the baritone Roman Trekel, a sensation of something truly unique, poetic and spontaneous.

What do you consider to be the most important ideas and concepts to impart to aspiring musicians?

From a performer, I expect musical honesty and respect for the work. The performer should always provide the musical structure intelligently and be able to communicate this fluently.  One has to search to understand and to make understood what is hidden behind a musical score, all the things that the composer couldn’t write on a page. Sound is most important. It is the fundamental ingredient of everything.

What are you working on at the moment?

I’m currently studying works by Bach which I am about to record.  Then also numerous concerts (recitals and chamber music) with works by Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Janacek, Stravinsky, Britten and Kurtag. 

Where would you like to be in 10 years’ time?

I’d like to be a lottery winner like everyone else so that I could construct a concert hall and record the complete works of Schubert in it! And if it happens in 10 weeks or 10 months, that’s fine too.
Fabrizio Chiovetta studied the piano and music theory at the Superior Conservatory of Geneva, his hometown. He obtained diplomas in piano and theory  as well as the City of Geneva’s Adolphe Neumann Prize, an award bestowed upon particularly distinguished artists. He pursued his education with Dominique Weber at the Tibor Varga Academy in Sion until he obtained his Soloist Diploma in 2003 with the highest level of distinction. He has regularly worked with John Perry, Marc Durand and Paul Badura-Skoda – notably on the classical Viennese repertoire on original instruments – and has participated in the Master Classes of Gyorgy Sebok, Julian Martin, Yoheved Kaplinsky and Irwin Gage for the Lied. Recipient of the Göhner Foundation scholarship in 1999, he received the Audience Award at the Klaviersommer Festival (Cochem, Germany) in 2001 for his interpretation of Mozart. He has won the New Talents (Genoa, 2002) and the Orpheus (Zurich, 2003) competitions and has received the Honorary Mention Award of the Seventh International Web Concert Hall (USA, 2005). Fabrizio Chiovetta regularly gives concerts across Europe, North America, the Middle East ans Asia both in recitals and chamber music. His performing partners have included Henri Demarquette, Katia Trabé, Roman Trekel, Julian Bliss, Nicolas Gourbeix, Brigitte Fournier and Gérard Wyss. He has notably played under the direction of Gabor Takacs-Nagy and Ovidiu Balan and has accompanied Lady Jeanne’s and Sir James Galway’s Master Classes. His recordings include works from Honegger, Schumann and Schubert. His Schumann recording received the 5 Diapasons Award and Fanfare Magazine described his Waldszenen as “one of the best ever silver-disc’d”. Talented in improvisation, he performs with ensemble Piano Seven and with diverse musicians such as Anna Prucnal, Masako Hayashi, Levon and Gregoire.
Fabrizio Chiovetta’s new disc of Haydn Sonatas and Variations is available now on the Claves label

By |

‘Variations for Judith’ is a set of 11 short reflections on ‘Bist du bei mir’ (G H Stölzel arr. JS Bach). The Variations were composed as a special gift for Judith Serota when she left the Spitalfields Festival in 2007 after nearly twenty years at the helm. The project, to create 11 short pieces, was managed by Diana Burrell (who also wrote one of the variations) and the variations are composed by other Spitalfields Festival Artistic Directors, all people with whom Judith worked. An initial collection of seven variations was presented to Judith and a further four were added, all by composers associated with the Spitalfields Festival. The Variations hark back to a precedent probably set by J S Bach – a collection of short pieces of varying difficulty, and rather like Anna Magdalena’s Notebook, which Bach presented to his wife, the Variations for Judith were presented to Judith Serota to encourage and inspire her own piano studies.

I first encountered the Variations last autumn after reading a review on another music blog. I then listened to Melvyn Tan’s recording (available on Spotify and as a download here) and decided I would like to learn some, if not all of them, to include in a concert I was putting together for my local music society. Their chief attraction is their variety and individual characters, with the original theme, which appears in different guises in each variation (in some less discernible than others, but always there), acting as a unifying thread. They are also an excellent way of introducing contemporary piano music to audiences and piano students. I was very touched when Judith Serota came out to Teddington to hear me play three of the Variations, and she kindly talked about the creation of the music after my concert.

Thus, I was delighted to discover that Daniel Harding, Deputy Director of Music at the University of Kent, was involved in a project called ‘A Variation Day’, in which he performed a single variation over the course of 11 days. Each day, the theme was sung by soprano and final-year student Kathryn Cox. At the end of the 11 day-project, Daniel performed the complete Variations in a concert which also included the UK premiere of a work by British composer Alison Wrenn.

The Colyer-Fergusson Hall, University of Kent
The Colyer-Fergusson Hall, University of Kent

The concert was held in the beautiful wood-panelled Colyer-Fergusson hall at the University of Kent, Canterbury. Opened in 2012, the hall forms the centrepiece of a new music centre at the University, and is an airy performance space – and on this early March day, a space saturated with sunlight. The concert opened with Satie’s first Gnossienne, rarely-heard and played with a melancholic suppleness.

Alison Wrenn’s ‘Unicorn in Rainbows’ followed, a beautiful short work inspired by a picture of three unicorns in a magical landscape under a rainbow sky, infused with jazz harmonies, lingering chords redolent of Bill Evans, and subtle rhythms. This set the scene nicely for the centrepiece of the concert, the ‘Variations for Judith’.

The opening theme was sung by Kathryn Cox, whose clear soprano allowed the music to speak for itself, unadorned, setting a blank canvas on which the Variations were painted with elegance, wit and sensitivity. Daniel played with subtlety and delicacy of touch, revealing each variation’s individual character and the connections between them. Some are fleeting and ethereal, others more robust; each is distinct, with the composer’s individual personality shining through; yet they are all united by the opening theme, which became a pleasing earworm for my homeward journey through the sun-drenched Kent countryside.

Kathryn Cox, soprano, Judith Serota & Daniel Harding, piano
Kathryn Cox, soprano, Judith Serota & Daniel Harding, piano

The pieces are aimed at the intermediate-level player, but studying and playing the works myself, and hearing the complete set performed by Daniel, proved that writing easier pieces can be a challenge. The Variations work beautifully as concert pieces, and can be successfully integrated into a larger programme of works by composers old and new. And because the Variations are not organised in the manner of a classical theme and variations, one can perform the opening theme with a handful of contrasting variations, and in any order.

The music is available from Music Room and proceeds from the sale of the Variations go to Dimbleby Cancer Care

The work was premiered on 8th June 2012. Melvyn Tan will be performing Variations for Judith on 27th and 29th April – details here

More information about Variations for Judith on the NMC Recordings website.

Read Daniel Harding’s article on the Variations

 

By |

Renowned educator, writer and clarinetist Paul Harris, author of innumerable books on sight-reading, music theory and music teaching as well as original compositions, led a seminar based around the ideas set out in his seminal book T’he Virtuoso Teacher’ (Faber, 2012).

The book focuses on the core issues of being a teacher and the teaching process. By examining topics such as self-awareness and the importance of emotional intelligence, getting the best out of pupils, dealing with challenging pupils, asking the right questions and creating a master-plan taking the stress out of learning teaching for the right reasons, Paul Harris offers an inspirational and supportive read for all music teachers, encouraging everyone to consider themselves in a new and uplifted light. The book formed the basis of Paul’s presentation, with plenty of opportunities for discussion during the breaks and in a Q&A session at the end of the seminar. I read Paul’s book when it was first published and found it very empowering, yet much of what he suggests is both simple and easy to put into practice in the teaching environment.

These are my notes taken during the seminar; by no means comprehensive, I hope they will provide a useful overview of Paul’s approach and the philosophy of the Virtuoso Teacher.

Definition of a ‘Virtuoso Teacher’

  • Not someone who teaches virtuosi
  • Nor a virtuoso player themselves (as Paul said, virtuoso players may be fine instrumentalists, but are not necessarily the best teachers)
  • A virtuoso teacher takes teaching to a virtuoso level through being collaborative, imaginative, engaging, non-judgmental and energetic.

Just as a virtuoso performer has qualities such as a sense of communication, secure technique, and a sense of artistry so the virtuoso teacher has the same qualities. But instead of playing to an audience, the virtuoso teacher works with students.

The virtuoso teacher has a heightened awareness of what is happening, is mindful, has a profound understanding of the instrument, technique, musicality and a deep knowledge of our pupils. The virtuoso teacher encourages pupils to reach their own infinite potential.

WHAT WE DO

The special things….

  • Teach music for its own sake
  • Guide pupils
  • Show possibilities
  • Open minds
  • Enable pupils to become independent learners and teach themselves

The word “teach” comes from the Old English world tæcan (“tee-shan”) meaning to “show”, or “point out”, but not “tell”.

The virtuoso teacher does more than teaching the instrument and pieces: the virtuoso teacher encourage pupils to really know music and enable all pupils to achieve, taking into account the needs and desires of all our pupils.

For the virtuoso teacher the process is more important than the outcome (i.e. exam or competition results, assessments or performances, all of which are stressful situations and which lose the enjoyment of “now”). For the pupil, learning to play an instrument or sing should be a happy experience. Unhappy or stressed students don’t learn (physiologically, the brain stops releasing hormones which enable us to take in information when we are stressed). We develop our pupils’ self-responsibility and turn mistakes into opportunities. We share our love of music and encourage our students to develop this love too. We make our students confident and independent.

Personal qualities of a Virtuoso Teacher

  • An excellent communicator
  • Certain, but never absolutely sure
  • Open-minded
  • Adaptable and flexible
  • Still learning
  • Focused (on the pupil)
  • A good role model
  • Good-humoured
  • Patient
  • Proactive
  • Innovative
  • Having good judgment, but never judgmental
  • Kind and caring
  • Reflective

How we teach

The “process” of the lesson

  • Warming up (e.g. stretches away from the instrument or use an aspect of the first piece as a warm up exercise)
  • Find ingredients and connections within the piece
  • Offer achievable, well-explained instructions (done well, this is unlikely to lead to mistakes, or will reduce mistakes)
  • Give well-expressed, clear feedback
  • Ensure the lesson is energising and always moving forward

When giving feedback, first wait and then notice the way the pupil reacts to the feedback. Positive feedback motivates and allows us to be effective because it empowers the pupil. We need to nurture, not control. As a result, pupils are

  • Confident
  • Happy
  • Enthusiastic
  • Motivated
  • In sum, the “virtuoso pupil” knows how to learn.

Dispelling the “myth of difficult”

  • Learning how to achieve
  • Removing obstacles
  • Encourage through a thorough and meticulous approach
  • The quality of our students’ understanding is better than the quantity of their work.

High-satisfaction teaching allows the lesson to flow and for pupils to be musical. They will also make fewer mistakes, feel less stress, feel less constrained by structure, which allows them to achieve. Lessons become positive with a spirit of discovery.

  • Simultaneous learning and simultaneous practising:
  • Teaching proactively
  • Making connections using the “ingredients” of the piece
  • Positive
  • Non-judgmental

Pupils need to practise in a way which matches this

  • Integration – refer to practising during the lesson
  • Representation – make practising interesting and engaging
  • Connections – ask how the practising went in the intervening week between lessons

This enables pupils to see how lessons and practising join up.

 

Teaching a new piece using the Simultaneous Learning process

Know the ingredients of the piece:

  • Key
  • Rhythm
  • Pulse
  • Time signature
  • Dynamics
  • Character

Don’t overload the pupil with information but know how much the pupil can take in.

Allow the lesson to unfold around the ingredients using various element, e.g. improvisation based on a rhythm or short motif within the piece.

Use Q&A and demonstration. Talk about practising as you go along. Practising should be fun, engaging and collaborative.

  • Don’t hurry
  • Make connections
  • Empower the student
  • Check the student has understood all the instructions given
  • Teach the right things at the right time
  • Be imaginative
  • Encourage flow
  • Collaboration
  • Encourage students to know their music
  • Encourage students to become independent

 

WHO WE TEACH

We need to get to know our pupils (but never interrogate them!)

  • Interests
  • Prior learning/knowledge
  • Vocabulary (important – so that we can communicate with them at the right level)
  • Preferred learning style, i.e. visual, auditory or kinesthetic
  • Gender difference
  • Relative speed of learning
  • Level of motivation
  • Expectations (pupil’s and parents’)
  • Psychomotor skills (e.g. finger dexterity)
  • SEN
  • R/L brain development
  • Experience and background
  • Maturity
  • Parental involvement

Having this information allows us to personalize our teaching to be more effective.

 

Managing expectations

We live up and down to expectations (the ‘Pygmalion Effect’)

“As the teacher believes the student to be, so the student becomes” (Rosenthal & Jacobson)

 

  • We should have high but appropriate expectations and the student will live up to them.
  • We have different expectations for different students
  • Don’t base expectations on pre-determined criteria (e.g. exam results)
  • Don’t compare students, especially negatively
  • Discourage pupils from comparing themselves to their friends/peers – explain to a Grade 1 student that the Grade 7 student is not “better”, just “more advanced”
  • Focus on achievement rather than attainment: pupils can achieve continuously
  • Encourage self-comparison: “How am I doing?”
  • Encourage students to hear friends playing in a positive context: peer support is very important.
  • Celebrate every student’s strengths
  • Have positive and appropriate expectations
  • Create a positive teaching environment
  • Labels are not helpful – there are no “bad” pupils! (but there are plenty of bad teachers!)
  • All pupils are able – different, but able

 

Giving praise

It needs to be appropriate and appreciative. Judgmental praise causes dependency and builds up an ego which can produce anxiety

 

Examples of appreciative praise:

“I enjoyed that”

“that was really accurate/musical”

“That practise has really made a difference”

 

This allows pupils to draw their own conclusions about their playing

 

Praise what they are doing or their effort, not the ego or talent.

 

Praise followed by criticism is not helpful.

 

Sincere praise goes a long way and creates a sense of trust.

 

 

Using questions in lessons

Good questioning is very valuable and can be used to

  • Check knowledge and understanding
  • Encourage understanding
  • Encourage recall of facts and information
  • Diagnose difficulties and involve the pupil in the “cure” (e.g. tension, problematic fingering scheme etc)

 

Questions also encourage students to think, engage, apply and reflect. Use open-ended, thought-provoking questions, e.g. “What do you like about this piece?”

 

 

Getting the best out of our pupils

 

  • The way we are and how we respond to our pupils
  • The way we manage expectations (of pupils and parents)
  • The care we invest in teaching methods
  • The level of positivity and love of our subject
  • Ensuring pupils understand what they are doing

 

 

In conclusion

 

Our values and beliefs colour the way we are and drive our thinking and teaching. We should be certain, but never absolutely certain, and we should always look outwards.

 

The present

  • The Power of Now
  • Living in the moment
  • Grasp opportunities and run with them, while always keeping an eye on the future
  • Using aspects such as applied psychology and physiology (e.g. understanding the reasons for warming up before playing), and using technology to enhance our teaching (e.g. internet, apps).

Teaching now

  • Teach laterally and holistically
  • Be proactive
  • Take care of our personal accountability
  • Make connections
  • Understand and appreciate what our pupils need
  • Use wisdom – how do we use our knowledge? We guide our pupils to enable them to progress.
  • Be honest (i.e. honest evaluation of our students, and in our dealings with parents)
  • Have courage – take risks and be prepared to tackle issues
  • Give our students our unconditional support

The Virtuoso Teacher wants to create well-balanced musicians who are driven by a love of music and a desire to sustain this great art.

 

Never forgot – teaching is A PROFESSION!

More about Paul Harris and his publications and other resources here