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FERRUCCIO BUSONIExperts discuss the great concerto and more

NEW DISCOVERIESWorks by Roger Sacheverell Coke

GOLDBERG VARIATIONSGlenn Goulds seminal recording 60 years on

Alice Sara Ott and Francesco Tristano explore the heady

world of four-hand repertoire

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SEE PAGE 41FANTASY IN D MINOR, K 397 BY MOZARTPIANO STREET INSTRUCTIVE EDITION

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May/June 2015 International Piano 3

con t en t s

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Contents

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20 Cover storyAlice Sara Ott and Francesco Tristano

25 New produCtsThe latest gadgets

31 saCheverell CokeSimon Callaghan on his recording of Cokes Preludes and Variations

48 explore the sCorePierre-Laurent Aimard on Ligetis piano works

52 high soCietyThe life and work of song-writer Cole Porter

62 Festival reportCreative programming at the Printemps des Arts de Monte-Carlo

17 oNe to watChClimne Daudet

19 diary oF aN aCCompaNistIn which Michael Round samples the Cor! factor

28 CompetitioN reportThe International Franz Liszt Piano Competition

37 helpiNg haNdsHow to select your first piano

38 masterClassDeveloping rhythmic awareness, by IPs resident tutor Murray McLachlan

41 sheet musiCMozarts Fantasy in D minor, K 397, Piano Street Instructive Edition

64 a broader paletteUnseen sketches by pianist Felicja Blumental

69 braiN mappiNgNorman Doidge on his bestseller The Brain That Changes Itself

74 reCordiNgGlenn Goulds Goldberg Variations

7 lettersYour thoughts and comments

8 NewsThe latest updates from the piano world

15 CommeNtIn defence of Liszt

REGULARS

55 symposiumExperts discuss the great pianist, writer and composer Ferruccio Busoni

60 repertoireThe 150th anniversary of the birth of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius

67 piaNo makersGazas grand piano

73 take FiveJazz pianist Jason Moran

78 reviewsThe latest CDs, technology, films and sheet music, plus recital roundup

90 musiC oF my liFeKirill Gerstein

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Ivo Pogorelichs Royal Festival Hall concert, part of the Southbank Centres International Piano Series, was the pianists fi rst London solo recital since 1999 and the critics were out in force, pencils sharpened, ears pricked. Pogorelich told this magazine in no uncertain terms that this was not a comeback concert (cover story, issue 29, January/February 2015). But it was, and everyone was fascinated to hear what this controversial pianist had been working on.

A few pages into Liszts Dante Sonata, my heart sank. Pogorelich did not seem on top of his game; he fi ddled with the piano stool, employed extreme levels of rubato and lacked any sort of sensitivity in his touch. While there is nothing wrong in playing with sheet music IP has discussed at length the issue of memorisation and the unfair pressures it

places on pianists Pogorelich remained buried in the pages, seemingly sight-reading the music. Schumanns Fantasie in C followed, a drawn-out, expansive a air that saw the Croatian pianist take a full 37 minutes over a work that usually lasts around 32. In both works the sound felt dry, and despite the lengthy phrasing, notes were not fi nished properly. There were snippets of beauty, particularly in the fi nale, but the listener needed to embrace the unusual pacing, which this writer failed to do.

Those who did connect to Pogorelichs unorthodox style found slivers of genius in his rendition of the Brahms Paganini Variations. But many did not stay past the fi rst half, myself included, fi nding the experience uncomfortable and pondering the pianists wellbeing. Perhaps the pressure had simply been too much. Or perhaps this divisive style was the intended fruit of his labour.

Its unlikely well fi nd out via another interview any time soon. In the days that followed, every broadsheet with the exception of The Independent panned the recital, giving it one-star (Guardian, Telegraph) and two-star (FT, Times) reviews. Poor Pogorelich. We demand individuality and creative programming but that on its own just isnt enough.

This is my last issue as editor of IP. A er four years and 25 editions I am moving on to pastures new. It has been a great pleasure to work at the helm of this esteemed publication. May I take this opportunity to thank my colleagues at Rhinegold Publishing, advertisers, interviewees, agents, artists, distributors and contributors but greatest thanks to you, dear reader.

CLAIRE JACKSONEDITOR

Editor Claire Jackson

Sub Editor Femke Colborne

Contributors Michael Church, Colin ClarkeAndy Hamilton, Benjamin Ivry, Graham Lock, Murray McLachlan, Jeremy Nicholas, Guy Rickards, Michael Round, Eric Schoones, Rebecca Schmid, Jeremy Siepmann, Joseph Tong, Cameron Watson, Stephen Wigler

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NO.31 MAY/JUNE 20155.50

www.international-piano.com

FERRUCCIO BUSONIExperts discuss the great concerto and more

NEW DISCOVERIESWorks by Roger Sacheverell Coke

GOLDBERG VARIATIONSGlenn Goulds seminal recording 60 years on



DOUBLE TROUBLE

COLE PORTERFELICJA BLUMENTAL

KIRILL GERSTEINSIBELIUS

77

20

42

07

70

05

9

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>

Plus:

3-CD set Busoni The Visionary by Jeni Slotchiver COURTESY OF CENTAUR

WIN

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SEE PAGE 41FANTASY IN D MINOR, K 397 BY MOZARTPIANO STREET INSTRUCTIVE EDITION

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l e t t e r s

RemembeRing RichteR Dear IP,When my copy of the March/April issue arrived, I wasnt entirely surprised that the magazine failed to include a 100th anniversary tribute to Sviatoslav Richter. Its probably the case that IPs writers and editors, who need to complete the magazine nearly two months before it is mailed to subscribers, only remembered the anniversary when it was too late to include an appreciation. Richter was and remains my favourite pianist. I loved him so much that, even though he toured North America only three times (in 1960, 1965 and 1970), I managed to hear 12 of his recitals. But while I never forget that 20 March was his birthday, I also forgot that this was his 100th anniversary. The reason for this is that many of us even those who are too young to have heard Richter in concert do not think of him as belonging to history.

In the dozen years or so up to Richters death in 1997, as the Baltimore Suns music critic, I wrote obituaries for many of the great pianists of the 20th century

including Rudolf Serkin, Vladimir Horowitz, Claudio Arrau, Wilhelm Kempff, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Shura Cherkassky, Emil Gilels and Jeanne-Marie Darr, all of whom I am lucky enough to have heard in concert and all of whose recordings I also assiduously collected. When I want to listen to many of the greatest masterpieces of the piano literature Beethovens Appassionata, Schuberts Wanderer Fantasy, Liszts B minor Sonata, Schumanns C major Fantasy, Mussorgskys Pictures or Prokofievs War Sonatas its usually the case that I listen to Richter rather than any of his great predecessors and successors. I know Im not the only one who feels this way. To us, he always remains alive.Stephen Wigler

RepeRtoiRe RescueDear IP,This is an update on my article Search and Rescue, which appeared in the January/February issue of IP. The article was about the first ever editions, published last year, of two of the three Grandes Sonates for piano by Antoine Reicha (1770-1836). The total has now increased to six sonatas, edited by me and published by Symtrie of Lyon (see p8). The four new ones are the remaining Grande Sonate in E major, a sonata in D from the same period, 1803-1805, and two in F from about 1800. This means that, including the Sonata in E flat, Op 43, published by Henle, we now have modern editions of all seven of the existing piano sonatas of Reichas maturity (three from his adolescence remain in manuscript and three, the Op 46, seem to be lost, apart from one movement).

So what next for Reichas piano music? Two short, experimental works from 1800-1803 are in preparation, to be published by Symtrie: Capriccio (unusual modulations and lots of 74); and Harmonie (variations on a harmonic sequence,

including one in 58 and another without bar lines).

Reicha produced no more piano sonatas after 1805, but still continued to write for piano solo. Two of these later works, published in the composers lifetime but not edited since, look particularly interesting. One is the Variations on a Theme by Gluck, which appeared in 1815. In that same year, Hummels Op 57 was published a set of variations on the very same theme. Pure coincidence? I think not. The other is the 34 Etudes of 1820, which, though he does not make the comparison himself, could be Reichas take on Bachs 48. Each study is in two parts, the second being a fugue or in the style of a fugue. Michael Bulley

baReRe coRRectionsDear IP,There are a few factual errors in the recent article on Simon Barere (Pearls of Sheer Light, March/April 2015).

It is written: Shehori remembers a revealing incident at Carnegie Hall In fact, I relayed this story to Mr Johnson as it was told to me by the great violinist Berl Senofsky in the year 2000. I could not have remembered it because I was not born when Vladimir Horowitz allegedly walked out in the middle of Simon Bareres performance of Mozart-Liszts Rminiscences de Don Juan.

Secondly, when I described Simon Bareres playing as pearls of sheer light, I referred to his amazing performances of Liszts Gnomenreigen and not particularly to the La leggierezza performance.

And finally, just to clarify Cembal damours compilation statement. Cembal damours recordings of Simon Barere include material from Bareres last recording sessions in March 1951, only a few weeks before his death (CD 114). Those were never available before on a compact disc.Mordecai Shehori

LettersWrite to International Piano, 20 Rugby Street, London, WC1N 3QZ, email [email protected] or tweet @IP_mag. Star letters will receive a free CD from Hyperions best-selling Romantic Piano Concerto series

S P O N S O R E D By H y PE R I O N R E C O R D S

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IP0515_007_Letters_CJ.indd 7 20/04/2015 14:36

8 International Piano May/June 2015

n e w s & e v e n t s

UkraInIan-born PIanIst Valentina Lisitsa has had an engagement with Canadas toronto symphony orchestra (tso) cancelled, allegedly because the soloist has expressed political views on the situation in Ukraine.

Lisitsa appealed to fans online and asked them to tell toronto symphony that music cant be silenced. If they do it once, they will do it again and again, until the artists are intimidated into voluntary censorship,

she wrote. our future will be bleak if we allow this to happen. Please stand with me.

Lisitsa claims that the tso offered to cover her entire fee for the cancelled appearance

but only if she kept quiet about the circumstances: toronto symphony is going to PaY ME not to PLaY because I exercised the right to free speech [...]and they even threatened me against saying anything about the cause of the cancellation [sic]. seriously. and I thought things like this only happen in turkey to Fazil say? [In reference to the turkish pianist who was convicted of insulting Islam in comments published via twitter.]

Lisitsa was born in kiev into a russian-Polish family. she immigrated to the Us in the 1990s. Lisitsa was spotted online and now records for Decca. over the last year she has been living a double life as a pianist and activist, and tweets under the nickname nedoUkranka (sub-Ukrainian), which she came up with after the Ukrainian Prime Minister arseny Yatsenyuk published a statement calling the supporters of eastern

Ukrainian militia forces subhumans. Her comments are often controversial, for example she has compared governmental actions to those of nazi Germany.

the situation in toronto became even more entangled when stewart Goodyear, the pianist whom the tso had recruited to step in for Lisitsa, announced that he would not be performing with the orchestra after all. I found myself in the middle of a social media frenzy, Goodyear wrote on his Facebook fan page. Words of bile and hatred were hurled in my direction from all sides. suddenly I was accused of supporting censorship, and bullied into declining this engagement.

Lisista travelled to toronto with a view to find a space to play for her fans, minus the tso. a church that had agreed to host the recital pulled out, amid speculation that it had received complaints.

news events

antoInE rEICHas (1770-1836) sonata in D has received formal publication, over 200 years since it first appeared in manuscript.

all seven of the existing piano sonatas are first editions except for the Grande sonate in E, which was first published in 1803, and the sonata in E flat op 43, published by Henle in 1971.

the sonata in D was edited by Michael bulley and published by symtrie. bulley wrote an article about the publication of two of the three Grandes sonatas (1803) in the January/February edition of IP (no 29).

the sonata in D has so many different things theres bound to be something to appeal to every pianist, says bulley. If you like playing fugues, for example, then, ten years before beethoven tried it, reicha incorporates a fugue into a piano sonata

movement. Well, thats not quite right: in fact, there are two fugues in the first movement, and two of everything else, including two 20-bar passages of insistent repeated quaver chords.

the second movement is a Funeral March, that starts off in G major, but then, in the trio section, marches off into all sorts of keys. the finale is called La Folie, and thats what it is: a mad whirlwind movement that alternates between a patter-song and a driving theme that relentlessly ascends and descends the keyboard, finishing with 33 bars of little grasshopper-like D major arpeggios.

the work is likely to appeal to professional pianists and amateurs alike; although there are some difficult passages the technical level is not of the standard youd find in, say, Liszts pianistic writing. the boldness of reichas musical ideas

will appeal to 21st century music lovers it was this that first drew bulley to the oeuvre.

the sonata in D previously existed only in manuscript; bulley put together a basic computerised version and worked with the publishers to produce the final edition.

We now have modern editions of all seven of reichas piano sonatas that have survived, apart from three pre-1790s ones from his adolescence, bulley explains. Maybe they will be done sometime, but now we go on to other piano works by reicha, some in manuscript, some in old editions. the reicha revival continues.

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ToronTo Symphony cancelS performance by ValenTina liSiTSa

firST publicaTion of anToine reichaS SonaTa in D

IP0515_08-09_News_CJ.indd 8 20/04/2015 17:47


n e w s & e v e n t s

Ronald StevenSon, the composer and pianist best known for Passacaglia on DSCH, reckoned to be the longest single-movement work within the piano literature, has died.

Stevenson was a polymath composer, pianist and writer who will always be remembered for his mammoth Passacaglia on DSCH, composed in 1960-62. Paradoxically, this masterpiece was not truly representative of the rest of his colossal output (toccata Presss catalogue covered 78 pages and took three years to compile) but it is by far his best-known creation.

Stevenson was in the great line of composer-pianists that includes liszt, Busoni, Paderewski (his personal idol), Godowsky and Sorabji. he was an extraordinarily gifted pianist with an individual touch (and what a touch!) and tone. For evidence, look no further than the two available recordings he made of the Passacaglia. travelling the world as a touring virtuoso, though, was not for him. It was too much of a sacrifice given his family and the need to sit and compose music which he did in his small study christened the den of Musiquity.

his comparative lack of worldly, commercial success seemed not to bother him. he did what he had to do despite limited interest from the powers that be in the musical world. While recognition went to the likes of Maxwell davies and Boulez, he scoffed at their composition techniques. In Music Ho!, Constant lambert said that the way forward in music was going to Sibelius, not Stravinsky, Stevenson once remarked. he was wrong, of course, but I think it would have been a damn sight better if he had been right.

In many senses, Stevenson was born out of his time. the composer-pianist tradition had virtually died out with the advent of recordings (although it is now making a comeback) but that was of no consequence. he espoused unfashionable causes, not only as an outsider but an outsider who promoted other outsiders such as havergal Brian, Percy Grainger, norman dett, Bernard Stevens and John Foulds. I feel very strongly, he once said,

that my aesthetic belongs to two circles of composers who were satellites round Busoni and delius. he named Peter Warlock, Bernard van dieren, and Sorabji. a one-time Marxist, his pacifism landed him in gaol while his concomitant refusal to do military service led him to work in a colliery school in County durham.

he was born into a working-class family in Blackburn, lancashire, but in essence he was a true Celt: his father was a Scottish railway fireman, his mother a Welsh cotton-weaver. at heart he was a Scot. he spoke with a gentle Scottish burr. he had Scotland in his soul and, though a true cosmopolitan, he was a Scottish composer. Since 1955, he made his home in West linton on the Scottish borders, half and hours bus ride from edinburgh.

Stevenson was composing and giving recitals from his early teens and at 17 began studies at the Royal Manchester College of Music (now the RnCM) with Iso ellinson who himself had been a pupil of Felix Blumenfeld and alexander Glazunov. after graduating he spent six months in Rome studying orchestration with Guido Guerrini at the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia.

In 1952 he married his long-time sweetheart Marjorie Spedding. anyone who knew Ronald also knew what a debt he owed to her devotion and support throughout his long career. With little money filling the coffers at times, it was she who kept the Stevenson boat afloat by her work as a district nurse. among

his landmarks as a composer are the song cycle Border Boyhood (with Peter Pears, aldeburgh 1971); Piano Concerto no 1 (with the Scottish national orchestra under Sir alexander Gibson, 1966); the violin Concerto the Gypsy (commissioned by Yehudi Menuhin) and a Cello Concerto written in memory of Jacqueline du Pr (premiered in 1995 by Moray Welsh).

on a personal note, I have never forgotten his kindness and generosity when I was researching my biography of leopold Godowsky. We first met in 1972 at londons Roundhouse during a rehearsal break for the world premiere (at the Proms) of his Second Piano Concerto the Continents the only time, incidentally, that any of his music has been heard at the Proms. Somehow, when he had a thousand other pressing concerns, he found time to answer my questions, and provide me with advice, names and contacts as though there was all the time in the world. I learned afterwards that this was typical. I treasure the letters in his idiosyncratic calligraphy, and especially the dedication in the copy he sent me of Song in Gold Pavilions (the collection of his writings published by Sun Press): In unison of friendship and harmony of aesthetic. Ronald Stevenson was unique. how lucky we were to have him in our midst. how sad his great talent was not more widely acknowledged while he was alive. his time will come.

Ronald Stevensonb. 6 March 1928d. 28 March 2015

JereMy Nicholas

Ronald StevenSon (1928-2015)

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Scottish pianist and composer Ronald Stevenson

IP0515_08-09_News_CJ.indd 9 20/04/2015 17:47


r u n n i n g h e a dc o m P e t I t I o n s , aw a r d s s I g n I n g s &

on 14 march at Londons conway Hall, some of the UKs most promising young pianists performed in the finals of the european Piano teachers association (ePta) Piano competition. nearly 300 players had taken part in first rounds, which were scheduled from the autumn in regional centres as far apart as devon, Belfast and newcastle. In February, regional finals were held in cardiff, London and manchester.

the standard at the finals was phenomenally high, and adjudicators Vanessa Latarche, ronan oHora and niel Immelman were given a wide range of repertoire to listen to. In the 15 and under final, one performer from Leeds, tammas slater, tackled tippetts second sonata, while the winner of the class, Lauren Zhang (a student at Birmingham conservatoire), gave a breathtakingly agile, accurate and idiomatic account of Scarbo from ravels Gaspard de la nuit. not for nothing did one of the adjudicators in jest ask to see the performers birth certificates!

after nearly six hours of intense and often thrilling listening, the overall winner was judged to be 21-year-old Iyad sughair, a student at the royal northern college of music in manchester, who gave a deeply poetic performance of mozarts intensely poetic B minor adagio. Victor Lim, a student of graham scott in manchester, was awarded the angela rinsler Prize for his confident rendering of the Bartk sonata.

other highlights included 17-year-old James ellis (winner of the 18 and under class) in Beethovens op 110 sonata and graingers In Dahomey (Cakewalk Smasher), rowel Friers from northern Ireland in an attractive recital of more modest grade pieces, and rhys concessao (winner of the 12 and under final) from the Purcell school in the finale of Beethovens moonlight sonata. opportunities for future performances by some of these outstanding young pianists will shortly be arranged by ePta. see the website for full details: www.epta-uk.org.Murray McLachLan

saetbyeol serena Kim has won the third dallas International Piano competition, held on 11-14 march.

the event, hosted by the dallas chamber symphony (dcs), saw 19 young pianists from nine different countries compete for the grand prize, which comprised $1,500 and a concert engagement with the dcs during its 2015/16 season.

Kristyan Benitez from Venezuela claimed the second prize of $1,000 for his performance of griegs Piano concerto in a minor, and Israeli pianist anna arazi took third place and a cash award of $500 for her performance of Prokofievs Piano concerto no 1. arazi performed on a steinbuhler alternate-size keyboard, making her the first person ever to win a prize at an international piano competition while performing an alternate size action.

Finalists nathan ryland from the Us and Inyoung Kim from south Korea both received honourable mentions for their performances of Prokofievs Piano concerto no 3 and saint-sans Piano concerto no 2 respectively. Both receive a cash prize of $400.

saetbyeol completed her masters degree at the eastman school of music, where she held an accompanying assistantship and served as the teaching assistant to enrico elisi. she is currently pursuing an artist diploma at the glenn gould school of the royal conservatory under marietta orlov.

Piers Lane has been appointed artistic director of the sydney International Piano competition of australia (sIPca) for 2016. Lane is currently artistic director of the australian Festival of chamber music, and will carry out his new role in addition to his existing position during 2016.

Lane has a longstanding affiliation with the sIPca, having won the prize for the Best australian Pianist in the inaugural competition in 1977. He was also one of its international jury members in 2004.

commenting on his appointment, Lane said: I am absolutely delighted to be appointed artistic director for the 2016 sIPca. I have had a long association with the competition and am looking forward to contributing to its refreshment and to taking it to even greater heights. International competitions play a very significant role in the development of young pianists and their careers and also foster an interest in piano music among audiences, an important factor for the future of our art.

Iyad Sughair

Piers Lane

UKIyad SUghaIr crowned ePTa UK wInner

USaSaeTbyeol Serena KIm wInS In dallaS

aUSTralIaPIerS lane To head Sydney comPeTITIon

Saetbyeol Serena Kim

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IP0515_011_CompNews_CJ.indd 11 20/04/2015 14:37

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e duc at i on

FARGO, NORTH DAKOTATyler Wottrich joins NDSUPianist Tyler Wottrich has joined the faculty at North Dakota State University (NDSU). Wottrich studied with Gail Olszewski, Lydia Artymiw and Gilbert Kalish, and has degrees in music and mathematics from the University of Minnesota. He has played with Ensemble

ACJW, a partnership between Carnegie Hall, the Juilliard School and the Weill Music Institute. At NDSU, Wottrich will build a graduate collaborative piano programme and teach applied piano as well as theory and analysis.

AINRING, GERMANYRalf Halk to head KulturvereinGerman pianist Ralf Halk has been named head of the Kulturverein (cultural association) of Ainring in Upper Bavaria, Germany, near the Austrian border. Halk will use his keyboard experience to develop the local cultural scene. A resident of Feldkirchen, Upper Bavaria, Halk teaches piano, organ, coaching and conducting at the Musikum Salzburg. He was born in Karlsruhe in 1968.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIAFabio Bidini inaugurates piano chairThe Colburn School in Los Angeles, California has announced that the Italian pianist Fabio Bidini will be the first holder of its Carol Grigor Piano Chair. Currently teaching at Berlins Hochschule fr Musik

Hanns Eisler, Bidini will assume his duties at the Colburn School in autumn of this year. The endowed chair is the result of a $5m gift from pianist Carol Grigor. Bidini, who was born in Arezzo in 1968, came sixth at the 1993 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, which was won by his compatriot Simone Pedroni.

PIANISTS REMEMBEREDFrank GlazerFrank Glazer, longtime artist-in-residence at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, died in January aged 99. He had given his last recital at Bates two months before. The subject of the 2009 biography The Fountain of Youth: The Artistry of Frank Glazer (VDM Verlag Dr Mller), Glazer studied with Artur Schnabel in the 1930s. His New York debut was in 1936 at the Town Hall. He died a month before his centenary, for which he had planned a recital. Glazer relished contemporary composers, favouring Coplands Piano Variations, Barbers Excursions and Griffes Roman Sketches. He studied anatomy, the Alexander Technique and Otto Ortmanns The Physical Basis of Piano Touch and Tone to conquer physical challenges of lifetime keyboard performance. Having survived quadruple bypass surgery at the age of 86, he told The Maine Magazine in 2011: I learned that if you can do it with one muscle, dont do it with three. I learned how not to tense a muscle that

raises the arm. You have to have tension, but its the relationship between tension and relaxation thats important. Most people make the mistake of working too hard.

Dorothy MavrichHaving taught the piano for half a century at the Joliet Conservatory of Music, 40 miles south west of Chicago, Dorothy Mavrich died in February aged 94. Mavrich spearheaded a 1970s grassroots effort to preserve the Rialto Square Theatre, a local landmark, from demolition. Her conservatory was across the street from the Rialto, which was scheduled to be destroyed to make room for a parking garage. Possessing Americas largest hand-cut crystal chandelier and with grandiose architectural references to the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles, the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and the Roman Pantheon, the Rialto Square Theatre reopened in 1981 with a gala concert featuring pianist Victor Borge and continues to thrive today.

Joseph Alfidi American pianist Joseph Alfidi, who died in February aged 65, was a much-publicised child prodigy who came third at the 1972 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, ahead of Emanuel Ax. Among admirers of the young Alfidis playing was Arthur Rubinstein, who particularly praised the young pianists LP of Rachmaninovs Third Piano Concerto. In more recent years, Alfidi taught at the Royal Conservatory of Lige, Belgium.

Vera Gornostayeva Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory mainstay Vera Gornostayeva died in January aged 85. Gornostayeva taught Alexander Slobodyanik, Elena Gilels and Dina Yoffe, among many others, and was herself a pupil of Heinrich Neuhaus. Her many recordings for Philips and other labels won international acclaim.

FACULTY NEWSIP presents the latest updates from international keyboard departments

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Before the LSo Performed [mahlers Sixth], they offered another piece of barnstorming romantic rhetoric in the shape of the Second Piano Concerto by franz Liszt. the soloist was Alice Sara ott, who despite her sylph-like frame made the military rodomontade of Liszts piece ring out with heroic force. As if to prove that this is not really her thing, she played the diffident opening pages with a delicate, quiet tenderness that the notes didnt really deserve. All her efforts, and the deft accompaniment by the orchestra under conductor Gianandrea Noseda, couldnt disguise the tinny emptiness of the music. When ott came back on stage for her encore, she apologised for almost destroying the piano, and the limpid, graceful way she played the Second romanza of robert Schumann suggested she was apologising for Liszts concerto as well.

the quote above is part of a recent concert review in the Daily Telegraph by one of the UKs leading music critics. It is not untypical of the view of Liszt held by him and others of a certain mindset. their love and knowledge of classical music is as deep and passionate as it is wide and erudite, but they dont get Liszt. they get mahler all right. they get Bach, Beethoven, Britten, Boulez and Birtwistle. these are the untouchables. Criticise them at your peril. Liszt, though, is one of those composers who it is safe to sneer at or dismiss entirely.

Lets leave aside the improbability of Alice Sara ott apologising for the concerto she had just chosen to perform. her Lisztian credentials are well known and I doubt she would waste her time on a composer whose music she felt apologetic about

playing. Look at how the Second Piano Concerto is characterised: barnstorming rhetoric [] military rodomontade [] played with a delicate, quiet tenderness that the notes didnt really deserve [] the tinny emptiness of the music. our critic would surely be aware of the A major Concertos originality and inventiveness. So why not enlighten readers and point out that, for example, it is a work of unique conception that was revised, honed and polished several times after its initial conception in 1839/40 and was not to be published in its final version until 20 years later? or that its structurally ambiguous single-movement form is not unlike a symphonic poem (one genre among many invented by Liszt)? the tinny emptiness of Liszts labours as set forth in this bit of romantic rhetoric has always remained popular with the public. And why has it attracted great pianists down the generations, among them ferruccio Busoni, emil von Sauer, Nelson freire, Lazar Berman, Sviatoslav richter, John ogdon, Claudio Arrau, Grigory Ginzburg, Julius Katchen, Jorge Bolet and egon Petri? If its good enough for them, its good enough for me and it should be good enough for any other music lover too.

dISdAIN for LISzt ANd hIS music is, of course, nothing new. With the notable exception of richard Strauss, the Austro-German lot (mahler, Schoenberg et al), with their influential grip on the course of classical music, had little time for him. they viewed Liszt primarily as a virtuoso pianist and a superficial composer who indulged in the near-criminal offence of writing ornamentation for its own sake (the french and russians were more generous: one can see the influence of Liszt in the works of debussy, ravel, Glinka, Balakirev, rachmaninov, Lyapunov and many others). right up until the 1950s, in some quarters he was viewed as a charlatan, a meretricious showman, a lothario whose music was empty, frivolous and non-authentic. All-Liszt recitals were

rare events indeed. A decade ago when I was asked to write a book on the 50 greatest composers, my cultured, music-loving editor questioned my inclusion of Liszt as a suitable subject. Is he really a great composer? he queried. Certainly, I countered. No question. one of the most influential of the 19th century. Who would

you put in his place if it were between him and someone else? heinrich Schtz, came the reply. Im pleased to say I won the argument.

Liszt was not only a great composer. I think he was one of the great men of the 19th century in any sphere. his championship of struggling composers, his encouragement of the younger generation (composers and performers) and his generosity in not charging his students for lessons was musical philanthropy on a grand scale. how he managed to do what he did in one lifetime remains baffling. his achievements in any single role, whether pianist, composer, conductor, writer or teacher, would have been enough for a normal person. Quantity does not, of course, equal quality, but there is little that is tinny or empty in the extraordinary creative output of this genius.

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Jeremy Nicholas writes in defence of franz Liszts piano music

The tinny emptiness of Liszt

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o n e t o w a t c h

Bachs last mIghty, unfInIshed masterPIece the Art of Fugue is something of a musical enigma. the composer never specified that the work should be played on a solo keyboard instrument. the music, a deeply complex exploration of counterpoint, may well have been intended as an exercise for the mind, rather than the fingers. Its relentless nature ensures there is no light relief for the performer or listener; the work expands like a dividing cell for nearly an hour and a half, until it comes to an abrupt halt midway through the final, unfinished quadruple fugue.

Its a work that french pianist climne daudet knows inside and out. daudet recorded the Art of Fugue three years ago (en.celimene-daudet.com), before angela hewitts recent hit recording for hyperion put the work back on the map. however, it wasnt until a chance meeting with marc monnet, enterprising

artistic director of the Printemps des arts de monte-carlo (see pp62-63), that daudet was given the opportunity to perform the work in its entirety. Other directors are afraid and want little pieces of it, she says. some people say it is cold and dry. Its not really written to be performed its very difficult for the pianists hands and it does not feel natural. the goldbergs were written for keyboard but the Art of Fugue is more like a monument, architecture. Its a strange trip.

the trip became even stranger under monnets careful curation. the Art of Fugue was paired with Anamorphoses, Johannes schllhorns abstract rendering of the Bach fugues, which was

performed by the remix ensemble casa da msica. If that wasnt daring enough, the chosen venue was monacos historic aquarium. daudet, unfazed, was kind enough to speak to me on the morning of the concert. I think the acoustic [in the Oceanographic museum] is good for Bach because it is a little bit [she searches for the right word] resonant? like a church. But you wont see the fish. (In fact, I spent a very pleasant interval with the sharks.)

daudets performance was one of those special, one-off musical events that concert goers spend their lives searching for. It was long and arduous but as our ears adjusted we experienced clarity and beauty. daudets dedication, stamina and sheer technique were breathtaking. Perhaps there were shades of one of her idols, glenn gould (even he did not perform the Art of Fugue). however, such musical marathons are not to everyones taste; some audience members shifted in their seats, my neighbour checked his emails (until his wife elbowed him in the ribs) and there was the odd rustle and murmur. hewitt said of the Art of Fugue that its perfection is such that when I perform it, even the slightest cough feels like a stain on a beautiful canvas. she makes an excellent point.

daudet, 38, studIed at the ParIs cOnservatOIre and is still based in that city, when shes not travelling. I had really good teachers but I dont define myself by a teacher, daudet says. this is probably the first time an interviewee has not jumped to name-check a famous mentor; I am impressed. daudets inspiration comes from elsewhere. I learn from my music colleagues, she says. some pianists say that they prefer to play just solo or chamber music, but I play fifty per cent solo and fifty per cent chamber.

to that end, daudet is about to embark on a major recording project for the fledgling label nomadmusic. We are recording the Beethoven sonatas for violin and piano. Its an interesting label as they are curious about new technologies; its a cd and video recording. and is she happy to be filmed in performance? If its what people want then I say lets do it, she smiles. after that, I have a recital programme in asia where Ill perform in china and singapore.

daudet is a quietly determined artist with a first-rate mind. like most touring pianists, she often has to cope with limited practice time on the instrument itself, and has amassed various ways to study en route mostly, she admits, playing the music in my head, with and without the score. Its difficult to be alone and practising alone is really hard, she concludes. Playing with another musician makes you more open minded.

french pianist climne daudet is an intellectually curious musician on an adventure in counterpoint. By Claire Jackson

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Climne Daudet performs The Art of Fugue at the Printemps des Arts de Monte-Carlo

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CLARA RODRIGUEZ, Piano recitalA poet of the piano (Antonio Estvez)Sunday 7 June 2015 at 4.00 pmPurcell Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall

Venezuelan pianist Clara Rodrguez performs music by Albniz, Gershwin, Villa-Lobos, Lecuona, Moleiro, Ruiz, Astor and Nazareth accompanied by her amazing musician friends in an afternoon of rich rhythms and fabulous melodies of beloved popular pieces from Europe, the USA, Cuba and South America.

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mark on the concert stage. Invited nalists may select a short program of solo works that denes ones unique strengths and allows his or her most eloquent artistry to shine through. Finalists perform in beautiful and prestigious Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall at Benaroya Hall, in downtown Seattle during October, 16-19, 2015.

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d I a r y o f a n a c c o m P a n I s t

THURSDAY UnUsUal event: am to accompany cor anglais auditions for top london orchestra. Ponder repertoire. composers generally save the instrument for doleful/funereal atmosphere, so anticipate day full of long notes, easy and hopefully not too boring.

reach venue, meet panel, familiar faces from own orchestral keyboard days. ask How many victims, sorry, clients? fourteen, is answer. Blink. and another twenty tomorrow. and thats just the ones weve called: We had 200 applications altogether. Wince. so much talent (presumably), so little available work. scan orchestral extracts am not required to accompany them but interesting nonetheless. Usual suspects, including rodrigo (Concierto dAranjuez), sibelius (Swan of Tuonela), stravinsky (Rite of Spring, prelude) and ravel Piano concerto slow movement; idly mention this to panel as familiar warhorse from own concerto-playing days. also respighi (Pines of Rome finale), famous for oft-forgotten accidentals at ends of very long bars, similar to places in Bach fugues exasperatingly familiar from piano lessons.

first auditionee offers donizetti concertino, obvious choice among limited repertoire but in fact poor audition piece since all in high register, where orchestrators seldom write. Preliminary talk-through backstage (to ascertain tempo, etc) replaced by painstaking selection of correct reed. Performance oK, though stopped (as expected) after two minutes. leave stage to rehearse with next auditionee, currently wrestling with reeds. Warm-up piece also

donizetti concertino. foresee getting to know piece intimately first two minutes anyway before day is out.

day proceeds: donizetti prevails, other selections including not sibeliuss Swan but saint-sanss, perfect for the instrument in terms of range and mood. Piano part familiar enough: ponder, as so often, why arrangers (for any instrument) simply copy original first piano part without ever noticing that whole piece should end on full G major chord rather than just two notes. fifth auditionee of day is the first not to complain about reeds. Wonder how many cor anglais players

consider alternative careers as reed-makers: demand presumably inexhaustible.

scan days schedule: mornings last-scheduled auditionee female, and well known for generous cor! factor. secluded post-audition lunch deux beckons. sadly, has cried off, place being taken by afternoon candidate arriving early, ready to play immediately, and emphatically male. lunch companionable nevertheless. compliment him on warm-up piece, unremarkable sonata movement by Pierre-max dubois but whose every en-route tempo-change is dictated by cor, not piano, totally eliminating risk of setting wrong speeds in performance. ah, the perfect pianist-proof audition piece, he says. took me ages to find. and do you know the real

range of the cor anglais? he asks. mention text-book answer. oh no, is reply, range d to d, one octave; all trills and tremolos impossible. thats what I tell young composers. anything for a quiet life. recall countless ungrateful or unplayable piano parts from times past, and consider he has a point.

lunch ends. Back to business. next two auditionees arrive at once: first one has thoughtfully brought unaccompanied warm-up pieces, leaving self free for prolonged backstage talk-through with second, extremely pretty and gratifyingly nervous. tlc session beckons, prematurely interrupted by panellist. We need to hear previous player for tuning with piano, he says, Would you mind doing ravel with him? you said you knew it. Weve got a full score. suddenly feel like auditionee myself.

final auditionee arrives. day has been kind so far, but come-uppance imminent: warm-up piece is Quartet (with string trio) by Jean franaix, composer notorious for high speeds and fast-moving complex harmonies. Worse, auditionee only has score, not piano reduction. Poor choice in all: consider outright rejection, but auditionee also tearfully apologetic, and very beautiful. cross fingers, and hope panel will be either in very good mood or else fast asleep. ah, wide-awake panel tells me, We only want to hear her orchestral extracts. see you tomorrow. deliverance. leave slowly, hear auditionee start respighi. Wish had had time to warn her of accidentals. too late now, but never mind: another 20 potential cors! beckon tomorrow. eIllu

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AlIce sArA ott fIrst mAde a name for herself as a precocious virtuoso versed in core romantic repertoire (issue 6, march/April 2011). However, in recent times she has entered unpredictable collaborations. two years ago, I found myself sitting on the floor of a converted swimming pool in Berlin as the German-Japanese pianist and luxembourg native francesco tristano, both wearing 1920s-style fedoras, tore through a four-hand arrangement of ravels La valse. the work would become the last track on their recently released album Scandale, a tribute to the impresario sergei diaghilev, who famously commissioned provocative works such as stravinskys The Rite of Spring. In this spirit, ott and tristano went the full stretch to market the album (deutsche Grammophon 479 3541). one image shows the young pianists strapped to a concrete floor with pink tape, both barefoot in tight black trousers and white t-shirts.

When I meet 26-year-old ott in a caf in Berlins mitte district, she appears less dangerous, wearing no make-up, an elegantly knotted silk scarf and a cream coloured sweater. Nowadays it is much more difficult to provoke, she says. Nudity isnt shocking. the only thing that still shocks people is criminality. Besides that, people have seen everything. ott believes the art world today could learn from the explorations of diaghilev with his troupe, the Ballets russes. He gave his artists a free space that wasnt dependent on commercial success. that means they

could do what they wanted. It was a time when people came together around the creation of art which is the ultimate dream. today, everything revolves around money and time. It is important to make people aware of this message.

realeased in september 2014, Scandale has brought together two artists who couldnt be more different. ott is best known for playing music by composers such as chopin and Grieg; tristano is into Baroque and electronic beats. she plays

a steinway; he plays a yamaha. But it is exactly those contrasts that have nurtured the partnership.

Before teaming up with tristano, ott avoided public appearances in four-hand music, with the exception of one occasion alongside her younger sister, mona Asuka ott. We tried it once with a presenter, she recalls. It isnt what we want, at least for now. But the partnership with tristano complements her solo career. the funny thing is that when one plays alone, there is a certain boundary where the body stops. But when there are two of us, there is none. When one person goes higher, the other tries to go even higher.

ott ANd trIstANo met fIve years ago at a conference in london organised by deutsche Grammophon, where both hold contracts. the two quickly became friends, attending each others concerts as often as possible. ott originally invited tristano to play the Bach double concertos for a recording project that never materialised. When the two subsequently discussed the possibility of a complete album for duo, The Rite of Spring which stravinsky himself arranged

for four hands the theme of 1920s Paris quickly came to the table. But both agreed that the programme wouldnt be complete without a contemporary work, since diaghilev revolutionised his era. enter tristano, a composer of both classical and electronic music, who penned A Soft Shell Groove Suite just for the occasion.

As the title implies, it is a work driven by groovy rhythms, with interlocking textures evoking detroit techno. It has a very four-on-the-floor feel, says tristano by phone from Barcelona. It is a nice counterweight to The Rite of Spring, which is highly complex and virtuosic. I wanted to write something a little softer, a little easier on the listener.

In harmony

Pianists Alice sara ott and francesco tristano seek to thrill as they embrace the provocative side

of four-hand repertoire. Rebecca Schmid reports from Berlin

The breathing of the artist, the sound of the pedal, the hammers inside the instrument

that is what is beautiful and individual



c o v e r s t o r y

It maintains that dance feeling. ott also believes the work is a perfect match, calling techno the trend of our times. It was also the most challenging part of the project for her. Its a genre I like but had no physical experience with, she admits. I understood it in my head but didnt know how to implement it. But Francesco was patient with me. I almost had a breakdown the day before the concert, and he said, Alice, I think you need a drink! And then everything worked better. Now the piece is a part of me.

tristano, in turn, had difficulty easing into the melodies of ravels La valse, a sardonic waltz that Diaghilev decided not

to stage, denouncing the work as a mere portrait of a ballet. While tristano takes the bass line, or second piano, in most of the programme with ott, here he plays the upper voice. this viennese back- and-forth tempo bending has a different feeling from steady groove, he says. I love to play that cheesy melody. In a bold move that drew its share of scepticism from the duos friends and colleagues, tristano has also created an arrangement of ravels widely performed and sometimes choreographed Bolro, which features as part of the duos scandale recital tour (but isnt on the record).

there are essentially two ways to transcribe it, maintains tristano. the

first is to trade the melody back and forth to create the repetitions and variations. But I decided ultimately to be the groove machine I play snare drum throughout the piece, growing from a single note to an octave to a chord and Alice plays all 17 variations of the melody, sometimes by less orthodox means. I wanted to have her really shine in the treble. ott considers the work demanding but also fun. All the colours are created by orchestral instruments, beginning with the flute, then the clarinet, oboe and everything else it becomes more and more bombastic, and to play that on the piano is a huge challenge. But when we started rehearsing, we asked ourselves

how we could change the colours so that it builds into this incredible force at the end. It is a very, very physical programme. We wouldnt be able to pull through without a lot of espresso and chocolate.

ott hAs Put herselF oN the line in another fashion with her most recent release, The Chopin Project. the album, on Deutsche Grammophon sister label Mercury classics, weaves together the ethereal electronic scores of Icelandic composer lafur Arnalds with arrangements of chopin as well as straight performances of his piano music. ott performs not on a steinway, but on old bar pianos, an element she believes captures

the musics intimacy. the recording captures ambient sounds both inside and outside the piano. ott admits that while she was sceptical when Arnalds request first arrived, his ideas ultimately convinced her. When one thinks back to the time of chopin, things were performed in smaller spaces, she says. there were no concert halls for 3,000 people, there werent the instruments we need today to fill such spaces, and they were certainly not all perfectly tuned. one heard much more: the breathing of the artist, the sound of the pedal, the hammers inside the instrument. that is what is beautiful and individual.

Although the project includes elements of crossover, ott is quick to reassert herself as a core classical artist. the parts that I contributed are just chopin on the piano, she says. We did a lot of sound experiments, but in the end I only play what he wrote, so its not a new direction. Although I very much respect my colleagues who do crossover because I think its a way of reaching a new audience. she is also committed to new concert formats that can attract uninitiated listeners: she and Arnalds performed the concert premiere of the chopin Project alongside DJ acts during Deutsche Grammophons yellow lounge album launch series at the Konzerthaus Berlin last March, with coloured lighting and electronic dance music creating a brash prelude to the albums hushed sound worlds. you all look tired! she said through the microphone, suggesting that the audience members take a seat on the floor.

ott considers it the artists responsibility to break down barriers and false prejudices. there are often too many rules in concert halls: one cant talk; many people think you have to get dressed up. It is so tense that I can understand why young people would think classical music is only something for people who have money and knowledge. that isnt true. education comes with listening and appropriation of knowledge as one listens to more and more. It is of course easier to communicate that in a club setting, where the younger generation trusts itself to come in. I think that it is the first step. the pianist believes that, if given the chance, classical musicians can reach young listeners just like rock stars.

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I mean, Liszt and chopin were wilder than the rolling stones, she says. People can either connect to lyrics, or lifestyle or even the clothes of the artist. that is why they listen to albums and go to concerts. Because what does one ultimately want from music? to be moved.

ott Puts her Ideas to work as a visual artist as well, posting imaginative sketches on her twitter feed. while rehearsing with the London symphony orchestra last February, she depicted herself in conversation with the conductor Gianandrea Noseda, whose features she recreated with astounding accuracy: where is Liszt? he asks from the podium. Busy flirting! says a cartoonish figure, who conjures an image of the composer surrounded by fawning ladies. the pianist considers drawing the opportunity to do capture a snapshot of the moment, while also attributing the hobby to hyperactive hands. whenever I talk on the phone, I notice that Ive scribbled something. My hands always have to do something! while she dreams of taking a painting course, she believes her personality type is better suited to shorter-term activities. the problem is that I dont have a lot of patience. I cant sit for ten hours at the piano, either. I have

to understand it up here first, she says, pointing to her head. I of course practiced a lot as a child and dont have to work on technique for hours at a time now. so much happens in the head and heart, and the connection between them. that is something I learned young.

when away from the piano, ott prefers non-classical genres for casual listening especially when her own instrument is involved. the worst is when youre invited to a dinner party and piano music is playing in the background! she admits. I lose my appetite. I am more into Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, tom waits, Leonard cohen, also jazz sometimes. since moving to Berlin three years ago, she has engaged with both electronic dance music and contemporary music. although she was exposed to composers such as kurtg and Ligeti at a young age and, in 2000, performed a world premiere by German composer wilhelm killmayer, she has yet to dive into 21st-century repertoire. there are so many great composers, she says, citing recent encounters, both musical and personal, with esa-Pekka salonen, Magnus Lindberg, thomas ads and George Benjamin. the only problem is that one has to invest a lot of time and energy because it is new territory: there are no clues, no recordings. I hope

I will be able to invest myself more to it in the future.

Meanwhile, whenever possible, she takes time to enjoy her recently adopted home city. what I like about Berlin is that nobody cares, ott reflects. there are so many cultures that one doesnt stand out. It is a good balance to all the jet-setting, when one is the centre of attention. For me it is very important to have moments when I can stand on the ground and be just like any other person, with all their flaws. you can do that easily here. youre just a small particle in this tangle of different religions, cultures and mentalities. It is always an issue to arrange ones schedule so that there is time for new things. I am also not someone who plays one hundred concerts in a year. I experienced that once, in the negative sense. I think happiness means something very different for everyone, also in terms of career.

and with that, ott gathers her things and heads out onto the quiet street, her inconspicuous presence still difficult to reconcile with the image of the onstage artist. Alice Sara Ott and Francesco Tristano bring their Scandale recital to the Queen Elizabeth Hall on 11 June as part of the International Piano Series at the Southbank Centre

When one person goes higher, the other tries to go even higher

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For information on Steinway & Sons pianos or to arrange a private appointment to visit our London showrooms, please call 0207 487 3391 or email [email protected]

WWW.STEINWAYHALL.CO.UK

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16096 Steinway International Piano_Layout 1 17/04/2015 15:52 Page 1

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produc t s

SteInway haS revealed one of its most ambitious projects to date: a modern-day player piano system that makes live performances by Steinway artists available at the touch of a button. Steinway has referred to the development as the companys most significant product innovation in over 70 years.

although manufacturers such as yamaha have offered in-built self-playing options on acoustic and hybrid instruments for several years, Steinway had, until recently, resisted the trend. with companies such as Mason & hamlin offering to retrofit instruments with Pianodisc a system that enables owners to control their pianos via iPads and other devices the demand for accurate reproduction of performances is on the rise.

the new Spirio system coyly dubbed the worlds finest player piano system will be available on select Steinway grand pianos, and promises to offer delicate pedalling, subtle phrasing, soft trills and thundering fortissimos. the system is said to replicate the damper and keyshift pedalling with minute accuracy, following the pianists depressions and releases smoothly and precisely over the entire range of motion. Spirio will be in-built specifically for Steinway instruments and is therefore not available as a retrofit option.

the technology was created in partnership with wayne Stahnke, an innovator in the field of contemporary player pianos.

the featured music will comprise a new catalogue of recordings from Steinways enviable roster of 1,700 artists performing across a range of genres; the player system will include contemporary music, classical and jazz. Crucially, the entire catalogue will be provided to Steinway Spirio owners at no additional charge a first for the player piano industry. Steinway will also throw in a complimentary iPad to wirelessly control the Spirio system.

as with other player systems, the components do not affect the touch, sound or outward appearance of the piano in any way. the manufacturer claims that

with routine maintenance and occasional updates, the Spirio system should last the full life-time of the piano.

the system is currently available on three existing piano models: Model B (Music room Grand, available worldwide), Model M (Medium Grand, available in select US and Canadian markets), and Model o (living room Grand, available in select european and asian markets). Pricing is available upon request through local Steinway & Sons dealers and Steinway & Sons retail locations.

www.steinwayspirio.com

Pianoworld

Steinway has unveiled its new player piano system, the Steinway Spirio, which brings unparalleled

reproduction of concert performances into living rooms at the touch of a button. IP reports

IP0515_025_027_Products_CJ.indd 25 20/04/2015 17:03

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P R O D U C T S

The latest innovations for pianists and pianos KLANGSPIEGELThis rather unusual-looking construction is not a piece of modern art; it is a sound refl ector that is designed to move the sound in the direction of the player. The idea is that the pianist feels in the midst of the music, with a more intense sound experience. Piano Enzenauer | www.piano-enzenauer.de

PIANO COVERBia Wunderers beautiful piano covers or capes draw on the artists love of colour and texture. They are double-faced with a layer of cotton in between to give body and weight; the outer layer is a combination of silk and velvet. Bespoke designs can be created to suit a piano lovers requirements.Bia Wunderer | [email protected]

SOLEMATEIts never too early to adopt best posture practices and this cleverly designed footstool is perfect for children who cannot yet reach the pedals. The SoleMate has three settings that are easily adjustable and its portability is useful for teachers and students alike. Neverbored Design |

www.neverboreddesign.com

THE COCTEAU MODEL Bsendorfers latest limited-edition release is an ode to French artist Jean Cocteau (1889-1963). The 12-piece series was showcased for the fi rst time at the Musikmesse in Frankfurt in April. The Austrian piano makers worked with Menton Music Festival and the Menton Museum Jean Cocteau to design the special piano, which features a silk-screen image of Orpheus and a lyre. Bsendorfer |

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IP0515_025_027_Products_CJ.indd 27 20/04/2015 16:18


c o m p e t i t i o n r e p o r t

The TenTh Franz LIszT Piano Competition, which ran from 26 October to 8 november in Utrecht, the netherlands, was fortunate to find a winner like Mariam Batsashvili. her charismatic appearance, natural and poignant interpretations and varied tone quality enchanted jury members and the many Liszt enthusiasts who came to Utrecht. even as a child, Batsashvili (born 1993, Georgia) dreamt of a peripatetic life as a virtuoso. having previously won first prize at the International Franz Liszt Competition for Young Pianists in Weimar in 2011, she arrived in Utrecht accompanied by a loyal fan club and natalia natsvlishvili, her first teacher, who still coaches her. I will continue to study with her as long as I can, says Batsashvili. she knows me better than anyone.

Batsashvili is also studying with Grigory Gruzman at the hochschule fr Musik in Weimar, where she now lives. Weimar is a great city. I feel happy there. You can meet Liszt, Wagner, Goethe, schiller and Bach, so to speak, on every street corner!

although Batsashvili plays a wide repertoire, Liszt found a special place in her heart at a very early age. I completely fell in love with him. Playing Liszt is like a necessity of life for me, and it really hurts me to see that hes so misunderstood. I hope this will change because his music is not a circus act of fast notes and octaves. he is such a profound thinker and philosopher. and his sonata, for example, for me, is a Divina Commedia in music. Literature being her other passion, she has now read Dantes magnum opus five times.

Batsashvili took not only the first prize of 20,000 (which also comes with an

LIFe WITh LIszTMariam Batsashvili has become the first woman to win the triennial International Franz Liszt Piano Competition since its inception in 1986. Eric Schoones reports from the tenth instalment

Liszts music is not a circus act of

fast notes and octaves. He is

such a profound thinker and

philosopher

IP0515_028-029_Comp Report_CJ.indd 28 20/04/2015 14:44


c o m p e t i t i o n r e p o r t

extensive career development programme) and the press prize (5,000) but also a new prize that of the junior jury (1,500), group of judges aged 12 to 18. For this, the Liszt Competition joined forces with the Young Pianist Foundation (YPF), another important Dutch institution, in a joint effort to help young, talented pianists. Winners of the YPF Competition played at lunchtime in Utrecht, while a hundred students participated in workshops conducted by jury members including Paul Badura-Skoda and Leslie Howard, using a wide range of historic instruments that were on display during the whole competition. This fascinating exhibition had been sourced from various collections in France, Germany and the Netherlands, and included two Erards from 1795 and 1828, a Graf from 1827 and a Boisselot identical to the instrument Liszt used on his tours. Also on display was a Bechstein from the Liszt Museum in Weimar, and Liszts last Steingraeber piano from 1873. Another rarity was the piano that Liszt, during one of his visits to the Netherlands, played on for the Dutch King Willem III. All this was made possible by the opening in July 2014, after years of delays and much discussion, of the spacious Tivoli Vredenburg, Utrechts grand new concert hall.

THIS YEAr, THE CoMPETITIoN continued its experiment with new media. one innovation was to announce the names of the 24 candidates selected for the quarter-finals in a YouTube and Facebook film clip. Additionally, a special app for smartphones made it possible for Liszt fans worldwide to cast their votes for the audience prize. However, the webcast shown in the hall on a huge screen failed to add a more profound experience to the music: the image was not synchronised with the live sound.

Another novelty in this years competition was introduced in the semi-finals. Candidates had to perform two songs by Liszt with soprano Maria Estefana Perdomo Nogales and tenor Peter Gijsbertsen. Gustav Alink, director of the Alink-Argerich Foundation, an independent worldwide information and service centre for musicians and competitions, told me that a song accompaniment is rarely added

to the programme of a piano competition (exceptions being the Grieg Competition in Bergen, Norway and the Honens Competition in Calgary), though quite a few, notably the Van Cliburn, Hamamatsu and Tel Aviv Arthur rubinstein, have included chamber music with instrumentalists, ranging from duo to quintet.

Gijsbertsen, recipient of the Glyndebourne John Christie Award and the Lieder prize at the International Vocal Competitions-Hertogenbosch (now also a partner of the Liszt Competition), shared his impression of the finalists. Peter Klimo, who took second prize, was the most relaxed, taking time for a coffee one minute before we had to go on, saying, If you dont know it by now, its simply too late. Mengjie Han [third prize] who was the most risk-taking by trying new colours I liked very much. Mariam Batsashvili was extremely well prepared, if perhaps a bit timid. But that is still to be preferred above the candidates who know exactly what they want, leaving no room for dialogue. Gijsbertsen found a huge difference between the candidates and the specialised Lieder accompanists he usually works with. They bring so much to a rehearsal; so many ideas, and they also take the initiative. Knowing the repertoire and the special collaboration between singer and pianist inside out, they realise a singer is also searching, and that travelling together takes you further. But still, if you are a great musician, you can do all that just by looking at the score.

Gijsbertsen feels that adding the Lieder to the competition is a good idea. It shows

the ability of the pianist to communicate. That is very important. As a pianist, you have to get along with conductors and orchestras and even if you only play solo recitals, you still have to communicate with the public.

So might the competition just as well have had a violinist play some Liszt with the candidates? Gijsbertsen laughs. You know, singers might be the most difficult type of musician to work with, so perhaps its not a bad choice. And in collaborating, you can share the tension. It might feel less like an examination. I think most candidates enjoyed that. They all did their best to really make music. www.liszt.nl

www.mariambatsashvili.com

www.petergijsbertsen.nl

www.alink-argerich.org

Queen Mxima of the Netherlands congratulates Batsashvili

Peter Gijsbertsen

IP0515_028-029_Comp Report_CJ.indd 29 20/04/2015 17:05

Two recent CD releases on the Prima Facie label contain almost all Gilberts piano music:

CHIMES IN TIME (PFCD 013)Pianist/composer Panayiotis Demopoulos

performs eight short poetic pieces, along with works by Goehr, Ellis and himself

~PIANO MUSIC by Anthony Gilbert

(PFCD 007)Pianists Richard Casey and Ian Buckle

perform the 3 Sonatas and a range of shorter pieces,a disc voted among the Sunday Times Top Ten

contemporary releases for 2012

ANTHONY GILBERT

50 years of piano music

FAND MUSIC PRESSwww.fandmusic.com

Sir Arnold Bax

Piano musicFour PiecesThe Happy ForestIn the NightLegendNympholeptSalzburg Sonata

Forthcoming firsteditions this SpringScherzoSuite and Variations on the name Gabriel Faur

BookIDEALA: The collected poems and some early love letters of Arnold Bax (Dermot OByrne), edited by Colin Scott-Sutherland

[IDEALA] is truly a beautiful book and an extraordinarily important one Richard R. Adams The Sir Arnold Bax Website

Fand Music Press: The First Edition Publishers

Fand also publishes an extensive range of contemporary scores

IP0315.indd 30 17/04/2015 16:55:45


r o g e r s a c h e v e r e l l c o k e

The hIsTory of musIc Is littered with the names of composers whose stars briefly shone and were then extinguished. But what of those who laboured in obscurity during their lifetimes, without significant public recognition, and who have been deprived of even posthumous fame? such a figure was the english pianist and composer roger sacheverell coke (1912-1972).

little of his music was (or, indeed, is) published. No commercial recording of anything was made during his lifetime. Though there were several broadcasts of his work (moura lympany in a couple

of cokes Preludes and, in the 1980s, alexander Baillie and Piers lane in the cello sonata No 2), nothing of his extensive output appeared on disc until 2013, when em records released a disc of the violin sonata in D minor with rupert marshall-luck and matthew Pickard.

Now, a second disc of cokes music is about to be released. The enterprising British pianist simon callaghan has recorded the 24 Preludes, op 33-34 (1938 and 1941) and 15 variations and finale in c minor, op 37 (1939). It will be callaghans fifth disc for the somm label. I was given the music by a friend of a friend,

he tells me. several people had looked at the scores and werent particularly interested. and when I played through his 24 Preludes I also didnt get it. But then something a few months later made me go back and play them again and they somehow made more sense. a few other friends have had the same experience of the music not immediately opening up to them. on the other hand, there are pieces that are immediately appealing and charming. his harmonic language is quite advanced and it took me a while. I dont think thats necessarily a bad thing. Theres a lot of detail that is reflected in the

British brilliance

roger sacheverell coke (1912-1972) was an under-appreciated composer during his career and deprived of posthumous fame until now. Jeremy Nicholas speaks to simon callaghan, who has made a world premiere recording of cokes Preludes and variations

Simon Callaghan pores over source material in the British Library

IP0515_031-035_Coke_CJ.indd 31 20/04/2015 17:07



scores. For every note there are so many different details and sometimes conflicting dynamics for each hand or within voices.

The family archive is in Chesterfield Library, dumped there when the house in which Coke lived was sold. He only died in 1972 and yet these albums are disintegrating, just wrapped in paper, tied with string and shoved into a box. Eventually, theyll simply be gone.

So completely forgotten is Coke that reading the bare facts of his life, one might be forgiven for thinking he was the invention of a romantic novelist or a mischievous critic (it has happened before). First, the name: Coke is pronounced to rhyme with cook (not, as youd expect, cloak); and he is known as Coke rather than Sacheverell Coke (unlike, for

example, the similarly unhyphenated Vaughan Williams). He was one of two children, and the only son, of Lieutenant Langton Coke of the 1st Battalion Irish Guards, who was killed aged 36 in the first Battle of Ypres in 1914. Roger was just two years old and inherited the family estate.

The Cokes can trace their family back in a direct male line for over 600 years. The family home for centuries was the handsome Elizabethan pile of Brookhill Hall in Pinxton, Derbyshire. Here, Coke lived with his mother (ne Dorothy Maye Sacheverell Huntingford) and a detested governess before being packed off to Eton. It was after he left school at 18 that he heard a piano recording by the great Benno Moiseiwitsch. It made a deep impression on him (Moiseiwitsch was later to become

his friend) and he determined to become a concert pianist and composer. From then on, nothing but music mattered to him.

In 1933 a Torquay newspaper reporter tracked him down at the Pavilion: Seated at the grand piano with his flaxen hair streaming over his face and eyes in a fine frenzy rolling, he rehearsed the compositions he was due to play the next afternoon [] Like most artistes of exceptional ability, he appeared extremely temperamental, and when I asked him for some information about himself he finished off a crescendo with an impressive sweep of the keys, bounced off the stool, grasped my hand, loaded me with a stack of literature and press cuttings, and disappeared like some old-time magician.

He studied the piano with Mabel Lander (1882-1955), Moisewitschs assistant and a fellow pupil of Leschetizky, who besides teaching Malcolm Sargent at some stage also taught the piano to the young Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret. Coke took composition lessons from Frederick Staton (and later from Alan Bush). Here is Staton on his pupil, who had already (1935) seen the premieres of his first two

He squandered the family fortune on his music. There was no electricity, no running water except in certain places in the house, and the paint was peeling off the walls

Roger Sacheverell Coke pictured at his beloved Steinway

IP0515_031-035_Coke_CJ.indd 32 20/04/2015 17:07



Piano Concertos, the second of which, dedicated to Mabel Lander, had been broadcast in a performance conducted by no less a figure than Dan Godfrey: Here I had a pupil of undoubted ability, perseverance, wealth, and an entire disregard for anything that did not a

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