Getting around to Liszt has always been difficult for me. Not that I haven't taught most of his larger works to students the past 50 years. Now the opportunity has arisen to prepare a new Piano Portrait for next year. I did one on Liszt at the Villa d'Este some years ago, and a friend sent stunning slides of all the fountains, gardens and other water features of this fabulous villa in the hills outside Rome.
Now I am reworking the original Portrait, and returning to some of the scores he was inspired to write during his years there.
I think as a young pianist I made a detour around Liszt as I was not drawn to this type of overt virtuosity. I think the thing that held me back was my (then) inablility to wade through so many notes that seemed to be there only for
display. Later studies, and teaching experiences, awakened me to the need to look at his compositions organically, trying to place each note, whether in small print or large, into the whole. Well, at this stage of life that sounds elemental "Dr.Watson".
If I could penetrate the most complicated Bach and Beethoven, surely I could conquer Liszt. Still the spirit was willing, but the flesh.....!
The thing that turned the trick was my ear for sound. I began to see that a clear need for aural color, inflection and timbre was vital, as it unlocked the technical
side. In other words, the vision had to come first, and then the rest would follow. Suunds rather easy doesn't it. Often one sees a half-page cadenza, full of tiny notes. I have watched many students try to encompass these passages, only to fall apart halfway through. Only by breaking these passages into manageable cells of notes...not simply drawing imaginary measure strokes, but actually finding the small melodic gem that is used to hold the whole thing together, will you find the necessary guideposts for your ear. Hence, small cells lead to the whole cell. As always, the ear is the great detector.
Octaves abound in Liszt, and finding your way through them can be at your peril. I studied the Kullak octave studies while a teenager, and this helped tremendously. Also, listening for the melodic core will help, keeping one's ear open to inflection, so you don't play every octave with the same intensity. In an octave passage the hand has to recover the best it can from the strain, so keeping a flexible wrist behind a firm hand is mandantory. Also, weaving in and out between black and white notes means subtle adjustments of the angle of the hand itself. Forcing your hand into an octave mold and just blazing away can lead to injury. You have to think of octave passages as MELODY..two melodies in one hand. To find the inflection and curve of it, play the passage with both hands, so you just hear the line, and not tax your technical powers before you are ready to make music from it.
Not to digress...but I will, naturally!...I heard a most interesting discussion on PBS Nightly News last evening, probing why we have failed in our efforts to improve student achievement. The gist of the argument centered around the fact that we have resorted to holding the stick too high, and pushing everyone to jump over it. Of course, this is proving to be a failure. The correct psychology is to find where the student actually is in their development, and start from there. Well, I am sure that more than we would like to recognize fall into the bottom of the barrel. This is where teaching piano can solve the educational crisis. Good teachers make an ASSESSMENT, then prescribe the cure. This seems so logical, but apparently is unsaleable in Washington D.C. The parallel thought is the same for solving problems at the keyboard. Start with a great teacher, then proceed with caution, and a path will open before you.
Back to Lizst. I am convinced that Liszt made his points as a performer with great clarity of line, and an overall eveness in execution. The only person I studied with who was a descendent of his teaching was Ilonka Deckers Kuzler in Milan. When I knew her she was in her late seventies. She was Hungarian and had studied in Budapest with a teacher named Arnold Szekely. She traced his roots back to the Liszt/Czerny/Beethoven tradition that many claim, rightly or wrongly. Ilonka also taugh Edith Farnardi, who recorded an enormous amount of Liszt for Westminster Records in the late 1940's-early 1950's. Quite a few of these are in the University of South Carolina Music Library, and are real treasures. They exhibit the qaulities I remember from Ilonka's teaching. She also taught the great Annie Fischer as a young prodigy, Annie going on to become one of the greatest pianists of the last century.
When I listen to so many young pianists today play Liszt, I feel the energy and bravura of their playing, but usually notice a lack of pianistic color and expert pedaling. Of course, it is all too fast for words, and can end up sounding like a stunt. Sometimes the sound is just too black...without depth or timbre. Paul Ulanosky said it best .."Speed is a poor substitute for spirit and nicity of detail".
So, dear readers....to be continued.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Thursday, September 29, 2011
La Mer...."Bring an umbrella!"
Many Thanks are due to Charleston Southern and USC for two splendid venues for the first performances of "La Mer" in the transcription by Lucien Garban. Charleston Southern has been generous in inviting me, and this year we had a full house. I presented my new Piano Portrait "Debussy and the Sea", and I found the audience entirely receptive and involved. At USC I returned to the "September Concerts", still going after almost 35 years, first as the Fall festival I organized for 5 years, and then, in the same format, September Concerts since the early 1980's. Columbia audiences can be difficult to predict, but this series draws out the best in the concert going public. You can tell when you walk on stage that this is a very special atmosphere, and that has existed since the beginnings. I have decided to document the genesis of this unique festival, and place this with my papers in the USC Music Library.
As for "La Mer", the thing that struck me was the many comments about the power of this score, even in the smaller frame of a piano solo. It transcends the medium, and comes across as a musical drama on its own terms.
I was amused when leaving USC to see a tremendous storm approaching. Indeed, parts of the city had a terrifying hour of pounding rain and wind. Such is the peril of playing "La Mer"....don't mess with Mother Nature!
As for "La Mer", the thing that struck me was the many comments about the power of this score, even in the smaller frame of a piano solo. It transcends the medium, and comes across as a musical drama on its own terms.
I was amused when leaving USC to see a tremendous storm approaching. Indeed, parts of the city had a terrifying hour of pounding rain and wind. Such is the peril of playing "La Mer"....don't mess with Mother Nature!
Saturday, September 17, 2011
"LA MER"
JOHN KENNETH ADAMS performs "La Mer" by Claude Debussy
September 20, Charleston Southern University Band Hall, 7:30 PM FREE
September 25, September Concerts, USC Columbia, 3 PM Tickets required
December 11, Heritage at Lowman, 3PM FREE
March 30, 2012 Charlotte, NC Piano Teachers Forum (more info to follow)
(additional dates in progress)
Quite a few months preparation has gone into getting this score ready for performance. "La Mer" by Claude Debussy was first performed in 1905 in Paris, and was not an unqualified success, perhaps due to the advanced nature of its form and harmonic complexities, but also dragged down by Debussy's bad publicity for leaving his wife for another woman. That is a story within a story, but the work slowly made its way, and now is considered a landmark in 20th Century music.
The transcription is by Lucien Garban, an editor at Durand in Paris, and close friend of Murice Ravel. This transcription dates to 1938. Surely it is a daunting task to try to squeeze onto the keyboard the sweep and power of an orchestra, and Garban has not tired to do this in any overt way. Instead, he concentrates on the melodic and harmonic inventiveness, and in so doing, shows us the framework and the inventive ideas is a startling clarity of expression.
In preparing this score, I have concentrated on the sonority of the piano, and treated the score as an extension of his piano repertoire. When I performed all of Debussy's piano music in the 1980's I often looked at orchestral scores, and also that of "Pelleas and Melisande", his opera produced at the same time as "La Mer".
The fact that Debussy found the piano his muse in creating the bulk of his compositions makes this a logical path to follow.
I often think, after rehearsing this score, how very beautiful it is in this transcription. The Art of the Transcription has a long, distinquished history, and I hope to add to that with these upcoming performances.
September 20, Charleston Southern University Band Hall, 7:30 PM FREE
September 25, September Concerts, USC Columbia, 3 PM Tickets required
December 11, Heritage at Lowman, 3PM FREE
March 30, 2012 Charlotte, NC Piano Teachers Forum (more info to follow)
(additional dates in progress)
Quite a few months preparation has gone into getting this score ready for performance. "La Mer" by Claude Debussy was first performed in 1905 in Paris, and was not an unqualified success, perhaps due to the advanced nature of its form and harmonic complexities, but also dragged down by Debussy's bad publicity for leaving his wife for another woman. That is a story within a story, but the work slowly made its way, and now is considered a landmark in 20th Century music.
The transcription is by Lucien Garban, an editor at Durand in Paris, and close friend of Murice Ravel. This transcription dates to 1938. Surely it is a daunting task to try to squeeze onto the keyboard the sweep and power of an orchestra, and Garban has not tired to do this in any overt way. Instead, he concentrates on the melodic and harmonic inventiveness, and in so doing, shows us the framework and the inventive ideas is a startling clarity of expression.
In preparing this score, I have concentrated on the sonority of the piano, and treated the score as an extension of his piano repertoire. When I performed all of Debussy's piano music in the 1980's I often looked at orchestral scores, and also that of "Pelleas and Melisande", his opera produced at the same time as "La Mer".
The fact that Debussy found the piano his muse in creating the bulk of his compositions makes this a logical path to follow.
I often think, after rehearsing this score, how very beautiful it is in this transcription. The Art of the Transcription has a long, distinquished history, and I hope to add to that with these upcoming performances.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Back Home in Alabama - June 2011
An invitation to play and lecture for the Alabama State Music Teachers Convention in Jacksonville made for a great visit to the land of my youth. Having lived in Birmingham until the age of 13, I was eager to see if any traces of those years still abounded. The weather was hot...and that means hotter than Columbia, which is a stretch. The plus side is that the Jacksonville State campus is surrounded by some of the tallest mountains in Alabama, so everywhere you look brings a new vista. But.. those cooling mountain breezes were on vacation.
I was asked to speak about how I go about finding a concept in a piece of music, one that I could pass on to the student in such a way as to help them learn useful learning tools. That seems logical enough in concept..(no pun intended)..but in reality was a great challenge. I opted for the deeper route, hoping my reliance on simple tools to solve complex issues would hold up. The other thing was, it was a richly illustrated presentation, meaning hands were on the keys the whole time, yet the audience had no score. So every example had to be clear and focused, and not too long. I choose the Brahms Intermezzo in B Flat Minor, Opus 117 as the opening work.
It didn't take me long to discover that it was a complex piece, hidden under a beautiful, moving melodic line. Finding just that small cell of notes at the beginning lead me on a journey of discovery that I was able to share. It always amazes me how complex Brahms really is, and yet how approachable.
I moved on to the Schubert Impromptu in G Flat Major, and by contrast it could not have been more different from the Brahms. The main themes of my presentation began to clarify, and here one has to draw dramatic contrasts between major and minor, with mood changes very introspectively introduced. The repetitions in Schubert are an opportunity to expand not only the emotional content, but also challenge the player to find infinite variety of details to bring out or subdue.
The "Ondine" by Debussy finished up the presentation, and it proved a child of the Brahms in more ways than one. Like Brahms, Debussy's technique is very Beethoven in that he works with the smallest cells available, but they become transformed in an almost kaleidoscopic world of instant variation and new coloristic discoveries.
I had a rather plodding Steinway concert grand, that only yielded what I hoped for in short flashes. The main problem was a very uneven action, where every key seemed to have a different tone spot. I soon forgot about it and things went along acceptably, but I am spoiled by my own Steinway concert grand which is kept in excellent order.
Comments were surprising. Almost everyone spoke about the Brahms, and how moved they were by its profound spirit yet haunting melodic appeal. The comment about repetition in Schubert caused comments about my take on repeating sections in a Beethoven sonata, and how important they are in giving the proper weight to the depth of the composition. Viewing repeats as opportunity seemed to be a new insight to many. A prominent teacher from Birmingham made the comment that she was delighted to hear someone lecture and play with such obvious love for the music, and the relief she felt in being challenged intellectually. "Far too many come and say..do this, do that..don't do this.. but you avoided the commercial aspect with just good old fashioned common sense and love of the art" Thank you kindly, lady!
The comment that touched me most was from a long time Alabama teacher who said I should have never been allowed to leave Birmingham. That really touched me to the core. Thanks, Alabama, and God Bless.
I was asked to speak about how I go about finding a concept in a piece of music, one that I could pass on to the student in such a way as to help them learn useful learning tools. That seems logical enough in concept..(no pun intended)..but in reality was a great challenge. I opted for the deeper route, hoping my reliance on simple tools to solve complex issues would hold up. The other thing was, it was a richly illustrated presentation, meaning hands were on the keys the whole time, yet the audience had no score. So every example had to be clear and focused, and not too long. I choose the Brahms Intermezzo in B Flat Minor, Opus 117 as the opening work.
It didn't take me long to discover that it was a complex piece, hidden under a beautiful, moving melodic line. Finding just that small cell of notes at the beginning lead me on a journey of discovery that I was able to share. It always amazes me how complex Brahms really is, and yet how approachable.
I moved on to the Schubert Impromptu in G Flat Major, and by contrast it could not have been more different from the Brahms. The main themes of my presentation began to clarify, and here one has to draw dramatic contrasts between major and minor, with mood changes very introspectively introduced. The repetitions in Schubert are an opportunity to expand not only the emotional content, but also challenge the player to find infinite variety of details to bring out or subdue.
The "Ondine" by Debussy finished up the presentation, and it proved a child of the Brahms in more ways than one. Like Brahms, Debussy's technique is very Beethoven in that he works with the smallest cells available, but they become transformed in an almost kaleidoscopic world of instant variation and new coloristic discoveries.
I had a rather plodding Steinway concert grand, that only yielded what I hoped for in short flashes. The main problem was a very uneven action, where every key seemed to have a different tone spot. I soon forgot about it and things went along acceptably, but I am spoiled by my own Steinway concert grand which is kept in excellent order.
Comments were surprising. Almost everyone spoke about the Brahms, and how moved they were by its profound spirit yet haunting melodic appeal. The comment about repetition in Schubert caused comments about my take on repeating sections in a Beethoven sonata, and how important they are in giving the proper weight to the depth of the composition. Viewing repeats as opportunity seemed to be a new insight to many. A prominent teacher from Birmingham made the comment that she was delighted to hear someone lecture and play with such obvious love for the music, and the relief she felt in being challenged intellectually. "Far too many come and say..do this, do that..don't do this.. but you avoided the commercial aspect with just good old fashioned common sense and love of the art" Thank you kindly, lady!
The comment that touched me most was from a long time Alabama teacher who said I should have never been allowed to leave Birmingham. That really touched me to the core. Thanks, Alabama, and God Bless.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
"Runis and Eagles' Feathers" in Aiken
Just back from Aiken, South Carolina, where I presented "Ruins and Eagles' Feathers" for the Aiken Music Teachers Association. The University of South Carolina - Aiken provided a very nice large space, and the photos showed very nicely on a large screen, and a small grand was in good estate. I liked the fact that so many young people came at 10 on a Saturday morning. Three of them sat right beside me, and I was able to feel their interest and at times look them in the eyes. It was a good idea to preface the "Piano Portrait" with remarks that reminded everyone that this is a story about two young men (Chopin and Schumann) with great ideals, growing up side by side in a time when the middle class has started its rise after the French Revolution. No two lives could have been more different, but yet their similarites of spirit are revealing and riveting.
It is daunting to lecture and perform at the same time, especially with PowerPoint, but I feel this is a very creative form, one that blends technology with a resolute human touch, flexible and able to move at a pace one judges from audience reaction. One aside is the fact I was so far away from the PowerPoint equipment I had to depend on the assistant to change the pictures, and sometimes a gesture meant to emphasize a point got misconstrued as a signal to go to the next picture! Talk about improvisation!
I think they liked the compositions by Schumann and Chopin equally, which pleased me. Chopin of course has the greater public, but Schumann has that down to earth, homey touch, that reaches out with a warm embrace. One student said she was working on "Traumerei", and she was excited to hear other works by him. I spoke and played up to the hour, and then made a decision to go ahead and play Chopin's "Barcarolle"
as a final offering. Its rather long in some ways, but very much one long line in total. I was so glad I did afterwards. It seemed to sum up Chopin's philosophy in a powerful way, and my listeners felt its weight. A lovely morning, with a wonderful audience.
It is daunting to lecture and perform at the same time, especially with PowerPoint, but I feel this is a very creative form, one that blends technology with a resolute human touch, flexible and able to move at a pace one judges from audience reaction. One aside is the fact I was so far away from the PowerPoint equipment I had to depend on the assistant to change the pictures, and sometimes a gesture meant to emphasize a point got misconstrued as a signal to go to the next picture! Talk about improvisation!
I think they liked the compositions by Schumann and Chopin equally, which pleased me. Chopin of course has the greater public, but Schumann has that down to earth, homey touch, that reaches out with a warm embrace. One student said she was working on "Traumerei", and she was excited to hear other works by him. I spoke and played up to the hour, and then made a decision to go ahead and play Chopin's "Barcarolle"
as a final offering. Its rather long in some ways, but very much one long line in total. I was so glad I did afterwards. It seemed to sum up Chopin's philosophy in a powerful way, and my listeners felt its weight. A lovely morning, with a wonderful audience.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
A New Blog for A New Begining!
I have a friend in England who keeps up with my various musical activites and has known me the better part of my career. Last year she suddenly remarked,quite out of the blue, "John, you are having a wonderful Extra Career". At an age when most pianists have bowed out, died out, flamed out, I seem to be still growing and loving the piano as much as ever. It is wonderful to look back over a career that has brought me so much satisfaction and opportunity. Sometimes I feel it has happened to someone else, as I wonder how I managed to fit so much into over seven decades of performing. I guess it is not fashionable to tell one's age in this image consumed world, but I just celebrated 76 years on earth and am very proud of it.
The rewards are great: you get to speak your mind more freely, give more free time to your creative world, and draw upon your vast experiences. I hope to use this space to keep my fans up to date on my musical adventures, and also to comment directly on my upcoming appearances, and when they are over, add a comment about what I thought went on.
I always remember playing in Brazil during an arduous tour of 14 cities in 1975. I can't remember the city, but a couple came backstage before the concert and asked "How do you think you will do?" They came back at intermission and asked, "How do you thing you are doing?", and yes, you guessed it, they came back at the end and asked "How do you think you did!" I guess this covered the waterfront, as we say!
The rewards are great: you get to speak your mind more freely, give more free time to your creative world, and draw upon your vast experiences. I hope to use this space to keep my fans up to date on my musical adventures, and also to comment directly on my upcoming appearances, and when they are over, add a comment about what I thought went on.
I always remember playing in Brazil during an arduous tour of 14 cities in 1975. I can't remember the city, but a couple came backstage before the concert and asked "How do you think you will do?" They came back at intermission and asked, "How do you thing you are doing?", and yes, you guessed it, they came back at the end and asked "How do you think you did!" I guess this covered the waterfront, as we say!
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