SCHUBERT, Franz

Sonata for piano in A minor D 537 op. 164

I. Allegro ma non troppo

András Schiff, guest professor

Plamena Mangova, student

Firstly, Prof. Schiff corrects the upbeat of the beginning, because it is very important to start the work correctly. It is also important to have more sensibility with the harmonies, and the accents should be more expressive, they imply that the note must be longer and more melodic.
Afterwards, András Schiff makes some comments to the student on tempo issues (not ritardando, rhythmical like the heartbeat), dynamics and color variety, darker and more dramatic character, phrasing and other issues regarding harmony.
Besides, the professor suggests her not to play “so correctly” to do so she could think about a storm and playing it with more pedal to increase the sonority – he refers to the Studies by C. Cerny, and the Winterrreise cycle by F. Schubert.
Schiff continues with indications related to character and voices issues, and finally he advises avoiding abrupt gestures by playing the chords: it is more suitable to maintain hands in the air to keep the tension in the audience.

Language: English