PROKOFIEV, Sergey

5 Melodies for violin and piano op. 35bis

1. Andante

Miriam Fried, guest professor

Joaquín Arias Fernández, student

Vadim Gladkov, accompanying pianist

At the beginning of this masterclass, Fried makes some general comments on variety and expressivity: the performance should not be so plain and smooth. They talk about the character of the piece and the type of feelings that this Melodie should express. The harmonies used by Prokofiev in this first piece indicate color and tension-relaxation. Professor Fried advises the student to use the bow for building this form. She also highlights the starting chromatism and the importance of using the bow direction to get the required sound.
The performer has the role of communicating and telling something by playing, so he must project more to be listened properly.
After a correction about the ending of a certain phrase, the professor points out the responsibility of any musician for having his own opinion on the way to play. In this manner, he will transmit the performance better.
Fried also emphasizes the importance of making the sound inflections as if the performer was speaking with words (using more accents and less speed in the relevant ones).
Then Miriam Fried reviews some issues about vibrato, phrasing, or ending of the sound, among others.
To conclude, they talk about the correct way to finish the sound regarding where is located -medium or final part- and about the type of ending related to the bow distribution.

Language: English