BRAHMS, Johannes

Sonata for piano no. 2 in F sharp minor op. 2

II. Andante con espressione

Zoltán Kocsis, guest professor 

Ji Liu, student

In this masterclass, they consider the student’s performance must convince the audience that the piece is a masterpiece. It is on the limit; the professor would separate much more the materials in two: in orchestration and in dynamics (espressivo-non espressivo materials).
For the beginning, Zoltán Kocsis recommends the student not to play softer but keeping the same volume. Then he makes some indications on pedal and they work again on dynamical issues and phrasing.
The professor also stresses that the student must release the pedal properly.
About the theme, prof. Kocsis points out that there are two different roles or characters and he also comments that the melodic line is more important than harmony itself.

Language: English