LONGING FOR SPRING BREEZE 望春风

A Taiwanese folksong originally composed by famous composer Teng Yu-hsien, arranged by Tyzen Hsiao for violin and piano, an arrangement for solo piano first appeared in 'Dragon songs' by Lang Lang, probably arranged by him from the Tyzen Hsiao's version.

I will be arranging another version similar to this and will be published in the near future.

C.P.E.BACH SONATA Wq 65/29

LETS NOT FORGET THE GREAT CONTRIBUTION OF C.P.E.BACH TO THE NEW GENERATION OF CLASSICAL COMPOSERS, HERE IS ONE OF HIS UNPUBLISHED SONATAS, WHICH IS ALSO A FAMOUS ONE
http://www.scribd.com/doc/202150792/Sonata-in-E-Major-Wq-65-29-urtext-edition

Sonata in E Major Wq 65/29 (urtext edition) by ObscureScorefinder

PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO INFORM ME IF THERE ARE ANY ERRORS IN THIS SCORE.THANKS.

'SPRING SALE' in ENSEMBLEMUSIC.SG

CLOSED

ADVICE ON 'HANDLING' CLASSICS

In this case, the Schubert piano sonatas. Here are a few choices:

1) Download and print out a public domain/unfingered version (ex. B&H edition on IMSLP)

2)Buy a well-edited and fingered edition from the following:
a)ABRSM "Signature series" by Howard Ferguson
b)HENLE urtext by Paul Badura-Skoda
c)WIENER urtext by Martino Tirimo
d)PETERS edition
e)ALFRED edition (particular only for op.120 with full pedal indications)
f)Tonmeister ausgabe (rare)

As far as I knew, b) and c) are available in cheaper authorized Chinese (bilingual) editions, and you just have to consider the useful annotations by Ferguson and figure out your own fingering.

LATE GREETINGS AND A SCHUBERT PIECE

     Due to excessive courseworks and time constraint, I would now wish a late Christmas and New Year to everyone. Here, in 2014, the hunting for rare piano scores and obscure composers should not end, though, let us not forget some of the greatest composers existed, Franz Schubert, whose entire piano output has been seriously underrated after his death. Let us not wait and start with a lovely movement of the famous Sonata in A major, D664. I will incite Howard Ferguson's annotations as a basic interpretation of this movement, optional pedal marks can be obtain by referring to Maurice Hinson's Alfred edition.
    Various editions of Schubert piano sonatas (with/without completions)have been published since the revival of Schubert's music, the most famous being Paul Mies edition (with completions by Paul Badura-Skoda)-Henle, Martino Tirimo edition-Wiener Urtext, Barenreiter (not recommended for learners), and the strongly recommended Howard Ferguson's edition.
   The autograph source of this sonata is lost and therefore, the urtext is based on the sole 1st edition pub.Vienna, 1829. This sonata is dedicated to young pianist Josefine von Koller, and copied by Albert Stadler (a faithful copyist) from the autograph.

Allegro moderato(♩=c.104)

There are an unusual number of widely-spaced chords for each hand in this Sonata. Since at least one of them are too big for most players to stretch (e.g. the r.h. 11th in b.19), there can be little doubt that Schubert intended them to be broken wherever necessary. When playing these arpeggios in the r.h. begin them on the beat, spread them smoothly (but not too slowly), and make the melody-note slightly more prominent than the rest. In the l.h. they should probably begin earlier, in order to make the top note coincide with the beat. Do not worry if this means taking extra time, for that is wholly in keeping with the leisurely mood of the movement.

Bar 1 (& forth) : If the pedal is changed with the harmony the lower r.h. notes need not be held down for their full value. However, bb.10-12 should be senza ped. for the sake of clarity (of the l.h. notes)and the change of colour(mf ->pp)                                                                    

 3 (r.h. beat 4) : As the final E is struck with the 5th finger. move to the 2nd finger (which has just played the B) towards the thumb, so that it is ready to play the E in chord 1 of b.4 (as shown in diagram above)

12. : Any slight rit. in this bar should not include beat 4, which leads into the following bar.

45-47 : Though the dynamic level is lower, the poignant chord 1 of b.46 is more intense than its equivalent in b.43. It may require a little extra space; and b.47 will certainly need a noticeable rit. to round off the exposition.

48-51 : Practise the l.h. by itself, to make sure that there is no slowing down at the end of bb.49 & 51.

55 : Unlike b.12, a rit. would here be out of place, for the music is moving towards a vigorous new idea, instead of returning to a familiar lyrical one.

66 & 72 : l.h. Do not let the 2 lower parts overpower the tenor.

79 : Beat 4 again leads into the following bar. 

127 (& forth) : Allow the rests their full value, and do not hurry this touching coda. In b.131 the l.h. is apt to sound unpleasantly thick on a modern piano, unless the top 2 parts are lightened. On some instruments it may even be advisable to omit the middle line altogether.

 Andante(♩=c.58, 69 & 80)

In spite of the straightfoward appearance of the movement, several different tempi are needed to match the changing moods of music.

1-14  (♩=c.58) : The tonal emphasis should be concentrated on the r.h. upper line. The l.h.is at present no more than the harmonic background, for it does not double the melody consistently. Its turn comes later (see b.51 & forth)

 16-25 : Tenuto touch, combined with discreet pedal, will prevent the l.h. accompaniment from sounding dry. 

22 r.h. : The turn is part of the melody, and must not be rushed. Some extra time can be taken at the end of the bar, to underline the curtailing of the phrase and its unexpected repetition.

32 : no rit., for the bar is moving towards.

33 & forth (♩=c.69) : a slightly faster tempo, without which the triplets would not flow. 

37-39 r.h. : The dotted quaver with semiquaver rhythms should certainly coincide with the l.h. triplets, and the upper line in b.39 should probably do so; for although the latter's duple rhythm was established in b.7, the pull of the new triplets is irresistible. 

40-41 : Poco accel. towards 42 (♩=c.80): the climax of the movement. 

44-49 : Though not so marked, these six bars imply a continuous dim. It is wise, therefore, to drop no further than, say, mf at b.44, whence a gradual dim. e rit. leads back to 

50 & forth(♩=c.58) :Tempo primo. The l.h. upper line now comes into its own by echoing the melody for four bars. Care must be taken to separate it clearly, but without exaggeration, from the two lower parts.

 56, chord 1 : If both hands are spread, they should begin and end their chords simultaneously.

 57 : No quieter than p(subito), to allow for the pp in b.58.  

70-75, r.h. : A new voice enters for one bar in the top line of b.71, and again for the three final bars. 

 Allegro(♩=c.80)

1-18 : The playful character of the opening subject is greatly enhanced by the continual interplay between 1st-beat and 2nd-beat accents. For example, in bb.1, 3 & 9 the l.h. stress is on beat 1; yet in these same bars the r.h. has an implied stress on beat 2, following the staccatos. And in bb.4-5, 11-12 & 15-16 the stress in both hands is on beat 2, only to revert to beat 1 in bb.7, 14 & 18 respectively. 

21-23 : The fz moves from hand to hand more clearly if there is no accent on the 1st semiquaver of each group. 

36-37 : Give the tied chords their exact rhythmic value, so that (a)they match the tied Gs in bb.45-46;(b)their sound has time to disperse before the pp in b.38; and (c) the listener can keep track of the beats. 

44-51, l.h. : Lightly detached, with perhaps a very slight touch of pedal on notes 1 & 4 of each bar. Practise the jumps by playing notes 1-2 slowly a number of times, then notes 3-4, then adding the two pairs together; and so on through the whole passage. 

56, r.h. notes 6-7 :  These two notes, and the similar pair in b.181, have the only fingering found in the Schubert  sources.

63, beat 1 : This is the only time the l.h. has to play all six notes. While the final E is being struck by the thumb, fingers 2 & 3 should move slightly to the left, so that they are ready to strike the two middle notes of the following chord.

92-94 : The l.h. upper line takes lead for two bars, to be followed by the r.h. in the 3rd bar.

102, r.h. : Some players may find it comfortable to finger the passage 2/1, 3, 2/1, 3, 2/1, 5, or 2/1, 3, 4/2, 5, 3/2, 5.

121 : No rit. A tiny accent on note 7 will show that the recapitulation has begun.

201, l.h. chord 5 : The lower E is in the 1st edition, although the note was a semitone beyond the compass of Schubert's piano. To omit it would seriously weaken the balance of the passage.

214 : A fraction of extra time can be allowed for this bar; but the final two ff chords should be strictly a tempo.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ANNOTATIONS ABOVE ARE INTENDED ONLY FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES 

3 RECORDINGS OF THE THIRD PIANO CONCERTO BY FELIX MENDELSSOHN

1ST RECORDING

probably the very first recording (world premiere) of the piece after it has been discovered among the mis-catalogued papers in the Bodleian Library. The pianist Jennifer Eley, was found dead in her swimming pool 10 years after the recording issued(Article). A comment of the disc from amazon. Bolded brackets are my notes on the comments.

This is a must-have for any serious Mendelssohn lover. This 2-movement concerto pulsates with vigor, verve and passion.(which I somewhat agree) It is quite unlike Mendelssohn's 1st and 2nd (1831 and 1837 respectively), which are brilliant bravura pieces.(The second is less bravura than the first I think) This final concerto is altogether more somber, more wistful, and more satisfying.The two themes, in and of themselves are squarish and not some of Mendelssohn's happier inspirations.(I thought that most masterpieces are in minor mode? ex.requiem,appassionata, moonlight?) But, his treatment of them is masterful. The orchestration has fewer unique moments, which I attribute to the incomplete nature of the manuscripts.(It's because of some scholars want a more faithful sounding work, so they leave the orchestration very hollow) But, there are lovely uses of pizzicato strings(indicated by Mendelssohn himself), and also very lush portions that sound more of the later Romantics. And finally, the last 90 seconds of the first movement are ravishing. For those who have found Felix heartless, or then again, too cloying, listen. It is gorgeous, heartfelt, heartbreaking music of the highest order.(Yeah, but do listen to the 2nd recording, it spoils it completely)The second movement is a swaying, wistful, conclusion to this concerto. It seems less overtly sentimental than the first two concerti and more nostalgic. It is likewise delightful to hear. 

This recording is the slowest of the 3 recordings here, which I think not really suitable due to the allegro nature and habit of Mendelssohn, Allegro molto vivace = fast and very quick/lively. 


2ND RECORDING

After reconstruction and completion by renowned Mendelssohn scholar R.Larry Todd, which I admired him for his faithful and dedicated contribution to works and researches of Mendelssohn. However, when come to reconstruction, he can't make it perfectly, or even worse, maybe as a scholar, any changes must be supported by reasonable proofs. The first movement is incredibly fast (sometimes rush!) compared to the 1st recording. The pianist M.K. did not emphasize on some very important parts of the piece, what I hear is just rushing on the chords and quick passages. Come to the 2nd movement, I felt the concerto gradually sank into a very Lento mode, terribly slow movement which I can't accept. At first, what I want to say is this movement is not like the former 2nd movements of the PCs 1&2, there is a waltz tempo in the left hand, and Andante never meant to be Lento or Largo. It is at a walking pace as every musician knows, I just don't feel like I am walking, I am crawling like a snail instead. The finale is the most reasonable and normal movement compared to the former 2, it is largely because of the tempo of the violin concerto is famous to all and playing it wrongly was hardly acceptable. This poses a question that the 2 themes insisted by Mendelssohn himself was not used, was this a faithful completion?by not considering the composer's own thoughts?
The orchestral score has been published by Baerenreiter.


3RD RECORDING

Mainly bought for the 3rd PC, the other orchestral works are usually worthless to listen, because the draft version is simply worse than the published one.This reconstruction of the piano concerto is the most successful and beautiful of all 3. The first movement begins with a really fast tempo but not rushing like the 2nd one. There is probably some addings of semiquaver passages in a part where only left hand chords are sketched, which is far more superior than the 2nd one.The ending here is brilliant with smooth transition to the Andante. 2nd movement is beautifully crafted in tempo and notes. The finale, which uses themes insisted by Mendelssohn is a brilliant solution to the unfinished part, it sounds Mendelssohnian and uses the technique frequently used by Mendelssohn himself. The only problem is it is too short, if it can extend till 5 or 6 minutes, it will be excellent. The score is published by RICORDI.

FORTHCOMING PUBLICATIONS

FERDINAND RIES : Pianoforte Sonata op.176
LISZT-SCHUBERT : Ave Maria (first edition) S577d