HOFFMEISTER, Franz Anton

Concerto for viola and orchestra in D major (viola and piano reduction)

II. Adagio

Gérard Caussé, guest professor 

Candela Arancón Gonzalo, student

Antonia Valente, accompanying pianist

After the student plays the beginning of the second movement, Caussé tells her that it's well done but lacks intimacy; it should be played less outwardly and more inwardly, with deeper feeling. The student repeats the opening with this suggestion in mind. Then, Caussé corrects the phrasing at a certain point and addresses the interpretation of the syncopations—which are so characteristic of this period—describing the style as simple and pure, yet rich in expression.
He also asks her to express more through the viola than through her body; rather than using physical movement, she should reserve that energy to convey the music through the bow and the viola itself. They review fingerings for a specific passage, and the professor advises her to always alternate movement between the right and left hands, rather than using both simultaneously.

Language: English