YSAYE, Eugène-Auguste
Sonata for Solo Violin in A Minor, Op. 27 No. 2
I. Obsession (Prelude)
Ingolf Turban, visiting professor
Óscar Aguilar Mas, student
Professor Turban generally comments on the student’s attitude when playing: they should avoid nerves and tension. He then talks about the character of the movement and how to express that drama to the audience: conveying tension and emotions but without suffering them, from a distance.
How to practice a certain passage: pay attention to accents and practice arpeggios in pizzicato like a guitarist so that the left hand acquires memory and can then focus more easily on the bow with the right. Play the beginning faster and quieter, as if dreaming about Bach… The professor also asks him to work on the double strings and gives him advice on this.
In addition, he makes corrections and comments on bow distribution and the most appropriate area to use in a certain part, and on the movement of the right arm to be more stable, comfortable and relaxed. He recommends practicing it slowly to improve this coordination with the bow and use less effort (he compares it to writing with a pencil): for the professor, good practice involves training to “do less”.
Afterwards, Turban recommends listening to himself more in order to play in tune and with good sound, especially in forte dynamics that require more pressure with the fingers. For the accents afterwards, he recommends playing them with less vertical and more horizontal energy, more singing.
Language: English
