BRAHMS, Johannes
Sonata for Clarinet and Piano in E-flat Major, Op. 120 No. 2
II. Allegro appassionato
Pascal Moraguès, professor
Pablo Tirado Villaescusa, student
Patricia Araúzo Rodríguez, accompanying pianist
The professor begins by stating that the acoustics are good, but one of the greatest difficulties of this movement is intonation. One must be very expressive without losing that intonation: they slowly work on the beginning, so that the clarinet adjusts the tone of each note with the piano.
Moraguès gives instructions to play with the expressiveness, phrasing, and energy appropriate to each musical line, and for this, one must use the tongue, just as violinists use the bow. He also asks him to play more facing forward as if for the audience, even if there is no audience, and without moving the clarinet too much.
He also gives instructions on dynamics, and that more sound and “appassionato” are required; it must sound energetic. He also suggests fingerings for certain moments and makes some indications of articulation, phrasing, direction of the music, and projection of the sound in the “sostenuto” part. Afterwards, he must play concentrating the sound more, with focus and a lot of pressure. To correct the intonation, he suggests a certain fingering, and continues giving some more musical indications to the student while he plays.
Language: English
