BRAHMS, Johannes
Sonata for cello and piano no. 1 in E minor, op. 38
I. Allegro non troppo
Sol Gabetta, guest professor
Yiqi Chen, student
Ofelia Montalván, accompanying pianist
After playing the first six minutes of the Sonata, Gabetta advises the student to incorporate more internal structure into the sonata and to achieve a greater sense of sound variety and connection with the music and the instrument itself. They resume from the beginning, and the professor provides instructions as they proceed to facilitate improvement in this area.
The counterpoint section, where he does not carry the main melody, needs to provide structure to make the melody played by the piano more beautiful and special. She continues with instructions to highlight these melodic lines and the connection with the piano through the use of “micro-dynamics” based on the harmonies being produced. They also review phrasing, trying to articulate it with words and sung phrases to extract their different characteristics.
It is important to work extensively on the first phrases of the piece because they are almost always the most difficult, and if the phrasing and structure are clear here, it is then easier to extrapolate to the rest of the work.
Language: English
