DEBUSSY, Claude

Sonata for cello and piano CD 144

I. Prologue

Sol Gabetta, guest professor

Guillem Gràcia Soler, student

Miguel Ángel Ortega Chavaldas, accompanying pianist

After the student's performance, Gabetta begins with general comments about the piece, highlighting its difficulty: despite its brevity, it is full of contrasts, all carefully indicated in the score, which makes it challenging to stay “within the frame” without exaggerating, and to maintain the right character without becoming too extreme. She suggests not cutting off the sound so abruptly in some places and allowing more resonance.
Starting again from the beginning, she points out that there are three elements in that section, and the phrasing should reflect this, shaping the line all the way to the end like a bridge. In particular, long notes should not be treated as beginnings or endings, but as transitions. Gabetta asks the student to approach these long notes with thoughtfulness, giving them clear musical meaning.
They continue working on phrasing and expressiveness in relation to the underlying harmonies. She also reminds the student to be careful with vibrato—it should support the musical intention, not hinder it.
In general, attention must be paid to ensuring that the ends of phrases and pizzicati are clearly heard in the hall. They also work on aspects such as tempo and the balance between rhythmic freedom and precision, the multidirectional nature of the sound, and the accuracy and articulation of the left-hand fingers.

Language: Spanish