TCHAIKOVSKY, Pyotr Il'yich

Variations on a Rococo Theme for cello and orchestra in A major op. 33 (cello and piano reduction)

Sol Gabetta, guest professor

Eva Arderíus Esteban, student

Miguel Ángel Ortega Chavaldas, accompanying pianist

After the complete performance of the Rococo Variations, Gabetta suggests that the student aim for a more “aristocratic” expressivity—something subtler and more secretive—because she has the impression that the student is expressing more through facial gestures than through the instrument’s sound. To improve that sound, she recommends releasing tension in the right arm.
They go back to the beginning, looking for a more controlled emotion: instead of showing it with the face, channel it directly through the hands into the sound. It’s better to leave the audience “hungry” than to give them too much. Through experimentation, they explore phrasing, string contact, and right arm weight, as well as legato playing, connection between intervals, and flexibility in the left hand.
Like in drawing, if the design of what one wants to express is clear, it will reach the audience one way or another. The professor also encourages the student to observe herself while playing—as if in a hall of mirrors—so she becomes more aware of whether what she’s doing is intentional or not.

Language: Spanish