TCHAIKOVSKY, Pyotr Ilyich
Variations on a Rococo Theme for Cello and Orchestra in A major, op. 33 (reduction for cello and piano)
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 seek a more “aristocratic” expressivity, more subtle and secret, as she feels the student expresses more with her face than with the sound of the instrument. Furthermore, to improve this sound, she recommends releasing the right arm to avoid tension.
They resume from the beginning, seeking a more controlled emotion: instead of transmitting it through the face, she should do so directly through her hands into the sound. It is better to leave the audience “hungry” than to give them too much. In this way, through testing and experimenting, they review the phrasing, the contact with the string, and the weight of the right arm, as well as the legato, connection between intervals, and flexibility in the left hand.
As in a drawing, if the design of what she wants to play is clear, it will reach the audience one way or another. The professor also asks her to observe herself while playing, as if she were in a hall of mirrors and could see herself from the outside, to become more aware of whether she truly wants to perform it that way or not.
Language: Spanish
