Torleif Thedéen: Tchaikovsky – Rococo Variations Op 33 (I)

TCHAIKOVSKY, Pyotr Ilyich

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

Torlief Thedéen, guest professor

Vasily Stepanov, student

Miguel Ángel Ortega Chavaldas, accompanying pianist

Professor Thedéen begins his explanations by talking about the tempo of the last variation. He recommends not playing “all tasto” because the sound would not be clear with the orchestra. In Variation IV, Thedéen corrects some musical aspects such as phrasing, rhythms, and scales. The student must be careful when playing when the music goes from a fast passage to cantabile notes because those tones are affected by the speed of the previous passage, and therefore it is advisable to sing the notes with special care. Professor Thedéen also corrects the articulation and dynamics of the trills and comments on the importance of having a very good contact point to exploit all the sound possibilities of the cello. Breathing is crucial in dramatic passages. Thedéen also explains how to play the spiccato and makes other comments on fingerings and chords -each one has a different resonance depending on the vibration of each string-. To conclude, Thedéen points out that the use of portamento is possible in some expressive passages.

Language: English