Music Practice Commons^™

Not Set In Stone: Mikhail Pletnev's Rewrite Of Scriabin's Piano Concerto, Anatole Leikin

Performance Practice Review

Not Set in Stone: Mikhail Pletnev’s Rewrite of Scriabin’s Piano Concerto

Scriabin’s Piano Concerto in F-sharp minor, Op. 20 (1897), was initially met with harsh criticisms. Then, in 1899, the critics’ and the public’s reaction suddenly changed from disparaging to admiring. Subsequently, Scriabin’s performances of the Concerto continued to consistently gather highest accolades throughout Russia, Western Europe, and the U.S.

The only credible explanation for such a remarkable metamorphosis is that Scriabin somehow modified (and improved) the piano part in his performances. No written corrections of the piano score exist, which is not at all surprising. Scriabin never revised his …

"Beethoven's Piano Sonatas: A Handbook For Performers," By Stewart Gordon, David Rowland

Performance Practice Review

Book review: Gordon, Stewart. Beethoven’s Piano Sona­tas: a Handbook for Performers. Oxford: Oxford Univer­sity Press, 2017. ISBN: 978-0-19-062917-5.

David Rowland discusses Stewart Gordon's 2017 work.

"Beyond The Score: Music As Performance" By Nicholas Cook, Aron Edidin

Performance Practice Review

Aron Edidin reviews and discusses Nicholas Cook's 2013 work. Cook, Nicholas. Beyond the Score: Music as Performance. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013. ISBN: 978-0-19-935740-6.

"Off The Record: Performing Practices In Romantic Piano Playing" By Neal Peres Da Costa, William Kinderman

Performance Practice Review

William Kinderman discusses and reviews Peres Da Costa's 2012 work.

Peres Da Costa, Neal. Off the Record: Performing Practices in Romantic Piano Playing. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012.

ISBN: 978-0-19-538691-2

"After The Golden Age: Romantic Pianism And Modern Performance" By Kenneth Hamilton, Robert Winter

Performance Practice Review

Winter reviews and critiques Hamilton's work.

"A History Of Pianoforte Pedaling." By David Rowland, Sandra P. Rosenblum

Performance Practice Review

Rosenblum reviews and critiques Rowland's book on the history of pianoforte pedaling.

"Beethoven The Pianist" By Tilman Skowroneck, William Kinderman

Performance Practice Review

William Kinderman discusses and reviews Skowrowneck's 2010 work.

Skowroneck, Tilman. Beethoven the Pianist. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010.

ISBN 978-0-521-11959-7.

"The Fortepiano Writings Of Streicher, Dieudonné, And The Schiedmayers: Two Manuals And A Notebook, Translated From The Original German, With Commentary" By Preethi De Silva, Roland Jackson

Performance Practice Review

Roland Jackson reviews and critiques De Silva's 2008 work.

De Silva, Preethi. The Fortepiano Writings of Streicher, Dieudonné, and the Schiedmayers: Two Manuals and a Notebook, Translated from the Original German, with Commentary. Lewiston, Queenston, and Lampeter: Edwin Mellen Press, 2008.

ISBN: 978-0-773-44874-2

Keyboard Fingering And Interpretation: A Comparison Of Historical And Modern Approaches, Jeffrey Swinkin

Performance Practice Review

Earlier systems of keyboard fingering exploit the natural differences of finger strength and utilize frequent changes of position in order to facilitate localized (gestural) phrasing and articulation, among other interpretive nuances. The modern system of fingering, by contrast, views the fingers as more homogeneous and aims to keep the hand more stationary out of a concern for purely technical facility and for promoting a longer line. This essay offers numerous examples of historical keyboard fingerings—those by C. P. E Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, and Schenker—in each case discussing the implications the fingering has for phrasing and other aspects of interpretation. It …

"Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Music For Solo Keyboard." Trevor Stephenson, Fortepiano, Marischka Olech-Hopcroft

Performance Practice Review

Olech-Hopcroft reviews and critiques Stephenson's recording of Mozart Keyboard Music.

Enrique Granados And Modern Piano Technique, Carol A. Hess

Performance Practice Review

Discusses parallels between Granados's approach to piano technique and that of Ludwig Deppe and Tobias Matthay, two pioneers in the reshaping of pianistic principles that took place at the turn of the century. Despite his relative isolation in Barcelona, Granados pursued strikingly modern ideas in piano playing, including principles of weight and relaxation, avoidance of finger-lifting, and preoccupation with fine gradations of tone. Primary sources include the composer's diary, treatise on pedaling, and the detailed memoirs of one of his students.

Pedaling The Piano: A Brief Survey From The Eighteenth Century To The Present, Sandra P. Rosenblum

Performance Practice Review

Before World War II, most composers notated relatively few pedal indications, usually to create unsuspected effects. Mutations (Veranderungen) on the early pianos and the uses of hand stops, knee levers, and pedals are discussed based on information from extant instruments, composers' autographs, and comments in tutors by such teachers as Johann Milchmeyer and Louis Adam. Pedaling techniques and uses of the damper, una corda, and sostenuto pedals on the changing instruments of the 19th and 20th c. are described, with particular attention to compositions of Beethoven, Schumann, Chopin, Brahms, Debussy, Villa-Lobos, Boulez, Cage, and Stockhausen.

"Beethoven On Beethoven: Playing His Piano His Way." By William S. Newman, Barry Cooper

Performance Practice Review

Cooper discusses and reviews Newman's 1988 book.

"Chopin: Pianist And Teacher As Seen By His Pupils" By Jean-Jacques Eigeldinger, Jeanne Holland

Performance Practice Review

Holland reviews and discusses Eigeldinger's 1986 book.