More Challenging
B list
Mompou ~ La barca (B8) could be a meaningless repetition of musical ideas or a poetic gem and possibly very little in between. It all depends on the musical insight of the performer and the capacity to get inside the very intimate and unique mind of its composer. Much of his piano music sounds and feels like an improvisation, a mindful reflection of a certain mood, a certain memory. Freedom and spontaneity should be high on the agenda.
There is a rustic quality in Mompou's own playing which comes from his Catalan soul - it speaks the truth in a plain yet deeply personal way. No matter how beautiful the sound in Dinara Klinton's performance (ABRSM Grade 5 recordings), it feels somewhat sanitised and, in comparison a tad saccharin.
That said, this is a personal preference. Playing the piece in a communicative way, having made it your own expression with all the interesting musical detail, should get you very good marks. There is never only one interpretation!
Schumann's Kinderscenen has always been a wonderful source of pedagogical material for the aspiring pianist. There is so much in it. Schumann ~ Von fremden Ländern und Menschen (B10) is a challenging piece, technically and musically. Simply playing the notes is a fairly pointless activity. As the first piece in the collection, it heralds the rich bounty of what is to come. There are often two melodic lines running concurrently between top line and bass line, with a gentle triplet figure in the middle of the texture, which must be supple and quiet whilst being shared between the hands.
A performance that suggests the ebb and flow in an overall expressive manner, even if it doesn't have all the textural finesse it might, should still be a worthy contender for a reasonable exam mark. Aim for the kind of poetic playing heard in Dinara Klinton's performance (ABRSM Grade 5 recordings) and you should do very well indeed. Some of the great pianists have often used this piece as an encore.
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