Menahem Pressler Masterclass - Liszt: “Rigoletto” Concert Paraphrase / Angela Chou (3-30-98) (CC)

Liszt: Rigoletto” Concert Paraphrase (Closed Captions Available)
00:00 Angela Chou, piano
Chun Yi-Wang Studio
08:08 Some of the things you do very, very well. Very exciting. Very nice. First of all, I don’t understand what you’re doing here. How long are you waiting on the last note?
08:44 MPD What is that note supposed to mean? What does “rinfz.” mean? Reinforced. It’s anemic. It’s forceful! (Sings)
10:03 (5) Rhythm. (Sings)
10:25 MPD (5) It belongs together. (13) each one down, down to 2 pp and then triple ppp!
11:39 MPD (12) You want to hear Ab A nat. Bb A nat. (15) Keep the same pedal.
12:25 MPD (16) Now let me hear the theme.
12:52 Andante Count it once for me?
13:05 MPD You have to be able to count. You cheated and took one beat out. One time, it doesn’t hurt so much. The 2nd time more, the 3rd time is terrible. The last time, excruciating.
15:55 It’s so anemic. Have you heard a quartet sing this in the opera? “No.” You should! That’s what’s absolutely missing. He sings with a wonderful, rich voice. Not hard, but rich. Climax. (23) This would be in forte. (24) Keep the pedal. (29 (32) Hold the Ab. We need a chord.
18:15 MPD (29) Why does he write the same finger? Not only forte, but he talks.
19:50 (Sings) Every time a little more.
20:20 (44) No, no, no. If those are 16ths, why are those almost triple time?
21:40 MPD (46) Keep the pedal. It’s not naked.
22:10 MPD (49) I don’t know what’s the matter with the piano. It’s a bad piano. I’m sorry. (Biola’s two Steinways - “Fred & Ginger”, were notoriously problematic. MP - “The famous Biola piano!”    • Menahem Pressler Speaks 1997 Mendelssohn's...  ) Feel those 3rds, but the octaves very light.
23:24 MPD (52) 3rds
24:00 (54) What does he ask for here? “MF”. You have to pay penalties. 1 penalty if it’s less than mf, and extra if he asks for pp. He asks for pp!! You’re poor!
24:37 MPD (54) Play softly. Lightly, 3 times, yes? More, more, and NOW! (58) Don’t take the pedal away.
26:00 (59) Keep the pedal, so we have a bass.
27:20 MPD (67) now cresc at 67. The LH F comes together with RH F. The LH Gb with RH Gb,the G with G.
28:53 (68) Let’s hear all the notes. I hear nothing. (Sings)
30:10 MPD (69) It says p & dolce. You’re SO loud! It’s a light.
32:00 MPD (85) The RH helps the LH.
32:55 MPD (89) What would be the note that should be there? “Ab” Yes, but he does a surprise piano Bbb. That’s lovely.
34:30 MPD (96) Very good. Very nice!
35:00 Applause. That’s Right! Do you have any questions?
35:25 There was a time when this kind of piece was out of favor. What are the advantages of playing a piece like this?
It never went out of favor with me! First of all, it’s the most ingenious, phenomenally written transcription of the quartet from Rigoletto. You’ve listened to it many times, yes? It’s remarkable, it’s phenomenal, it’s unbelievable. First of all that he recognized immediately how great that quartet was. He made the piano and the pianist sound like a million dollars. It’s the most beautiful arrangement ever.
36:23 Why to play it? First of all, the pianists who come to piano recitals are not very erudite. They want to hear fast notes, and they get them. But at the same time, they get a transcription of a wonderful moment in the opera. Now it has its place. It could finish a recital. It certainly is a marvelous encore. And what is even more important, it’s a wonderful training basis for the pianist. They learn to sing, octaves, 3rds, it’s all there. And it’s written like Paganini, as only an instrumentalist can write. Like Popper for the cello. It’s like the one who likes to drive a car and gets into a Proche. All of a sudden, he pushes down the gas and then flies through the whole territory! It’s not as safe as being in a Volvo (My car that transported MP around LA for years!). And this is not safe music.
37:43 Now, out of favor. There were always wonderful pianists who play this. I remember Liszt's Don Giovanni played by Bolet in my studio, and it was overwhelmingly marvelous. And the Tanhauser Overture.
41:12 You did it 7 years ago, here. Did I play it? Yes. We hear Schubert and Beethoven in the BAT. There’s another side of your personality that emerged, the opera singer! Marlin, you know there was a time when I would have loved to drive a Porsche. Today I will probably buy a Volvo. So, I did study those pieces, and I loved playing them. When I was 16, 17, I played most of these transcriptions because my teacher was a student of Busoni. But where I spend my time now is to go deeper and deeper into the message that Schubert left us, Schumann left us, Brahms left us, Beethoven.

Crowell Hall, Biola University - La Mirada, CA (3/30/98)

MP 1992 Biola Recital Performance of Liszt: Rigoletto Paraphrase
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