Paul Katz, Hayoung Moon, cello; Teddi Yoo, piano. Bowdoin International Music Festival 2024.
Master Class: Rachmaninoff Cello Sonata in g minor, Mvt. 3
- Why we should observe Rachmaninoff’s markings.
- How tempo can affect mood and character.
- Opening is about sadness, melancholy, not passion.
- Repetition is more interesting with different shaping.
- Portato bowings carefully marked by Rachmaninoff.
- A deep sound comes from releasing arm weight and sinking below the surface of the string.
- Pressure and release of the index finger creates portato in the bow.
- Even subtle tempo choices affect mood and character.
- Respect Rachmaninoff’s metronome marking.
- Carefully chosen bowings and fingerings help shape and sustain a phrase.
- Know the piano part and where the cello is subordinate.
- Russian sound is deep (“chocolate”).
- A musical phrase can have (needs) direction, even within a very slow tempo.
- Carefully chosen bowings and fingerings have communicative power.
- Exploit the timelessness of the final note.
About
Paul Katz
Paul Katz is known for his 26-year career as cellist of the internationally acclaimed Cleveland Quartet; as a world-renown teacher…
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"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music." -Sergei Rachmaninoff
