June Allegro Master Class with Brian Ganz

AMSF’s Allegro Master Class was conducted on June 8th under the guidance of renowned pianist Brian Ganz, who led the session as he did the previous year. It was an afternoon of true bliss with distinguished performances and a friendly ambiance, characteristic of the Allegro Master Classes, which are tailored for advanced musicians yet welcome all AMSF members as audience. Both Allegro and Andante Master Classes (the latter intended for those with less performance experience) offer members valuable opportunities to present their work and receive expert feedback.

Four AMSF members performed works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Claude Debussy, Cécile Chaminade, and Sergei Rachmaninoff. Thirteen additional members attended as audience and gained significant insights from Brian’s expertise.

Judith Block played Beethoven’s Sonata F^# Major, Op. 78, during which Brian suggested allowing greater fluidity in the melodic line during the first movement and recommended stronger contrasts between forte and piano in the second. He also provided constructive advice for enhancing practice techniques.

Mark Ross presented Debussy’s “La plus que lente.” Brian discussed the piece’s historical context, noting that it is an example of Debussy taking a popular musical style of the day and putting his personal stamp on it. He emphasized the “molto rubato” instruction in the tempo marking, and he cautioned against making notes marked as staccato too short. He also identified passages which could benefit from extra emphasis, and he said that in addition to dynamics, the pianist could use body language to add emphasis.

Kuo-Wei Wang performed Etude de concert No. 2, Op. 35 (“Automne”) by Cecile Chaminade. For this performance, Brian stressed the importance of being “in the music,” beyond playing the notes. He emphasized the importance of “resting” during the piece, and how “resting” connects with the rest of the music. He also talked about letting the phrase “breathe” more by taking time in certain places and moving along in other places when playing romantic style of music.

Yukiko Takedai played Rachmaninoff’s Etude Tableaux Op. 39, No. 1 in C minor. Brian focused on augmenting the energy passion in the rendition, identifying specific sections for increased intensity. He recommended that continued practice could help build the confidence of the performer and reveal the composer’s and the performer’s latent vigor. 

The session concluded with Brian performing Chopin’s Nocturne in E minor Op. 72, at the request of the audience, delivering an inspiring conclusion to the event.

Program