Mendelssohn Variations Serieuses (In Progress)

[amanfang]

I have about 6 weeks to finish this up.  The last variations and then the Presto need a little cleaning up - they're somewhat sloppy with wrong notes here and there.   

This recording is from memory by the way, so there are also a couple hesitations here and there.

Comments would be appreciated!   

[rachfan]

Hi amanfang,

Bravo!  Yes, you have some details to polish here and there, but you've brought this piece a very long way.  If you've got six more weeks to practice, I believe you'll have it at recital pitch before then.  This set of variations is at the pinnacle of Mendelssohn's piano works, and, I believe, the most difficult.  Despite that, you maintained continuity throughout, no matter what.  That big coda is not only the best of Mendelssohn, but one of the best in the entire piano repertoire.  I can hear that it's giving you some difficulties, so I suggest you give that intensive attention while practicing.  I've not studied the piece myself, so will not comment on specific details--I'll leave that to other pianists who know those difficulties first hand.  But you're doing so well with it generally, that I can only be encouraging, as I know you'll play it very well when the time comes.

Ironically, Mendelssohn considered his biggest successes to be his orchestral works.  He actually found composing piano pieces extremely difficult, had many self doubts in that regard, and absolutely dreaded getting requests from his publishers for more of them.  Yet the Variations Serieuses are nothing less than an absolute masterwork for piano.  He outdid himself on this piece.

Keep on practicing!   You've nearly got this piece ready.       

[prongated]

Aside from a few technical insecurities here and there [and the ending of course], I like the way you play. Please post again when you have finished learning it!

[cygnusdei]

You have a good feel of the piece - keep up the good work!

Strangely though, and unfortunately, the theme and first variation suffer from awkward phrasing and wrong notes.

The phrasing of the theme cannot be simpler - one phrase every 4 bars. I wouldn't recommend any tempo change within a phrase, rubato only at the end of a phrase, if any! Otherwise the phrase is ruined. Also, you neglected the slur on E1 in the 3rd last bar.

The first variation requires absolute legato on the semiquavers. You'd need to find a good fingering to achieve this. I don't know if you realize it but wrong notes abound in the second half of the variation.

You play the rest of the work quite well, with good grasp of the style. A couple suggestions; the transition between Var XI and X is a high point in the piece so you'd want to milk the drama for all it's worth. For Var XIII I recommend no pedal unless marked, and sempre staccato on the right hand figuration!

Good job and keep smiling!