Intermezzo Op 118 No 2

[meli]

Hi Guys. Has anyone studied this piece? I am really struggling with the expression in it! I have heard several recordings of it, and it sounds so beautiful. I try to phrase it nicely and play it slowly (with rubato?) but it just doesn't sound right (more like a MIDI recording). I would appreciate any tips on how to master this piece? I am having a much fun and easier time with my other pieces, but this one is taking forever to get perfect 

[pianistimo]

my teacher advised no rubato, but rather a more 'flex' in the playing that is sort of unperceptible.  of course, when i played it at the beginning, it still sounded sort of midi as you said.  but, later on, it was like a kite blowing in the wind.  you can use dynamics to your advantage to make the kite feel like it is gently blowing up and down.

also, (not that i am as expressive as my teacher) there is a natural feel that my teacher has for certain places that harmonically take a certain turn.  a very very slight difference  of approach (or slight slight delay) without losing the general beat is helpful.  my teacher looks for 'tritones.'  this was a real revelation to me, because i always looked for one harmony to move to the other.

also, when you do the repetitive measures at the bottom of the second page, you can focus on the alto voice the second time, if you want (for a little difference).  i believe the more you play a piece, the more it 'becomes you.'  your emotion may be different than someone else's emotion (we don't all have the same levels or the same reaction to a piece).  don't feel badly if you think you don't 'sound as good' as someone else.  just make it your own real feelings.

for me, i would think of my husband (or you can think of someone that YOU love and care for).  the passages at the top of page two are quaint and intimate.  to me, almost like brahms was saying if i lose you (your breath), i've lost my own (breath).  i'll follow you anywhere.  i play the question/answer phrase with only the slightest break between phrases (like a violin - as the bow has to retouch - but it doesn't take that much time).  if you think like you are a violin, you'll probably have an idea how the phrasing should sound.  you could even get someone to play it on the violin or have someone sing it with nonsense words - or sing it yourself (la la).  it sounds silly, but quite realistic according to the favor brahms showed the violin and voice.  set your metronome first and try to keep it even, then for a month or so after you've learned it, just do minor adjustments to the 'flow' that make it sound musical without losing the 'line.'

[teresa_b]

Dear meli,

I love this piece!  Keep playing it, you'll find it ages well, like fine wine.  All these late Brahms pieces are difficult and require a maturity that seems to take a long time to achieve.  I played a couple of them in recital (including Op 118 no 2) in college, and have played several more over the years.  But now, 30 years later, I finally feel that I can do some justice to them. 

Having said that ( ) I urge you not to give up, but keep working on the piece with an eye to a very long term relationship with it.  You can certainly play it well early on, but you will improve the longer you play it. 

Good advice in the above post.  Remember the "teneramente" Brahms specified.  This is a plaintive, wistful romantic work--Always observe the long lines that intertwine so beautifully and practice bringing out the voices you want, or Brahms could get muddy. 

I would do only minimal metronome work at the beginning.  Obviously, you need to get the feel for your tempo, but once you do, anything approaching a Mozartian tempo adherence will be deadly. 

Let go and give it all the emotion you feel.  I like to use a touch of soft pedal and a little hesitation at the repeated statement of the first theme after the emotional climax (top of second page in my copy). 

Have fun!
Teresa

[robertp]

Good comments all, and I especially agree with teresa-b. Probably because I first learned this piece about  about thirty years ago too. In purely technical terms, if such exist, I had enough for it. But I didn't have the pianistic maturity for it. Couple of years later when auditioning for a new teacher I played it. He said "good...now put it away for a few years." I was a little bemused at the time, but not for long. Every time I've come back to it since I've found that it's aged just beautifully. And even though I'm played now what would be considered "bigger Brahms", 118.2 is a big favorite.

In practical terms. It requires great sensitivity with the pedal. Hang on too long, and a clear passage, or a crucial cadence becomes...mud. There are endless ways to vioice the chords, and that's the maturity issue arising...one may be able to play the chords, but reliably to voice them and make it work is quite a different matter. And the arp-like passages have to be so fluent that pouring emotion into the piece doesn't disturb them.

[quantum]

Go listen to some vocal music with piano.  Not the big choral stuff, but art songs or lieder.  Listen how the singer breaths with the phrases.  Pay attention to the lyrics and listen to how the singer evokes the meaning of the words with the tone of his/her voice.  Listen to how imagery in the words is reflected in the expression of the melodic line. 

Now take your intermezzo, and apply the vocal concepts.  There are sometimes more than one vocal line at the same time, and they do not always occur on the top voice.  There are many hidden melodies within the music, search for them and decide which ones to bring out. 

[clydef15]

Wow! I love all the replies so far. Everyone has a great perspective and something to offer...which is EXACTLY what this piece means to me. It is my favorite Brahms, and I have played it off and on for 25 years. I play it differently than I did at first, for sure, and all of the suggestions in this topic have been given to me at one time or another. One of the most helpful was that one regarding the repeat in the middle section. When you're going through the second time, find a different part of the music to emphasize through dynamics, voicing, phrasing, or tempo. That leads to a similar approach on all of the reiterations of the theme throughout the piece. As far as tempo adherance, I agree that too strict kills all emotion in this one. And too much pedal muddles the beauty...half or quarter pedal interspersed with full pedal when appropriate will add a ton of expressive possibilities.

[lovethepiano]

Hello,

I love this piece.  I too have struggled with it.  First, I mapped out the pedaling with my teacher's help.  Then it still wasn't right.  Be careful of the dynamics and the phrasing.  You must start soft in order to create a contrast with the crescendos.  There is also a master class for this piece on youtube which may give you some insight.  Be careful that your left hand isn't too loud when you go into the second section and make sure that you are very expressive with your right hand.  Then the chords should just float along as though you are suspended in time in the next section.  Of course, everyone learns a piece and tries to stay true to the composer, but also interprets in one's own unique way.  It is a beautiful piece...straight to the heart with so many notes that could make you cry.  Best wishes.  It will come.  Just keep working.