Mendelssohn - Variations Sérieuses, op.54

[haydn86]

A performance of the Variations Sérieuses which I played for a small audience some two years ago. I haven't touched the piece in a while, so I'd be interested in getting some advice on what I could improve if I take it up again . One thing I do notice while listening to it now, is that I tend to take a bit too many pauses in certain slow variations. Anyway, here it is (audio only):

[storyseller]

Hm one of the monsters in the standart repertoire... Bravo just for the choice and well done!

Well I havent played it myself and you are very good obviously but if I had to pregnant dog about anything is that it lacks the polyphonic texture Mendelssohn strived for in some places.

And then I would syggest more focus on the bigger picture, like grouping some variations together with one big and coherent climax unifying them.. (well my english is not so good).

And try to save energy for the presto.. you sound a little tired in the end or i dont know out of focus...?

Plus maybe a little bit faster especcialy the theme... for someone who doesnt know the piece it's hard to follow the leading voice. Try to evaporate maybe the second voice in the theme it's somewhat distorting the melody and focus on phrasing - not one by one notes... you know what i mean. 

[birba]

Great work!  Your staccato in the 13th variation was fantastic!  Almost too much.  I think of that as more leggiero and non-legato, rather then actually staccato.  But it was convincing.  In fact the whole performance was convincing and very mature.  I did notice some strange stopping in certain variations which I couldn't understand.  But they were very few.  I think the group 15-17 has to be more unified.  You do the acceleration in 15 and end up going faster than the allegro vivace where you have to adjust your tempo.  Keep the quarter note rythm in time as you do the accelerando and go into the 16th variation SLIGHTLY faster and not too loud, because remember, you need the big FF in the 17th variation.  Also the 11th and 12th variation I would group more together in tempo.  Perhaps the 12th is a bit too fast.  Work into it without slowing down in the previous one. 
(I think there was a mis-reading in the third measure of var. 14.  It's a c# not a c natural.  also the f# in the 4th and 3rd measure from the end should be tied.)
I enjoyed hearing this.  It's not an easy piece to get across, but you did it.

[rachfan]

Hi haydn,

This is a truly fine performance and most convincing indeed.  I think the coda to these variations is the best one that Mendelssohn ever composed.  Thanks for posting.

[haydn86]

Thanks for your excellent suggestions; these will be very helpful I'm sure. Indeed it's a great piece to play.

As for the tying of the two f#'s near the end of var.14 (bars 247-8), this is an interesting issue. My Henle urtext edition ('96) suggests not to tie them, just as it tells not to tie the two c#'s at the end of the first variation (bars 13-14). Apparently, the first edition featured a slur over these notes in both spots, but the composition manuscript and the engraver's copy did not. I think I'll go with the Henle here - the absence of slurs in these spots make sense given that Mendelssohn does not tie similar repeated seventh notes in other variations either (for instance, the c#'s of var 1, bars 29-30; ditto in bars 42-43 of var 2 and 227-8 of var 13). Also, to my ears it sounds a little odd to leave the beginning of the bar open anyway, but that may be due to custom too... A quick check revealed that both Perahia and Bolet don't play the slurs in either place. Some older performances (Richter, Sofronitzky) do. Brendel is even more puzzling: he doesn't play the slur in var 1, but he does in 14...

[randon]

I think it's outstanding. I'm just learning this piece now. Having a fit over proper fingering for (esp) Var. 8.!! You obviously have it mastered-any chance you would be kind enough to describe how the right hand plays this piece in terms of fingering?  For example, do fingers 4,3 strike the f, and so on?

I would be so grateful

Randon