LOCAL VARIATION 4: TENUTO NOTES
In tempo rubato, the dancer focused on the tenuto triplets. She recreates the rhythm with her arms movements. For that reason, in the second recording, I focus more on the triplets, making them more rhythmical and less melodic. The dancer didn´t tell me to change the direction of my phrasing. However, with her movement, she suggested me to do it differently. For that reason, this is an Organic Variation
LOCAL VARIATION 6: MAKE THE DETAILS BIGGER
When practicing the piece with the dancer, I explained that the composer adds a detail at bar 62, attaching another tenuto:
LOCAL VARIATION 10: TIMING AT CODA
When creating the choreography for this part, the main goal was to intersperse the different dances without connection. However, it wasn´t that easy at all.
The dancer couldn't look at me to start the new theme together. For that reason, I asked her to mark the entrance every time. This was a very good solution. One the one hand, she could create a safe time to start the next movements more organically. On the other hand, the music sounded much more natural, with freer transitions.
When the castanets part finishes, she stares in the air, and when her feet touch the floor again, I start playing. She needs a lot of time to be suspended in the air and setting again all her weight on the floor. For that reason, she waited much more than me.
While watching the videos, I understood that her timing affected mine. That´s why I need more time between the Castanets and Abandon theme, comparing it with the first recording. This is a Organic Variation.
GENERAL VARIATION 2: MORE FLEXIBILITY IN TRANSITIONS
Also, I found out that I decrease the tempo in some transitions, in order to make the connection more natural. This is an Organic Variation because I was not aware of it until I listened to the second recording. This variation applies at bar 57-60, 89-90, and 107-108. Here is the example of bars 57-60.
LOCAL VARIATION 5: IRREGULARITY TO MAKE MORE EXPRESSION
At Tres Rythme passage, in the second recording, the sixteenth notes sound much more flexible than before. This applies to the melody, but also to the Habanera Rhythm. Furthermore, working with the dancer made this passage slower. It is possible that the irregularity is the same in both versions. However, the slowest tempo remarks this irregularity, and sounds more expressive than before.
GENERAL VARIATIONS
In this part of the Chapter, I will analyze General Variations, i.e. variations that affect my playing in a general way, such as sound and speed.
Generally, the rehearsals with the dancers made my performance slower and more relaxed. I felt more distance with the instrument and I could listen more to the details. During the second recording, I could understand better the score and I was able to connect easier the different characters.
However, at some moments I felt less precise than before. At the rehearsals, I needed to play many times the passages, without paying attention to technique aspects. This made my performance less accurate.
GENERAL VARIATION 1: CONNECT DYNAMIC WITH TIME
As a General Variation, in the second recording, I extend the tempo when there is a higher dynamic. This is something I already felt in the rehearsals, and for that reason, I classified it as a Ration Variation.
During the rehearsals with the dancer, she made bigger movements so as to express a higher dynamic. When there is forte or mezzo forte, the dancer takes more space and makes them bigger. As a conclusion, her actions seem slower, because she needs to take time to reach the space better and change positions.
For that reason, I thought that it could be interesting to decrease the speed in the big moments, to make it more natural and fit with the dancer´s movements. This Rational Variation applies at bar 33, as the video shows:
However, the dancer makes that detail very big. She amplifies it, and it becomes in the most important thing in that passage. For that reason, I tried to recreate her movements and mark that tenuto more. This is a Rational Variation.
CHAPTER 5
THE VARIATIONS OF THE PERFORMANCE
After working with the Dancer Lien Baelde, in this chapter I will compare two recordings: one before the rehearsals, and the other one after them. I will analyze the differences in my performances and I will connect them with the learning process.
The first recording took place in my final exam of First-Year Master, June 17 of 2019, at Schoenbergzaal hall, located at Royal Conservatory of The Hague. I played in a Steanway D Grand Piano and recorded it with the audio recorder Zoom H4N.
The second recording took place on February 17 of 2020, at room M509, located also at Royal Conservatory of The Hague. I performed in a Steanway B Grand Piano and recorded it with Audio and Video recorded Sony HDR MV1.
In order to compare perfectly both recordings, the best idea would be to do the recordings in the same room, with the same piano and recording system. However, this has not been possible because of logistical reasons. In this chapter, the early recording will be at the left side. The new recording will be on the right side.
First, I will explain local variations: those variations that affect to my playing at short movements. At the end of the chapter, I will analyze General Variations, i.e. variations that affect my playing in a general way, such as sound and speed.
LOCAL VARIATIONS
While analyzing Local Variations, I could distinguish two kinds of variations. On the one hand, Organic Variations. This kind of differences were natural, and I only started being aware after the analysis of the recordings. The inspiration in the dancer´s movements and ideas can be the reason for these changes.
On the other hand, I could find Rational Variations. These improvements came after the analysis of the rehearsals´ videos. In this case, the variation was planned and conceived. I was totally aware of this changes after my recond recording.
LOCAL VARIATION 1: STARTING POINT
At the first rehearal, the dancer asked me to improvise in order to prepare better the beginning and focus on the starting point. It worked much better, it helped me to focus and thinking in the character before starting.
In the first recording, I start very early playing the piece. However, on the second recording, I wait much more in order to prepare the first note. This was Organic Variation. (Variation shown in next videos)
LOCAL VARIATION 2: 5 BARS DIRECTION
The movement begins with 5 levels, starting from the low register of the piano to the high notes. For that reason, Lien starts the choreography on the floor and step by step she stands up. While watching the score, it is very logical to see that the sound moves up, but I found out that I needed to do it more clear so as to make it more logical. For that reason, in the second recording, I start more piano and make the sound bigger. It is also interesting to see that in the second recording my body recreates the dancer´s movement.
These changes are Organic Variations.
LOCAL VARIATION 7: SOUND AND TECHNIQUE VARIATION
As I said in Chapter 4, Lien makes soft and educated movements to recreate this part. Watching the videos, I saw that she relaxes a lot the body. Her hands and arms fleet in the air. This part has to be soft and rounded, so I tried to practice without making any effort and with a very relaxed hand. It sounds better, and it easier to relax in the second note. This difference is a Rational Variation because I used the Dancer´s movement to practice a new technique. As before, this passage is also slower at the second version.
LOCAL VARIATION 3: LONG NOTES IN THE ARABIC MELODY
I pay more attention to the long notes of the melody in the second recording, comparing it with the first one.
At the rehearsals, I asked the dancer to recreate the melody with movements. I was expecting that we would do one movement per note. However, in long notes, she stil moved using the resonance. Pianists don´t need to continue playing a long note to create sound. The hammer plays the string and this continues sounding. However, the dancer continues moving with the resonance and this encouraged me to listen to the long notes better. I was only aware of this change after watching the recordings. For that reason, this is also an Organic Variation.
LOCAL VARIATION 8: EMPHASIZE HIGH NOTES
At bar 97, Debussy uses the motive of TRES RHYTM but in a luminous and bright character. When I explained this to the dancer, Lien thought that she could look at the light and extend her arms to reach it.
I thought that I should play more the high notes, in order to make it more luminous and bright. I practiced highlighting finger number 5 of the right hand. For that reason, the chords sound more bright and the high notes have more projection. This is a Rational Variation.
This is the complete Second Performance Recording, after analyzig the score and making the choreography:
LOCAL VARIATION 9 : ORGANIZING TEMPO
At bar 109, the composer uses a rhythm based on Spanish folklore. When I was explaining this rhythm pattern to the dancer, I emphasized more the first beat of every bar. This explanation affected my playing, as the next videos show. I was not aware of this change before listening the recordings, and for that reason, this is an Organic Variation.
