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Mendelssohn - Venetianisches Gondellied (No. 6 from Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 19b)
ABRSM Grade 6 - B3
Mendelssohn wrote 48 Songs without Words - short, lyrical pieces most of which are suitable for intermediate players. Among these are several Venetian Gondola Songs. The composer is said to have had the idea for this piece when he was on board a gondola during his Italian stay in 1830-31, copying it out about six months later. Wistful in character, the main feature is the underlying rocking motion (supplied by the left hand) over which the right hand spins a melody (often in two voices). This piece presents a challenge with regard to pedalling; we are allowed discreet touches even... Read >>
Schumann - Einsame Blumen (No. 3 from Waldscenen, Op. 82)
ABRSM Grade 6 – B13
Waldszenen (Forest Scenes), Op. 82, is a set of nine short pieces written by Robert Schumann in 1849. Einsame Blumen (Lonely Flowers) is a piece of extreme delicacy and beauty, requiring the performer to paint a picture in sound from the imagination. The right hand is constructed from two voices as though in dialogue, with quite extreme dissonances that only work at a soft dynamic level with careful voicing by the pianist. The quaver rests in the left hand accompaniment imply a light touch, but are not necessarily to be taken as literal silences; in her edition, Clara Schumann suggests... Read >>