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A masterclass with Kenneth Drake featuring students and a discussion on Yo-Yo Ma’s comment regarding Beethoven’s structural design.
Kenneth Drake, piano
About the discussion:
Yo-Yo Ma’s comment that understanding Beethoven’s plan to get from here to there enables one to possess the piece and know how to play it differs from much traditional teaching in basing interpretation on meaning derived from relationships in the score. Interpretation is personal opinion based on one’s concept of the essence of the piece supported by analysis of form and harmonic and melodic movement and relationships. If a significant aspect of performance practice deals with manner of playing, basing performance on study of the composer’s purpose involves weighing expressive devices and objectives, extending into the deepest creative motivation for composing the piece.
Complementing informative and corrective advice, this other even more important part of teaching summons and treats most seriously the student’s thinking to foster independence of thought in a lifetime pursuit of substantive meaning.