Thumbs up for Emanuel Ax! He's such a kind and gentle teacher, and knows how to create a very sensitive and nice atmosphere. I really enjoy those kinds of masterclasses.
+ScaryIndeed I have met him a few times ancillary to a concert, and have found him to be a wonderfully warm and friendly human being, so unlike many others who appear before the public nowadays.
I agree completely. All of my teachers were not kind at all; they used intimidation and humiliation to teach. Emmanuel Ax achieves much better results.
Wow, that's great teaching. Not many famous musicians are willing to work that hard in a master class, but Ax knows that it's those tiny details that create a performance worth listening to.
wow just shows how even a passage this is and sounds relatively easy can be so dang hard to play! The detail and thought that one has to put into each note is insane
@organboi That's the main challenge of any music masterclass. What works fine for one student might not work for another. I actually think that Ax is being EXTREMELY clear and very encouraging (count the number of times he praises the student and gives positive feedback). Most accomplished pianists don't do that at all and rather bash you during the whole session. Kudos to Ax for accomplishing something here and keeping a friendly tone at the same time.
Absolutely agree....the student's interpretation was far more subtle and mysterious,marvelous dynamics in the left hand repeated notes..the crescendo to the last phrase was absolutely masterly.You're right about master classes..intrusive and inhibitive.
i play the piano and i understood everything he said, and the things he said are actually similar to the things my teacher says. he was just being polite a teacher doesnt have to be a jerk
@PoledniceWP Ax only said that once and the student immediately knew he was referencing the pause between the running notes and the chord - it probably wasn't altogether intentional because it's the only time he played with that large of a gap at that point in the music. The student improved immensely in those few measures in just a few minutes of instruction - Ax is awesome!
+Brian Bernstein I believe that's actually true, but was he asked that at the time following his five late sonatas? In any event, this sonata was indeed a favorite of his amongst those he composed, and he never needed any persuasion to play it for others.
I can see what you mean, but the point here is that the student gets what he's saying. and he clearly does. It is, as you say, not obvious for someone outside exactly what is meant at each remark. That is, UNTIL the student actually makes the change and then I'm like "Aaaaaahhhh so THAT'S what he meant". Also major props for being so kind and polite for someone who is a renowned concert pianist - we surely know of other masterclasses where the teacher actually behaves like an a** :-D
organboi I found the approach to this slow movement of the Pastorale to be as close to "shitty" as I've found on UA-cam. Among the things FoivosApostolou mentioned, the student also displays considerable for Beethoven's "incomplete" crescendo. If I or my former teacher were coaching this in a private session, we would've simply called him off and asked him to age 5 to 10 years before attempting another sonata w/ a minor-key slow movement and many others as well.
The Masterclass Media Foundation. Actually not that either. It's Sonata No. 15, Op. 28. (Writing Op. 28, No. 15 implies incorrectly that it's the 15th work in Op 28.)
Sorry to say, but Ax is not even close to being a good teacher in this video. "Is there a way to NOT do that?" Just awful. Show the guy HOW. I had no idea what he was talking about half the time. Then he sits down and demonstrates and I had no clue as to what he wanted. Both versions sounded the same. In fact I liked the student's better. I'm no longer a fan of master classes. Never was really.
![5 Minutes On... Beethoven - The Moonlight Sonata (C# minor) | Daniel Barenboim [subtitulado]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EZsBi50VbXw/mqdefault.jpg)
Thumbs up for Emanuel Ax! He's such a kind and gentle teacher, and knows how to create a very sensitive and nice atmosphere. I really enjoy those kinds of masterclasses.
+ScaryIndeed I have met him a few times ancillary to a concert, and have found him to be a wonderfully warm and friendly human being, so unlike many others who appear before the public nowadays.
I agree completely. All of my teachers were not kind at all; they used intimidation and humiliation to teach. Emmanuel Ax achieves much better results.
Wow, that's great teaching. Not many famous musicians are willing to work that hard in a master class, but Ax knows that it's those tiny details that create a performance worth listening to.
wow just shows how even a passage this is and sounds relatively easy can be so dang hard to play! The detail and thought that one has to put into each note is insane
@organboi That's the main challenge of any music masterclass. What works fine for one student might not work for another. I actually think that Ax is being EXTREMELY clear and very encouraging (count the number of times he praises the student and gives positive feedback). Most accomplished pianists don't do that at all and rather bash you during the whole session. Kudos to Ax for accomplishing something here and keeping a friendly tone at the same time.
Absolutely agree....the student's interpretation was far more subtle and mysterious,marvelous dynamics in the left hand repeated notes..the crescendo to the last phrase was absolutely masterly.You're right about master classes..intrusive and inhibitive.
i play the piano and i understood everything he said, and the things he said are actually similar to the things my teacher says. he was just being polite a teacher doesnt have to be a jerk
@PoledniceWP Ax only said that once and the student immediately knew he was referencing the pause between the running notes and the chord - it probably wasn't altogether intentional because it's the only time he played with that large of a gap at that point in the music. The student improved immensely in those few measures in just a few minutes of instruction - Ax is awesome!
when asked what his favorite sonata that he wrote was, Beethoven cited this exact movement
+Brian Bernstein I believe that's actually true, but was he asked that at the time following his five late sonatas? In any event, this sonata was indeed a favorite of his amongst those he composed, and he never needed any persuasion to play it for others.
Fantastico video
Lovely Maestro Ax. I wish to meet he, but, I now, it was so far!!
I can see what you mean, but the point here is that the student gets what he's saying. and he clearly does. It is, as you say, not obvious for someone outside exactly what is meant at each remark. That is, UNTIL the student actually makes the change and then I'm like "Aaaaaahhhh so THAT'S what he meant". Also major props for being so kind and polite for someone who is a renowned concert pianist - we surely know of other masterclasses where the teacher actually behaves like an a** :-D
the perfect model for a MASTER Class, not a piano lesson:
Gyorgy Sebok
organboi I found the approach to this slow movement of the Pastorale to be as close to "shitty" as I've found on UA-cam. Among the things FoivosApostolou mentioned, the student also displays considerable for Beethoven's "incomplete" crescendo. If I or my former teacher were coaching this in a private session, we would've simply called him off and asked him to age 5 to 10 years before attempting another sonata w/ a minor-key slow movement and many others as well.
His breathing.... HIS BREATHING
@gramajolisandro The second movement of Beethoven's 15th Piano Sonata (aka the "Pastoral" sonata)
Pastoral, #15. 2nd movement.
is this the pastoral sonata??
This is not op. 15. It's op. 28, no. 15.
Hi Kenny Phillips. Thank you so much for letting us know. This has now been amended.
The Masterclass Media Foundation. Actually not that either. It's Sonata No. 15, Op. 28. (Writing Op. 28, No. 15 implies incorrectly that it's the 15th work in Op 28.)
***** Thanks for letting us know, this is now amended :)
Sorry to say, but Ax is not even close to being a good teacher in this video. "Is there a way to NOT do that?" Just awful. Show the guy HOW. I had no idea what he was talking about half the time. Then he sits down and demonstrates and I had no clue as to what he wanted. Both versions sounded the same. In fact I liked the student's better. I'm no longer a fan of master classes. Never was really.
Insanely fast, no legato or phrasing, too much pedal and no emotion.