Interlude and Fugue (Hindemith)

[egrette]

That would be awesome, but I think I cannot discuss the piece with the examiner. The examiner will ask me questions if he wants, but otherwise I'm not sure I'll have my chance to explain my interpretation. Thanks for the help btw :)

[egrette]

actually, this piece is being served in this year's grade 8 ABRSM piano exam a d I am playing it. I always have a dillema whether to play it legato with some rubato like contemporary pieces, or to play it portato like baroque pieces (since it is a fugue n pastorale).

[Kamibambiraptor]

I'm not sure either; I haven't revisted this piece lately, but I sure have gotten some suggestions with this posting! (*I think I would go for the legato approach though; it is a modern piece after all.)

[egrette]

I agree, the rather impressionist approach coincides well with the time period; but my piano teacher said that there are people who interpret it as a baroque piece. This makes it a very 'dangerous' choice for an examination piece though!

[gatesofdelirium]

being familiar only with the procedure of drama examinations, could you tell me whether or not one gets to chat with the examiner? i ask this because in the RIAM drama exams one is wont to be asked about the performance of the chosen excerpt. it's only fair that a performer be questioned about interpretation to ensure competence rather than servility.

[cm50gr3250]

Gould potrebbe suonare qualsiasi autore, anche schifoso, cosa e sarebbe sempre meraviglioso.

[Caecilllius]

Hehe the Pastorale is in list A from the ABRSM grade 8 exam for piano at the moment.

Baeutiful piece, that is.

[suckin128]

yes, but i heard the official recording as it should be much faster

[flashfire512]

what form is the interludium? is it a sarabande? a forlane? a loure? Or did hindemith just compose for fun?

[Kamibambiraptor]

Thank you for the suggestion to a way of interpretation, even if a little flippantly offered. I'm probably a lot less expert than you in 'forms' (only 'sarabande' rang a bell), but I'll give it some thought. (*Actually, given that the collection is called 'tone games', maybe he was just composing for fun. ;) )

[flashfire512]

haha.. actually, its part of my homework to analyse this set of pieces, so i was basically just trying to take a shortcut by asking here insteand of consulting those horribly thick music dictionaries. But thanks for replying anyways:) BTW, i found out the form already. its a siciliano. if you dunno what that is, you can always use wikipedia. i lazy to post link:P

[doodlinfred]

Uhh...first problem is NOT the speed as some have mentioned, it is the lack of a regular tempo!!!!!!!!! There basically is none! Just read the music with a steady tempo and even the uninitiated will perceive the beauty of this piece. Rhythm is more important than the correct note!

Juan Rodriguez

[thedoodis]

The collection is called Ludis Tonalis and it is a set of interludes and fugues based on all twelve chromatic notes. It is a twentieth century tribute to Bach's Well Tempered Klavier. The harmonies in Hindemith's work are based on his theories of composition outlined in his book 'The Craft of Musical Composition.'

[sagalat]

Very obscure to me, although I enjoy Mathis der Mahler.  How did you arrive at this largely undiscovered musical zone?

[Kamibambiraptor]

I have two smallish collections called "Das Neue Klavier-Buch" which have a number of modern (the book is copyright 1943) pieces in them by various composers; these two pieces among them. I got these books are a sale by the public library a number of years back.

It is a rather droll piece; dissonant, but not cacophonic; kind of sad, but not depressing. Not atonal, but certainly not traditional either. I'd like to get the full set of pieces someday.

[egrette]

Modern pieces are hard to come by. In fact, pretty much most piano pieces are hard to come by if we want the correct version! :) I would suggest shopping for music when you go to Europe (from experience; Vienna and Italy). Usually, the musty antique music shops have the best finds :)

[Kamibambiraptor]

I've got a not bad selection of modern pieces in my library, but nothing really current; I think the latest is a collection of pieces by Gerard Hengeveld which comes from around 1978. Alas! There's no money to be had writing classical style piano music these days. (*If I ever do make it to Europe, I'm sure I would have a heyday in the antique music shops!)