Eleven Steps to Playing a Rachmaninov Concerto - like a boss

By Kyle Macdonald, ClassicFM London

At Classic FM Live at the Royal Albert Hall, we spent the day with Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, a pianist who can effortlessly despatch the trickiest of concertos. His amazingness has inspired us to think about, and crack the art of, the Rach.

Powering your way through Rachmaninov's third piano concerto, or belting out his Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, is no mean feat. Of course, we know you're awesome and will be fully prepared when the orchestra starts tuning up, but here are a few tips just in case. (We had the amazing Jean-Efflam Bavouzet to help with some of these tips.)

1. Choose your piece

Choose from four piano concertos, and a set of Paganini variations. Nail your piece, and you'll be playing it all your life, so choose carefully. (And no, you can't have them all. You're not Earl Wilde.)

image: http://i.imgur.com/JQMTywA.jpg

2. Get into the piano

Literally. The best pianistic publicity photos always involve the pianist under the bonnet of one of their beloved machines. Here's our star, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, to model the look.

image: http://i.imgur.com/hbzpIEE.jpg?1

3. Flowing hair

Is it a fortissimo coda, or is it a shampoo commercial? That's the kind of question you really need to think about. (The answer is both, by the way.)

4. Hands I

Rachmaninov's piano writing is famously full of big intervals – 10ths are not uncommon. The odd 11th too. (Eek.)

5. Hands II

Because it's important. The handily well-endowed Jean-Efflam Bavouzet explains more.

6. Hands III

Those Rachmaninov chords can be tough to reach. Here's an expert explanation (and solution).

7. Hands IV

Clearly we've been heavily implying that size matters. But you may be comforted to know there are many great Rachmaninov pianists who had more modest spans. (Click for a closer look.)

image: http://assets.classicfm.com/2014/43/pianist-hand-span-infographic-1414410936.jpeg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. Practice

Even before the rehearsals begin, you've got to be laying down your lines. Do it and you're well on your way to amazing. Here's the proof:

9. Choose an amazing orchestra

If you're going to smash out a concerto, make sure you have some of the best strings, woodwind and brass behind you to egg you on. In the '80s, Ashkenazy had the LSO; in the noughties, Hough had the Dallas Symphony. Tonight at Classic FM Live, Jean-Efflam has the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra – and they're more than up for it.

image: http://assets.classicfm.com/2015/15/jean-efflam-bavouzet-classic-fm-live-2015-performance-1429043595.jpg

10. Don't be freaked out by the score

It may look formidable, but if you master them they will become your friends. What's so scary about mega-fast triplets over quavers anyway?

image: http://i.imgur.com/ZOuUuPD.jpg?1

11. And just go for it

Cracked it, smashed it. Take that, Rachmaninov.

(C) 2015 by Classic FM London

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Classical Music Slowed Down 10x Sounds Absolutely Magical

By Daniel Ross, 17th March 2015, 17:09

We've taken some famous bits of classical music and slowed them down to 10 times slower than their normal speed. They sound truly wonderful and epic.

Tchaikovsky - 1812 Overture

Cannon-fire in slow motion is just about the biggest sound we can possibly imagine. If you thought Tchaikovsky's 1812 wasn't epic enough, then you're in for a gargantuan treat.

Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 21

In its normal guise, this is a dainty, almost silly-sounding melody. Slowed down, it's the soundtrack to a chill-out room at a student party circa 1998.

Beethoven - Waldstein Sonata

This restless, agitated piano stalwart is turned into a blissful wash of left-hand piano fudge, with the odd bit of ethereal tinkling over the top.

Bach - Cello Suite No. 1

Unaccompanied cello never sounded so meaty as this. Bach's iconic solo classic is now an achingly slow broken chord.

Elgar - Cello Concerto

Who would've thought Elgar would sound like the opening to a Godspeed You Black Emperor album? Not us. It was moody before, but this is properly dark, gripping stuff.

Williams - Star Wars

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away just became a whole lot longer. If you can imagine the majesty of Williams' most famous theme without being slowed down, you need to hear this.

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Mike Hardy3 days ago I never hear canons fire in the slowed down version of the 1812!!! Maybe ear wax issue! Others ok but nothing great Reply 0

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Mind-blowing: this is what really happens when you play a string instrument

By Daniel Ross, Classic FM London

This incredible DIY footage shows just what your guitar or violin strings look like when you play them.

Guitar strings wobble very strangely

So, you're playing the guitar, merrily unaware that you're creating some seriously weird shapes with the strings you're plucking. Like this:

*brain explodes*

Take a look at what this guy shows us, with only his iPhone and an acoustic guitar:

You know what? It works for violins too!

It's not just the finger-picking likes of casual guitarists that can enjoy these sonic lovelies - the string section can have exactly the same amount of fun. Look!

Now take a tour of this string quartet - you can see how lower strings and plucking produce different oscillations to higher bowed notes. 

The good thing about these videos is that they were made on perfectly normal cameras that anyone can use, even if it's just your iPhone. 

So why not get your battered acoustic out of the cupboard and pop your phone inside?

Hermann Reutter - His Music and His Life

Hermann Reutter

Born: June 17th, 1900

Died: January 1st, 1985

Country of origin: Germany

Hermann Reutter was born in Stuttgart on 17 June 1900. In 1920 he moved to Munich. After three years of singing lessons with Emma Rückbeil-Hiller (Stuttgart) and Karl Erler (München) he studied at the Munich Academy of Musical Arts composition with Walter Courvoisier and piano with Franz Dorfmüller, and organ with Ludwig Mayer. 

Since 1923 he participated in the music festival of Donaueschingen and intensified his contact with the Donaueschingen circle, in particular with Paul Hindemith. Starting with 1926 he was a frequent composer in association with the annual music festival of the Allgemeine Deutsche Musikverein where many of his works were world premiered. He began intensive concert activities as pianist and accompanist in lieder in 1929, working together with major conductors and soloists of his period. 

In 1932 he succeeded Ewald Straesser as principal teacher of composition at the Musikhochschule Stuttgart. He was appointed director of the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt on the Main four years later. In 1945 was the end of this work. He returned to Stuttgart and resumed concert activities in 1950. Two years later he was appointed professor of composition and lied interpretation at the Stuttgart Hochschule fuer Musik. In 1955 he became full member of the Berlin Akademie der Kuenste and of the Bayerische Akademie der Schoenen Kuenste, Munich. Since 1956 he was juror, later chairman, of the jury in the category Singing at the ARD competition. 

He succeeded Hermann Erpf as director of the Stuttgart Hochschule fuer Musik. Since 1960 he often stayed in the USA for interpretation courses at various universities. From 1966-1974 he led the master class of lied interpretation at the Munich Musikhochschule. In 1968 he founded the Hugo Wolf Society Stuttgart, being its president until his death.

For his achievement as a composer and a teacher he was awarded (among others) the Ludwig-Spohr-Award of the City of Brunswig (1953), the Grand Cross for Distinguished Service of the Federal Republic of Germany (1959 and with Star in 1975), a Honorary doctorate of the Music and Arts Institute San Francisco and the Hugo Wolf Medal of the International Hugo Wolf Society, Vienna (both in 1976). 

Hermann Reutter died in Heidenheim on 1 January 1985.

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