JAVS Spring 2007

note slur is a difficult rhythm ro perform alone in an audition. I suggest practicing by playing straight eight notes rhrough rhe whole passage, repeating rhe first note of each slur. Then, ro imitate rhe rhythm of the wind section, ser rhe metronome on steady eighrh notes and play as written.

The 7rh Variation is a Siciliano; it combines rhe tender, stylistic ele ments of a lyrical 6/8 rhythm wirh a beautiful melody in rhe flutes and violas. The difficulty of rhis rheme is lilcing rhe dotted eighrh, six teenrh rhythm while still creacing a long line. Shifts become an issue because rhey must be srealrhfuUy executed while scill moving rhe

phrases forward . This can happen by coordinating rhe motion of rhe left hand exactly wirh each bow change. The main rheme is slightly awkward, one must create a breath less, moving phrase, retaining rhythmic integrity and not drawing attention ro rhe technical chal lenges. I highly recommend setcing a metronome on rhe sixteenrh note subdivision and playing rhe passage wirh a beauciful, round vibrato wirh a lifted, condensed stroke in rhe middle on rhe bow. Variation 8 is uniquely difficult because ir must be played seam lessly, in a ghost-like manner, muted, wirh clean imonacion and in a piano dynamic. That's about it! Projecting rhe underlying ten sion of B Minor is complex, main ly because of the concentration ir takes to play rhis variation in rune and still "rhread" rogerher very long phrases. The right intervallic wricing makes intonation rhe prin cipal concern. I suggest practicing rhis variation by playing rhe dou ble stops created by each string crossing; do rhis in rhythm, bur in slightly slower tempo. Even rhough Brahms does not give any dynamic indication orher rhan pianissimo and piano, rhe phrases have to be shaped by giving a slight emphasis to rhe middle of rhe slurs (m322- 324, m346 349). It is important ro notice rhe way Brahms uses rhe long phrase arcs ro indicate phrase lengrh . In rhe case of rhe first rhree measures rhis is also rhe bowing, bur in rhe case of m353- 359, ir is a very long phrase indication rhar must be followed by shaping rhe two

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