Fazil Say And Pires: Music Analysis
In my performance of Mozart’s sonata no. 12 movement II, I took inspiration from both Fazil Say and Maria Jao Pires’ performances of the piece. Each performance has different but not dissimilar interpretations and there is a sense of historical accuracy as well as innovation in both. One could argue that Say takes a more innovative approach whereas Pires plays more traditionally in a classical style. The use of pedal, tempo, dynamics and ornamentation are all major contributing factors to how each performance differs and these are what I will aim to explore in the content of this essay.
In Mozart, the use of pedal is a subject that can be debate due to the difference between the modern piano and the one that would have been used at the time. The performer must decide whether to take full advantage of the modern pedal or try to evoke a more classical sound. Pires takes a much more conservative approach with the pedal using it minimally, contrasting Say’s more heavy use. This can be …show more content…
However despite them being fixed in this sense, the performer is able to have their own take on them. Perhaps the most obvious difference between the two performances is the different approaches to the turns at the beginning of the piece. Pires’ more even turns seems to do what is written more than Say who lingers on the held note and then rushes off it in the turn . These two openings say two very different things, Say gives the impression that he is taking a more liberal approach in the sense that he will not stay strictly to what has been written, whereas Pires’ more traditional opening sets the tone for a stricter performance. I believe that Pires’ approach is more in keeping with the essence of how the piece should be played. In my performance, my aim is to keep to the more classical take on the ornaments much like Pires as opposed to the alternative interpretation of
In Mozart, the use of pedal is a subject that can be debate due to the difference between the modern piano and the one that would have been used at the time. The performer must decide whether to take full advantage of the modern pedal or try to evoke a more classical sound. Pires takes a much more conservative approach with the pedal using it minimally, contrasting Say’s more heavy use. This can be …show more content…
However despite them being fixed in this sense, the performer is able to have their own take on them. Perhaps the most obvious difference between the two performances is the different approaches to the turns at the beginning of the piece. Pires’ more even turns seems to do what is written more than Say who lingers on the held note and then rushes off it in the turn . These two openings say two very different things, Say gives the impression that he is taking a more liberal approach in the sense that he will not stay strictly to what has been written, whereas Pires’ more traditional opening sets the tone for a stricter performance. I believe that Pires’ approach is more in keeping with the essence of how the piece should be played. In my performance, my aim is to keep to the more classical take on the ornaments much like Pires as opposed to the alternative interpretation of