<p>Pan Yumeng<br />Beethoven: Sonata No.26 in E-flat major, Op.81a “Les Adieu” (Adagio – Allegro) (38:00)<br />I congratulate you for performing this Sonata very well and for observing most of Beethoven’s indications. With time you will gain a deeper understanding so I hope you will continue your voyage of discovery. To help you, here are some thoughts: Of all the Sonatas, this is one of the most programmatic that allows us a clearer understanding of the music – Le-be-wohl! in German means Farewell and you should say it as you play the beginning notes. It refers to the Archduke Rudolf’s (the most important patron of the composer) departure from Vienna and the profound sadness and resignation to fate that follows. Notice that Beethoven indicates espressivo for the first three notes and again the four times when these same three notes appear. In many ways this determines the atmosphere of the movement – a feeling of warmth, friendship, appreciation and passion. Use this as a guide so that you may avoid the sound of harshness, of panic and disarray. Carefully balance the voices when contrapuntal writing is involved, especially in the Coda. The tempo must be carefully considered to allow you to clearly communicate the underlying atmosphere of the movement and there must be a strong relationship between the beginning Adagio and the ensuing Allegro. Tempo was extremely important for Beethoven and our search for their deep meaning is a continuous learning experience throughout our lives.<br />Debussy: “Clair de lune” from Suite bergamasque (44:10)<br />The tile Clair de lune, meaning "moonlight" in French comes from Paul Verlaine's poem of the same name. Not only is the amazing rhythmic flow of the French language in Verlain’s poem is expressed through the music, but also the picturesque nature of moonlight over the lake. I often advise students to take the scores away from the piano and go through it with their ears rather than constantly practicing the notes. Let’s do it: The first phrase is 8 measures long followed by a shortened (6 measures) repetition of the theme, this time using octaves for color. For all this Debussy requests a “pp” dynamic. The next section is 12 measures long, although using six notes chord progressions Debussy reminds us that we are still under the spell of “pp”.  In the fourth measure of this phrase there is an indication to little by little get louder and animated (lively). This cannot be too much as after five measures he requests us to decrease the volume back to “pp”. The next section is built on three phrases – Un poco mosso (a little faster) for 10 measures using “pp” for 4 and “p” for another 4 measures with two measures of crescendo: En animant (in or with motion) for 6 measures uses piu crescendo which extends to the only forte for one measure before descending to Calmo (calm) in “pp” for 8 measures. The recapitulation repeats the thematic material of the opening with slight changes, 8 measures with “ppp” and 7 measures with “pp” and moves to the Coda of 7 measures with the indication of “pp gradually dying away till the end”.<br />It is obvious that “Clair de lune” is a study how to play softly in different hues. Even the only one measure “forte” must be played in perspective of its surrounding. I hope you will revise your thoughts about this extraordinary work!  <br />Liszt: Après une Lecture de Dante: Fantasia quasi Sonata (49:00)<br />You have made a wonderful effort to study and perform this massive work. It is a good start and “Dante” will be a wonderful piece for your recitals in the future. Of course you do many good things, you have the technique and the power that the work demands. Liszt composed the “Dante Sonata in the early 1830s and published it in 1858. It is certain that during those 28 years the master made many revisions some based on performances he gave and ultimately the Dante Sonata stands out as one of the greatest creations of the romantic era. In the limited space I have here perhaps I should concentrate on TEMPO as a tool that enhances the music towards its natural climaxes. It is important to find the right tempo especially after the introduction as a very large section starts at Presto agitato assai (measure 35). From this point there is no change of tempo until measure 89 as we approach the first of the big climaxes - the immense thematic chords with downward cascading octaves (measure 103). In all of this section Liszt increases the tension by allowing the performer to use as much dynamic imagination and not slowing and fastening momentarily the tempo due to different technical difficulties. In another section the tempo used to build up tension: this starts at Allegro moderato (measure 181) and you took this far too fast. The next phrase is indicated as agitato but this is not a tempo marking but a character change! Only in measure 209 Liszt requests stringendo which leads to the Piu mosso (measure 211). This is the tempo that must be reached and for the rest of the section continued. Unfortunately you played the passages  leading up to measure 211 much too fast so when you reached this important moment you had to slow down, totally contrary to the intensions of the composer. You must try to rely on his indication as ultimately they will serve you well in performance. The same thing can be said for the section leading up to the Coda, everything is worked out by the composer to enhance our ability to transmit the musical message to our listeners.<br />General Observation:<br />You are a very talented pianist and with careful study will improve and make music your career. You must listen to a great deal of music, not only piano music but opera, orchestra and chamber music, and read a lot of literature so that you can understand the different periods in our music history. Essentially you really need to be aware of all the different creative arts in order to be well-rounded – this will be of more value to you exclusively practicing 10 hours a day.</p>