LESSONSPIANO

Anna Goldsworthy

MUSIC FROM THE BEST-SELLING MEMOIR

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PIANO LESSONS

After I published my memoir, Piano Lessons, I was overwhelmed by the correspondence I

received. Many people thanked me for introducing them to my teacher, Eleonora Sivan, and

recounted their own childhood music lessons, or inspirational mentors. But several people also

alerted me to a shortcoming of the book: despite my best efforts, its pages remained silent.

While they could hear the music of Mrs Sivan’s voice, they longed to match it to the pieces she

described. It was this that spurred me to record this disc.

Much of this repertoire has lived with me throughout the years through my teaching and

practice, but some of it I had not returned to since childhood. Music, like tastes and smells,

tracks deeply into memory, and revisiting some of these pieces was like biting into Proust’s

madeleine, or like writing a memoir all over again, but this time through music. Working on

Liszt’s Rigoletto Paraphrase, I felt the excitement and anxiety of adolescence returned to me,

and at times it was as though I had slipped back into my fifteen-year-old hands. At the same

time, there were things I could see much more clearly now. Old problems had fallen away;

new ones took their place.

I’d like to dedicate this recording to all my readers who asked that it be made, and also to my

mother, father, sister and brother. Our lives shared a soundtrack for many years, and I hope

this music is as evocative for them as it is for me. And I’d also like to dedicate it to Eleonora

Sivan, whose words and playing are forever a beacon.

Anna Goldsworthy

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JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH 1685-1750

The Anna Magdalena Notebook1 Minuet in G major, BWV Anhang 114 (attrib. Christian Petzold 1677-1733) 1’172 Minuet in G minor, BWV Anhang 115 (attrib. Christian Petzold) 1’213 Minuet in D minor, BWV Anhang 132 0’444 Minuet in G major, BWV Anhang 116 1’33

DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH 1906-1975

Dances of the Dolls (excerpts) [5’11]5 I. Lyrical Waltz 1’516 III. Romance 2’277 VI. Hurdy-Gurdy 0’53

CLAUDE DEBUSSY 1862-1918

8 The Little Shepherd from Children’s Corner – Suite 2’19

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART 1756-1791

Piano Sonata in B-flat major, KV3339 I. Allegro 5’29

FRANZ SCHUBERT 1797-1828

0 Impromptu in A-flat major, Op. 90 No. 4, D899 8’04

FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN 1810-1849

! Etude in G-flat major, Op. 10 No. 5 ‘Black Key’ 2’02

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FRANZ LISZT 1811-1886 after GIUSEPPE VERDI 1813-1901

@ Rigoletto Paraphrase 7’27

SERGEI PROKOFIEV 1891-1953

£ Toccata, Op. 11 4’52

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH

Prelude and Fugue in C-sharp major, BWV848from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I [3’37]

$ Prelude 1’18% Fugue 2’19

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN 1770-1827

Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op. 53 ‘Waldstein’ ^ I. Allegro con brio 11’03

FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN

Piano Sonata in B-flat minor, Op. 35& III. Marche funèbre (Funeral March): Lento 9’01

FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN

* Nocturne in D-flat major, Op. 27 No. 2 5’13

Total Playing Time 69’55

Anna Goldsworthy piano

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Four minuets from The Anna Magdalena NotebookJohann Sebastian Bach

‘Bach basically is father of all music,’ Mrs Sivan told me. ‘He has huge influence on everybody…Remember always that Bach represents God in this world, with his wisdom, his acceptance, hisforgiveness. Like he always bless you. What Bach gives? Peace, of course, and bells.’

J.S. Bach presented his beloved wife Anna Magdalena with the second of two notebooks in 1725.Bound in pale green paper, and edged with gilt, this volume is a touching love gift. It comprises aselection of musical favourites of the family, by Bach and his contemporaries, and offers some insightinto the domestic music-making of the time. The four minuets performed here have graced many anAustralian childhood, thanks to E. Harold Davies’ The Children’s Bach, which was first published in 1933and is still in print. While the first two of these minuets are now attributed to Christian Petzold, theywere clearly significant works for J.S. Bach: the bass-line of the G minor minuet bears more than apassing resemblance to the ‘Goldberg’ Variations.

Dances of the DollsDmitri Shostakovich

‘Shostakovich was epitome of dignity, of culture, of moral,’ Mrs Sivan had said. ‘Just unbelievable qualitythis man was. Was impossible to sit when he’s coming in a room. Was beyond us, beyond everybody –believe me, I watch it. And of course highest level of pianistic culture. Remember, piano’s choreographyis beyond human imagination. No one ballet dancer can use so many varieties of choreography. Here weare dropping position. But here clapping!’ She had laughed as she played, her hands springing to life liketwo small puppets.

Shostakovich compiled his piano suite Dances of the Dolls in 1953. In this set of miniatures, drawnfrom his Ballet Suites, he allows himself to indulge his great melodic gift. Designed for children, eachdance presents a small tableau. The charming ‘Lyrical Waltz’ is derived from the second ballet suite; thepoetic ‘Romance’ from the first, and the ‘Hurdy-Gurdy’, which depicts a barrel-organ, from the fourth.

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I launched into the ‘Lyrical Waltz’, and all at once Mrs Sivan was there beside me. Opening four bars areclear invitation to dance. This C in left hand wants to go to F, yes? To visit his friend. And now comes beautifulmelody, queen absolutely, and here this G sharp must be fully alert! In my lesson, she had widened her eyes toshow me this alertness; now, as I played, I could see her watchful expression in the G sharp. Dancingcoming around more and more, greater and greater excitement, until dolls come to life, and all is dancing! Theheaviness of the room receded, until I was this doll, dancing through air. What this is music! Music itselfexcitement of the life in your hands, just like you live and breathe!

The Little ShepherdClaude Debussy

Debussy composed his Children’s Corner in 1908, and dedicated it to his beloved daughter, Claude-Emma, who was three years old at the time: ‘A ma chère petite Chouchou, avec les tendres excusesde son père.’ A father’s tender regard suffuses the whole collection, which evokes the magic ofchildhood. The penultimate of these pieces, ‘The Little Shepherd’, is perhaps the most reflective. In this improvisatory miniature, a lone shepherd sends his pipe song into the reverberatingcountryside, alternated with snippets of a dance. Despite the work’s concision, Debussy draws us into this scene immediately: it is a tiny but powerful story contained in just two pages.

‘Debussy is painting alive,’ Mrs Sivan said. She opened my Children’s Corner to ‘The Little Shepherd’.‘Not interested in this shepherd as character, at what he is feeling and thinking. No way! Debussyinterested in this little shepherd only as picture.’

She played the opening flute solo, applying her hands to the keyboard like paint.

‘Listen to acoustic effect,’ she whispered. ‘Vibration … reverberation … reflection.’

I could almost see ripples in the air, as the sound travelled to the walls and returned to us.

‘You think I cannot do crescendo on one note?’ she asked, defiantly. She drew a D from the piano andher eyes widened as, against all the laws of physics, it seemed to grow louder. ‘The piano is instrumentof fantasy, of projection,’ she beamed. ‘Limited only by your imagination.’

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Sonata in B-flat major, KV333: I. AllegroWolfgang Amadeus Mozart

‘Mozart’s simplicity is exact opposite of primitivism. Has come through full circle, after complexity.’ Shesketched a circle for me on my notebook, with primitivism on one side, moving through complexity, tosimplicity. ‘And Mozart always opera! Always vocal hearing. So theatrical and so playful. Mozart exactlylike Midas: every sound he touches turns into song.’

Mozart composed 18 piano sonatas between the years 1774 and 1789 (essentially the course of hisadult life). This sonata in B-flat major was composed in 1783 in Linz, the last of his middle-periodsonatas. Mozart has been likened to Shakespeare, and even in his instrumental music there is a sensethat ‘all the world’s a stage.’ The ebullient piano style of the first movement recalls the concertos, butalso unfolds operatically. As melodies are superseded by new ones, various characters seem to bustleon and off the stage, with a particular spotlight on the soprano, Mozart’s muse.

‘What Mozart created? This oily legato… And remember, always vocal hearing.’ She demonstrated themovement’s opening at the top of the piano. Even in this tinkling register, the sound was that of acoloratura soprano, of improbable, superhuman range. ‘This music so positive! So giving! Remember,Mozart was born with happy of everything... What looks to him natural, other people have to work, onelifetime not enough. And at same time, Mozart always kept this quality of a child. Wise child.’

Impromptu in A-flat major, Op. 90 No. 4, D899 Franz Schubert

‘What is the tragedy in Schubert?’ Mrs Sivan asked. ‘You must remember two things: first of all, hisintuition of death. Some sort of premonition that he will have death at a young age. On the other hand,he so happy to live… In some ways, tragedy not right word. More about asking why. Basically, sadness andacceptance and pain, and altogether light and innocence.’

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Schubert composed this impromptu towards the end of his short life, in 1827. The term impromptuappears to have been introduced by the Bohemian pianist Jan Voříšek (or at least, by his publishers), to denote a piece of an improvisatory or spontaneous nature. This work, despite its strongunderpinning in ternary form, does unfold digressively. The impromptu is notated with an A-flat majorkey signature, but begins clearly in A-flat minor, and it explores that particular twilight between themajor and minor. Its rippling arpeggios are evocative of nature – of the bubbling brooks or murmuringbreezes that illustrate his songs – but at the centre of this work lies a Trio of a more personal, tragic nature.

‘Schubert lives in his music: all his world, all his love, all his life, is here… He is clear Romantic in skinand heart and everything, but form and structure all classical.’ She turned to the Impromptu in A-flat.‘We begin with A-flat minor chord. Listen, don’t play. The inside story of this garmonic chord isincredible: its emotional story. And altogether we must think about pulse, and about hearing volume.’

Etude in G-flat major, Op. 10 No. 5 ‘Black Key’Frédéric Chopin

Chopin’s two books of Études revolutionised the way pianists approached their instrument. While eachétude is indeed a ‘study’ of some aspect of pianistic technique, these are works for the concert hall asmuch as the practice studio. An early reviewer lamented their difficulty, warning pianists to secure thepresence of a surgeon before even attempting them. Generations of pianists have proved him wrong(starting with Liszt, who Chopin claimed performed them better than he did). The Etude Op. 10 No. 5 issometimes known as the ‘Black Key’ étude, because of its brilliant right hand passagework, composedexclusively in the pentatonic scale, on the black notes of the piano keyboard.

‘These études are encyclopaedia of virtuosity... Definitely you can’t play them when in kindergarten or infirst years of primary school. This is peak of virtuosity… No playing, only flying. Here we have – how doyou say? – shaking out.’ She demonstrated the crystalline opening of the fifth étude, each finger asindependent as a jumping bean. Then she grasped my hand and made it dance for her on the black keys.‘And here we have clapping, and now sprinkling, and now dancing… Variety of choreography endless.Not one ballet dancer uses so many varieties as in these études. Basically, you dance your fantasy.’

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Rigoletto ParaphraseFranz Liszt after Giuseppe Verdi

‘Liszt understands that poetry, literature, opera, ballet, all coming from the piano and to the piano… Herewe have opera, full story, with real characters. Rigoletto is basically clown – how do you say – jester, andtragic figure really. And his daughter Gilda, completely innocent. And then we have the Duke, professionalat seduction. We begin with philosophical introduction, from Liszt, not from Verdi.’

In his pioneering piano recitals, Franz Liszt often featured transcriptions and paraphrases. These worksexploded the piano’s potential, as Liszt sought new sonorities from the worlds of opera, orchestra andsong. They also familiarised a wider audience with the new music of the day (something that Verdi lateracknowledged). As opposed to the more direct transcription, a paraphrase seeks to capture the essenceof a scene – in this case the seductive ‘Bella figlia dell’ amore’ from Rigoletto, and the famous quartetthat follows.

‘Basically, we cannot guarantee immunity from seduction. Without our knowledge we can be under spell,and this always fascinates Liszt. If Mephistopheles put his real face on everything, of course we know toavoid him; but when he is charming man, who says beautiful things, then you have no idea… Lisztunderstands seduction very well. Absolutely everybody was in love with him... Liszt was inspired byPaganini on violin, by enormous possibilities of virtuosity, to excite, to thrill! People go crazy, womenfaint. Sometimes it seems beyond human: even like devil power. Liszt’s pianism is a sort of magic arts.’

Toccata, Op. 11Sergei Prokofiev

‘Please tell me: who is Prokofiev? This is very young man, in love with his own powers. Definitely wants to make huge impression!’ She demonstrated the repeated notes of the opening with a funky, insolentease. ‘We have new style entirely: rhythm hugely important, and garmonic revolution. Of course there aredissonances. What you expect? Prokofiev is modern composer, emancipated in spirit, reflecting the worldaround him.’

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In his memoir, Prokofiev described the five main strains of his composition: the classical, the innovative,the toccata or motoric, the lyrical and the grotesque. This dazzling work reveals all of these except thelyrical. Composed in 1912, the Toccata unveils the piano as a percussion instrument. Such a conceptwas both revelation and sacrilege, but is now an intrinsic part of our keyboard vocabulary.

‘Prokofiev has greatest sense of humour, in millions of varieties. Humoristic, sarcastic, sometimes evensardonic… Joke enormous here. For example, what do we have here?’ She dropped her voice: ‘Did I tellyou? – did I tell you? – did I tell you, yes? Gossip, gossip and gossip, coming around you, in polyphony. And suddenly, trombones.’

Prelude and Fugue in C-sharp major, BWV848Johann Sebastian Bach

‘For Bach, all endings are happy,’ Mrs Sivan had told me. ‘Why? Because he is deeply religious in belief.Brings full peace: peace of contact, of surroundings, of support, of communications, and of respect.Schumann says make Bach your daily bread and you will surely become fine musician! Must learn new preludeand fugue every week.’

Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier stands as Ur-text, or premise, to the piano repertoire – despite thefact that it was composed before the invention of the piano. The new well-tempered style of tuningopened up the possibility of composing in any key. Bach demonstrated this system, alongside his ownfacility, by composing two preludes and fugues in every key of the scale, major and minor. According tothe tuning system of the day, the key of C-sharp major might have possessed an unruly flavour, but thisPrelude and Fugue is an expression of exuberance.

‘What is different in Bach’s sense of God?’ Mrs Sivan asked. ‘Some using religious to save, some asanchor, some for discussion, some for fighting, and some for possibility: only in bad times I need to saymaybe. But Bach was deeply religious man, for whom God was natural. All church was telling to be afraid,but Bach told, why I have to be afraid of my father? I want to communicate with him. He constantly bringsfather to his home, and constantly discussing all his problems with him.’

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Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op. 53 ‘Waldstein’: I. Allegro con brioLudwig van Beethoven

‘Beethoven had terrible – how do you say? – people skills, and preferred instruments to human beings.Constantly feel his social insecurity, and unacceptance. But at same time had huge love for idea ofhumanity… Beethoven enormous too honest man. This exactly in his sounds.’

Composed in 1803-04, the sonata Op. 53 was dedicated to Beethoven’s patron, Count Waldstein. Inthis work, he opens up a new world of orchestral sonorities and sweeping harmonies. The traditional three-movement sonata structure is cast aside: Beethoven composes such monolithicouter movements that the middle movement is replaced with an introduction to the finale. CharlesRosen describes the distinctive sound world of the first movement as ‘not only unlike the music ofother composers, but unlike any other work of Beethoven, an energetic hardness, dissonant and yetcuriously plain, expressive without richness’. The movement begins almost with a vibration rather than asound, then explodes into brilliant passage-work that leads to the second subject, a stately chorale.

‘This is orchestra here. This is pianissimo of hundred people. More volume, more distance, more abstract.Timbre is vital important to Beethoven, because his voice is instrument, and instrument is timbre.Timbre for him is his own sort of theatre.’ I tried to imagine a freighted pianissimo, with the weight andspace of an orchestra, exploding ten bars later into a forte sforzando. ‘Exactly. And always steely fingershere, until suddenly we come to church!’ We arrived at the second theme of the first movement. ‘Clearchorale, and you can hear each – how do you say? – every ray of sound.’

Sonata in B-flat minor, Op. 35: III. Marche funèbre (Lento)Frédéric Chopin

Chopin completed his sonata in B-flat minor at Nohant, in 1839. Robert Schumann, usually the mostperspicacious critic of his age, failed to understand the work, claiming that the composer ‘simply boundtogether four of his most unruly children.’ In fact, the piece is held together by an overriding narrative,as Chopin struggles with the fact of death, and sets his own anxiety to music. The Marche funèbre wascomposed two years before the rest of the sonata’s completion, and although brief it stands as theemotional centre of this work.

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‘This sonata basically Chopin’s requiem for himself. And third movement is funeral march. When youcome through this music you will suddenly realise it’s Chopin’s own funeral, and he’s watching to seehow people will remember him. Middle section is so beautiful, so full of love, and so exquisite innostalgia for life. He imagines how sad everybody be, missing great Chopin, and he suddenly feels verysorry for himself. It’s very real, and very tragic, because he was living all the time under death sentence.’

Nocturne in D-flat major, Op. 27 No. 2Frédéric Chopin

‘I tell you secret about Chopin,’ Mrs Sivan confided in me. ‘Piano is his best friend. More. He tells pianoall his secrets. He put hand on the piano like this.’ I braced myself as she reached for my shoulder, buther touch was warm and affectionate. ‘Enormous trust. No resistance: nothing between himself andpiano. More than that, even.’ She transferred her touch to the keyboard. ‘Hands completely melteddown. He embrace the piano.’

Chopin was inspired to compose his nocturnes after encountering those by the Irishman John Field,but he introduces a new complexity to the genre. Field’s charming diversions become emotionaljourneys in Chopin’s hands, as he leads us through astonishing chromatic byways, and then returns tothe reassurance of the tonic. Chopin once wrote to his friend, Tytus Woyciechowski, that ‘I tell mypiano the things I used to tell you,’ and the Nocturne Op. 27 No. 2 unfolds in Chopin’s dream key of D-flat major with an almost confessional intimacy.

‘In my opinion, George Sand not the true love of Chopin’s life. This is. This instrument. Even he feelphysical love for it. We have this absolute incredible – how do you say? – intimate physical knowing. In Chopin, the what and the how are one, not two. Not one mechanical sound ever. Will kill Chopin immediately.’

Anna Goldsworthy

Anna Goldsworthy performs regularly in Australia and internationally as piano soloist and chambermusician. Solo appearances have included performances at the Teatro Colón for the Buenos AiresInternational Music Festival, in Athens for the Orchestra of Colours, at the Melbourne International ArtsFestival, and in the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra’s Masters Series. She is a founding member of theSeraphim Trio, which has performed throughout Asia and Europe, and in Australia for Musica Viva as well as regular appearances at music festivals.

Anna was born in Adelaide, and began studying the piano at the ageof six. At the age of nine, she began studies with Eleonora Sivan,who has remained a central guide and inspiration. In recent years,Ronald Farren-Price has also been an important mentor. Anna hasdegrees from the University of Adelaide, Texas Christian Universityand the University of Melbourne. Additionally, she has studied inMoscow with Lev Naumov, and in the Advanced PerformersProgram at the Australian National Academy of Music.

Anna currently teaches piano at the University of Melbourne. Sheis Artistic Director of the Port Fairy Spring Music Festival, andArtist-in-Residence at Janet Clarke Hall. Her debut solo CD, Come With Us, was released by ABC Classics in 2008. Hermusical memoir, Piano Lessons, was published by Black Inc. Books in October 2009, and won Best Newcomer at theAustralian Book Industry Awards. Piano Lessons has recentlybeen released in the USA by St Martin’s Press.

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Executive Producers Martin Buzacott, Robert Patterson

Recording Producer Duncan Yardley

Recording Engineer Alex Stinson

Editing Anna Goldsworthy and Duncan Yardley

Mastering Alex Stinson

Piano Technician Brent Ottley

Editorial and Production Manager Hilary Shrubb

Publications Editor Natalie Shea

Booklet Design Imagecorp Pty Ltd

Cover Photos Helen Goldsworthy (portrait), Chris Stock / Lebrecht / Photolibrary (background)

Photo p2 Nicholas Purcell

Cover Concept Thomas Deverall / Black Inc. Books

Recorded 13-15 July 2010 in the Iwaki Auditorium, ABC Southbank, Melbourne.

Anna Goldsworthy thanks Eleonora Sivan, Nicholas and Reuben Purcell, Ronald Farren-Price, Duncan Yardley, Alex

Stinson, Katherine Kemp, Helen Burbery, Janet Clarke Hall.

ABC Classics thanks Alexandra Alewood, Katherine Kemp, Claudia Crosariol and Virginia Read.

� 2010 Australian Broadcasting Corporation. � 2010 Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Distributed in Australia and New Zealand byUniversal Music Group, under exclusive licence. Made in Australia. All rights of the owner of copyright reserved. Any copying, renting,lending, diffusion, public performance or broadcast of this record without the authority of the copyright owner is prohibited.

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