Posted by Charles Brooks on May 13, 1999 at 13:35:22:
In Reply to: Re: I'd better make my original posting clear posted by dgee on May 13, 1999 at 03:54:39:
How old is he? I'd be interested in knowing more about his teaching. I see that Yo yo Ma spent some time at Yale - do you know whether it was with Parisot? Yo yo Ma plays with very falt fingers due to his very slender fingers and hence very small finger pads. It would take some insight by a teacher to recognise this and encourage it and i want to know who it was!
It's interesting that you mention "He's from the era when people lived and breathed their cellos". in discussions with my old teacher (Coral Bognuda - Student of Navarra) I remember her talking about the different pressures on students of this era. She recalls that whilst in Paris she would have 10 hours with which to practice a day - of course she wouldn't do 10 hours practice but she would spend time getting slow relaxed practice done, taking a lot of small breaks and so on. I find my self cramming an hours practice here and there between this and that lecture/chamber music/orchestra rehersal/lesson/preformance classes etc. etc. etc. (email!) and can't help to wonder if this crammed work is having a detramental effect on my own playing. You reach a certain point of immersion where, rather than improve, things begin to suffer. It is an unfortunate side-effect of this age that everything seems to be so rushed. I'm with a new teacher this year who has an awful lot to offer me but rather than taking it on board I find myself having to concentrate too much on preparing this and that piece for this or that audition - focusing too much on the end goal of a performance rather than being able to take the time to iron out the problems with my technique (at the moment mainly tension) that are making that end goal more difficult to realise!
: It is a curious fact that many people have never heard of Aldo Parisot. Here in the States he has long been regarded by the best people as one of the real masters of cello teaching. His class is usually an intimidating surprise to some less experienced teachers who come to give master classes. Parisot teaches at Yale and Juilliard and gives classes in Banff, Canada in the summer. He's from the era when peoplelived and breathed their cellos. DG
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: : : : However - I believe that, although he is still producing beautiful recordings, the direction that the sound of the cello is moving in has changed somewhat. What may have been new and exciting to the listners of Rostropovich in his hey day is now considered old hat. Although I greatly admire Rostropovich I do not think that his style is improving the sound or status of the cello as a solo instrument. He is the absolute master of an era which I believe to have passed.
: : : : I realise that Yo yo Ma has learnt a lot from Rostropovich but I belive he has also moved on and expanded upon Rostropovich's approach (doesn't any generation learn and attempt to improve upon the teacings of the past?). I believe the sound of Yoyo Ma and Isserlis (although I realise that they are VERY different players) to be more refined and poetic - a sound that you have to listen to intently to to pick up the nuances rather than one which attempts to throw them at you (although both practices are perfectly relevant I prefer the former). I also believe that in time Yo yo Ma's recordings will be considered old fashioned and that new cellists of a younger generation, who will owe much to this generation, will take that sound and in their own way add to it - perhaps they will "revert" back to the sound of Rostropovich's era or move in a yet unexplored direction - who knows?
: : : : But for the moment the direction in with I believe Ma and Isserlis are moving is the one I most enjoy listening to and the one that I hope my own playing will aspire to.
: : : : Also by describing their sound as "clean" I did not mean just "in tune and in time" - I think you will find that Rostropovich is perfectly in tune(!) and in time to his own interpretations of the music. I suppose I meant that a lot of the slides and styles of vibrato etc. used by Rostropovich and his contempoaries have been re-examined and often removed. I simply find this refreshing and wish to know more about how I can apply this kind of methodology to my own playing.
: : : : I hope I haven't offended anyone and that this clears up my original posting!
: : : : regards
: : : : Charles Brooks
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: : : : : To the original poster- have you ever heard Piatigorsky, Casals, Feuermann or other cellists of this era?