On 03-04-15, I had an interview (see blog) and a lesson with Wibert Aerts. I had planned to play Sections 1 & 2 of Sequenza VIII.
As it turned out, I played only section 1 (https://ioanhar.wordpress.com/2015/04/04/reference-recording-arp-2/) and we worked on it but also on the entire Sequenza, speaking about and trying out all the particular technique and musical issues.
Page 1 :
W.A. : Each note must have an urgency and intensity. You must not release the tension. There is something so urgent, so sustained in this page that it creates an accumulation of energy exploding in the 32 notes passages as a release.
You must keep the maximum sound, all bow hair flat and re-attack really at the last moment.
These left hand position changes at the last moment must be included in your way of practicing. They must be really instantaneous and not prepared by a slowing down of the bow speed. Everything is in the same spirit, “impetuoso”, an urgent action, something almost uncontrolled.
The sound is always there, urgent and active. You can also build wide arches determining articulation (punctuation) moments where you can relax and restart.
You must realise the physical aspect of the sound as a material, a sound not “beautiful” but as Messiaen would qualify it “granitique”, massive and powerful.
Not only the attack but also the sustaining of the sound must be physically heavier, produced by the weight of the arm, placed the lowest as possible. You can exaggerate the accents by a higher speed of the bow.
There is also a sound color variation playing between the combination of strings (open strings – fingered strings), the order in which they are attacked in the triple stops, the combination of short and long notes.
You could think of many passages as a melody on a single note, a Klangfarbenmelodie and in this way it is easier to sustain the whole piece.
Another important issue is that of the vibrato. The vibrato should appear. Now for you, non vibrato is a voluntary action. You should try not to prevent the vibrato to appear. The vibrato is a non voluntary action but it is there, it is an excitation. Anyway, Berio’s indication “senza o poco vibrato” is ambiguous. I think the vibrato could appear from this intensity/urgency.
Page 2, 3 :
W.A. : It’s more or less the tempo
I.H. : Yes, I know the rapid passages are a bit arhythmic.
W.A. : You must not absolutely try to play all the notes. Musically it doesn’t bring anything more.
Above all, you must focus on the tempo. It is obsessive, Try to feel that between each attack (quarter notes) the rapid passages are like a resonance. If your ambition is to play all the notes, you will compromise with the tempo and the most important is to feel the beat.
For the sound, I noticed that you a little too much bow. I understand, because the left hand has much to do, much activity, but you must try to keep the bow in balance.
I.H. : I realise there is a lot of bow distribution work to do – in some places you have to use the less bow possible but in other I think you have to use more bow.
W.A. : Yes, and don’t hesitate to make a horizontal gesture.
Page 2, Staff 3 :
Even in piano, the 32 notes passages must have a percussive character. You must not be afraid the sound could be rough, it is a very tense passage.
If the bow it too active, you loose in terms of sound quality.
Finally, it is the same movement you do in page 1 – a slow bow and the arm’s weight in order to obtain a consistent sound and to avoid fatigue. In the rapid passages, you must not give too much energy but relax, otherwise you will block.
Section 3, p.7 :
W.A. : If you need you can rewrite the score. The idea is that this is an organised improvisation, a continuous flow of 32 notes.
I tried to organise the flow as to have the hand placed in a good position before each FFF chord, in order to have a preparation.
You can choose to place these chords at any moment, the important thing is that the effect must be surprising, unpredictable.
Also, you could practice the staccato move on one string at the beginning and the change for the FFF chords without preparation, keeping the staccato move until the last moment.
The musical idea is the polyphony – keeping the rapid notes flow without worrying if you don’t play them all – the same for the chords, you must privilege the explosion effect without compromising because of the preparation of the chords.
The priorities are the sonority architecture and the dynamics.
Some spots are really difficult but you must concentrate on keeping the energy and the tempo.
Here, bow is the guide, the fingers will follow.
Page 8, Staff 1, 2 :
You must find good fingerings. What I learned in this piece is to search for fingerings on a chord basis rather than on a melodic one.
To find a good fingering you must play short passages but very fast – at that moment you think of it as a tablature : you place your hand and the bow will do the rest – and also play in a percussive manner.
In conclusion, the most important things are :
- To acquire the physical sensation of gestures you never experienced before, not trying to transform the piece according to “former technique”, and not trying to make it “comfortable”.
- Not compromise in terms of sonorities and rhythm (you must be very strict for that) – frame, not being afraid to take risks ion this sense if necessary.
Ioan Haffner 