Romanian Dances 1 & 2, Op. 8A
Romanian Dances 1 & 2, Op. 8A
Bela Bartok
Jacques Rouvier's masterclasses
English
29 min
Piano
Jacques Rouvier and Tabea Streicher work on the highly-spirited piece, Romanian Dances 1 and 2 by Hungarian composer Béla Bartók.
Produced by the Saline royale Academy in February, 2021 at Arc-et-Senans.
The masterclass
About this masterclass
In this masterclass, Professor Jacques Rouvier discusses how to convey Bartok’s very distinct style in these two dances. In the first dance, the characters in the music are so colorful that Rouvier encourages the student to hear them as different orchestral instruments and change the sound accordingly. Moreover, he asks for rhythmic clarity by accentuating the strong beats and always maintaining a sense of pulse, even when the music gets more expressive.
Rouvier warns his student against rushing, as it is rhythmic accuracy and detail in phrasing that creates virtuosity, rather than how fast one plays. In the second dance, he offers recommendations for fingerings and pedal use to help manage the piece’s quick tempo while maintaining a good balance between the hands.
What we learn in this masterclass
- Emulating the characters of different instruments.
- Emphasizing the correct beats within the measure.
- Maintaining pulse throughout.
- Finding more advantageous fingerings and moving with the body.
- Eliciting the dancing spirit through highly characterized rhythm and articulation.
- Student:Tabea Streicher
- Instruments: Piano
- Date:12 February 2021
- Academy:Academy Feb. 7 - Feb. 14, 2021
Jacques Rouvier
We feel the arm, the fingers, but we forget that we have also a body.
Jacques Rouvier
Sheet music
Aim for excellence! You can improve your skills with expert advice. Download the annotated sheet music of this piano masterclass. Please note that this piece has been annotated in accordance to Jacques Rouvier’s feedback and comments.
Jacques Rouvier
He won two Premiers Prix (first prizes): in piano performance (1965) In chamber music (1967).
Jacques Rouvier was born in Marseilles into a family of musicians. He attended the CNSMD in Paris (Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse), where he was taught by Vlado Perlemuter, Pierre Sancan, and Jean Hubeau. He won first prizes in both piano and chamber music. Rouvier then decided to broaden his knowledge about wind section and leading orchestra at the CNSMD too. He owes much to Pierre Barbizet and Jean Fassina. Rouvier won several competitions such as the “Giovan Battista Viotti” International Music Competition, Maria Canal International Music Competition, the European Broadcasting Union Competition, the Long-Thibaud Competition, and the Competition of the Fondation de la Vocation. In 1970, he founded the Rouvier-Kantorow-Muller trio, with whom he still performs regularly.
Since 1979, he has taught at the CNSMD in Paris and at the Berlin University of the Arts.
