My father’s record collection was not that extensive, but somehow he managed to acquire recordings of certain works that have stood the test of time and stand out as unique and sometimes definitive performances. I think to this day there is nothing to match the London Symphony Orchestra’s ffrr performance of Stravinksy’s Firebird Suite under Stokowski (this disc the fourth and final time he recorded it), and Glenn Gould’s 4th and 5th Beethoven Concerti with Stokowski have an originality and freshness that invigorate still.
And then there are harpsichordist Wanda Landowska’s recordings of Mozart on the modern piano. These are a revelation. Growing up with them I didn’t know how great they were, because I had never heard anything else. But their lightness and variety of touch and colour, their combination of strong rhythmic integrity and freedom, their emotional sensuality and originality of nuance, their freedom in rubato and ornament, all point not only to piano playing from another era, but to harpsichord touch as a fundamental technical and aesthetic source for classical piano.
Landowska herself comments,
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It has been said that my touch is a perpetual staccato. This is a fundamental misunderstanding. The great precision required to strike the keys at the harpsichord is sometimes misconstrued for staccato touch. This error also stems from the elasticity of my bouncy touch, with its precise and neat outlines. I use perfect legato, however, as harpsichord touch requires. This is a condition sine qua non. Even when staccato is required for certain effects, the basis of harpsichord touch remains the legato.
The harpsichordist, lacking the standard ‘expressive’ pianistic tools of the sustain pedal and gradual crescendo-decrescendo, developed a whole other set of strategies to articulate musical structure and expression. Landowska is saying, “Why not reinstate these in the pianist’s expressive arsenal?” Her playing proves the point, leaving an impression of tremendous intelligence and ebullience, an effervescent creativity that captivates, intoxicates and convinces the listener with its sheer joie de vivre.
These soundfiles contain excerpts from the D major Sonata K 311, and the Sonata in E flat major K.333. As a special treat we offer the entire 3rd movement Rondo from K.333, because of Landowska’s wonderful ornamentation practice and then her even more revelatory cadenzas. Who ever heard of adding cadenzas to a piano sonata! But it is perfectly in line with the freedom that performers had in Mozart’s day. And what charming magic she weaves in these written out improvisations!You can purchase this recording at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000J10DT8/ref=cm_cr_mts_prod_img
In K311, 1st movement, the orchestral flourish of the opening chord and fanfare are rich and robust. Note the added note ornament in the arpeggiated chord. The melodic query that follows is clear, precisely articulated and well-shaped. She clearly intends a solo voice serving as a foil to the full tutti of the beginning. Landowska’s combination of articulated portato or staccato with a light but fully linked legato sound both reflect the fine levels of touch distinction the harpsichordist needs. And Landowska doesn’t try to avoid the percussive element of piano sound but utilizes it to her advantage, giving specific points along her melodic contours definition without ever actually cutting the melodic line.
Wanda Landowska plays the Mozart Sonata in D major K.311, 1st movement (excerpt)
The excerpt from K311’s 2nd movement begins at m. 9, where the solo voice has its first extended rhetorical utterance. Listen at m. 17 (0:25) for the ecstatic, sublime feeling as Landowska’s spins out Mozart’s melody over a finely pedalled yet never blurred accompaniment. At times rhapsodic, at times sweetly, delicately intimate, this solo love song has an at times quite extravagant rubato that, because it grows out of a harpsichord tradition, always avoids betraying classical taste. The way Landowska shapes each phrase doesn’t just make it beautiful but plumbs the depths of its emotional expression. Again, her combined use of rubato and articulation to achieve this comes from harpsichord tradition where the gradual dynamic shading of a melody was not possible.
Wanda Landowska plays the Mozart Sonata in D major K.311, 2nd movement (excerpt)
But Landowska doesn’t avoid the melodic shaping that a pianoforte could do but a harpsichord couldn’t: she simply adds it to the already impressive array of strategies – articulation, rubato, and terraced dynamics – she learned as a harpsichordist.
The elegant rhythmic stability and verve of the 3rd movement Rondo arise from Landowska’s strong sense of pulse – yet another aspect of her harpsichord experience – that gives a robust lilt and dancing quality to this movement in 6/8 time. Landowska never feels rushed even thought the 16ths glitter and shimmer in their speed. Note how the accompanying Alberti bass passages are always present but never intrude. They make a real contribution to the sense of energy and forward movement yet never disturb the primary role of the melody – this is real orchestration!
Wanda Landowska plays the Mozart Sonata in D major K.311, 3rd movement (excerpt)
Many will rebel at the conservative tempo Landowska takes for the opening Allegro of K 333, but this allows her a much more creative interpretation. Then there are many harpsichord touches that add a unique charm to her playing, such as holding down the note B flat at m. 8 (0:16). Note as well the ‘mini-cadenza’ fillings-in of slow notes at mm. 43-44 (1:32), then again at m. 48 (1:40). It is well-documented that this kind of improvisation was a standard part of performance in Mozart’s day, but has now sadly fallen out of practice. Isn’t this approach to Mozart infinitely more alive than the sterile, museum piece, ‘faithfulness to the score’ (in the most shallow meaning of the idea) attitude that makes one pedantic performance virtually identical to another?
Wanda Landowska plays the Mozart Sonata in E flat major K.333, 1st movement (excerpt)
How about the orchestration effects: for instance, at m. 36 (1:13) the left hand enters forte to point out the entry of the new voice, but then in the next measure it dissolves again into a smooth background line. She’s playing with the stresses and releases inherent in the musical structure, but not formulaically – she’ll finish one cadence with a strong rhythmic conclusiveness, then have another dissolve away into the subsequent material.
In the 2nd movement, her orchestration, her bringing out of the subsidiary voices, her rubato, her singing line, all combine to create an interpretation replete with personality: occasionally stodgy (the ornament at m. 6 (0:25) for instance), often sublime, as in mm. 8-10 (0:34), but always the essence of good taste, as in her added grace notes at m. 7 (0:30). Landowska creates a mini-opera scene compete with characters and pit orchestra, with music dripping in emotion and colour – everything Mozart would have wanted.
Wanda Landowska plays the Mozart Sonata in E flat major K.333, 2nd movement (excerpt)
And now for that treat I promised you... Landowska turns this sonata movement into a "Concerto Without Orchestra" long before Schumann's editors had the idea...
Wanda Landowska plays the Mozart Sonata in E flat major K.333, entire 3rd movement
Landowska's technique forces us to rethink the entire process
These photos of Landowska's hands on the keyboard will leave many pianists aghast.
Look at the way she lifts her fingers, obviously indulging in ‘dual muscular pull’ – everyone knows that leads to injury!
But Landoswka never suffered any ill effects from her technique, and her sound gives lie to the idea she was doing anything wrong.
It is evidence like this that forces us to rethink our entire approach to piano technique, and lead us to, instead of avoiding certain practices that can indeed lead to injury if done wrong, learn to do them well! Look carefully at her hands - although her arch seems sunken, it is actually completely potent. The lumbricals are primed and supremely active. Her fingers curl so vigorously that she can afford to let her arch be lower - it helps her relatively small hand get around the keyboard. Although it looks strange to say the least, if you analyse these photos carefully and compare them to her sound, you realize that her hands are extremely well-organized, tension- and pain-free: all that muscular activity is transformed into action.
Landowska Recordings can be found on Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000J10DT8/ref=cm_cr_mts_prod_img
Article researched and written for PianoTechnique.org by Alan Fraser © 2008
