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We always come back to theatre, voices dialoguing.
A Mozart sonata is often a confrontation between two voices, two characters you have to
bring to life in the right rhythmic way. I've learnt a lot about this in my career through accom-
panying opera and lieder singers, including Elisabeth Schwarzkopf for three years.
What do you mean by the "right rhythmic way"?
I mean that people often confuse clock tempo with musical tempo. The metronome is a tool
that can be very useful for giving an indication to start with. But it's also the most frightful
and anti-musical invention ever. You have to feel the tempo of a piece.Working with a metro-
nome kills the music!
So each piece of music has its own tempo?
Yes indeed. When you are in 6/8 time, you are playing a Sicilienne rhythm. There is nothing
strange about that in Mozart. He was educated in Bologna and was in direct contact with
Italian music. By contrast, his allegros should be played rapidly and candidly. They often
include numerous little nods, meaning the pianist has fun alluding to a theatre scene or
misunderstanding.
Since you mention Mozart's Italian influences, how do you deal with the
ornaments in his scores?
For the ornaments, I follow the rule of starting a trill on the highest note. The problem is how
to resolve it. The usual habit is to put the resolution at the end of the trill but that doesn't
seem right tome.Wemust follow the composer's indications and not try to embellish it. That
principle applies to Beethoven as well.
Don't you think the trills in Mozart and Beethoven are dissimilar?
Beethoven's trills are measured, Mozart's are not. The ornaments in his music are still Italian-
inspired.
ALDO CICCOLINI
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