Add Hsia-Jung Chang to your Apple Music or Spotify playlist:
/ hsia-jung-chang
open.spotify.c...
On September 18, 2016, I was the designated pilot for this time machine made by Tröndlin of Leipzig. With about 100 passengers, we drove to circa 1830 and experienced the sound world of Beethoven and Schubert. It resolved the one big question I've had for 10 years regarding the tempo markings in Beethoven's Op. 106, why so fast? The answer is: quicker sound decay! I was able to sustain the modest tempo of 120 for mvt 1. However, when I got to mvts 3 and 4, my 84 became 92 and my 126 became 144, exactly the markings Beethoven requested. It happened naturally in performance without my noticing, just following the sound of the piano. Other features of this instrument include: 78 keys - different "middle of the keyboard", narrow shallow keys, longer black keys that cut the white area at the end to half of modern pianos, 1/16 inch narrower octaves, wood frame, no crossed strings, leather hammers, Viennese influenced design which leaves no room for high heel shoes, middle pedal inserts a felt strip in the strings. The left pedal made a huge creaking noise when depressed so was not used for this performance (if anyone has any tips on how to rid this noise, please contact Mike Frederick). The ceiling and walls of this church is lined with tin, making the hall warm and reverberant: also a thing of the past. What you are hearing is mostly the video camera sound, which evens out the dynamics. But still, it gives you an idea of the piano sounds of the era. frederickcollec...
6 окт 2024
