In this lesson, Georgian pianist Nicolas Namoradze guides you through Schumann’s Arabeske in C Major, Op. 18, which he dubs one of the most “charmingly beautiful pieces of the piano repertoire.” <br><br>Namoradze breaks down the work’s rondo form and offers you strategies for highlighting the “logic, coherence, and organicism” within its contrasting sections. You will also explore ways of varying the repeated A section so that it always sounds fresh. <br><br>In addition to honing your interpretive skills, Namoradze shares with you his technical insights into voicing and legato. When you practice passages that require you to play multiple voices in rhythmic unison, Namoradze suggests that you practice arpeggiating them slowly. “Breaking” the voices in this way will allow you to focus your attention on each one. He encourages you to apply a similar attention to detail to your legato as well. He advises you to practice depressing the keys silently, gradually adding pressure until you start to perceive a sound. This exercise, if performed with a consistently slow attack, will attune you to the innerworkings of the piano’s action mechanism and reveal the infinite gradations of touch that are available to you.

Join prizewinning pianist Nicolas Namoradze for an insightful lesson on one of Scriabin’s earliest works, the famous Etude in C-sharp minor, Op. 2 No. 1. Namoradze’s meticulous attention to every element of this work will help you capture its somber and emotionally wrenching atmosphere.<br><br>After a brief account of this etude’s history, Namoradze looks closely at what makes this piece tick. Its phrase structure holds some surprises, in addition to the typical two- and four-bar phrases, it also has some with five bars! These often include unexpected, mercurial modulations. Use these twists and turns in asymmetrical phrases to your advantage, as well as their insistence.<br><br>This leads Namoradze to a striking observation: good rubato should reveal structure, not obscure it. For this reason, make sure that little eddies in the musical flow don’t disrupt the trajectory of the phrase. He also suggests other strategies, such as making your rubati more gradual and smooth in execution, and also to keep your voicing and expression in sharp focus so you can maintain the tension even if you take time.<br><br>To maximize the emotional impact of this brief but poignant work, you’ll need some other means as well: a legato melody despite the thick texture, richness in the harmony and layers of counterpoint, and carefully structured choice of dynamics. Namoradze has answers for all of these: exercises to properly exaggerate voicing the melody, maintaining the illusion of legato with a sonorous, pressure-filled touch and keeping the hands close to the keys, nuanced pedaling to connect and show the harmony (even holding your foot off the ground at times!), and using silent playing to carefully train your touch. Through close attention to the dynamic markings, Namoradze shows that you must regulate your dynamics, saving your supply of magic for the absolute softest moment, marked pianississimo. This comparative approach helps interpret Scriabin’s expressive surprises in the recapitulation so you know exactly where to give your all and when to die away.

In this lesson, Georgian pianist Nicolas Namoradze shares his insights into Scriabin’s meltingly beautiful Etude in F-sharp Major, Op. 42 No. 4. Namoradze’s remarks on style, variety of touch, rubato, and crafting eloquent phrases will lead you into Scriabin’s expressive universe.<br><br>Namoradze begins the lesson by placing this etude in the context of Scriabin’s increasingly pathbreaking style and its position as a lyrical respite from the other Op. 42 etudes which seem to whirl incessantly. The gentler waves of this piece still need careful attention: as part of his discussion of phrase structure, Namoradze explores “micro-dynamics” — little waves within the broader sweep of a phrase. He uses this example to show how to craft a beautiful phrase, describing the subtle relationship that must exist between dynamics and rhythm in order to maintain the musical flow.<br><br>To capture the sensuality of Scriabin’s music, Namoradze shows you how to cultivate a truly singing, even “slimy,” legato touch, as well as a contrasting bell-like sonority. For legato, Namoradze’s tips include overholding, slight “smudginess,” getting to the notes in advance, and finally, both pressing and releasing very slowly. This is a very clear, step-by-step explanation of one of the most important (and yet elusive) topics in piano playing.<br><br>Finally, Namoradze discusses the nature of rubato and lets us in on a little secret: when playing Scriabin, if the context demands a special degree of anticipation or hesitation, the hands needn’t always be synchronized!

Gramophone magazine refers to Nicolas Namoradze as "the kind of musician whose artistry is like a compelling novel where you can hardly wait for what comes next." In this lesson on Scriabin's ominously heroic C-sharp minor Etude, Op. 42 No. 5, Namoradze brings his powers of communicating musical narratives with his analytic gifts, breaking down the work's phrase structure and pianistic challenges.<br><br>For Namoradze, this Etude is the center of gravity of Scriabin's Op. 42 set. The menacing character of its first theme gives way to one of the most soaring and jubilant melodies ever composed. The Etude presents many challenges of choreography and stamina, and Namoradze demonstrates how striving for clarity of texture can help bring more transparency and contour to the dramatic arc, while also fostering more facility in the physically demanding passagework.

In this lesson, Georgian pianist Nicolas Namoradze guides you through J.S. Bach's Partita No. 6 in E Minor, BWV 830.<br>Namoradze begins by discussing the Partitas as a set and their place in Bach's oeuvre, before considering the question of playing Bach on a modern piano.<br>He continues for the remainder of this lesson by delving into the opening Toccata, first giving an overview of its form and character before tackling the movement section by section, exploring the key musical features of each part and discussing how you might approach practicing and performing the work.