Masterclasses Havana

Teaching piano according to the Chopin method at the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory in Havana was a real stroke of luck. It offered the chance to meet teachers and students of a very high level, perhaps among the best in Cuba, and to take part in an intense exchange, musical and pianistic as well as moral and psychological. That exchange shaped a personal development as a pianist, as a teacher, and quite simply as a human being. The atmosphere of the conservatory is truly unique. It is a real platform for the growth of future classical artists and an important center of teaching. Despite the lack of a good instrument, the students were pushed to reflect on the path toward transcendence, whatever their natural gifts. They were encouraged to acquire the physical qualities that create this transcendence and turn a beginner into a budding concert pianist. This transcendence calls for a Chopin technique that grows and rises through an absence of effort. It is a freedom that lets the pianist convey the meaning of the music with no gap between intention and sound. Popular culture might call this "being in the present." In the lessons, students are asked to experience the alignment of the skeleton, because the right movement of the hand can minimize muscular work. Understanding how the hand and the whole body work together is directly linked to a correct understanding of musical phrasing. Practice should be gentle, free of any contraction that could paralyze, while subtly refining how sound is produced and perceived.