Pianist Orli Shaham continues her Mozart piano sonatas project
Orli Shaham \u2014 Mozart: Piano Sonatas Vol. 2 & 3 (Canary Classics)
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New Classical Tracks - Orli Shaham
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\u201cThrough the course of this project, I got a taste of what it would have felt like to be Mozart,\u201d pianist Orli Shaham said about recording all 18 of Mozart\u2019s piano sonatas. \u201cIt was probably exhausting because he had so many ideas running through his system all the time. It must have been a difficult brain to live in.\u201d
Continuing her Mozart project, Shaham has released the latest addition, Mozart: Piano Sonatas Vol. 2 & 3. Volumes four, five and six will come out later this year.\xa0
Why is it important for you to record all of Mozart\u2019s piano sonatas?
\u201cWhen I realized what the totality of the complete works signifies, a journey through his entire life, I was fascinated to see that journey. I\u2019ve learned so much from this project that I would never have learned if I had just done a few sonatas.\u201d
What have you discovered about yourself during this project?
\u201cI'm from the school of classical piano. I play the notes that are on the page. That's how I was taught and raised. Then people talked about improvising. I never really understood what that meant. In doing 18 sonatas and adding a little ornamentation to every repeat, except for the ones that were already busy, I've gained so much experience.
\u201cIt's completely transformed my way of looking at it. I feel informed by jazz musicians today who are always pushing boundaries and trying to figure out what fits without breaking the initial mold.\u201d
Can you talk about how Mozart brings the best out of performers?
\u201cThose first six sonatas have very different styles from each other. I didn't know this before, but they had been written as a set for his first big European tours. Something about the fourth one is intimate and simple, yet lyrical and beautiful. You can't help but be drawn toward the opening of the work. Once you're sucked in \u2014 he's got you.\u201d
How did you make these sonatas your own?
\u201cIf I'm making a complete set, there should be at least one example of how to go wild. There's a deceptive quality to Sonata No.16. It's not as simple as it seems at first glance. The third movement is the precise repetition of the same simple idea. We know that Mozart would never have precisely repeated anything. But I just decided that if he were in a good mood at a party, he would not have held back.\u201d
What is interesting to you about Sonata No. 11?
\u201cI find the first movement of the sonata so special. It\u2019s very unusual when Mozart writes a siciliana in variations. The first movement is the only one in variation form where he can plummet into the depths of our humanity.\u201d
Watch now
To hear the rest of my conversation, click on the extended interview above, or\xa0download the extended podcast on iTunes\xa0or wherever you get your podcasts.
More on Orli Shaham
New Classical Tracks: Pianist Orli Shaham finds joy in Mozart amid pandemic
New Classical Tracks: Orli Shaham, 'Brahms Inspired'
Resources
Orli Shaham \u2014 Mozart: Piano Sonatas Vol. 2 & 3 (Amazon)
Orli Shaham (official site)