Good. I’m going to stop you, because it’s long, and we don’t have as much time as I wish, but bravo, very, very fine. You’re great, great players, and you play this music with great fire, which is wonderful. And you play very fast, which is exactly what’s needed here, this takes a virtuoso pianist, and you have that virtuosity. I love the fact that you take the piece fast; I don’t love the fact that it never breathes, it’s just constantly going and going and going and going. And it’s a little bit like, and this, I say this in a good way, if you’re very excited about something, people actually get bored with the excitement, because it’s so constant. So, you have to modulate excitement, and the secret is timing.

At the moment, it’s almost metronomic all the way through, it very rarely eases up. And so the thing is to find the places where it drives, and there’s one place where he marks it agitato, and clearly, he wants it to drive, not necessarily to go faster. But this is bar 159, 60, 61, 62, 63. Do you have that place? The A major arrival there?

Clara Garriga:

Yes.

Ben Zander:

All right, so just do that, play that. And there’s no question how that goes. There’s only one way of playing it. Here we go.

There’s no question about how that sounds. But when this starts, and you start getting this, (singing). That needs time, needs, because if it just drives through without any being held? So, do it once again from the agitato, is that letter D?

Abby Lorimier:

Yes.

Ben Zander:

You have that. Let’s go there. Right. (Singing).

Great. That’s great. So, you’re beginning to feel a little flexibility in there. So now, let’s take the opening, and imagine the opening in that way. (Singing). Abigail, play that alone, without any accompaniment.

Now, you notice she played that completely differently than when you were accompanying her, right? Because when she’s alone, she’s telling a story. Do it again, and tell the story. (Singing).

What happened next? (Singing). Great, that’s great storytelling. Now, Mendelssohn says, “Yeah, now, wait a minute, it’s molto allegro agitato.” So it has to move more than that. But can you give her as much space as she wants to do that? So let’s imagine there’s a ritardando before you come in, and the piece is going (singing). Yes, and you can play. (Singing). This is tempo. (Singing).

This, we want to go fast. This is great, because that (singing), but we don’t want that to rush, right? So, do it again. And if you can get it more intense, more turbulent, (singing). Because this is actually a sad story that happened. It wasn’t an ordinary, everyday story. It was an amazing story. And if you get your (singing). Try that. And you be very, very free in pianissimo. Hardly, hardly there. It’s this one, rumble it through. (Singing).

Then you can go, right? But meanwhile, you’re accompanying the storyteller. Three and four. Ooh, can you make it (singing)? Yeah, yeah. (Singing). Your third finger is more expressive than your fourth. (Singing). I don’t want to hear you, I don’t want to hear you. I want to hear her. One, (singing). That’s a little too soft. (Singing).

Now, whenever, this is very important, when you have a slur with dots under, it doesn’t mean_… It means (singing). It’s called portato. That’s the closest thing that they could write to legato. So, that’s a misreading of a traditional way of writing. So that’s (singing). Do you do that? Great, that was beautiful. You feel freer now, don’t you? Right. So, he’s accompanying you. You’re not accompanying him, right? The melody always dominates. The accompaniment is always serving the melody. So you have to learn to be a little freer with that, and in a very surreptitious way. One more time from the beginning.

And before you begin, think 1, 2, 3, 4, (singing). And (singing). Right? 1, 2, 3, 4. (Singing).

Lior, Lior, you’re playing mechanically because you’re worried about your fingers, you’re worried about the notes. Don’t think about the notes. Think about every two bars as an event. (Singing). That’s what’s happening. Do from there in the piano. This is bar 70. (Singing). No, no, no. All right, just do the left. Just do the first note. (Singing). There we go, now do the notes in between. (Singing).

Good. Find the freedom in the music. Find the freedom. Every bar has freedom, little freedoms. Good. Once again. Oh, one last time, this is the last time you’re ever going to play this piece, and it’s going to be fantastic. And when you leave the building, you’re going to be run over by a bus, and unfortunately, it’ll be the end. And then we’ll write to your parents. “I’m so sorry we lost her, but you should have heard her play the Mendelssohn for the last time.” Always play as if it’s the last time. All right? Here we go. One and two and three and four. (Singing).

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Put the pedal down. (Singing). Good from Lior. Good. Here. All right, yes, yes. They’ll know. They’ll find it. (Singing). Can I ask you not to be quite so finger oriented? But think of it as in terms of a gesture. So you think (singing). Yes? (Singing). Can you make a differential? (Singing). Right? It says (singing). You do (singing). It’s too run-together, right? (Singing). Do it from here. (Singing).

Yeah. Can you see? Let’s see if we can find any freedom in this. Otherwise, again, it gets very mechanical. So, do from here. (Singing). Now, (singing). And then (singing). Third one is the most, right? You’ve got the first one, (singing). The most! (Singing). So that’s a 1, 2, 3. (Singing). And (singing). It’s freedom, freedom, freedom. Here, here. That’s just before you come in, 47. (Singing).

When she comes in, when the violin comes in there, (singing), it needs more time. At the moment, it’s just running. And so what we’re looking for is places where you can find the freedom. So, (singing).

All of those are places to find time. You just rush through it, it’s frantic. So should we try from B, bar before? (Singing). From there? Two before B. (Singing).

Yeah. Can we get rid of (singing)? That gesture? (Singing). So, always find the shape and the direction that the music requires, and then they’re the accompaniment, and they’ll be free. So do from (singing). If you can find that place. (Singing).

Do you feel_… Abby, play that (singing). We discover that she wants to be free, and you’re preventing her from doing it, because you’re going (singing). That’s an accompaniment. So let her be_… Do it alone once, Abby. (Singing).

Oh, that was beautiful. Would you accompany her just with your left hand, that way? Do it again. (Singing).

That’s better, that’s better. If you were a cellist, it would be even better, because it’s like two cellos. Abby, do it one more time with another cello, so_…(Singing).

So beautiful. Would you like to play that way, Abby?

Abby Lorimier:

Yeah.

Ben Zander:

Yes. Okay, so what can we do to make that happen? You’re the melody. He has to follow you. So, would you do it the same thing, and don’t get in her way, but rather accompany her as if she was a singer and you were the beautiful accompanist? Should we just try from there? (Singing).

Mendelssohn doesn’t write cantabile for the cellist, because he knows the cellist will be cantabile, because the cellists always sing. But the pianist might go (singing). So he says cantabile. Isn’t that beautiful? That’s much better, Lior, it’s coming. You’re not a great accompanist yet, like Dina is. You noticed Dina just before? Just be an accompanist to her. Let her play as beautifully as she can play. Try that. (Singing). That’s beautiful. Now give her time. (Singing). Find the freedom. (Singing). Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, so beautiful, that harmony. (Singing). Oh, what a surprise. Whenever there’s a surprise, allow yourself time to express the surprise. Otherwise, it just goes by. It’s such a beautiful moment. (Singing). And then (singing). And then pianissimo. (Singing). And now a new chord. (Singing). And now a new chord, and a new chord! And then (singing). Oh, such a romantic chord. (Singing).

And then what happens next? And then_… And now (singing). He goes, he goes, it rushes. But not here! These are beautiful chords. Okay? Should we try from where you come in? Where is that? (Singing). Do one more time. It’s the last time ever, and then you’ll be run over by a bus, so really beautiful. Can you enjoy her? Can you enjoy her? Do you like her?

Abby Lorimier:

Yes.

Ben Zander:

Right. So, let’s tell her you like her. Get out of the way. (Singing). Pianissimo. (Singing).

Yeah. I have to break a little bit, a little bit, the feeling that, “I have to play in time, I have to play in time, I have to play in time.” I think you don’t have to play in time. You have to have the tempo available when you need it to move, like you did in the agitato, that was great. But here, it’s freedom, freedom, freedom. Because they came from a different time. In that Romantic time, there was such a sense of freedom. They were never in a hurry. (Singing). So, even these passages, these virtuoso passages, (singing), it needs a little bit more freedom. But here, definitely. So do from this beautiful thing. And imagine you were cello. Now, a cello, (singing).

Cassadó told me this story, when he came to a concert of Cortot, the great French pianist, Cortot. And he was late, and Cortot was playing. And he arrived in the box in the hall, and Cortot looked up, saw him, and started playing the cello on the piano to greet him. A great cellist walked in, and he turned the piano into a cello. So, see if you can do that. Make a beautiful cello sound. (Singing). Play it for him. No, you can’t, it’s the wrong key. (Singing) Yeah, play, play, but really play, like Rostropovich. Beautiful. Now you do that. (Singing). She takes a little more time, listen. (Singing).

Now, the third time. (Singing). No, it’s not staccato, it’s (singing). Shh. (Singing).

Yeah, here, (singing). They played (singing), you played (singing). Can you play like a string player there? Good. Good, good, good. This is better. But see, you’re always accompanying this great melody, and always make a sound like the string players. See that slur? (Singing).

Don’t rush, don’t rush. So beautiful. (Singing). Pianissimo. (Singing). Oh, oh, oh, that’s the secret. That’s the secret of the opening of the piece, isn’t it? Because it starts with the ritardando that takes place before the piece starts. So, just do that once again, from here. One_… (Singing). That’s good. That’s good. Now, go to the beginning of the piece, and we’ll do the same thing, beginning. You’re in a concert, and you say to yourself, (singing).

Well, we’ve only been able to begin, but crack open this monolithic rush, and find the freedom, freedom, freedom, freedom. All the time, the freedom. Now it’s beginning, and you’re beginning to sound great, because he’s allowing you space. We’ve got to stop, which I hate, because we just started, but you’re doing brilliantly. Well done. Very good. Very good. Good, well done.

Now, Lior. Lior. 18,000 people are applauding you and you look miserable. There’s a little group in here, but then there’s the camera, and there they’re all the people, and they’re all applauding, and they go, “Yeah, they were great! Terrific!” And you go_… So, now we’re going to do it again, and you’re going to applaud, and now you’re going to really show that you love the fact that you’ve been in the presence of these people, and you’ve given your heart. Well done, beautiful.