(audience applauding)

♫ ♫ ♫ [Andras humming]

ANDRAS SCHIFF: Beautiful, thank you.

It's a wonderful piece.

Isn't it?

ANNA HAN: Yeah, it's beautiful.

SCHIFF: Very.

So...

But you see...

It's very good, most of it.

People say of Schumann's late music that mentally unstable.

I don't know anything more mentally unstable

than this sonata.

(audience laughs)

This is a young, a relatively young piece, yeah?

But you know, it took him...

It's very hard for composers

to write piano sonata after Beethoven.

He's like--you know--a father figure in piano sonatas.

So, even for Schubert, this was always very difficult,

and he struggled with this sonata a lot.

So that's very good if it comes

across in the interpretation.

Should not be easy.

However, there are some elements

which have to be better organized, rhythmically.

Let's just establish this motive.

♫ ♫ ♫ [bouncy orchestral music]

So always the falling fifths.

This represents Clara.

Because Clara is

♪ La, cla, a-la ♪

You hear that?

Re is D in Italian. So...

A and re, yeah?

So it's, within the transpose. (hums)

And the (hums).

♫ ♫ ♫ [lilting orchestral music]

So, always the

Think of this like a light motif in the whole sonata.

It would be good to play for me this one.

♫ ♫ ♫ Andras humming

♫ ♫ ♫ Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann

So, and see.

Always the falling fifths. (hums)

What does this rhythm remind you of?

[HAN] It could be a horse galloping.

[SCHIFF] Exactly, exactly, horses. You know? (hums)

And why is that?

Can you tell me?

Why are there horses here?

HAN: I'm not sure. Maybe he's traveling. (chuckles)

SCHIFF: Yeah, he would.

So this, we know from Schumann's description,

this is like an outcry after Clara.

They were madly in love with each other,

but Clara's father, Friedrich Wieck,

famous piano teacher and pedagogue, he didn't want

to hear of this relationship and sent Clara far away.

So he would like to take a horse

and gallop, just ride to her.

This is my interpretation, but it's not far from the truth.

So you have to suggest it. (hums)

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

♫ ♫ ♫ [Andras humming]

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

Yeah, but you are too, when the semi quavers,

what's it in American, 16th note, yes. (hums)

Start a little later.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

Yes!

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

♫ ♫ ♫ [Andras humming]

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

Listen.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Andras humming and playing piano]

When you get into forte fortissimo, you lose the quality. Yeah?

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

Good!

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

That's good. (hums)

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

Yes.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

Clear the air with the pedal.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

Okay. (hums)

(Andras speaks in foreign language)

♫ ♫ ♫ [Andras hums]

You have to raise your blood pressure here, yes?

(audience laughs)

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

Yes. (hums)

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

♫ ♫ ♫ [Andras hums and plays piano]

Horns, yeah?

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

And!

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

I couldn't pedal with shoes like that.

(audience laughing)

It's very beautiful, but of course, you have to (hums).

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

(hums) Play that along, just right there.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

Yeah, it's good.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

♫ ♫ ♫ [Andras humming and playing piano]

Yeah, yeah!

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

Okay, now go back to the (hums).

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

Yeah?

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

Excellent! (claps)

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

Shh, relax. (hums)

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

Shh.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

Okay, now, it would be nice to have

a more natural rubato here.

It's a little bit stereotype.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Andras hums]

Take away the bar lines, no bar lines.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

(hums) Change the color. (hums)

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

Again, we have the falling fifth, (hums) yes?

And!

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

Okay, please, just a moment. (hums)

♫ ♫ ♫ [Andras hums]

This pedal is not good. (hums)

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

♫ ♫ ♫ [Andras humming]

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

Good!

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

♫ ♫ ♫ [Andras humming]

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

Okay, how is the voice syncing? (hums)

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

I would bring up a little more of the tenor voice.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

Yes.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

♫ ♫ ♫ Andras humming

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

You see, at the end of the movement,

the slowing down is fine, but not here

because there is no tempo change, really.

The tiny bit of difference, but. (hums)

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

Not in half tempo. (hums)

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

It's a sonata so this is the final subject

of this movement, yes? (hums)

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

♫ ♫ ♫ [Andras humming]

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

Very good.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

Okay, now.

The phrase lengths is irregular, yes?

So let's just play (hums).

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

(hums) Four bars now, one. (hums)

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

Six bars, now shh.

We start now at one. (hums)

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

Four bars. (hums)

♫ ♫ ♫ [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Robert Schumann]

Now, eight bars.