(applause)

ANDRAS SCHIFF: Thank you very much.

It was beautiful. very beautiful.

Well done.

How long is the last note?

(laughter)

Yeah, there is no no Fermata.

Just a small thing, yeah, but I don't have a lot to say because it's very good, it's beautiful.

But a few things since we are here.

(laughter)

This last variation...no no...but it's a little

bit too mechanical...to many scales ...reminds me too much of tyranny.

(laughter)

It's not a compliment, so, because it shouldn't it should be very it's the (humming)

gesture, it's like like the water flowing, or like the wind blowing and I don't

want to hear so many individual notes here, yes.

Let's just try this.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

♫ ♫ ♫ [Andras humming]

Not too fast.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

Easy.

I don't want to hear your fingers.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Andras humming]

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

You're still...(humming)

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

It's not...I cannot put it into words, but do you know what I mean?

Try to achieve...it's not not so long the gato, it's between legato and (humming).

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

♫ ♫ ♫ [Andras humming]

Try to play not with very curved fingers, but flatten it a little bit here.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!

That's right, very good.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

Wonderful.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

Eh, you went back to Czerny.

(laughter)

I don't like Czerny, but I love Schubert.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

And so, and here you have...

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

Here it's harmony.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

At the end of each passage, the last three notes play especially beautiful.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Andras humming]

Sort of fill out the corners there, yes? Mm-hmm.

Beginning.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

Very good!

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

And what happens with the... (humming and playing piano)

Diminished 7c. (humming and playing piano)

So, you have to underline the diminished seventh chord.

Yeah, it's not so normal.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

Alright, so let's go back to the theme and what happens at that point from the...

♫ ♫ ♫ [Andras humming and playing the piano]

So, it's a question mark and then release the tension yes now let's just play the

accompaniment alone please but played with two hands. (humming)

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

SCHIFF: What's the problem with that...if you are listening to yourself?

JUN HWI CHO: I didn't clarify it, the main corporation well.

SCHIFF: It just doesn't...doesn't have any character because...

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

...It's in G major.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

Every time we play Schubert, we have to go to the songs.

SCHIFF: And this one too Rosamond, yeah? You know the string quartet in A minor?

CHO: Yes. Mm-hmm.

SCHIFF: And ballet music, yes? So, it's of course...

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

And it's all based on this and rhythm it goes further...can you tell me what what

inspires Schubert to give always this ductile...

(humming)

SCHIFF: What is this? It's not by Schubert.

CHO: Um...I guess it sounds like a dance.

SCHIFF: Mm-mm. It sounds like this...

(humming and playing piano)

You know? So he was obsessed with Beethoven...they lived in the same city

and he worshiped Beethoven, but he was so shy he would never it's not like today

everybody would go up here in New York to Beethoven, "Hi, how are you?"

You know, this was not like that it's better so so try to do this...(humming).

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

But you I didn't feel the harmony of the diminished seventh chord (humming and piano).

Just leave it a tiny little bit of time, yeah...the couple.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

Very good.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

Continue.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

This is too pianistic (humming).

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

Very good.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

Again the diminished.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

Be careful with the voice leading...(humming and piano)

The alto voice is another voice, I don't hear it with you.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

That's not good.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

Just play for me the (humming)...

In the tenor voice that's a horn player yes and you have to suggest like a brook, a small stream, yes?

(Andras speaking in foreign language)

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

You are also a tiny little bit too fast and it gets a bit superficial, yeah?

Give yourself time.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

It's not orchestrated-- you have the celli and the bases and then the horn.

I don't hear that (humming and piano).

Different sonorities...

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

Pianissimo.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

What is this?

(Andras humming and playing the piano)

Hm? Doesn't sound familiar?

(laughing)

(Andras humming and playing piano)

Well I don't want to...still. Alright next, variation please.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

I can...I always say too much pedal but this is too little pedal because (humming)

You lose the base without base we have we have no architecture, yes?

Alright, and this has to be more Austrian-- it's not I tell it always in Europe even if I

insult the Germans, but this is not German music-- this is Viennese music

because this is a like Yodel, you know people in the Austrian or Swiss

mountains... (humming and playing piano). And why does he write those little accents?

Which you don't play...please (humming) not a lot...so those notes are are

a tiny little bit longer, yes?

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

Okay, so the the places to peddle is in the middle of the bar (humming). Yes?

CHO: I actually have a question.

SCHIFF: Please.

CHO: Because I do repeats and I have all the repeats here, so I I just wanted to differentiate a little bit of

articulation so...

SCHIFF: Of course, you did that-- we will come to that.

CHO: Oh yeah. So, I try...

SCHIFF: Of course you have to play all the repeats

and not exactly the same way, but just to do it a little bit more subtle.

Yes? Because some of the repeats you did were, to my taste, a bit sentimental.

And do you know the difference between sentiment and sentimental?

Sentiment is good, it's emotion, but sentimental is a little bit kitsch so we don't we don't

want any kitch no it's very dangerous with Schubert because that's in the 19th

century they thought of Schubert's as a you know like a Biedermeier composer.

something from yes in the early 19th century sort of bourgeois composer they

belittled Schubert and then there was a very famous operetta the Dry Metal House

the house of three maidens they made a very terrible sentimental story out of

Schubert falling in love with with these girls and you know that's not what

Schubert music is about so and a lot of emotion but not nothing sentimental but

of course do the repeat differently now (humming and playing piano).

You see?

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

SCHIFF: The A in in this context is a dissonant note, yes?

CHO: Mm-hmm.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Andras humming]

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

Alright, very good. So, you are reluctant to do these accents.

They are not my accent...I have my own accent.

That's that's our charm, but this is Schubert's accent, yes?

Now we will come to this because if you look at Schubert's manuscript, have you seen a

Schubert manuscript actually this one is right here in New York City you just go

down to the pier port Pierpont Morgan Library...I don't know if they show it to

you but they are they're nice people and so what I try to say is that it's very

difficult to distinguish in Schubert handwriting whether he writes an accent

or the crescendo because he wrote very fast every morning from 6:00 in the

morning until 2:00 in the afternoon he was not waiting for divine inspiration

because he had it anyway but every day and in after two o'clock he didn't

compose any more so anyway it was with that speed of writing it's hard to know and

if let's let's play this variation then...because that's -

it's hard to know whether this is an accent or a diminuendo. You know he writes

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

So, does he mean here a stress on the second note or (humming)- I think it's rather the second.

CHO: I agree, yeah.

SCHIFF: So, try this variation.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

Finish the sentence.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

Oh, okay...so let's try to play, it's very good, but the octaves in pure legato, yes?

You have to make the impossibility...even the thumb has to make a legato and you can

do it because you play so well but you have to want it, yeah?

Alright, so this has to be in the middle (Andras speaks in foreign language) lot of passion, yes?

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

Yes, this is a different color so the whole impromptu, but especially this

variation more orchestral you know so first the strings play it and then

upper octave it's all woodwind yes and then again the whole orchestra.

Now, this one please just the left hand alone.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

Okay. Now, where are we? We are in a b-flat piece (humming and playing music).

G, so it's a third relationship the mediant.

Darker...and what are you rushing for? No rush. Take your time.

New York is such a a nervous place I know I'm still coming from Vienna so in Vienna...take your time (humming and piano)

This is a cello solo (humming)...enjoy the sonority

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

♫ ♫ ♫ [Andras humming]

A lot of , you know...(humming and piano)...that's right, that's right, you have to listen to

wonderful singing, yes, and play with singers ...do you play Schubert songs with singers?

CHO: Uh, sometimes. Yeah.

SCHIFF: You should and good because that's how we learn to play legato to breathe, yes?

Very good. Alright...second part.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

Okay, let's just do this this transition again because it's so beautiful how

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

You see, here is the pedal can help a lot, but I never pressed the pedal to the

bottom...you can play with a fourth of the pedal or a third of the pedal and

variation or vibrate the pedal.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

And then it comes naturally yeah just to flow like like a brook…

Just this transition please.

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

Eh...Don't rush-- when something is so wonderful you don't want it to end.

Next...always people look at their watches too many times.

We don't listen to music with a stopwatch.

This transition was beautiful, no?

♫ ♫ ♫ [Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No.3 by Franz Schubert]

Ah, but Czerny. (laughter)