Our next three videos for the 2023 & 2024 ABRSM piano examination syllabus are now available on the Online Academy. These videos feature works from the Grade 5 list, including a piece by Cimarosa with fast spinning patterns, Hoffman’s lyrical Minnelied and A Distant Star in the Stillness – a jazzy, atmospheric piece by David Önaç.
New Videos
ABRSM Grade 5 – A1: Cimarosa – Allegro (3rd mvt from Sonata in C minor, C.68)
The final movement of Cimarosa’s Sonata in C minor, C. 68 features fast spinning patterns in almost every bar. In this excerpt from his video on the piece, Graham Fitch plays the opening theme and gives some suggestions for analysing it and learning the arpeggiated patterns in the right hand:
ABRSM Grade 5 B1: H. Hofmann – Minnelied (No. 7 from Stimmungsbilder, Op. 88)
Heinrich Hofmann was a German composer in the Romantic tradition and in this lovely piece we clearly hear the influence of Robert Schumann. In this excerpt from his video on the piece, Graham Fitch demonstrates practice methods for voicing the opening theme:
ABRSM Grade 5 C3: David Önaç – A Distant Star in the Stillness
David Önaç’s cosmic soundscape is an ideal piece to stimulate the imagination. In the programme notes, the composer describes how he found inspiration from the vastness of space and how “gigantic stars…appear as tiny dots in our night sky”. In this video excerpt, Graham Fitch introduces the piece, motif, and the first section:
Click here for links to view the full videos on the Online Academy!
Other Videos
Click here to view the full index of available videos, including links to several from previous and other syllabuses (further information on our project for the previous 2021 & 2022 syllabus is available here).
Videos for over 70 pieces have been recorded already and are currently in the various stages of the editing process. Several further shoots are planned and we will be releasing the videos in frequent installments over the coming months. Please click here to sign-up to our mailing list for updates and notifications on this project and our resources for piano examinations.
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