Michael Lewin on why Liszt invented impressionism
The Boston Conservatory piano chair on touch, color, opera in Mozart and the orchestra hidden in Bach.
Michael Lewin is professor of piano and head of the piano department at Boston Conservatory at Berklee. A Grammy winner and Steinway Artist, he has performed in more than 30 countries and played 40 different concertos with orchestras including the Boston Pops.
Here are thirteen of his best tips, taken from feedback he gave young pianists after live performances, with a link to each moment on video.
1. Liszt invented impressionism
It’s a piece about the amazing possibilities of touch, sound and color that the piano can afford you. After all, Liszt invented impressionism. Debussy and Ravel come from Liszt.
Michael Lewin
2. Know what leggiero and legatissimo really mean
You need to think more about what leggiero is, extreme lightness, and what legatissimo is, extreme legato. And you have to think about sound and touch and color.
Michael Lewin
3. Mozart was always thinking about opera
Mozart was an opera composer, so he was always thinking operatically. That means he was thinking about different characters, different people talking to each other, and personalities.
Michael Lewin
4. Find the orchestra in Bach
Bach’s music is usually either vocal or instrumentally inspired. I’d like to hear you thinking about orchestral instruments: brass fanfares, cello bow strokes, like an orchestra and not like a piano.
Michael Lewin
5. Start from the music, not the piano
You’re too pianistically oriented. Think instead about the nature of the music and its character. That will give you the sound.
Michael Lewin
6. Respect the dots
Very often when a note has a dot on it, you play it long or arbitrarily don’t do what he says. If the notes are written the same, with the same dot, they should always be the same length.
Michael Lewin
7. Keep your elbow close
Your right elbow sometimes goes out. If it’s a little closer to your body, you’ll find you won’t be working quite so hard with your right arm.
Michael Lewin
8. Gershwin hated too much pedal
Be very careful about your pedaling. Gershwin himself talked about not liking people to over-pedal. It needs to be very clear, and the rhythm has to be exact.
Michael Lewin
9. Never play a repeat the same way twice
In music we try never to do the same thing twice exactly the same. When a long section repeats, do it differently the second time. React to what you did.
Michael Lewin
10. Legato needs your ears as well as your fingers
To produce legato you need to do two things. Connect with your fingers, and connect with your ears: listen to where a note leaves off and match the next note.
Michael Lewin
11. Don’t accent the first or last note
In general in phrasing, we don’t want an accent on the first note of a phrase or on the last note of a phrase.
Michael Lewin
12. Soft doesn’t mean slower
Make sure that when you play softer, you don’t get slower.
Michael Lewin
13. Flutter the pedal
Try to connect more with the fingers, so you’re not completely dependent on your foot. When you use the pedal, it doesn’t have to be down all the way or held so long. You can flutter it.
Michael Lewin
Quotes are lightly edited for length and clarity. They come from Mr. Lewin’s comments as a judge at the 2024 Piano Star International Competition. You can watch the full performances and feedback on the Piano League YouTube channel.
Quick question
Which composer do you find hardest to get right?
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