Abstract
The research was carried around these three focal points: 1) Authenticity: I replaced the composer-performer as part of an aesthetic whole, instead the instrument being the focal point of the experiments. I questioned the sense of “authentic” performance and represented the historical context of the works. 2) (Re)Shaping Interpretation: I deepened the understanding of the musical works by exploring the specificities of the clavichord and the Stein fortepiano. I questioned the expressive architecture of the chosen musical pieces in the light of Empfindsamkeit, rhetoric and good taste. 3) Artistic exploration: focusing on Mozart’s 6 “Munich” Sonatas and C. P. E. Bach’s 6 Varied Sonatas Wq. 50, I studied the ties between the musical score, the sound complexes and the instrument itself. I explored the notion of improvisation and variation in the classical era and questioned my relation to it as modern performer.
Keywords: early keyboards, improvisation, authenticity, performance practice.
About the author
Christophe Alvarez is a concert pianist and composer. An associate professor of piano at the National Academy of Music of Cluj-Napoca, he is frequently a jury member of international competitions, and regularly gives masterclasses. Christophe graduated with two doctorates in Music Theory and in Piano Performance, and published in scientific journals. He performed as a soloist in major concert halls and festivals in North America and in Europe. With a vast experience in early music, he recently reconstituted the lost music of the French Ballet du Temps (1654), with world-premieres in Canada and in Romania. Christophe is also the composer of several movie soundtracks.
DOI: 10.47809/MP.2023.38.01.04
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