Lev Naumov in Memoriam. The Russian Piano School.

„Music lives within our brain,
in our consciousness...
it's our hearing”

H. Neuhaus

The famous Russian piano educating system still fascinates musicians and students in the world but some professionals believe there is not such phenomenon as the Russian piano school. Naturally, the recipe for a perfect piano technique doesn't exist, although many great pianists have appeared in Russia in the 20h century, such as Horovitz, Richter, Sofronitsky, Yudina and the younger generations as well. The prelude to the Russian piano school rapid development was the rise of public concerts, expand of the repertoire, accent on quality of performances followed by appearance of such pianists as Scriabin, Rachmaninov, Shostakovich.

There is one common thing for all pianists in Russia and it is about the technique - they can combine all the musical and virtuoso abilities and accomplish a fantastic skill of piano playing as naturally as the Italian sing.

Heinrich Neuhaus, a famous name in the Russian school of piano, claimed that artistic vision, the ability to be creative and many interesting ideas are the basis of a successful interpretation of the piece. The piano technique he interpreted as a way to achieve the goal, not just an action of fingers and hands. Neuhaus was called the "poet of the pianoforte" and "an artist of great culture, passionately in love with his art". He was an outstanding professor and a great pianist, excellent musician. He formed his own romantic and intellectual piano school. Neuhaus was a pupil of Leopold Godovsky, whose students were very well-known for their magical sound and perfect virtuoso skills. The problems of technique, as a physical aspect, were never among the interests of Godovsky, Neuhaus, and later, his assistant Lev Naumov. Working on the technique was strongly connected with music, also developing students' emotional and intellectual level was one of the methods.

A pedagogic book by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach "Versuch uber die Wahre Art das Klavier zu Spielen" was described by Joseph Haydn as "the greatest school". According to Bach it was very important when playing the piano and especially practising to keep the arms relaxed, use the energy of fingers and the weight of hands. This way of approaching the piano as well as searching for the deep musical matter is very similar to the Russian school. "One can have the fastest fingers but will never be a performer whose interpretation brings joy to the audiences and is understandable and touching". Piano art is a synthesis of four spheres of life- physical, spiritual, intelectual and emotional.

Lev Naumov is one of the inventors of the Russian piano school and a teacher who educated many outstanding and well-known pianists. I had the privilege and luck to study in the class conducted by a great professor and a wonderful man. Contact with him gave me much joy and experience since he was not only a talented musician but also a perfect psychologist which is very important in pedagogical professions. As a musician and a teacher he had a great, extensive knowledge- he was a pianist, theoretician and composer. Incredibly interesting in his pedagogical method was that he studied every piece with his pupils from a composer's point of view, analyzing the musical form and the harmonical structure. He also expanded horizons of pianism far behind its limits.

Lev Naumov was absolutely devoted to music imagining it as some kind of vision, like in Debussy, Prokofiev or Stravinsky's style and reflected in Richter's pianism, but also typical and so special to Russian culture espressivo, sincerity of emotions that audiences adored in Sofronitsky's performances. Both Richter and Sofronitsky were musicians whom Naumov admired and adored the whole life.

He was a very creative artist, able to change the interpretation, very often based on other works of art like literature, film and architecture.

Lev Naumov was not a teacher who decides about students' repertoire. He was certain that young people should be in love with the music they play therefore they should choose their favorite pieces to work on. Naumov could give suggestions but never forced his students to do what they wouldn't like to do.

He believed Chopin's music was on top of all piano music and performances of Stanislav and Heinrich Neuhaus, Vladimir Sofronitsky were perfectly accurate. He also liked Cortot's interpretations but according to him there is too much rubato in them and the tradition has changed since then. It was a real delight to listen to Naumov detailing Chopin's works. He talked in such an interesting and convincing way and it seemed he "removed the stamps" and let the students hear the very well known music in a fresh new way. Interesting thing he said about
Barcarolle- the coda must be played in such a way that after the performance the pianist should feel psychical and psychological tiredness, after experiencing such strong emotions.

Naumov adored Rachmaninov not only as a composer but also as a human and empathized with his tragic life. In his opinion the Second Piano Concerto, Francesca da Rimini and Vocalise were the most extraordinary of Rachmaninov's works. In his Variations on a theme by
Corelli a sound of the wind in trees can be heard (second variation), and there is a heart beating (thirteen variation).

One of his favorite composers was Prokofiev and his Second Piano Concerto. In this piece he imagined the ocean, calm and quiet, followed by the storm in cadenza. In the Sonata no. 7 he wanted to gain the effect of a mechanical power that destroys everything on its way.

To him, Bach was the composer with most genius and he encouraged his students to give more "humanity" in their interpretations as he believed there were romantic emotions in Bach's music hidden behind the traditions of the baroque. There were two pianists, students of
Alexander Goldenweiser, who breathed new life into the music of the great master . Their new interpretation of Bach's music, using all of the expressive possibilities of the modern piano captured the attention of audiences and critics.

Interesting instructions Naumov gave about Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto- at the beginning the sun is rising, the orchestral exposition in B Minor is light green, the F minor episode in development is purple. The theme in C sharp Minor after the culmination sounds like a prayer. His associations were very poetic and inspiring- in Ravel's Scarbo from Gaspard de la Nuit he saw a poisoned orchid balancing on the water surface. There were lessons sometimes when there was no need for words. It seemed he used the telepathy, there was an impression of something magical, he could just make a gesture, conduct or play a melody on the second piano. Each lesson was different and was a very special artistic experience.

Naumov was fond of contemporary music interested in new recent works written by talented composers. He used to write music and his cycle of romances on poems by Kedrin was in mandatory vocal repertoire of one of the Tchaikovsky Competitions in Moscow.
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Lev Naumov often played fragments from his favorite Rimsky- Korsakov's operas- The Invisible City of Kitezh, May Night, Kashchey the Deathless- and knew them all by heart.

The pedagogical style of Lev Naumov was fascinating and unique. The most important characteristic was the individuality of each performance. The difference between students and their temperament made the performances different but at the same time they all have
one common hallmark- Lev Naumov's school.

He used to say : "Learn to fly, fly high above the ground".

Lev Naumov will stay alive in memories of his students and others who knew him. His exceptional piano school is a great treasure for the future generations of pianists all over the world.