colloquium48 - Elisa Rumici: Pedagogical Perspectives on Einojuhani Rautavaara's Etudes Op. 42

This concert-lecture aims to explore the Etudes Op. 42 (1969) by the Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara (1928-2016) from a pedagogical perspective, with the purpose of identifying the technical and performance skills they develop, the challenges they present and the best methodologies to learn them.

Through this project, I intend to explore a repertoire that is still relatively uncommon in traditional study programs and that can help students familiarize with modern music due to the accessibility of its language, based on the integration of innovative and traditional elements. Researching and teaching the Etudes Op. 42 will also lead to a rediscovery of Rautavaara's piano music as a whole and to an expansion of the traditionally performed repertoire. Furthermore, by adopting a multidisciplinary approach that integrates analysis, pedagogy, and teaching experience, I aim to demonstrate how artistic practice, pedagogy and theoretical analysis can mutually enhance one another. This approach not only fosters a deeper understanding of the score but also highlights the essential roles of musicologists, educators, and performers within the music and research field.

This project is conducted with an approach based on artistic research, integrating the theoretical learning of the Etudes with direct experience in performing and teaching them. Study sessions, teaching sessions, and public performances have been filmed and analyzed through an autoethnographic process. The data obtained has been integrated with the results of interviews conducted with students, who evaluated, among other aspects, the most effective practice methods used. Based on this data, a detailed practice guide has been created to assist students in the process of learning and interpreting these pieces, partially following the model of the study edition of Chopin’s Etudes op. 10 and op. 25 by Cortot. This practice guide offers a comprehensive commentary that highlights the main characteristics and challenges of each étude. It includes preparatory exercises, practice suggestions, insights into the difficulty of the pieces, the piano techniques they help develop, and performance tips. Additionally, the preparatory exercises are not only described in detail but also demonstrated in short video clips included in the commentary. At the conference, the presentation will include excerpts from lessons, demonstrations of preparatory exercises, and performances of selected études. This will highlight the relationship between analytical and practical aspects of execution and teaching, showcasing the strong connection between artistic practice, pedagogy, performance, and musicology, an open process where each activity affects and is affected by the others.

This project has been conducted following the principles of autoethnography, as outlined in "Autoethnography: An Overview" by Ellis, Adams, and Bochner, whereas the reflection on the interconnection between analysis, performance, and pedagogy is based on various essays such as “Applying Score Analysis to a Rehearsal Pedagogy of Expressive Performance” by Byo. The exploration of Rautavaara and his studies is based on various publications, among them Lee's "Pedagogy and Artistry in Select Twentieth-Century Piano Etudes" and “Bilateral Keyboard Symmetry in the Music of Einojuhani Rautavaara” by Brandon.

Keywords: Rautavaara, Pedagogy, Artistic-research, Etudes.

Elisa Rumici

Elisa Rumici is an Italian pianist. She has won twenty-five first prizes and numerous scholarships, and is generously supported by the Cusanusstiftung. She regularly performs in Europe and has given recitals in prominent concert halls and music festivals, such as the Milan Expo, the Fazioli showroom in Milan, the Teatro La Fenice in Venice and Gare du Nord in Basel.

In 2022 her cd “A musical journey” was released by the Swiss label Rhein records.

She is pursuing a doctorate in artistic research at the Hochschule für Musik in Freiburg in collaboration with the University of Strasbourg and the Haute École des Arts du Rhin under the supervision of Prof. Loges and Prof. Gomez.

Her research has been presented at the RAPP Lab event at the HfMT Köln, at the 23rd

GMTH Congress in Freiburg, at the 1st ANDA Conference in Modena and at the 20th GATM

Congress in Salerno, at the Hochschule für Musik Basel. In the fall of 2024, she will also present at the 13th "Biennial International Conference on Music Since 1900" at KU Leuven and at the "Annual Conference of the Society for Music Research" at HfMT in Cologne.

www.elisarumici.com