Week 4 Challenge Assignment: “Your Final Schubert Moment”

Dominic_Cheli
updated 5 days ago
199replies

Due to the incredible response to the Schubert Challenge, we received far more video submissions than we can feature in a one-hour watch party.
We've curated a limited selection of performances to highlight live.

But don’t worry—every submission matters.
You can find the full playlist of all participant videos linked below and enjoy the full range of creativity and talent that came through!

Program for tomorrow!

Michelle R Landler

Dagmar Waltz in b minor, D145 Op 18.6

Josee Asselin Hungarian Dance

Marc M Minuet in A

Hazel Impromptu Op90 No.3

Thurmond R Drei Klavierstuck, in E flat major D946 (no.2)

Jennifer MehtaSchubert Moments Musiceaux Op 94, Number 4.

Gail Ravin Starr Moment Musical

Sindre Skarelven Sonata in A major D.959 (1st mov)

Juan Carlos Olite Schubert-Liszt (Gretchen am Spinnrade)

Playlist of all submissions

Juan Carlos Olite – Gretchen am Spinnrade (Schubert–Liszt)
CK Lau – Impromptu D.899 No.1
Vidhya Bashyam – Moment Musical
Dora Burak – Kupelwieser Waltz
https://youtube.com/shorts/pVe4vNwvbbM?si=fxQOH9YO7vAoxrxm
Hazel – Impromptu Op. 90 No. 3
Aleksandra Bogomaz – Sonata (Audition Performance)
Gail Ravin Starr – Moment Musical No. 3
Dagmar – Waltz
Jennifer Mehta – Moments Musicaux Op. 94 No. 4
https://youtu.be/0nHDaEF3nDs
Michelle R – Ländler (A section only)
https://youtu.be/yBSIcZa95E4
Thurmond R – Drei Klavierstücke D.946 No. 2
Derek McConville – Impromptu in G-flat major
Sindre Skarelven – Sonata in A Major, D.959 (1st Movement)
Alexander Weymann – Impromptu Op. 142 No. 2
https://vimeo.com/1103986453/3d0e14b104?ts=225745&share=copy
Josee Asselin – Hungarian Dance
Marc M – Minuet in A Major, D.334
https://youtu.be/zpbQv-jXMz8
Andrea LeVan – Gretchen am Spinnrade (Schubert–Liszt)
https://youtu.be/Z527ZKJlezU?si=gtmoSgVLVPyh_4eM

This is your final week of the Schubert Challenge—and the focus is expression, individuality, and celebration!

Your assignment:
Submit a final video of the piece or excerpt you’ve been working on during this challenge. It can be the same clip you’ve refined each week, or something new that captures your growth and your own “Schubert voice.”

Optional Prompts to Guide You:

What emotions do you want to convey through this piece?
Where have you simplified or personalized your interpretation?
What Schubertian nuance or color are you most proud of capturing?

Deadline: Submit by July 23rd to be included in the Watch Party!
📍 How to Submit: Post your video in the forum thread below!

Livestream Watch Party Right Here!

July 25th, at 11am PT

- Josee_Asselin
- 6 days ago
- Reported - view
Hello, I am new to ToneBase. I wanted to participate in the Schubert challenge. It is very difficult to make a video without doing any mistakes :-( Anyway, I am proud to have done it and I will look forward for other challenges :-) . Here is my video of the Hungarian Dance.
- Michelle_Russell
  
  6 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Josee Asselin I really enjoyed listening to you play this fantastic piece (one of my favorites). Nice work.
- Philosophy teacher and piano lover
  
  Juan_Carlos
  
  5 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Josee Asselin Very good playing, capturing all the delicate shifts in the dynamics.
- Josee_Asselin
  
  5 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Vidhya Bashyam Thank you so much :-)
- Josee_Asselin
  
  5 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Michelle R Thank you very much! I love this piece too.
- Josee_Asselin
  
  5 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Juan Carlos Olite wow, thank you!
- Andrea_LeVan
  
  5 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Josee Asselin wow what a gorgeous piece and you play it so beautifully and effortlessly ❤️ I don’t think I’ve ever heard this one before but I will definitely put it on my list of future endeavors. Great job!
- Josee_Asselin
  
  5 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Andrea LeVan Thank you so much Andrea!
- Pianist, composer and piano teacher
  
  Sindre_Skarelven
  
  3 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Sounds great, Josee! Well done!
- always curious
  
  Dagmar
  
  2 days ago
  
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  Lovely! What grade is this? It sounds impressive, but the hands don't seem to move in a horribly complicated way, perahaps this is something I could learn as well. Very enjoyable, love how the harmonies change towards the end. Sounds almost a bit oriental. So beautiful.
  
  I so much relate to your recording struggles. My video took 20 attempts or so!
- Amateur piano enthusiast
- Marc_M
- 6 days ago
- Reported - view
Here’s my video for the watch party. I didn’t have time to finish the A major sonata slow movement—maybe I’ll upload that later—so I’ve been also working on Schubert’s D 334 minuet, which happens to be Schubert’s most popular piece of music on Spotify.

Schubert Minuet in A Major, D334
https://youtu.be/zpbQv-jXMz8

I'm not perfectly happy with it so I haven’t added commentary etc, but it’s the best I could do given that life has been crazy lately! (My basement flooded with sewage this week after a downpour of rain, so I’ve been a bit buried in smelly stuff lately. 😅)
- vbashyam
  
  6 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Marc M I haven’t heard this Minuet before. Very charming! Lovely playing. Sorry about your basement! Looking forward to hearing the sonata sometime.
- Michelle_Russell
  
  6 days ago
  
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  Marc M Such a sweet piece, and your playing was lovely.
  
  So sorry about your basement. Be safe.
- Philosophy teacher and piano lover
  
  Juan_Carlos
  
  5 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Marc M Graceful playing, Marc! Very natural, very musical.
- Andrea_LeVan
- 6 days ago
- Reported - view
Dominic Cheli Watch Party - Schubert Challenge Video Wk 4 - Gretchen Am Spinnrade

https://youtu.be/Z527ZKJlezU?si=gtmoSgVLVPyh_4eM

Hello everyone I hope you enjoy my progress on this amazing piece- it has been a truly enjoyable challenge! I still have a ways to go with getting more comfortable and also with getting more contrast between the spinning notes and the melody line, as well as stylistic things. Watching a video is also great to evaluate technique and I see a few places that I think need something different done with my approach and the fingers I’ve chosen but I am just really proud of myself for making THIS much progress on this piece in just 4 weeks. My dogs are probably totally sick of it though 🤣

This piece tells the story of Gretchen, a young woman consumed by her love for Faust…..and she is consumed with her thoughts of him while she sits at her spinning wheel. It captures her emotional turmoil and obsessive thoughts of him and you can hear her transition from more tranquil thoughts to her obsessive ones, highlighting her loss of innocence and the overwhelming nature of her newfound passion ❤️

I hope even in my early stages of learning this piece that you can feel that and hear the beautiful melody line as I keep that constant spinning motion going on below it. Thanks for listening and the support of this incredible group and to Dominic for again putting together such a fun and inspiring challenge!
- Philosophy teacher and piano lover
  
  Juan_Carlos
  
  5 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Andrea LeVan Very good job, Andrea!
- Josee_Asselin
  
  5 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Andrea LeVan I like it very much! The melody is very present and the sound of the piano is beautiful.
- Michelle_Russell
  
  5 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Andrea LeVan Your playing is beautiful.
- Pianist, composer and piano teacher
  
  Sindre_Skarelven
  
  3 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Beautiful playing, Andrea!
- Piano Player with Day Job (for now)
  
  Peter_G
  
  21 hrs ago
  
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  Hi Andrea, this is a really nice performance, capturing for me the fluctuating moods and troubling emotions evolving out of the more stable ones at the beginning. Not that Gretchen is all that cheerful at the beginning, either, but you can really feel the emotional swings. I find Schubert's use of harmonies very interesting here, with the same or very similar melody developing through different chord changes into something more complex and ambiguous -- happening both in the melody on top and in the ostinato underneath, which I gather is the spinning wheel motif. You convey all of this, and it is so evocative, subtle and dramatic all at the same time!
- Amateur piano enthusiast
- Marc_M
- 3 days ago
- Reported - view
FYI, I re-recorded the Schubert D 334 minuet and added some commentary/analysis...here it is! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYGxuz5HaiY

Awesome work everybody--it was a pleasure hearing your Schubert performances in this thread and at the watch party!
- Pianist, composer and piano teacher
  
  Sindre_Skarelven
  
  3 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  your videos and comments are very enjoyable! Sounds great!
- Amateur piano enthusiast
  
  Marc_M
  
  2 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed them!
  
  Great work with the Schubert A Major sonata, by the way. It's a beast of a piece! Have you looked at the "fair copy" version of the piece? It's the last version that we still have of Schubert's. See the "Sketches/Early Draft" score here: https://imslp.org/wiki/Piano_Sonata_in_A_major,_D.959_(Schubert,_Franz)
  
  That score is based on the fair copy autograph here: https://schubert-online.at/activpage/manuskripte.php?top=1&werke_id=335&werkteile_id=0&image=%27MH_00171_D959_D960_011.jpg%27&groesse=50&aktion=einzelbild&bild_id=0&rotation=0&negate=&sharpen=&lineal=
  
  I think the differences between the typical version of the piece (modified by Diabelli, as I understand it) and the actual autograph are very interesting.
- Pianist, composer and piano teacher
  
  Sindre_Skarelven
  
  2 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Thank you, Marc, yes it is a beast! Wow, this is very interesting, thanks for sharing! I love seeing how things have developed from sketches to the full version, whats edited later etc. Will surely study this deeper!
- Astrida_Gobina
- 2 days ago
- Reported - view
I was traveling and missed both the submission deadline and the watch party.

It was such a pleasure to listen to the uploaded recordings. Thanks everyone!

Here is my result from this wonderful, inspiring and encouraging month with Impromptu No.4 op. 90.

https://youtu.be/D7-mtSCFFG8?si=wj8TQwY3CvkAevQf