2024 Edinburgh Fringe Festival - Piano Masterworks Recital
Fantasie in C minor K 475 (1785) Wolfgang A. Mozart (1756-1791)
Impromptu D 899 No. 1 in C minor (1827) Franz P. Schubert (1797-1828)
10 Preludes, Op. 28 No. 15 - 24 (1839) Frédéric F. Chopin (1810-1849)
No. 15 in Db major: Sostenuto (“Raindrop”)
No. 16 in Bb minor: Presto con fuoco
No. 17 in Ab major: Allegretto
No. 18 in F minor: Allegro molto
No. 19 in Eb major: Vivace
No. 20 in C minor: Largo
No. 21 in Bb major: Cantabile
No. 22 in G minor: Molto agitato
No. 23 in F major: Moderato
No. 24 in D minor: Allegro appassionato
Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus XV. Le baiser de l'Enfant-Jésus (1944) Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992)
On The Sunny Side Of The Street (1930) Jimmy McHugh arr. James Booker
PROGRAMME NOTES
Fantasie in C minor K 475 (1785): Adagio ~ Allegro ~ Andantino ~ Più Allegro ~ Tempo Primo Wolfgang A. Mozart (1756-1791)
Mozart’s Fantasia K 475 in C minor was composed in Vienna on May 20th, 1785 during the time he lived at the residence now called the Mozarthaus. The key of C-minor suggests drama and musical tragedy but a clear sense of tonality is already undermined from the outset. Seriousness of expression gives way to lyrical melody, harmonic surprise and sections of changing tempos and character – all part of one of Mozart’s most improvisatory and adventurous sounding compositions. The piano writing often suggests an ensemble of strings, wind instruments or even the human voice. A return of the opening musical gestures signals the ending section, foreshadowing a sense of closure with a final cadence confirming the overall tragic nature of the work. There are contrasting perspectives as to whether this work should be played independently or purposefully precede the Piano Sonata K 457, also in the key of C minor.
Impromptu D 899 No. 1 in C minor (1827) Franz P. Schubert (1797-1828)
Schubert’s two sets of Impromptus (D 899 and D 935) were composed in Vienna in 1827 – the year prior to his death at just 31 years-old. These works are early examples of a particular “character piece” that became popular in the Romantic era. The title, Impromptu suggests a feeling of spontaneity and improvisation. It usually begins with a simple musical idea presented in an intimate, lyrical style and evokes a particular mood or moment of personal reflection. Although Czech composer, Jan Václav Voříšek’s may have provided a basic model, Schubert was already working more expansively with its musical form and dramatic conception.
Schubert blends elements of sonata-form, variation form and continuous free-form writing in the formal and narrative organization of the work. The psychological elements and the stark musical contrasts are explored between darkness and light with dynamics and corresponding tonality shifts from minor to parallel major keys. An ominous, foreboding character in the music is offset with passages of sublime lyrical beauty. This Impromptu is characterized by a driving repeated-note triplet rhythm that resembles the piano part in Schubert’s great song, Erlkönig – especially when its appearance is in octaves. This type of accompaniment is an active binding element in the psychological shifts from beauty to terror and back again.
The most notable shift of the closing section is indicated with a move to the parallel major key although Schubert continues to play out the ambiguity between major and minor until the final cadences. After the triplets and tonality shifts have subsided, a state of calm is reached and the music is finally able to arrive at a peaceful conclusion.
10 Preludes, Op. 28 No. 15 - 24 (1839) Frédéric F. Chopin (1810-1849)
The 24 Preludes Op. 28 were composed between 1835-1839 while Chopin and George Sand were staying on the island of Mallorca, Spain. While there, they experienced wonderful spring days as well as storms, winds and chills. A deep admirer of Mozart’s music, Chopin’s compositions also display a natural gift for vocal melody, a sophisticated approach to harmony and musical emotions, as well as the influence of dramatic Italian opera. Chopin’s 24 Preludes cover all the major and minor keys following J.S. Bach’s example in the Well-Tempered Clavier but rather than adhering to Bach’s chromatic arrangement, Chopin follows each major key Prelude with one in the relative minor key before continuing through the cycle of fifths.
The range of textures and technical demands in the Preludes covers a wide spectrum but virtuosity is typically aligned with musical poetry. Chopin gave each Prelude a distinct poetic character, mood and pianistic style, appropriate for the given key so that the Ab major Prelude is romantic and lyrical, the G minor is forceful and dramatic, the C minor is funereal etc. Robert Schumann and Franz Liszt were compelled to remark on the collection’s fascinating diversity of expression. Some publishers and performers even gave nicknames to certain Preludes that matched the particular musical character, such as the “Raindrop” Prelude for No. 15 in Db major. The 24 Preludes were dedicated to Chopin’s friend and piano maker, Camille Pleyel who had supplied Chopin with a piano to work with while on Mallorca.
When each of the pieces are fully characterized and there is a sense of dramatic continuity in performance, the 24 Preludes work well as a complete cycle - perhaps even greater than the sum of its parts. Chopin’s inner life has much for a musical soul to relish, alternating between joy, sadness, romance, reflection and tragedy. Ultimately, the music is pointed towards the tragedy of the final D minor Prelude and the repeated low bell tones at its close. The composer himself performed four of the Preludes at a concert in 1841: modern performance practice similarly allows for personal selections and orderings from the entire set. Pianists often select a group that makes discernible musical sense as a collection and in going from one to the next so that each piece becomes a Prelude to the one that follows. Chopin revitalized the short, improvisatory Prelude as an independent concert piece. Alkan, Fauré, Debussy, Messiaen, Scriabin, Rachmaninoff, Shostakovich and Gershwin all followed Chopin’s example with sets of their own piano Preludes.
Chopin’s 24 Preludes were not performed as a complete cycle until the late 19th Century with Ferrucio Busoni’s concert performances. Busoni also made the first recording in 1915 on piano rolls and in 1926, Alfred Cortot made the first acoustic recording of the cycle. Today’s performance includes 10 Preludes Op. 28, No. 15-24.
Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus XV. Le baiser de l'Enfant-Jésus (1944) Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992)
The Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus ("Twenty Contemplations on the Infant Jesus") is a collection of twenty piano pieces composed in 1944 that expresses Olivier Messiaen’s musical and Catholic reflections on the infant, Jesus. The work has since become established as one of the most important contributions to the 20th Century solo piano literature. The Vingt Regards takes almost two hours to play, although it is far more common to hear selected pieces in a typical piano recital. A 21 year-old Yvonne Loriod gave the premiere performance at the Salle Gaveau in Paris in 1945.
The music of the Vingt Regards draws on four original musical themes to symbolize its significant characters: Theme of God; Theme of Mystical Love; Theme of the Star and the Cross; Theme of Chords. Messiaen however, envisions the significance of the Christ child beyond gentle lullabies and lilting rhythms to being the Saviour: there is a wondrous, divine character to the music but also dramatic power and complexity in sounds that are rich in texture and dissonance. Messiaen’s musical language is colorful, evoking nature in imitating birdsong and employing extended harmonies in a constellation of chords. The pianistic approach appears to use Liszt’s and Ravel’s writing as a point of departure.
Le baiser de l'Enfant-Jésus (“The kiss of the infant Jesus”) is one of the most contemplative and passionate pieces of the cycle, embodying stillness, impetuous movement, bird calls, Eastern sensuality and beguiling beauty. Like much of Liszt’s music on heavenly topics, this piece is in the key of F# major. Messiaen evokes the feeling of a lullaby in his treatment of thematic material but also develops music of great power in depicting Christ’s love as an eternal spiritual force. In the score, Messiaen writes of this piece:
“An etching furnished my inspiration for this movement: it showed the Child Jesus leaving the arms of His mother to kiss little sister Thérèse. All this is symbolic of communion, of divine love. One must love in order to love that picture and this music, which aims to be as soft as the heart of heaven; there is nothing else."
On The Sunny Side Of The Street (1930) Jimmy McHugh arr. James Booker
Known as the “Bayou Maharajah” or the “Piano Prince”, James Booker was a renowned rhythm and blues pianist from New Orleans, Louisiana who was the resident pianist at the uptown Maple Leaf Bar between 1978-1982. He had formal training with teachers and band directors including jazz pianist, Ellis Marsalis (Wynton and Branford’s father) who was impressed with his playing of J.S. Bach’s music. Booker’s musical style was a unique blend of different popular idioms that he seamlessly tied together. Although revered by professional musicians in New Orleans such as Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, Henry Butler, Art Neville and Harry Connick Jr., he felt most appreciated in Europe where he became a celebrity while on tour in Germany, France and Switzerland in the mid-late 1970s. The 1977 live album, “New Orleans Piano Wizard: Live” is a document of a performance from Zurich and features, “On The Sunny Side Of The Street” as its opening number.
One prominent feature of Booker’s stride playing is a type of backbeat rhythm that came from Fats Domino’s development of early rock’n’roll backbeat with its consistent emphasis on beats 2 and 4 in 4/4 time. The difference is that Booker developed his style playing solo piano – a considerable challenge for the left hand and coordinating and distributing the various parts of bass, inner chords and solo lines between two hands. Booker was effectively approximating the sound of a full band in his solo playing. “On The Sunny Side Of The Street” was a signature piece and a good example of his upbeat, positive style as well as his unique way of playing left hand stride patterns.