~Program~
Frédéric Chopin: Mazurka in B, Op. 63 No. 1
Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58
Javier Perianes, piano
Spanish pianist Javier Perianes (1978-) performs a pair of compositions by Frederic Chopin which together form a set of musical bookends for this evening’s program. Javier opens Preview! with an engaging performance of the Mazurka in B, Op. 63 No. 1 and brings Preview! to a close with the Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58. Señor Perianes interprets this pianistic tour-de-force with understated elegance.
Armand Amar: Planet Ocean Suite
La Pieta, Angèle Dubeau
French composer Armand Amar (b. 1953) composed Planet Ocean Suite for the 2012 documentary Planet Ocean. La Pieta with its founder Angèle Dubeau performs it for us. You can find it on a CD entitled Immersion on the Analekta label.
Ludwig van Beethoven: 12 Variations on “A Maiden or a Little Wife,” Op. 66
Yo-Yo Ma, cello; Emanuel Ax, piano
This spring Yo-Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax re-visited the Beethoven works for cello and piano, after having first recorded them together 40 years ago. This evening they play the 12 Variations on “A Maiden or a Little Wife,” Op. 66 which is based on an aria sung by Papageno, the birdcatcher in Mozart’s opera Magic Flute.
C.P.E. Bach: String Symphony in B minor
Gli Incogniti, Amandine Beyer
According to the ensemble’s website, Gli Incogniti “is named after the Accademia degli Incogniti, an artistic and academic circle that was amongst the most active and libertarian of 17th century Venice.” We’ll sample C.P.E. Bach’s String Symphony in B minor from their new release on the Harmonia Mundi label appropriately entitled Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach – Complete String Symphonies. Later in the program, we’ll hear them play the String Symphony in B.
Gabriel Fauré: Violin Sonata No. 1 in A, Op. 13
Théotime Langlois de Swarte, violin; Tanguy de Williencourt, piano
In Paris Update, Nick Hammond writes: “The writer Marcel Proust put on a private concert at the Paris Ritz on July 1, 1907, for a select group of friends and leading lights of Parisian high society. The evening appears to have been not only a musical and social triumph but also certainly a kind of study session for the eagle-eyed writer that would inform scenes depicting such musical salons in his masterpiece, À la Recherche du Temps Perdu (In Search of Lost Time).
“Now, on a delightful new recording, Proust, le Concert Retrouvé (Harmonia Mundi), Théotime Langlois de Swarte (violin) and Tanguy de Williencourt (piano), whose own glorious names would not look out of place on the guest list of one of the salons described by Proust in his lengthy novel, have attempted to recreate that evening in 1907. To add to the sense of authenticity, the performers play on historical instruments from the Paris Musée de la Musique: Stradivari’s “Davidoff” violin from 1708 and an 1891 Érard Grand Piano.” Violinist Theotime Langlois de Swarte and pianist Tanguy de Williencourt play Gabriel Fauré’s Violin Sonata No. 1 in A, Op. 13.
Francisco del Pino: El Campo:
Cecilia Pastorino, soprano; Daniela Cervetto, percussion; Francisco del Pino, electric guitar; Pablo Jivo, viola
Argentinian composer Francisco del Pino crafts a seven-movement song cycle, Decir, with lyrics by Argentine poet Victoria Cóccaro. Cecilia Pastorino’s soprano voice anchors the various soundscapes as they flow past in kaleidoscopic fashion.
J.S. Bach: Overture In The French Style, BWV 831
Andrew von Oyen, piano
I interviewed American pianist Andrew von Oyen last June about his wonderful new recording of Bach and Beethoven. When you listen to him play Bach’s Overture in the French Style this evening, listen for his exquisite cantando technique. Andrew knows how to make the piano sing.
Leoš Janáček: Violin Sonata
Augustin Hadelich, violin; Charles Owen, piano
The Violin Sonata written by Czech composer Leoš Janáček (1854-1928) dates from 1914. Paul Hindemith was the violinist in its first performance. Violinist Augustin Hadelich and pianist Charles Owen perform on the Warner Classics label.
Eriks Ešenvalds: In paradisum
Portland State Chamber Choir, Ethan Sperry
Marilyn de Oliveira, cello; Charles Noble, viola
Latvian composer Ēriks Ešenvalds’s commission log is never empty these days. We enjoy his In Paradisum sung for us by the Portland State Chamber Choir. Ethan Sperry conducts. Cellist Marilyn de Oliveira and violist Charles Noble provide the accompaniment. The CD is entitled Eriks Esenvalds: Translation on the Naxos label.
Rob Kennedy
August 15, 2021