Theotime Langlois de Swarte, violin, and Tanguy de Williencourt, piano begin Preview! this evening with the graceful Berceuse composed by French composer Gabriel Fauré in 1879 for solo violin and piano.
King’s College, Cambridge has had a choral establishment since the reign of King Henry VIII. Nine current alumni of the choir recently recorded a CD entitled Proud Songsters. Tim Mead, countertenor, and Simon Lepper, piano sing the English Traditional song, The Sally Gardens arranged by Benjamin Britten.
Lebanese pianist Abdel Rahman el Bacha (1958-) is reputed to play all the works of Chopin from memory. This evening he plays Frederic Chopin’s Scherzo No. 1 in B minor, Op. 20. This was released earlier this year on the Mirare label.
“Andris Nelsons conducted with keen focus and vigor, eliciting tonal beauty, technical precision and obvious engagement from the orchestra.” –The Wall Street Journal
From the pen of the great Austrian symphonist came eleven symphonies which Nicholas Temperley writing in the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians stated that “Bruckner alone succeeded in creating a new school of symphonic writing.” We’ll hear the Scherzo from Bruckner’s Symphony No. 2 in C minor, played for us by the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra under the direction of its Music Director Andris Nelsons.
Robert Schumann composed his Piano Quintet in E flat, Op. 44 in 1842 in just a few weeks. Christophe Gaugué, viola, and Catherine Montier, violin perform it for us on a CD entitled Robert Schumann – Complete Piano Trios, Quartet & Quintet on the Harmonia Mundi label.
The early music scene in the United States is richly blessed with hundreds of world-class performers. At the top of our list is our guest on this evening’s interview. Dan McHugh speaks with Dr. Rebecca Cypess about her new recording In the Salon of Madame Brillon – The Raritan Players. Dr. Cypess and her colleagues play Andante from Duo in C minor for harpsichord and piano by the afore-mentioned Madame Brillon, whose full name is Anne Louise Boyvin d’Hardancourt Brillon de Jouy.
We interviewed Bosnian guitarist Milos Karadaglic a few weeks ago about his new CD, Milos — The Moon and the Forest. This evening he performs Howard Shore’s The Forest with the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Canada, Alexander Shelley conducting.
Vrituoso music demands virtuoso players. We have two of those for you to play Johannes Brahms’ Clarinet Sonata in E flat, Op. 120 No. 2. Jorg Widmann, clarinet, and Sir Andras Schiff, piano, perform on an ECM CD entitled Johannes Brahms Clarinet Sonatas.
From the new King’s College CD featuring alumni of the choir, we hear another track. Gerald Finley, bass and Simon Lepper, piano, perform Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Silent Noon.
Danish composer Niels Gade was a notable composer of the late Romantic era. Maria -Elisabeth Lott, violin and Sontraud Speidel, piano perform Gade’s Violin Sonata No. 2 in D minor.
Abdel Rahman el Bacha plays another Chopin work for us, the Ballade No. 3 in A flat.
Preview! concludes with the Zurich Symphony Orchestra, James Gaffigan, playing American composer Charles Ives’ Symphony No. 3, “The Camp Meeting”.
Rob Kennedy
June 20, 2021