in silence chiharu shiota

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programme

Leos Janacek (1854-1928)

In the M ist s

Andante 3 :2 5

Andant ino 2 :0 3

Alexander Scr iabin (1872-1915)

Prelud e Op. 11

No. 1 in C ma jor 1 : 00

No. 15 in D♭majo r 1 : 55

Gabriel Fauré (1845 –1924)

Nocturne No 4 in E♭ m ajor Op. 3 6 7 :3 0

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Sonata in F m inor Op. 2 No. 1 1 5 :3 0

D i p A B R S M P i a n o P e r f o r m a n c e 2 2 J u l y 2 0 1 5

1 2 0 6 w o r d s

A sinister mood prevails in the third movement minuet. Syncopations,

pauses and sudden dynamic shifts characterise the first section. The contrasting

Trio section is light-hearted and dance-like, with imitative polyphony that passes

between both hands.

The stormy, relentless fourth movement is in modified sonata form. New

contrasting thematic material replaces the development section. From the

beginning, a perpetual motion of triplets drive the bass. The first theme is based

on three staccato quaver chords, evoking an orchestral tutti. A transition passage

leads into a tragic, lyrical theme in C minor. Next comes a completely new theme

in A flat major, cantabile and serene, giving a brief respite from the first section.

The transition consists of alternating motifs from both sections, before leading

into a recapitulation in F minor. The music rushes downwards in a fortissimo

arpeggio to create a climatic ending.

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Sonata in F minor Op 2 No 1

15 : 30

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was a German composer and a

crucial figure in the transition between Classical and Romantic eras. His most

important early contribution to keyboard music was the appropriation of

symphonic texture in his piano works, pushing the limits of 18th-19th century

fortepianos. He also developed the keyboard sonata into a serious genre for the

concert hall - the Grande Sonata.

Written in 1795, the Sonata in F minor, Op.2 No.1 was dedicated to his

teacher - the Austrian composer Haydn (1732–1809). A symphonically conceived

Grande Sonata, it contains four movements instead of the usual three. This early

work shows Viennese influences in the Alberti bass accompaniment, bass-line

reinforcement, melodic doubling in octaves and parallel thirds and sixths. But its

range of texture, dynamics and tessitura far exceeds the typical classical scope.

The tense and agitated first movement is in sonata form. A Mannheim

rocket - an ascending arpeggio - drives the first theme in F minor. A series of motif

tails transit into the second theme in A-flat major.. Two contrasting codettas end

the first section. The development opens with the first theme in A flat major, and

explores the second theme. The recapitulation repeats the exposition material but

stays in F minor throughout.

The second movement starts with a lyrical theme in F major, followed by

a pensive transitional passage in D minor. Cadenza passages in C major lead into

the recapitulation - an embellished version of the F major theme.

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In the Mists

Andante 3 :2 5 Andant ino 2 :0 3

Leos Janacek (1854-1928) was a provincial Czech composer of the early 20th

century. He developed an idiosyncratic style, drawing from folk music and speech

inflections.

In the Mists has an Impressionistic atmosphere, focussing on tone colour and

evocative suggestion, with Czech musicologist Zahrádka drawing comparisons to Debussy.

The modal harmonies are derived from Moravian folk music. Kundera wrote that the title

reflects Janacek's psyche rather than natural phenomena -- the defiant melancholy stems

from the death of his daughter and his struggle for recognition as a composer.

Structured in ternary form, Andante starts with a wistful melody. The theme

repeats, and flows into a hymn-like, chordal variation of the motif. Interspersed with the

chordal melody are cadenza-like passages of descending triplets. The cadenza builds up in

intensity, settling into a rumbling figure in the left hand. The right hand joins in with the

chordal melody, but this time, with a hammering urgency. The triplet figures sweep

downwards into the bass and fade away, bringing in a reprisal of the first section. A dreamy

echo of the chordal melody and subdued descending triplets lead to a D-flat major tonic

chord.

Andantino, in rounded binary form, opens with a pearly rising arpeggio to a 3-

note motif in G-flat major, evoking a simple folk melody. The 3-note motif echoes the

ominous theme of the owl from Janacek's previous work 'On an Overgrown Path', 1908.

Using the same melodic pattern, quick shifts in harmony create colouristic nuances. The

first section is restrained in character - thin-textured and never rising louder than a forte.

A rhythmic expansion of the triplet motif leads into the dramatic second section

of hammering chords linked by fleet arpeggios. The speed picks up, the fortessimo sustains

throughout the section, building up to the climax. An abrupt, muted transition brings back

the introduction.

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Preludes Op. 11

No. 1 in C ma jor 1 :0 0

No. 15 in D♭majo r 1 : 5 5

Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915) was a Russian composer of the 20th

century. His early music is derivative of Romantic composers, especially Chopin.

Scriabin lived in a Russian society permeated with Chopin music. Other influences

include his teachers at the Moscow Conservatory and his friend Lyadov - a Chopin

performer.

Following Chopin’s concept of the prelude as a small scale independent

piece, Scriabin composed a similar number of preludes in the same tonal ordering.

However, Scriabin's personal style is evident in the usage of complex and irregular

rhythms and harmonic details. Op.11 was composed between 1888–96.

The rapturous C major prelude was composed in November 1895 in

Moscow. The form is rounded binary – ABA’/coda. A single idea dominates– a

quintuplet figure in 2/2 time that consistently cuts across the bar line. The

contrary motion of the arpeggiated figures brings to mind Chopin’s Prelude No. 1.

Usage of tenuto and rubato also show Chopin influences. The coda doubles as a

climatic reprise, with fortissimo dynamics, widening of register and octave

doublings in the left hand, and an accelerando towards a brilliant ending.

The D-flat major prelude, in rounded binary form, evokes a funeral

march. B flat Aeolian mode is hinted at through the doubling of notes a third

below, and usage of deceptive cadences. The melody starts in the left hand, and

the right hand joins in after the introduction, creating a polyphonic texture. In

section B, the left and right hand exchange positions, and after a one-bar reprise,

sustained chords provide a perfect authentic cadence in the tonic.

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Nocturne No. 4 in E♭major

Op. 36

7:3 0

Gabriel Fauré (1845 –1924) was a French composer of the late Romantic

era to early 20th century. Trained in church music at l'ecole Niedermeyer, he

worked as a church organist before being appointed professor at the Paris

Conservatoire in 1896.

Composed in 1884 and dedicated to the comtesse de Mercy-Argenteau,

Faure's 4th Nocturne Op.36 follow Chopin's style of contrasting a turbulent middle

section with calmer outer sections, eg. Op 62 no. 2. In the stately key of E flat

major, the piece starts with a sombre, bell-like tolling. The lyrical melody flows

over wide-ranging arpeggiated accompaniment, in typical keyboard nocturne form

as pioneered by John Field (1782-1837) and developed by Chopin (1810-1849).

Passing modulations to minor and major keys create tonal allusions and subtle

colour changes. The first section is repeated with added octave sonority.

A development section of simultaneous polyphony in the parallel minor

follows. Here, melodies develop in four voices at the same time. This reflects

Faure's organist background and his ambidexterity, with melodies distributed and

interchanged frequently between both hands. Tension builds up steadily with the

addition of sonorous intervals and unresolved discords. The piece reaches its

climax on the dominant of G flat major, then eases the tension with downward

octave passages that sink into the left hand. B section material provides the

transition to the reprisal.

An Arabic scale is used for colouristic effects in the coda, followed by

chords on A-flat and E-flat Aeolian mode, before resuming the E flat major perfect

cadence - a typical Faurean modal evocation from within a tonal system.

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