PROGRAMME NOTES

By Tay Le Xuan Timothy

Karol Szymanowski

Born 6 October 1882, Cherkasy Oblast, Ukraine Died 28 March 1937, Lausanne, Switzerland

4 Etudes Op.4, No.3 in B flat minor

Karol Szymanowski was the son of a Polish land-owner and of a mother of Swedish extraction. The family had a deep interest in the arts, a fact reflected in the children, one of which was Szymanowski. His early education was a home-education as he had a leg injury at the age of four. In 1901, he went to Warsaw to continue his musical studies, taking lessons in counterpoint and composition. The 4 Etudes Op. 4 was composed relatively early in Szymanowskis career, between 1902 and 1904. They were clearly influenced by the music of Fryderyk Chopin and Szymanowskis contemporary, Alexander Skryabin. The bestknown work of the cycle, Etude No. 3 in B flat minor has a beautiful, lyrical and melancholic melody, and an escalating, tense dynamic. It maintains a slow tempo and chord texture, distinguished by a dignified, almost funereal expression, and in its culmination a very dramatic expression. The opening section of the piece opens with a triple pianissimo, and a solemn feeling to it. The middle section gives a marching feeling, with the composer listing poco agitate, with the inclusion of left hand broken chords and scales. The last section of the piece goes back to the theme of the piece, and back to the solemn feeling. The last few bars give the hint of a resolution to the story with the bell-like sounds.

Joseph Haydn

Born 31 March 1732, Rohrau, Austria Died 31 May 1809, Gumpendorf, Austria

Piano Sonata in C major, Hoboken XVI: 50

Haydns Piano Sonata in C was composed in 1794 to 1795, during his second visit to the English capital. They were dedicated for Therese Jansen, a leading pianist in London who had studied with Clementi. The sonata betrays its temporal proximity to Haydns unpredictable London Symphonies and their frequent eccentricities. The first Allegro is one of the most impressive monothematic sonata-form movements in Haydns output. The first theme is a sparse articulation of the tonic triad that pauses in its sixth measure. The piece then arrives at the dominant, restating the theme, this time in double notes and accompanied by rising scales in the left hand. More scales and variations close the exposition. In the development section, the material passes through numerous harmonies while the theme is reduced to only one of its fragments, a falling octave that changes to different intervals. The recapitulation is highly modified and contains some new material. Highly expressive and technically demanding, the Adagio was clearly written for an accomplished musician. Set in the subdominant, F major, the movement is in sonata form with a brief development section. The brilliant right-hand octave passages in the second theme group contrast with the delicate arched opening theme. Much as seen in the Rondo finale of Haydns Symphony No. 88, the recurrent theme in the Allegro finale of the C major sonata serves as variation fodder for the intervening episodes. There are teasing moments when only parts of the rondo theme returns while frequent pauses heighten the listeners anticipation.

Frederic Chopin

Born 1 March 1810, Zelazowa Wola, Mazowsze Died 17 Octorber 1849, Place Vendome 12, Paris

Etudes Op. 10, No. 3, E major

Etude in E major is the number 3rd out of twelve studies in the set of Opus 10 Etudes. Etude in E major is a technical study composed in 1832. This is a slow cantabile study for polyphonic and legato playing. Chopin himself believed the melody to be his most beautiful one, saying, In all my life I have never again been able to find such a beautiful melody. This etude differs from most of Chopins in its tempo, its poetic character and the lingering yet powerful recitation of its cantabile melody. Chopin originally gave the Etude the tempo Vivace, later adding ..ma non troppo. Like other etudes, this work is in ternary form (A-B-A). On a technical level, the work must be played legato throughout with very little or no use of the sustaining pedal. The opening section introduces the basic themes and close attention is required for the tied notes in the right hand. The middle section expands on these cross rhythms and further tests the ability to resolve the clashes accurately. The final section is a restatement of the opening theme and contains nothing new.

Etudes Op. 10, No. 9, F minor Etude in F minor is the number 9th out of twelve studies in the set of Opus 10 Etudes. Etude in F minor is a technical study composed in 1829, and is widely regarded as a good left hand etude because it promotes flexibility in the wrists and fingers. The first group of twelve, Etudes opus 10, was composed between 1829 and 1832, and published in 1833, in France, Germany and England. They were composed when Chopin was still in his teens. Like no. 3, this work is very subtle in what it sets out to teach any pianist. On a technical level, it is an exercise in legato playing of arpeggios with the left hand, with the melody remaining fully within the right hand. This etude was also another of Chopins tributes to Italian opera, as seen most clearly in the central section. The opening section is a straightforward four bar phrases in pairs, the latter providing an answer to the first. The central section is a development of the opening theme and the modulations from F minor come in rapid succession, accompanied by quickly changing dynamics, and then followed by quick accelerando and stretto. The final section is a restatement of the opening theme and from bar 45 onwards the melody is doubled on the octave and must be played con forza, but still with the left hand playing legatissimo and sotto voce. The final bars of the work must be played as quietly and as delicately as possible.

Claude Debussy

Born 22 August 1862, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France Died 25 March 1918, Avenue Foch, Paris

Cloches A Travers Les Feuilles, Images II for Solo Piano

Cloches a travers les feuilles, when translated to English, gives the definition of Bells sounding through the foliage. Composed during 1906 and 1907, in the middle part of Debussys composition life, the set of pieces entitled Pour le piano uses rich harmonies and textures. The first volume of Images, Images I, combines harmonic innovation with poetic suggestion, composes from 1904 to 1905. The second volume of the Images, Images II, contains more impressionistic feeling, as well as the usage of good rubato. Cloches a travers les feuilles is a brilliant evocation of the sonorities of bells and perhaps of the exotic percussion ensemble, the Gamelan, that so enamored the composer. The work opens with a simple theme that seems to wander up and down alto range of the piano, an octave above the middle C. Sonorities higher up are also heard at the top of it, giving a dreamy feeling, yet giving a more complex feeling. Gradually, the music accrues tension and the bell-like sounds turn from the tinkling and mellower sonorities to a fuller sound. The subdued manner from the opening then returns, and the piece finally closes in a relaxing and mesmeric haze of the fading bell sounds.