Kenya Charity Recital l Friday 21 January

ENSEMBLES IN CONCERT

Thursday 15 November Oakham School Chapel, 7.45pm

PROGRAMME Jan Seelig piano Chaconne, op. 12

Carl Nielsen (1865-1931)

The title Chaconne refers to an old form, also called Passacaglia, in which a series of melodies, which seem to be related to each other, are laid over a short, constantly repeated bass melody, usually eight bars in length (the exception is the fourth variation, in which the bass melody is nine bars long). Nielsen was fascinated by this kind of structure, using the form to give his melodies and expressions free rein and to combine them simply within this strict structure. This piece is particularly rich in contrasts, both in tonality, polyphony, and dynamics. From an initially moderate and balanced exposition, the piece moves towards a particularly spirited climax until the theme is found again in the canon and finally ends in the coda through incredibly fascinating imaginative writing. Nevertheless, the piece did not prove as popular as Nielsen had originally hoped: his work has mostly been described as a very "interesting" piano composition.

Findlay Marsh ‘cello, Jan Seelig piano Moderato (Cello Sonata in C major, op. 119)

Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953)

Composed in Russia in 1949, this middle movement of the Sonata is in Scherzo and Trio form, employing an ABA form. The outer sections have a distinctive style, epitomised by the dry opening pizzicato. There is a sense of irony and gritty determination. The middle section is a grand, Romantic tune which is very different to the rest of the piece. It is performed with lots of vibrato and a very smooth bow to create a singing style that is full of passion. I personally enjoy this distinction between the sections and feel that it works to great effect, underlining the contrast between the ironic comedy and the Romantic melody. FM

Findlay Marsh ‘cello Sarabande & Menuets (Suite No. 1 in G-major)

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

Composed during J S Bach’s years in Cöthen from 1717-1723, there are six movements in this, the first of Bach’s Cello Suites. The Sarabande, with three beats per bar, places the stress unusually on the second beat. The Sarabande is a slow dance, full of emotion and intimacy. My second movement consists of two Menuets.

They have very different styles: Menuet I is in the G major key of the Suite and is played energetically; Menuet II is in G minor, providing a stark contrast. It has a much more suppressed feel to it. When Menuet II concludes, we then hear the first Menuet again. FM

Zsolti Johnson flute, Jan Seelig piano Ballade, op. 288

Carl Reinecke (1824-1910)

The Ballade by Carl Reinecke is a beautiful Romantic-era piece and the composer’s final composition before his death in 1910. At the beginning of the piece, marked Adagio, the piano introduces a sinister and dark narrative before the melancholy entrance of the flute in D minor. This slowly evolves into a much more impassioned feel as we modulate to a much more hopeful F major, before the whole piece is tipped on its head as we head into the Allegro, with much harsher chords from the piano and quick bursts of emotion from the flute. However, as before, the mood changes and we find ourselves out of the harshness of the staccato and into a much more lyrical legato section, with wave-like scales from the flute and passionate melodies from the piano. Finally, we return to the sinister feel of the beginning of the piece and the darkness returns; however, halfway through the flute seems to change its mind, as we hear the same melancholy melody played instead in D major, giving a bitter-sweet feeling, before the piece endswith a strong and powerful rendition of the F major section from before, this time in D. Overall, an emotional journey, and a beautiful example of how the piano and flute can complement each other. ZJ

Jan Seelig ‘cello Scherzo in B flat minor, op. 31

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)

The B flat minor Scherzo, the most popular of his four Scherzi, begins with a striking phrase that was important to Chopin: he establishes a dialogue with a tentative question followed by an energetic refusal. Wilhelm von Lenz, who studied the work with Chopin, reported that for him it was "never questioning enough, never piano enough, never arched enough, never important enough". Moreover, its extremely lyrical theme, adorned with an enchantingly melancholy melody, is particularly popular. After a very quiet middle section, the music becomes increasingly cheerful as it progresses, before reaching a passionate climax.

The piece ends after the recapitulation in a very spirited, furious coda. This piece is undoubtedly one of Chopin's best-known and most popular pieces, not only because the way he wrote it is simply unique, but also because it departs far from the actual meaning of scherzo, which means "joke". While the music of his other Scherzi, such as the first, is said to have a rather humorous, treacherous musical character, here he clearly focuses more on the melancholy. JS