Piano Series
AYESHA GOUGH IN RECITAL Thursday 21 March : Ian Hanger Recital Hall FANTASIA IN C MINOR, K.475
W.A. MOZART
Published in December 1785 together with Sonata in C minor, K.457, the Fantasia is the only work of a different genre to accompany a Mozart sonata. The influence of Bach is apparent, with each of the five sections reflecting the dramaticism of Bach’s own fantasias. There are moments where the music could be that of Beethoven or Schubert, with semi-Romantic outbursts and unexpected modulations. In fact, the Fantasia feels like an improvisation, as though the music is materialising in real time.
CARPE DIEM
Michael Kieran HARVEY
Italian Gothic ‘Bas-Relief’ after Respighi’s The Pines of Rome Carpe Diem (Latin for “seize the day”) by Michael Kieran Harvey (2015) is an Italian Gothic “bas-relief” for solo piano, a rumination on Respighi’s “The Pines of Rome”. This etude was written for Michael Kieran Harvey’s wife Dr Arabella Teniswood-Harvey on the occasion of her 40 th birthday. Both had recently returned from a visit to the site of these distinctive trees in the Villa Borghese, Rome. As in the technique of bas-relief sculpture, the undulating septuplets of the opening suggest the “umbrella” shape of the intermingling pine canopies, while the stark octave theme hints at the majestic yet sensual curving pine trunks. The work is in a miniature sonata form, with a central section reminiscent of moonlight summer nights in the garden of the Villa Borghese, disturbed by a gentle melancholy breeze. Such beautiful and romantic surroundings irresistibly lead to passionate urges to grab life while one can, to “seize the day”, to make the most of one’s existence. *Notes taken from the score
PRELUDIO RELIGIOSO
Gioachino ROSSINI
from Petite Messe Solennelle Composed 34 years after his last opera, Rossini referred to the Messe as "the last of my péchés de vieillesse" (sins of old age). In the Neapolitan harpsichord tradition of the 18 th century, the work is scored for voices, two pianos, and harmonium, though the Preludio Religioso, placed at the Offertory of the Mass, is often performed as a standalone piece for solo pianist. The character of the Preludio, and indeed the entire Messe, is a synthesis of Italian opera tradition and strict religious musical style, blending dramatic contrast with an almost Bach sound-world. Rossini wrote on the last page of the manuscript: “Dear Lord, here it is finished, this poor little mass. Have I just written sacred music, or rather, sacrilegious music? I was born for opera buffa, as you well know. Not much technique, a little bit of heart, that's all. Blessings to you and grant me Paradise.”