Alexander Soares at Royal Holloway - 12 October 2023 - Digital Programme

International Concert Series 2023-2024

ALEXANDER SOARES AT ROYAL HOLLOWAY EVENT PROGRAMME

OCTOBER 12, 2023 ROYALHOLLOWAY.AC.UK/MUSIC

Department of Music

School of Performing & Digital Arts

International Concert Series 2023-24

OUR 2023-24 SEASON We are pleased to welcome you to our 2023-24 International Concert Series at Royal Holloway.

We, at the Department of Music, cannot wait to showcase the varied talent of our students and staff, but also bringing internationally renowned musicians to the College. For 2023-24, we are back and better than ever with more student and staff opportunities through the creation of 'The Platform', an open opportunity for the community at the Department of Music to share with you what makes us so special. Alongside our popular Midweek Music and Pocket Concert Series, we are excited to continue our special partnerships with the Young Classical Artists Trust and BBC New Generation Artists and continue our alumni recital series by bringing back the epoch ensemble. We are pleased to also bring a wealth of international artists to our series, including pianists Pina Napolitano, Mary Dullea, Sholto Kynoch, Alexander Soares, and Joseph Havlat, violinst Darragh Morgan, guitarist Laura Snowden, clarinettist Jonathan Leibovitz, 1|P a g e

sitarist James Pusey, mezzosoprano Helen Charlston, jazz group Solstice, and the London Mozart Players. 2023 also marks the final season for our quartet-in-residence, the Tippett Quartet, as we say farewell to this stellar group with their final concert at Royal Holloway.

All in all, this season is representative of the world-class talent our community at the Department of Music has fostered as we showcase our students and the range of music performance we programme and encourage; from jazz to world music, orchestral performance to solo piano, as well as presenting performers from the international stage. We look forward to welcoming you to our series this year.

Nathan James Dearden Music Performance Manager & Curator of the International Concert Series

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Alexander Soares at Royal Holloway International Concert Series 2023-24 Thursday, 12 October 2023 Picture Gallery, Founder’s Building with

Alexander Soares Piano

Estimated finish time: 9.15pm There will be no interval during this evening’s event.

Please no flash photography or visual/audio recording throughout the event.

For news about our future events, please visit royalholloway.ac.uk/music/events 2|P a ge

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EVENT PROGRAMME Estampie 'Retrove' from Robertsbridge Codex (c.

1360) Jean-Henri D'Anglebert (16291691) Prelude non mesuré in G minor Élisabeth-Claude Jacquet de La Guerre (1665-1729) Sarabande in A William Croft (1678-1727) Ground in C minor

Michael Tippett (1905-1998) Sonata No. 4 (1983/83) I. II. III. IV. V.

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minim pulse medium slow; crotchet pulse medium fast crotchet pulse medium fast slow crotchet pulse fast crotchet pulse slow

Ludwig van Beethoven (17701827) Piano Sonata No. 26 in E-flat major, Op. 81a 'Les Adieux' I.

II.

III.

Das Lebewohl (Les Adieux – The Farewell): Adagio – Allegro Abwesenheit (L'Absence – The Absence): Andante espressivo (In gehender Bewegung, doch mit viel Ausdruck – In walking motion, but with much expression) Das Wiedersehen (Le Retour – The Return): Vivacissimamente (Im lebhaftesten Zeitmaße – The liveliest time measurements)

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PROGRAMME NOTES Estampie 'Retrove' from Robertsbridge Codex (c.

1360) Recognised as containing the earliest surviving music written specifically for the keyboard, the Robertsbridge Codex is a music manuscript dating back to the 14th century, with no identified composer. It is made up of two leaves, bound with an old register from Robertsbridge Abbey in London, hence the name. The manuscript contains six pieces; three in the form of estampies, a style of medieval dance which originated in France, and three arrangements of motets, all written in tablature, indicating the location of the played notes with numbers instead of writing musical pitches. This third estampie, transcribed as ‘Retrove’ or, less commonly, ‘Petrone’, would have been played on the organ at stately affairs, with a few couples performing in front of an audience, as a demonstration of their higher social status. The name ‘Petrone’ was thought to perhaps have been the name of the composer, but the more common name for this piece is thought to be an indication to return to the beginning of the sheet music.

Estampies originated in the 12th and 13th-centuries and usually were monophonic, with one melody line, not supported by an accompaniment, and 4|P a ge

were made up of a series of repeating melodies known as punctua. The ‘Retrove’ estampie is in the form of an Italian dance from the Trecento, the name given to the 1300s in Italian culture, which was an extremely rich, influential and creative period, with Francesco Landini considered to be the most famous composer from this period.

The ’Retrove’ estampie is beautifully ornate, with florid melodic passages, followed throughout the majority of this piece by the lower voice in parallel harmony, residing a perfect fifth below the upper melodic line. There are moments where the two voices come together as one, sharing the melody using the rhythmic technique of the hocket; a predominant characteristic of secular music from this time, which uses two or more voices alternating, switching between resting and playing a note. This creates one melody, briefly reducing the textural depth of the music, before the piece returns to the two voices in parallel harmony.

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Jean-Henri D'Anglebert (16291691) Prelude non mesuré in G minor French composer, harpsichordist, and organist Jean-Henri D’Anglebert was at the forefront of keyboard th compositions in the 17 -century. It is assumed that he was educated by Jacques Champion de Chambonnières, an extremely well-known harpsichordist at the time, and considered to be the father of the early French harpsichord school, teaching other composers such as Louis Couperin. Jean-Henri D’Anglebert started out as an organist in Paris in the 1660s, although not much is known about his life prior to this. In 1689, the French composer published Pièces de clavecin, a series of pieces written for the harpsichord, and dedicated to Princesse de Conti, daughter of Louis XIV and Madamoiselle de la Vallière, for whom he wrote most of his music.

The book contains four suites of varying lengths, with the suite in G minor, which this Prelude non mesuré is from, containing eight pieces. The majority of these suites open with a prelude non mesuré, which translates as ‘unmeasured prelude’, sometimes notated with whole notes, sometimes with mixed note values, and sometimes interspersed with sections of measured notation. The pulse is unclear, and the many ornamentations in the melody emphasise this, with D’Anglebert’s avoidance of repeated motifs and sequences further contributing to the irregular, improvisatory feel of the

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Prelude. The melody shifts between the high and low registers, as they both move independently, occasionally meeting at the ends of phrases and cadence points.

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Élisabeth-Claude Jacquet de La Guerre (1665-1729) Sarabande in A

William Croft (1678-1727) Ground in C minor

One of the few well-known female composers of her time, ElisabethClaude Jacquet de la Guerre was also a harpsichordist and organist. She was a musical child prodigy, and at a very young age she debuted as a singer and harpsichordist in the court of Louis XIV. As a fifteen-year-old, she was taken under the care of the King’s mistress Madame de Montespan, and was accepted into the French court, where she stayed until the court moved to Versailles. She was well known throughout Paris and after she was married in 1684, she was praised for not only her concerts, but also for her teaching and composition skills. She published her first set of pieces in 1687, titled Pièces de clavessin, which was rare, as not much harpsichord music was published in the 17th century, and it was one of the few collections printed in France, along with works by Jacques Champion de Chambonnières, NicolasAntoine Lebègue and Jean-Henri D’Anglebert. Élisabeth-Claude Jacquet de La Guerre’s harpsichord suites are written in the popular style brisé, an arpeggiated or broken style which was borrowed from lute playing. Sarabande in A is a beautiful, slow, dignified piece, and its rhythmic flexibility maintains a sense of freedom, and an improvisational feel.

William Croft (1678-1727) was an English composer and organist of the late Baroque Period, most notably known for his contribution to church and harpsichord music. Born in Warwickshire, he was educated at the Chapel Royal by John Blow (the organist of Westminster Abbey in 1688, whose pupils included Henry Purcell), where he later became an organist and 'Gentleman extraordinary'. He later served as an organist at St. Anne's Church in Soho and became Composer to the Chapel Royal; positions that underlined his prominence in English music.

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Although much of Croft's work is focused on sacred services and anthems, his earlier keyboard music is often forgotten about, and not published. ‘Ground in C minor’ was written towards the beginning of his career as a composer and holds huge influence from other composers such as Purcell, with notable baroque features such as the use of the unrelenting progression of the ground bass being paired with the lighter ornamental melodic lines. Due to this influence, the piece is often misattributed and credited to Purcell himself.

While William Croft may not be as widely recognized today as some of his contemporaries, his "Ground in C minor" is a testament to his craftsmanship and his contribution to

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the development of instrumental music during the Baroque period.

Michael Tippett (1905-1998) Sonata No. 4 (1983/83) I. II. III. IV. V.

minim pulse medium slow; crotchet pulse medium fast crotchet pulse medium fast slow crotchet pulse fast crotchet pulse slow

Michael Tippett's Sonata No. 4 (1984), stands as a testament to the enduring vitality of one of the 20th-century's most innovative and enigmatic composers. Tippett, a leading 20thcentury British composer, was oft known for his exploration of intricate musical structures and his penchant for pushing the boundaries of tonality.

Sonata No.4 was written during the later years of Tippet’s composing career and presents in this work a remarkable synthesis of his mature style.

Along with the help of pianist Paul Crossley, Tippet explored new ways of creating piano resonances within this piece, through the use of the middle pedal, helping to create the ‘threelayered’ texture that is felt throughout the music. Tippet’s inspiration for this sonata also came from a visual image of Glen Gould’s crossing of hands when playing a piece of Bach music. Both features are immediately evident from the opening of the first movement.

Within a few bars of the opening movement both these features are in evidence. His original plan was for a collection of bagatelles, like Beethoven’s Op 126, held together by 7|P a g e

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balancing contrasts of tempo, style and key. The pithy miniature was however never a natural mode of expression for him. It was only when he accepted that the imposing opening sounds of his Symphony No 4 would not stop clamouring at the gates of his imagination until he had, so to speak, let them in again that they now became the source of the new work and the reason why it changed from bagatelles to sonata.

The opening bars of the symphony had already launched one work and could hardly serve the same function again.

Tippett put them in the centre of the sonata—adapted as the core of a fivemovement design which by its nature was more sectional than the organic processes of a classical sonata and so a reflection of his original idea of bagatelles.

The first movement is a form of prelude, a huge improvisation uncovering sections of starkly contrasted character, another reflection of the original idea. In the second movement Tippett returns to a favourite form of his earlier music, the fugue, when its concentration on a single theme was often used as a foil to movements with several themes, as it is here—even though it does not really sound like a fugue. After the ‘exposition’ there is a ‘counter exposition’, the theme in progressively longer notes with extended episodes between its three appearances. The last of these is in extremely long notes in the bass, thus setting up the central movement whose opening section is 8|P a g e

built on another set of long pedal notes, and the quotation from the fourth symphony. This movement, like the whole sonata, is in five sections, here a mirror shape ABCBA. The C section is again based on a sequence of pedal notes (the same in fact as had appeared at the very beginning of the sonata) while the tuneful lines of the B sections provide relief from their neighbours’ eruptions and hammerings. There follows a scherzo and trio, the scherzo reminiscent in its fierce appropriation of the extreme ends of the piano in the third sonata and also, unexpectedly, of Chopin.

This richly complex sonata was not Tippett’s last work, though at the end of it, when its finale’s theme returns home after four distant variations, it is difficult not to think of it as a poignant farewell.

Copyright © Ian Kemp, 2007

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Ludwig van Beethoven (17701827) Piano Sonata No. 26 in E-flat major, Op. 81a 'Les Adieux' VI.

VII.

VIII.

Das Lebewohl (Les Adieux – The Farewell): Adagio – Allegro Abwesenheit (L'Absence – The Absence): Andante espressivo (In gehender Bewegung, doch mit viel Ausdruck – In walking motion, but with much expression) Das Wiedersehen (Le Retour – The Return): Vivacissimamente (Im lebhaftesten Zeitmaße – The liveliest time measurements)

Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 26, Op. 81a, popularly known as 'Les Adieux' or 'The Farewell,' is a profound composition that carries both historical and emotional significance. Composed between 1809 and 1810, the Sonata reflects the turbulent narrative occurring in Beethoven’s life after the 1809 French attack on Vienna (The French occupation), led by Napoléon Bonaparte, forced Beethoven’s close friend and patron Archduke Rudolph to flee the capital. As one of Beethoven's only programmatic sonatas, the three movements reflect the journey of emotions felt by Beethoven as his friend leaves and returns and can be seen through his use of leitmotifs and contrasting textures.

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The first movement, 'Das Lebewohl' (The Farewell), reflects Beethoven's heartfelt emotions when his close friend and patron, Archduke Rudolph of Austria, first had to leave Vienna.

This movement is imbued with a sense of longing and nostalgia, eloquently expressed through its lyrical and introspective themes. The melancholic chords here help portray the deep set emotions of sadness.

The second movement, 'Abwesenheit' (The Absence), embodies the solitude and uncertainty that prevailed during the aftermath of Rudolph’s departure.

Beethoven's music here is marked by sombre, introspective passages, evoking a profound sense of yearning.

The transition to C minor helps to amplify the sense of loneliness felt by Beethoven and the use of the diminished chord in this section highlights a sense of the fear of Rudolph not returning.

The final movement, 'Das Wiedersehen' (The Return), joyously welcomes the Archduke back to Vienna. Beethoven's exuberance and relief are palpable in the vibrant and triumphant music that characterises this movement and are seen through the return to E-flat Major and through the emotionally charged fast semiquaver passages.

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PERFORMERS

Alexander Soares Piano A BBC Music Magazine Rising Star in 2021, pianist Alexander Soares has garnered a reputation as an authoritative soloist, sensitive collaborator, and dynamic recording artist. In recital, he has been praised for his performances that are “brilliantly unbuttoned” (The Sunday Times) with playing of “huge intensity” (The Telegraph) and “diamond clarity and authority” (BBC Radio 3). He came to international attention in 2015, performing the solo and chamber music of Pierre Boulez in a live BBC Radio 3 broadcast at the Barbican Centre; in the same year he also won the Gold Medal in the prestigious Royal Overseas League Competition and was 10 | P a g e

selected as a solo artist by City Music Foundation. Alexander has since performed in major venues and festivals across the UK, Europe and USA, with regular radio broadcasts on BBC Radio 3, FranceMusique, WDR, SWR2 and RTP. In 2019 he signed with Rubicon Classics to release his debut solo album Notations & Sketches. Praised for its captivating programme — the piano solo works of Boulez, Dutilleux and Messiaen — the disc was selected as ‘Editor’s Choice’ by Gramophone Magazine (May 2019) and received widespread critical acclaim as “a stunning album” (FranceMusique) with

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playing of “style and sophistication” (BBC Music Magazine). In 2021, following the release of his second solo CD – Threnodies – Alexander was noted as “a thoughtful programmer” (BBC Music Magazine), with Gramophone affirming his dynamic performance: “Soares is in his element again, conveying the immensity of the emotional journey”. He has also recorded with critical acclaim for KAIROS and Delphian Records. He combines a busy and varied performing schedule with doctoral supervision at Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and research of musical memorisation.

From October 2023, Alexander was appointed Visiting Tutor in Piano at the Department of Music at Royal Holloway, University of London. www.alexander-soares.com

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OUR PROGRAMME NOTES The notes created for this event programme have been written by a team of students at the Department of Music, as part of the Concert Management & Artist Personnel Programme (where listed).

This is a professional development initiative run by the Concert Office where students are able to experience first-hand what goes on behind-thescenes, who organises the publicity for an event, to even how to coordinate and manage a rehearsal schedule. All members of the programme are mentored by the College's Performance Manager, Nathan James Dearden, and receive training from industry specialists.

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