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EVENT
PROGRAMME
Lili Boulanger (1893 – 1913) Reflets
Gabriel Fauré (1845 – 1924) Claire de Lune, Op 46, No. 2
Claude Debussy (1862 – 1918) Cello Sonata in D minor, L. 135
Benjamin Britten (1913 – 1976)
‘Sonetto XXX: ‘Veggio co’ bei vostri occhi un dolce lume’’ , from Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo, Op. 22
Florence Price (1887 – 1953) Night
Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897 – 1957)
‘Stönste Nacht’ from Die stumme Serenade, Op. 36
Tōru Takemitsu (1930 – 1996) Will Tomorrow, I Wonder, Be Cloudy or Clear?
Benjamin Britten (1913 – 1976) Sonata in C for cello and piano, Op. 65
PROGRAMME
NOTES
Lili Boulanger (1893 – 1913) Reflets
Lili Boulanger was a pioneer composer of the early 20th century. She was born into a family of great musicians, her father being a conductor and composer, and her grandparents being an acclaimed cellist and a singer, respectively. At the age of only 19, Boulanger was the first woman to win the Prix de Rome, one of the most esteemed honours of artists at that time. However, at only 24 years old, Boulanger tragically died of illness. Reflets was originally a piece for voice and piano, set to a text by Maurice Maeterlinck, and composed by Boulanger in 1911 when she was 18 years old.
Gabriel Fauré (1845 – 1924)
Claire de Lune,Op.46,No.2
Gabriel Fauré was a French composer who had a great influence on modern French music. His music has been described as connecting the end of Romanticism with early 20th century modernism. The song Clair de lune, for voice and piano, was composed by Fauré in 1887 before going on to create an orchestral version of the song in 1888 at the request of the Princesse de Polignac. The song is settoapoem byPaul Verlainefromhis collection Fêtes galantes (1869), the same poem that inspired Claude Debussy’s famous piano piece of the same name.
Claude Debussy (1862 – 1918)
CelloSonatainDminor,L.135
1. Prologue: Lent, sostenuto e molto risoluto
2. Sérénade: Modérément animé
3. Finale: Animé, léger et nerveux
The French impressionist composer Claude Debussywasoneofthemostinfluentialcomposers
of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Whilst battling cancer and the horrific impact of World War 1 in 1915, Claude Debussy composed his Sonata for Cello and Piano in D minor with the intent of composing a total of six instrumental sonatas for various instruments. But by the time of his death in 1918, he had only completed three of them – one for flute, viola and harp, one for violin and piano, and one for cello and piano. The sonata was originally supposed to have the title ‘Pierrot angry with the moon’.
Benjamin Britten (1913 – 1976)
‘SonettoXXX: ‘Veggioco’ beivostri occhiundolcelume’’,from Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo,Op.22
BenjaminBrittenwas a leadingBritish composerof the mid-20th century, as well as an excellent pianist and conductor. Britten’s Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo was composed in 1940. It was written for tenor voice and piano, specifically for the voice of his partner, the tenor Peter Pears. The song cycle consists of settings of seven sonnets which are all love songs. During a time when their relationshipwas illegal, Brittenusedtranslations of Michelangelo’s explicit texts, so that non-Italian speaking audiences would not get an idea of their romantic intent. The ‘Sonetto XXX’ is titled “Veggio co’ bei vostri occhi un dolce lume”, meaning: “I see through your lovely eyes a sweet light”.
Florence Price (1887
– 1953)
Night
Florence Price was an African American composer, pianist, organist and music teacher. She had a unique compositional style where she used both African American musical traditions and European classical techniques. In 1946, Price composed the song Night based on a poem by Bessie Mayle, which played a significant role in the artistic movements that ultimately contributed to the Civil Rights movement. The song was written for voice and piano and exemplifies Price’s style. She was the first African American woman to be recognized as a symphonic composer and to have a composition performed by a major American orchestra.
Erich
Wolfgang Korngold (1897 – 1957)
‘StönsteNacht’ from Die stumme Serenade,Op.36
‘Schönste Nacht’ is a song from Korngold’s operetta Die Stumme Serenade, composed between 1946 and 1950, with ‘Schönste Nacht’ appearing in Act 2 Die Stumme Serenade is a musical comedy set in 1820s Naples, where the music style is a blend of opera and 1920s-style revue songs. Korngold was renowned as a composer of Hollywood film scores before he composed this work later in his career. The operetta showcases his talent for creating emotional melodies as well as his ability to blend classical and popular styles, skills which he had honed whilst composing his film scores across his career.
Tōru Takemitsu (1930 – 1996)
Will Tomorrow, I Wonder, Be Cloudy or Clear?
Self-taught Japanese composer Tōru Takemitsu learnt about Western music from radio broadcasts intheaftermathofWorldWarTwo,especiallyfrom one station controlled by the American army who inhabited Japan after the war. Across three hours, a wide range of classical music would be played, including Arnold Schoenberg, Claude Debussy and Aaron Copland “My first teacher was the radio,” commented Tōru in 1993, only three years prior to his death.
Will Tomorrow, I Wonder, Be Cloudy or Clear? was originally a vocal piece, but has been adapted here for cello – instead of the voice – along with the piano. Takemitsu mixes the style of “old-fashioned jazz”, which he described as his father’s favourite kind of music, with the delicate technique and manner of classical piano. This is only intensified through the rich, deep timbre of the cello.
Benjamin Britten (1913 – 1976) SonatainCforcelloandpiano, Op.65
1. Dialogo
2. Scherzo – Pizzicato
3. Elegia
4. Marcia
5. Motoperpetuo
The Sonata for Cello and Piano in C Major was Britten’s first work for cello, and it was solely intended for the cellist Mstislav Rostropovich. Shostakovich introduced the Soviet cellist to Britten after a concert in which Britten had greatly admired Rostropovich’s playing. In fact, he was so smitten with the cellist that he continuously dug hiscomposer-friendShostakovichintheribs,much to the latter’s dismay. Despite Britten’s fame, this sonataisnotoftenplayed, whichisoftenduetothe many complex techniques that are employed. In fact, reviews at the time described it as mimicking the nature of Rostropovich, with his open-minded approach to new playing techniques matched by Britten’s innovative and tremendously difficult application of said techniques.
OUR PERFORMERS
Laura van der Heijden has emerged as one of the leadingcellistsof her generation, captivating audiences and critics alike with her deeply perceptive interpretations and engaging, creative programming.
Forthcoming concerto appearances include with the Brno Philharmonic, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. Other highlights of Laura’s 2024/25 season include recitals at theCello Biënnale AmsterdamandWigmore Hallwith long standing pianistJâms Coleman, collaborative projects at the Serios Fesitval in Helsinki and withHer Ensemble atLondon’sMiltonCourt,anda chamberprojectwithBenGoldscheiderat thePierreBoulezSaalinBerlin.
Having given the World Premiere ofFrances-Hoad’s Earth, Sea, Air in 2023 with BBC Scottish Symphony, Laura is takingtothestageoftheRoyalAlbertHall with the orchestra and conductor Ryan Wigglesworth to perform the work at the2024 BBC Proms. AChandosartist, Laura’slatestreleaseonthelabelin2024 includesthepremiererecordingofCheryl Frances-Hoad’s new work alongsideBridge Orationand Walton’s CelloConcerto.Anincreasinglyprominent voice on the classical music scene, Laura recently appeared on Jess Gillam’s podcast «This Classical Life»andTom Service’s «Saturday Morning» show on BBCRadio3,andwasfeaturedasacover articleforTheStradpublication.
Highlights of recent seasons include as Artist in Focus at King’s Place, and concerto appearances with the London Philharmonic, Aurora and Scottish Chamber Orchestras, CBSO, and play/direct with the Britten Sinfonia. She also appeared at the Barbican with the BBC Symphony Orchestra as part of theirGeorge Walker «Total Immersion» project.Laura’s2023/24seasonincluded solo and chamber recitals at the BBC Proms,Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Wigmore Hall,Cheltenham Music Festival, St George’s BristolandLammermuirandBad Kissingen Summer Festivals. Laura has workedwithdistinguishedconductorsthe lateSir Andrew Davis,Alpesh Chauhan,Nick Collon,Richard Egarr,Gemma New, andKarl-Heinz Steffensamongstthem.
Nowwithagrowingdiscography,Laura’s firstalbumonChandosRecords,,features works by Janáček and Dvořák and was released to critical acclaim in 2022, followed in 2023 bywith chamber partnersFrancesca Dego,Timothy Ridout, andFederico Colli, andwith Kaleidoscope. In 2024, Chandos released Laura’salbumwithpianist JâmsColeman featuring works inspired by William T. Horton’s captivating image and Kaleidoscope’sfirstvolumeof , featuring piano quartets of Brahms and Le Beau. Having won the ‘BBC Young Musiciancompetition’ in 2012 aged 15, Laura’s 2018 debut album won the2018 Edison Klassiek Awardand the 2019BBC Music Magazine Newcomer of the Year Award.The disc, featuring Russian music for cello and piano with pianistPetr Limonov,hasbeenhailedasa “athoughtprovoking debut disc from an impressive and intelligent young cellist.” (Gramophone)
A passionate chamber musician and collaborative artist, Laura plays with the critically-acclaimedKaleidoscope Chamber Collective, who perform a wide varietyofcaptivatingrepertoireacrossthe UK and beyond. She has performed chamber recitals together with Timothy Ridout,KatyaApekisheva,MaxBaillie,the Redon Quartet, and theBrodsky Quartetamongstothers.
Laura is a graduate of StJohn’sCollege, Cambridgeand currently studies with Antje Weithaas at theHanns Eisler in Berlin.Sheplaysalate17th-centurycello by Francesco Ruggieri of Cremona, on generousloanfromaprivatecollection.
as 'gently alluring, enigmatic and romantic' by Gramophone, their most recentalbum – Path to the Moon -reached twomillionstreamsworldwideinthefirst week.InNovember2024,theyperformed worksfromthealbumatWigmoreHallas partoftheBBCRadio3Lunchtimerecital series.
Other albums include a disc of Fanny Hensel lieder for First Hand Records (recordedinMendelssohnHaus,Leipzig), a disc of Loewe lieder with baritone Nicholas Mogg for Champs Hill, and an album of works by Pamela Harrison with James Gilchrist, Alice Neary and Robert PlaneforResonusClassics.Futureprojects include an album of Bridge and Britten
From Anglesey, North Wales, Jâms Coleman isapianistwho enjoys performing as a soloist, chamber musician, and vocal accompanist. He regularly performsatprestigiousfestivals and venues in the UK and internationally and recent highlightsincluderecitalsatthe AldeburghFestival,BBCProms, Champs Hill, Cello Biënnale (Amsterdam), Cheltenham Festival, Kings Place, Leeds LiederFestival,LSOStLuke’s, Ortús Chamber Music Festival (Cork), Oxford International Song Festival, Petworth Festival, Prussia Cove Open Chamber Music, The Royal Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), andWigmoreHall.
Jâmshasaduopartnershipwith cellist Laura van der Heijden. Described as 'intriguing and beguiling'byTheGuardianand
with Maria Włoszczowska, Hélène Clément and Steffan Morris for Champs Hill Records, and an album of works by Bacewicz with the Karski Quartet for the EvilPenguinlabel.
He regularly works with singers and instrumentalists at the top of the profession. Highlights include performances with BBC NOW, Britten Sinfonia, the Karski Quartet, and the Marmen Quartet; recitals with instrumentalists Hélène Clément, Simon Crawford-Phillips, Brett Dean, Vashti Hunter, Guy Johnston, Jonian Ilias Kadesha, Braimah Kanneh-Mason, Felix Klieser, Jack Liebeck, Amy Norrington, Jennifer Pike, Timothy Ridout, Colin Scobie,andJonathanStone;recitalswith singersClaireBooth,KatherineBroderick, James Newby, Nicky Spence, Sir John Tomlinson, Sir Bryn Terfel, and Elizabeth Watts.
Jâms read Music at Girton College, Cambridge, where he was also a Choral Scholar. He graduated with a Masters fromtheRoyalAcademyofMusicandwas awardedanARAMin2023.
OUR PROGRAMME NOTES
The notes created for this event programmehavebeenwrittenbyateam ofstudentsattheDepartmentofMusic,as partoftheConcertManagement&Artist PersonnelProgramme.
This is a professional development initiativerunbytheConcertOfficewhere studentsareabletoexperiencefirst-hand what goes on behind-the-scenes, who organises the publicity for an event, to even how to coordinate and manage a rehearsal schedule. All members of the programmearementoredbytheCollege's Performance Administrator,James Mark, and receive training from industry specialists.
Tonight’s programme notes were written by Millie Shurmer and CelineOlsen.
