BRITISH MUSIC SOCIETY OF NORTHERN IRELAND 1960-1961 FIRST RECITAL under the auspices of THE QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY OF BELFAST ★ CLAUDIO ARRAU Pianoforte SIR WILLIAM WHITLA HALL Queen's University, Belfast FRIDAY, 21st OCTOBER, 1960 at 7.45 p.m.

Sonata in E flat, Op. 27 No. 1 Andante-allegro-andante Allegro molto e vivace Adagio con espressione Finale: Rondo Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) In 1801 Beethoven was making his most determined attempts till then to break away from the framework of sonata form and give him- self a fuller freedom of expression. The two sonatas of Op. 27 were each entitled Sonata quasi una fantasia, and in both of them the interest is centred rather in the relation of the separate movements to one another than in the structure of the parts; they are both played without breaks between the movements, and should give the effect of a continu- ous and varied fantasy on the composer's part. It is impossible to define what quality it is that lifts great works from the level of excellence to the heights of universal popularity. Listeners might care to direct their atten- tion to this matter tonight; the sonata to be played is the equal, in almost every way than can be analysed, of its companion, No. 2 in C sharp minor, so absurdly miscalled "The Moonlight," yet the great public has not taken it to its heart in the same way. Can it be that we esteem melancholy and tension as higher qualities than the buoyant verve which is the central theme of tonight's work? Or is it that this sonata opens without a catching melody? Fantasy in C major, Op. 17 Robert Schumann (1810-1856) To be performed throughout with fantasy and passion Moderato, energetic throughout Adagio sostenuto, sempre piano The circumstances that gave rise to this work were complex. About the end of 1835 Liszt had started a scheme to erect a public monument to Beethoven in Bonn, and Schumann intended to give the proceeds from this work to that end. He had entitled the work Sonata and had given the movements the titles Ruins, Triumphal Arch and Starry Crown. When the project fell through, he dropped these titles (and indeed the sonata tradition was not one which called out Schumann's best), prefaced the whole with a quotation from Schlegel about "the tones of the universe with one note vibrating through it for fit ears to hear," gave the move- ments German titles (Englished above), called the work Phantasie and dedicated it to Liszt. At the same time he was having his famous "boy does not meet girl" trouble with Clara Wieck, the brilliant young pianist, whose father objected to the prospect of their marriage and kept

them apart. Clara loyally "plugged" Schumann's works in her pro- grammes, and the composer was able to communicate with her by quoting in the first movement a theme from Beethoven's An die ferne Geliebte (To the absent Beloved), the last song "Take these songs that I sing for thee alone, Beloved." The listener who translates (quite correctly) the sempre piano of the last movement as "softly throughout," may well wonder what the words meant to Schumann when he hears the climax of the work. Gaspard de la Nuit INTERVAL Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) Ondine Le Gibet Scarbo In 1908 Ravel, inspired by Balakirev's Islamey, set out to write something of the highest virtuosity for the piano. He took his theme from the early 19th century poet, Louis Bertrand. In the work of Schumann just discussed the programmatic ideas we know to have been in his mind did not issue in direct attempts to depict ruins, etc., in his writing. The dedicatee of that work, Liszt, had developed the pictorial art of piano music to a high degree, and Ravel is here definitely in Lisztian mood. In Ondine he depicts a water-sprite, amid the rills and splashing fountains, luring young men to their death. In Le Gibet the swaying, synocopated pedal-point describes the figure of the robber hanging in chains. In Scarbo we have represented a legendary Puck-like figure, full of pranks, in music of quite fiendish difficulty for the player. Fantasia in F minor, Op. 49 Frederic Chopin (1810-1849) The fantasia was written in 1841, when Chopin was extremely ill. It is framed in a tempo di Marcia, followed by a flowing theme, the main group of ideas recurring frequently in varying keys. Concert Study, No. 2 Transcendental Study No. 11 Ferencz Liszt (1811-1886) bout 1849, The second Etude de Concert in F minor, was written and was entitled La Leggierezza. It is a Chopinesque piece, calling for great delicacy of fingering. The Etudes d'execution transcendante, saw the light first, under another title, in 1827 as his Op. 1. They were re- written in 1839, in a form of almost insuperable difficulty, and further revised in 1852, the form in which they are now known, with the diffi- culties superable, at least for the few players who dare tackle them. No. 11 was sub-titled Harmonies du Soir.

NEXT CONCERT:- Friday, 18th November EMMY LOOSE, Soprano MARTIN ISEPP, Pianoforte Sehnsucht nach dem Frühling; Ridente la calma; Un moto di gioia; Dans un bois; Warnung Seven Early Songs: Nacht; Schilflied; Die Nachtigall ; Traumegekrönt; Im Zimmer; Liebesode; Sommertage Elfenlied; Das verlassene Mägdlein; Begegnung; Nimmer- satte Liebe; Storchenbotschaft Schlagende Herzen; Schlechtes Wetter; Ständchen Important Notice: Mozart Dorman & Sons, Ltd., Belfast Berg Wolf Strauss There is a misprint in the Society's brochure, the date of the Richard Lewis concert being given as 31st January. This should be 13th January. The date is correct on the tickets.