THE BRITISH MUSIC SOCIETY OF NORTHERN IRELAND Season 1972-73 FOURTH RECITAL under the auspices of The Queen's University of Belfast YONTY SOLOMON (PIANOFORTE) ELMWOOD HALL Queen's University, Belfast SATURDAY, JANUARY 27 1973 PROGRAMME In association with the Arts Council of Northern Ireland : : PRZ : 5p Prelude and Fugue in E minor, Op. 35 No. 1 Mendelssohn This Prelude and Fugue comes from the set of six that Mendelssohn composed between 1832 and 1837. Mendelssohn seems to have had a particular preoccupation with fugue at this period of his life. His Reformation Symph (in D) was pro- claimed as "too learned, it has too much fugato and too little melody." A set of three organ Preludes and Fugues also dates from this time. But if the audiences of the time did not appreciate Mendelssohn's exercises at fugue, Mendelssohn certainly appreciated Bach's, for it was he who finally brought the greatness of Bach to people's attention after so many years of neglect. U.H.

Sonata in F minor, Op. 57 (Appassionata) Assai Allegro Andante con moto Allegro ma non troppo Beethoven This sonata was written between 1804 and 1806, and published in 1807 by the Hamburg publisher Crantz, who gave it its name. It dates from about the period of the fifth symphony, Beethoven's so-called Middle Period. The first movement is an odd mixture of mysterious passages and violent outbursts of semiquavers and chords. It begins with a striking effect produced by a simple common chord arpeggio, the treble and bass being two octaves apart. This is an old device and one used often by Haydn and Mozart but it is arresting in its daring simplicity. The phrase is then repeated a semitone higher which makes it sound even more mysterious. The second subject group begins in A flat major with a noble theme in octaves based on the rhythm of the first subject. Practically all the material from the Exposition is used in the Development. Beethoven modulates through various keys using the subject groups in the order they appear in the Exposition and finally building up to a tremendous climax lasting for a full eleven bars. The storm abruptly subsides and we are left with nothing but the muttering of repeated quavers in the bass. One of the most effective moments in the sonata is where Beethoven re-introduces the first subject over these repeated quavers, which form a dominant pedal note beneath it. There is an extremely long coda in which Beethoven further develops his material. The slow movement begins in D flat major with sonorous chords in the low register of the piano. The movement consists of a theme with four variations, keeping strictly within the bounds of Classical variation form. The theme is in two sections with each section repeated. It is subdued and pensive after the passionate outbursts of the first movement. There is little melodic interest and the harmonies are static (Beethoven returns to the tonic chord every two bars), so the overall effect is one of quiet beauty. Beethoven varies the theme through syncopation, and semiquaver and demi- semiquaver movement. In the last variation he returns to the theme, splitting it between two octaves; at the end he substitutes a diminished seventh chord for the expected tonic chord to lead without a break into the finale. The first twenty bars of the finale are a preparation for the move- ment proper in F minor. The beginning of the first subject group is a theme of running semiquavers in the lower-middle register of the piano and has a slightly mysterious quality resembling the opening of the sonata. It is interesting to note that the semiquaver movement is not relieved until the end of the Development where the impetus is slowed up by the use of augmentation. The overall

effect is therefore very restless. There is a very long coda with a good deal of further development leading to a final Presto where an entirely new theme of great incisiveness is introduced. The first subject is developed to a dramatic climax and a furious ending. U.H. Barcarolle in F sharp major, Op. 60 Polonaise in F sharp minor, Op. 44 Chopin Chopin The last phase of Chopin's work (from 1841 onwards) is con- sidered by many as the period that produced his greatest works, works like the Fantasie in F minor (Op. 49), Sonata in B minor (Op. 58), Polonaise-Fantasie (Op. 61), the Barcarolle and the Polonaises (Op. 44 and 53). In these works Chopin demonstrated an almost epic breadth of conception, and a new element began to appear in his writing - a newly-acquired grasp of counterpoint. He began to use dominant sevenths in whole-tone successions; he treated non-tonal chords with even greater freedom than before and canonic writing became more and more prominent in his work. All these features contribute to the unmistakeable and extremely individual sound of the mature Chopin. The Barcarolle sometimes called Chopin's finest nocturne was started in the Autumn of 1845 and finished during the Summer of 1846. The work bears a distant relationship to the Venetian gondoliers' songs from which the title comes. The constant triplet figure provides a swaying rhythm throughout with beautiful chromatically falling melodies. There are some lovely changes of key and the climax leads to a rippling section which closes the work. The polonaise was originally a Polish courtly march first intro- duced in Cracow in 1574 at the Court of Henry de Valois (later to become Henri III of France) who had recently been elected to the Polish throne. With the passing of time polonaise rhythm became established as six quavers in the bar, the second of which was divided into two semiquavers. Chopin's polonaises span the whole of his career. This one is in four sections. The first section is rondo-like (ABABA). Each of the two intersections have the polonaise rhythm in the accompaniment and each time they appear they become more embellished, with richer harmonies, themes in octaves, etc., creating an exiting and heroic sound in true bravura style. The second section is very unusual: abrupt in manner with a melody of one note on the first beat of each bar, for sixteen bars! But underneath there are some very interesting and even daring harmonies. The next section is a beautiful Mazurka in A major with falling chromatic thirds and sixths in the melodic line. Chopin makes use of seventh chords with some interesting and unusual effects. This is followed by a return of the first section, which concludes with a beautiful coda which fades away towards the finish. U.H.

Song Transcriptions Let's do it again Who cares? The man I love Fascinating rhythm Lady be good Strike up the band By any standards Gershwin was one of the finest song composers of his time of his time but also transcending it. In these transcrip- tions by him of nine of his own songs he presents the melodies in his own very individual pianistic way. D.G. Six Preludes C major, Op. 32 No. 1 G major, Op. 32 No. 5 G sharp minor, Op. 32 No. 12 George Gershwin 'S Wonderful I got rhythm Liza Rachmaninov E flat major, Op. 23 No. 6 A minor, Op. 32 No. 8 B flat major, Op. 23 No. 2 Altogether, Rachmaninov composed twenty-four preludes, one in each of the major and minor keys (like Chopin's). Op. 32 No 1 is sometimes called Rachmaninov's "Revolutionary". There is the same dramatic sweep in the bass and power as in Chopin's work of that name. Op. 32 No. 5. There is a unique quality of freshness in this piece in contrast to the previous two numbers in that set. The expressive melody and the gently rising and falling accompaniment stay mostly in the "home" key. Op. 32 No. 12 bears a melodic similarity to the opening of No. 5 of that set it is almost an inversion. Below the accompaniment, a long tenor melody in Rachmaninov's more lyrical style displays the great sonority of the more mature Preludes. The central section is like a peal of bells descending down the piano. The melody passes from one extreme register to the other with ease and fluency. Op. 23 No. 6 is similar in melodic outline to the second subject of the first movement of Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto. A feature of the piece is the recurring minor 2nd - minor 3rd progression in the bass. NEXT RECITAL: THE KODALY STRING QUARTET The two final preludes being performed tonight are both brilliant showpieces. U.H.