H Tec BRITISH MUSIC SOCIETY OF NORTHERN IRELAND + FIFTH RECITAL IMOGEN COOPER A it hiton (piano) Wednesday 4 March 1981,7.30pm Elmwood Hall Ar 000

Sonata in F major (H.xvi/23) Moderato Adagio Finale: Presto Joseph Hayd (1732-1809) Haydn's piano sonatas contain much superb music, and yet the majority of them are heard all too seldom in the concert hall. of the 50 or so sonatas that have survived, only about half a dozen 'famous' ones are heard at all regularly, so the opportunity to hear this less well-known one is all the more welcome. Haydn composed it in 1773 as part of a set of six for his employer, Prince Nicholas Esterhazy. It is a light- textured work with many elegant turns of phrase. The first movement, in sonata form, shows his skill in constructing a movement out of very limited material - everything grows out of the first ten bars or so. The second movement contains limpid melodic writing over an 'Alberti'- type accompaniment, while the perky main theme of the Finale gives fresh pleasure each time it returns. Sonata in A minor (D.845) Moderato Andante con moto Scherzo: Allegro vivace Allegro vivace Franz Schubert (1797-1828) Schubert's 600-and-more songs span the whole of his creative life and it is inevitable that we should think of him primarily as a songwriter. However, in his later years, his output of songs diminished and he turned his attention more to large- scale instrumental works. Indeed, he refers to this in a letter of 1824, mentioning several chamber works and adding "I intend to pave my way to grand symphony in this manner". In his progress along this pathway, the sonatas play a not un important part, and quite apart from their intrinsic merits, one is inclined to regard them to some degree as his training ground in large-scale form - a view borne out by the consider- able number of them that he left unfinished. This sonata, composed in 1825, belongs exactly to that time. when he was preoccupied with instrumental forms, and like the other sonatas written at this time, it is in four movements. (rather than three) and is cast on a large scale. Moreover,

style of the piano writing is undeniably grandiose in conception, almost as if he were striving after the fullness of orchestral sound. Other mannerisms, too, remind one of orchestral writing, such as the sudden changes of register like the contrast of strings and wind, or the quiet unharmon- ized phrase at the beginning of the first movement (think of the openings of the 'Unfinished' and 'Great C major symphonies. After the thundering first movement, the Andante consists of a pensive theme followed by several variations. The third movement is a lively Scherzo, with a slower Trio section in the rocking lullaby style of a Ländler. The last movement is a large-scale rondo. Three Concert Studies INTERVAL Capriccio in A flat Capriccio in F minor Allegro affetuoso in D flat. Franz Liszt (1811-86) In the nineteenth century, the study (étude) rapidly developed from being a mere finger exercise (like Czerny's 'Velocity Studies') to a fully-fledged composition intended for the listener as well as the performer, and in this transformation the many-sided Franz Liszt played an important part. These three studies were composed around 1848 and published in 1849. They are sometimes known by the descriptive titles given to them in their French edition: Il lamento, La leggierezza and Un sospiro. The last of these, a study in cantabile playing, is well-known. Fourteen Bagatelles, Op.6 Béla Bartók (1881-1945) Like Liszt before him, the Hungarian composer Béla Bartók was also one of the outstanding pianists of his time, and piano music occupies an important place in his output. These Fourteen Bagatelles were composed in 1908 and are mostly short, together comprising an inventory of the compositional techniques which interested him in the early years of the century. Thus, No 1 has the distinction of being quoted in reference books as the first indisputable example of bitonality (pre-dating Petrushka), the right hand being notated in four sharps and the

left in four flats. No 4 reflects his interest in folk-mus! being an arrangement of a Hungarian folk-tune, with seventh- chords a prominent feature of the harmony. No 5 uses a Slovak folk-melody. No 8 is entirely in unison. No 10 is the largest piece in the set, and features vigorous ostinato rhythm, biton- ality and chords constructed from 4ths. The last two pieces have subtitles and are autobiographical, reflecting the bitter end of his affair with the violinist Stefi Geyer. No 13 ("Elle est morte...") expresses his feelings the day he read the letter that ended their relationship, and contains the motif D flat-F- A flat-C which also appears in the First Violin Concerto which he wrote for her. No 14, an almost sardonic waltz, is headed "Ma mie qui danse ...". Programme notes by Prof. David Greer TONIGHT'S ARTIST We are pleased to welcome once again the English pianist IMOGEN COOPER who has studied with Yvonne Lesebure at the Paris Conservatoire (where she was awarded the Premier Prix in 1967) and also with Alfred Brendel in Vienna. She has played with most, if not all of the British Orchestras, and in addition to having played at the Proms every year since 1975, she has appeared at the Cheltenham, Bath and Harrogate Festivals. She broadcasts regularly with the BBC and her recordings include the Mozart Concerto for Two Pianos with Alfred Brendel and the Orchestra of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, conducted by Neville Marriner. Imogen has recently returned from a tour of South America. sor! NEXT RECITAL ALIRIO DIAZ (guitar) til Friday 27 March 7.30pm Elmwood Hall,