X 24-5-97 Belfast Music Society Celebrity Concerts

Sonata in F major, K332 Sonata in A minor, D845 Sonata in D minor, Op.31, No.2 Scherzo No.2 in B flat minor, Op.31 Supported by the YOUNG-CHOON PARK piano ARTS COUNCIL CITY Ner PROGRAMME souse at 30 Saturday, 24th May 1997 BT Studio, Waterfront Hall at 7.30pm AST VES This evening's performance is sponsored by Daewoo Electronics U.K. Ltd. NATIONAL FEDERATION OF MUSIC SOCIETIES ENEMS Mozart Schubert Beethoven Chopin PRISPE arsaqe assolod bogo od to id mangiog lancia 4164260 od t suff DAEWOO DAEWOO ELECTRONICS U.K. LTD.

Sonata in F major, K332 allegro: adagio: allegro molto Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 1756-1791 During the second half of 1780 and early 1781, Mozart was in Munich for the rehearsals and first performance of his opera Idomeneo. While he was there he worked at a number of other compositions, including the wind serenade K361, and three of his best known and most attractive sonatas for piano. The three, K330, K331(the 'Rondo alla Turca' sonata) and K332 were published together as 'opus six' in Vienna in 1784. The first movement opens with an innocent theme and an almost clichéd accompaniment figure; a simple chordal passage follows. Just as the listener is beginning to wonder 'is this really the opening of a sonata? Where are the tensions we expect in a sonata first movement?', the mood changes, D minor breaks in and the music becomes stormy, with dramatic harmonies and sforzando (strongly marked) accents. It clears briefly for the C major second subject, but then we have a remarkable passage of rhythmic and har- monic turbulence, with the hands alternating in what, for the technically minded, is a series of descending 7th chords. After this, there is great relief in the sudden clearing of the atmos- phere as the home key of F major returns. The material of the movement is briefly devel- oped before, as expected, the opening section is repeated. The slow movement presents a long flowing melody in B flat major, but with the occa- sional poignant hint of the minor key. For the second appearance of the theme, Mozart adds a host of rich embellishments. The finale is no light-hearted rondo, but a serious and dramatic sonata-form movement. As in the first movement, there are dramatic octave passages and contrasts of dynamics, syncopated displaced accents and alternations of major and minor. The conclusion of the sonata is a surprise, too - no triumphant affirmation of the home key, but gentle quietness, all passion spent. Sonata in A minor, D845 ("opus 42") Franz Schubert 1797-1828 moderato: andante, poco moto: scherzo (allegro vivace) and trio: rondo (allegro vivace) The A minor sonata was the first of the composer's sonatas to be published -remarkable, when we realise it was the 16th of his 21 sonatas (ignoring a few fragments). In fact, only three of them were published in his lifetime - an indictment of publishers' and public taste in the early 19th century. Schubert's last three sonatas, D958-960, written in the last months of his life, are rightly recognised as masterpieces of his art. Yet, and again I sup- pose it is not unexpected, 19th century critics tended to rate their predecessors, the four sonatas of 1825/6, much higher ('comparable only to the greatest sonatas of Beethoven'). Comparisons are unhelpful; let us just recognise that these earlier sonatas, and especially the A minor, are themselves masterly works that reveal many of the characteristics of Schubert's 'late' music.

The first movement presents two contrasted themes, the first mysterious and wistful, in simple octaves, pianissimo, the second aggressive and martial, with strong dynamic contrasts. A third theme is closely related to the opening melody, but emphasises its some- what 'primitive' character; at first its appearances are brief and 'squashed', as it were, by the two main themes, but it comes to dominate the final pages. The whole movement is a perfect example of the way Schubert can take quite simple ideas and build a large scale structure, showing throughout his wonderfully imaginative use of keys, harmonies and ami mus od 1A textures. The second movement is a set of variations - five in number on a simple song-like melody, typical of its composer. The variations cover a wide range of emotions, even, in the second, a glimpse of Schubert's wit, with the 'wicked' little ritardando - a tempo at the end of each section. After the final variation, the movement is rounded off with a brief coda. The scherzo is highly rhythmic; its trio section is very different, however, having the nature of a dreamy ländler. The extremely lively final rondo is remarkable for its spare, largely two-part texture. There are several points of kinship with the first movement, providing a satisfying unity for the whole sonata. There are several contrasting episodes between appearances of the rondo theme. At the end, the music seems to be going to gallop off into the distance, but proceedings are brought very firmly to a conclusion. Sonata in D minor, op 31/2 largo allegro: adagio: allegretto Ludwig van Beethoven 1770-1827 For those who like to pigeonhole Beethoven's music chronologically, the three sonatas of opus 31belong to his 'middle period'. They date from 1802, a time of great personal cri- sis in the composer's life, though, of the three, it is the D minor that stands out for its high- ly emotional language. The sonata has been given the nickname "Tempest', though the ori- gin of this title is somewhat obscure. It may refer to the work's stormy nature, or it may be, as Beethoven told his biographer Schindler, that the sonata was inspired by a reading of Shakespeare's The Tempest. It should be remembered, however, that Beethoven's rev- elations to Schindler were not always very reliable! In any case, the first movement is one of the composer's most theatrical keyboard movements. It is full of contrasts of tempo, with the rushing allegro's progress being introduced by, and interrupted by, slow recitatives (which the composer said should emerge 'like a voice from a vault'), contrasts of dynam- ics and pitch, with the second main theme alternating phrases in bass and treble. The slow movement is a masterly study in pianistic textures. There are two main themes, the first characterised by wide leaps, the second in dotted rhythm, introduced by an upward run. They are linked by a chordal passage over funereal drum beats that then appear above as well as below. The minor key atmosphere dominates the finale, as does the four note rhythm of the open- ing theme. There is definitely something 'pathetic' (in that word's correct sense) about this movement, which ends quietly.

Scherzo no 2 in B flat minor, op 31 Fryderyk Chopin 1810-1849 It is fascinating to follow the growing-into-maturity of the scherzo as a musical form, from its childhood as a sort of speeded-up minuet, providing some relaxation between more heavyweight movements a classical sonata, to its adulthood as a large scale movement, fully worthy of standing on equal terms with the other movements, as in Beethoven's 9th symphony. At the same time, in the early Romantic era, the scherzo began to appear as a separate work in its own right (and continued to grow, until we find, for example, the young Bartók, in 1902, composing a half-hour scherzo for piano and orchestra!) In devel- oping, the scherzo also drifted away from its original meaning of 'a joke', though some scherzos are certainly written in lighter vein. Chopin's four works in this genre were written between 1831 and 1842; each is thorough- ly individual. The second was completed in 1837 and particularly impressed Schumann: 'It remains an utterly compelling piece ... so tender, coquettish and affectionate, yet full of charm.' This quotation well sums up the frequently changing moods of the scherzo, from its highly dramatic opening to its beautifully sustained and gentle, almost impro- visatory, central section, reflected in the alternations of key, notably between the home key of B flat minor and D flat major, in which key the work ends. TEBI-OTTE Svorissa noy gishu.I drid and not to be di jookan (1 srit to si riguoqs vem i 10 sunsh 951 2'navodis58 and sao a toamazom terit ogmer 10 warun zavitations wolayd borg omn how smods are constater steinig divuse bowqu may have 0 vilt on wol sdruban lenit sal abismo so Alec MacDonald 1997 e del n62 sussi

TONIGHT'S ARTIST Young-Choon Park began the study of the piano at the age of four and gave her first full recital when she was seven. She played the Beethoven Piano Concerto No.1 with the Seoul Symphony Orchestra at the age of nine. She studied at the Juilliard School in New York with Adele Marcus and gained a Masters degree at the Hochschule in Munich. The South Korean-born pianist has enthralled audiences and critics the world over for the sensitivity and refinement of her playing and has rapidly established a commanding pres- ence in the upper echelon of keyboard artists. Young-Choon Park has given concerto and recital performances throughout Europe, the United States, South America and the Far East appearing with distinguished conductors of numerous respected orchestras. Her extensive repertoire ranges widely through the works of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann, Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninov, Prokoviev and Debussy. Her performances have won exceptional critical acclaim, particularly of her interpretations of Haydn, Mozart, Chopin and Rachmaninov. A recent revue in the Sunday Times described her playing as "individually refreshing, while demonstrating real passion and style as well as outstanding technical proficiency". NEXT CONCERT Saturday, 4th October 1997 MARC-ANDRÉ HAMELIN- piano BT Studio, Waterfront Hall - 7.30 pm