JOHANNES BRAHMS Book II from Variations on a Theme by
Paganini in A Minor, Op. 35
Written when the composer was in his late 20s, the Paganini
Variations were designed to show off Brahms's pianistic prowess to
the sophisticated Viennese public. The 28 variations (14 in each of
two books) cover the gamut of keyboard techniques, from delicate
pizzicato effects to two-fisted octaves in contrary
motion. Though no fan of Liszt, Brahms had clearly taken the great
pianist's "transcendent" virtuosity to heart.
MODEST MUSSORGSKY Pictures at an Exhibition
Mussorgsky's highly personal and innovative voice was long
obscured by well-meaning editors and orchestrators who considered
his unconventional harmonies and orchestrations crude. Pictures
at an Exhibition and other masterpieces can now be heard in
their original state, enabling us to see Mussorgsky not just as a
representative Russian nationalist, but as an authentic genius who
was decades ahead of his time.
SERGEI PROKOFIEV Selections from Visions fugitives,
Op. 22
Prokofiev, known for his precision and refinement at the
keyboard, wrote some of the 20th century's most brilliant and
percussive keyboard music. But he also had a gentler and more
playful side, as reflected in this suite of charmingly epigrammatic
miniatures. Composed in Russia on the eve of the Revolution, the
Visions fugitives became so popular with audiences in
the West that Prokofiev played them as encores on his recitals.
FRANZ LISZT Vallée d'Obermann; Sposalizio;
Mephisto Waltz No. 1
A legendary virtuoso and a seminal figure in the 19th-century
Romantic movement, Liszt was also a musical visionary who
prefigured many of the major compositional developments of the 20th
century. His vast catalogue includes some 1,000 works in many
genres, but he is best known for his dazzlingly virtuosic and often
richly poetic piano music, as represented by the three pieces that
close tonight's program.