May 24, 2010
Once again we fell behind in our attempts to commemorate great composers: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and his younger contemporary and friend Anatoly Lyadov were born on May 7 and May 10, respectively. Two French composers, Jules Massnet and Gabriel Fauré’s were born on the same day, May 12. Another Frenchman, Éric Satie, like Lyadov a master of miniatures, was born on May 17. And Richard Wagner, who wrote famously long operas, was born on May 22. These composers are so different in every respect that it would be all-but impossible to create a coherent playlist, so we’ll do just a few representative pieces. The cellist Patrick Jee plays Melodie, Op. 42, No. 3 by Tchaikovsky, followed by the pianist Nadejda Vlaeva who performs Lyadov’s Prelude in D-flat Major, Op. 57, No. 1. Then the flutist Martha Councell plays Morceau de Concours by Fauré. The soprano Patrice Michaels sings Éric Satie’s song Les fleurs. And finally, the young violinist Elizabeth Woo plays an arrangement of Wagner’s Albumblatt. To listen, click here.
Erik Satie - Les fleurs (arr. Robert Caby )
Patrice Michaels (Soprano)
Czech National Symphony (Orchestra)
Paul Freeman (Conductor)
Karol Szymanowski - The ill-tempered starling (Nikczemny szpak)
Simon Woolf (Soprano)
Karol Szymanowski - Saint Christina (Swieta Krystyna)
Simon Woolf (Soprano)
Karol Szymanowski - Duckling
Simon Woolf (Soprano)
May 17, 2010
An exciting young Bulgarian pianist named Anna Petrova recently played in Chicago, and we have a live recording of the event. Anna was born in Plovdiv but moved to New York in 2005 to study at the Manhattan School of Music, first with Horacio Gutiérrez and then André-Michel Schub. Anna performed as both a recitalist and orchestra soloist in her native Bulgaria, as well as Serbia, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Austria, Italy, Spain, and the United States. Right now she’s in Brussels, competing in the semi-final round of the prestigious 2010 Queen Elisabeth Piano Competition. We wish her luck. No matter what happens at the competition, Anna has already proven to be a very interesting musician. You can judge by yourself by listening how she plays Debussy’s Reflets dans l’eau, from Book 1 and Poissons d’or, from Nook 2 of Images, and Rachmaninov’s Variations on a Theme of Corelli. To listen click here.
Modest Mussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition
Alexander Wasserman (Piano)
Manuel Blasco de Nebra - Sonata No. IV in G minor
Antonio Pastor Otero (Piano)
Sevag Derghougassian - Sonata No. 2
Sevag Derghougassian (Piano)
Enrique Granados - Valses poéticos
Antonio Pastor Otero (Piano)