The recital will be given by the outstanding keyboard duo Andrew & Zrinka Bottrill, whose annual concerts have given so much pleasure to Maxability audiences over the years.
There is something for everyone in tonight’s programme. For this occasion they have chosen:
Schubert - Lebensstürme and Rondo, D.951/947
Ravel - Ma mère l’Oye (Mother Goose Suite)
Interval
Rachmaninoff - Six Pieces, Op.11
Bach - Sheep May Safely Graze
Notes:
1 - Schubert - Lebensstürme and Rondo, D.951/947
The title “Lebensstürme” (“Storms of Life”) wasn’t Schubert’s. He composed this great work in 1828, and it was published under that title in 1840 by Anton Diabelli. It has the weight and drama of the first movement of a Sonata, opening with a series of thunderous, emphatic chords. Then a series of rapid scales pass between the four hands. The sublime middle section, in a bizarrely unrelated key, is tranquil and hymn-like - but the glow is short-lived. The sense of four hands entwining across the keyboard that follows is vivid and immediate. The instrument’s sound conjures an intimate drawing room of the sort Schubert would have known well.
2 - Ravel - Ma mère l’Oye (Mother Goose)
Maurice Ravel's Mother Goose Suite, composed in 1910 for Piano Duet, comprises 5 charming miniatures, each evoking a fairy-tale scene, such as "Beauty and the Beast”, “Tom Thumb”, "Empress of the Pagodas" and "Sleeping Beauty”.
3 - Rachmaninoff - Six Pieces, Op.11
The Six Morceaux Op 11, for piano duet, were written in 1894. The movements are Barcarolle, Scherzo, Chanson Russe, Valse, Romance and Slava [Gloria]. These are for advanced pianists, and make a delightful set of pieces
4 - Bach - Sheep May Safely Graze
"Sheep may safely graze” is a soprano aria by Bach to words by Salomon Franck. It was written in 1713 as part of the Cantata "Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd," BWV 208 (Only the lively hunt pleases me) also known as the Hunting Cantata. Like Bach’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring", "Sheep may safely graze" is frequently played at weddings. Bach is known to have used the music again for other celebrations, but it remained unpublished until after his death.
Hearing this programme performed by these gifted pianists, on the very Steinway instrument selected by both Paderewski and Rachmaninov for their London concerts, will be an unsurpassable musical experience.
PLEASE NOTE:
1. Parking
There is no parking in Greenacre Walk - but there is ample free parking at weekends in Cannon Hill, Arnos Grove, The Green and The Mall - all within a couple of minutes’ walk from the venue, 19 Greenacre Walk, N14 7DB.
2. Time:
The concert will start at 7.00 pm, and there will be an interval of 30 minutes. Please aim to arrive by 6.45 pm to reserve your seats, meet friends and enjoy a drink. The standard donation of £30 per person includes wine and soft drinks. Our concerts usually end by 9:15 pm, but please feel free to stay on and talk to the musicians.
3. Booking Procedure:
Please send an email to Emile Woolf () stating the number of places you require, and the names of your guests. Please make a bank transfer of £30 per person to Maxability (HSBC, Sort-code 40-45-27, Acc.22123606) – OR send a cheque payable to “Maxability”, addressed to Emile Woolf at 19 Greenacre Walk, London N14 7DB, the concert venue. Your cheque will be banked AFTER the concert.
www.maxability.org.uk
