Love at first listen? Yes, it happens all the time
It was love at first listen.
Back in 2017, pianist Francine Kay was preparing an all-Czech program with the faculty chamber collective at Princeton University when a colleague asked her to check out some YouTube videos of Josef Suk’s piano cycle, “Things Lived and Dreamt.”
“From the moment I heard these pieces I knew that I had to play them,” said Kay of Suk’s op. 30. “They spoke to me with their flights of imagination, impressionistic harmonies, lilting dance rhythms and soulful expression. I couldn’t believe that such a magnificent and substantial piano work was relatively unknown. I felt strongly that I wanted to bring this work to life and to a wider audience.”
And that’s how her dream to record Suk’s magnum opus and other Czech works was born. That dream was fulfilled this January with the release of her Analekta CD, “Things Lived and Dreamt,” a collection of Czech piano music including, naturally, Suk’s op. 30 plus pieces by Dvorák, Janácek, Kaprálová, and Smetana.
On Sunday, Feb. 19 at 4 p.m. in the Burlington Performing Arts Centre’s Community Studio Theatre, 440 Locust St., the Toronto-born Kay will present a sampling from her CD in the first half of her solo recital followed by an all-Chopin second half.
After opening with three selections from Dvorák’s “Humoresques” op. 101, Kay will proceed with two pieces from Suk’s op. 30, number V subtitled “On the Recovery of My Son” and number IX which bears the indication “whispering and mysterious” and quotes the “Lullaby” by the composer’s
I felt strongly that I wanted to bring this work to life and to a wider audience.
FRANCINE KAY PIANIST
late wife.
“I think number V is an extraordinary piece for its emotional range,” said Kay. “For me, it is an exploration of any and all of the emotions that could be found in the relief and gratitude of having a loved one returned from near death.”
To form a triptych of sorts, Kay will then perform “Longing” from Suk’s “Spring” op. 22a, inspired by the birth of his son.
Kay will round out the first half with a handful of pieces from Debussy’s “Préludes: 2e Livre,” the calm “Bruyères,” the slapstick “General Lavine — eccentric,” the fiery “La Puerta del Vino,” the humorous “Hommage à S. Pickwick, Esq., P.P.M.P.C.” (Perpetual President Member of the Pickwick Club, if you’re wondering), and the sparkling “Feux d’Artifice.”
After intermission, two Chopin mazurkas, op. 59 no. 2 and op. 24 no. 4, will be followed by his “Scherzo no. 1” and his “Ballade no. 4.”
“The fourth ‘Ballade’ is one of Chopin’s finest works,” said Kay. “Sublime. A privilege to play and to share.”
Tickets at burlingtonpac.ca or call 905-681-6000: $49.50 (all-in).
It was love at first listen. Back around 1969, American composer George Crumb heard a recording of a humpback whale’s singing which inspired him to compose “Vox Balaenae” (The Voice of the Whale) for amplified flute, cello and piano plus four crotales or antique cymbals in 1971. Since then, his hauntingly memorable “Vox Balaenae,” with its diverse extended instrumental techniques and theatrical component, has become a 20th century chamber music classic.
You can hear Crumb’s classic on Saturday, at 2 p.m. in The First Unitarian Church of Hamilton, 170 Dundurn St. S. as flutist Susan Hoeppner makes her 5 at the First Chamber Music Series debut alongside co-artistic directors Rachel Mercer and Angela Park on cello and piano respectively.
The bill also includes American-Canadian composer Dorothy Chang’s 1998 “Miniatures,” which she describes as “a set of five short etudes, each based on a specific musical concept that addresses texture, gesture, or colour,” as well as the revised version of the “Trio” originally written in 1958 by Italian composer Nino Rota, best known for his soundtracks to numerous films including “La dolce vita” and “The Godfather.”
“It includes enough drama to imagine some kind of action happening on the silver screen,” said Mercer of the Rota.
And what would a flute program be without music from France?
French flutist-conductor-composer Philippe Gaubert’s graceful 1915 “Trois Aquarelles” (Three Watercolours) was inspired by French impressionist painting and Iberian rhythms.
Debussy’s “Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune” is a bona fide orchestral gem. Each of its 110 bars, from the iconic opening flute solo to the concluding lower string pizzicatos, overflows with the colourful strokes of a master orchestrator. So, how does Nikolai Platonov’s arrangement for flute and piano stack up? Head over to the concert to find out.
Tickets only online at universe.com/flutetrio: $21.59, senior $16.34, student/unwaged $5.84, under 12 free.
A humpback whale’s singing inspired George Comb to compose “Vox Balaenae” for amplified flute, cello and piano plus four crotales or antique cymbals in 1971