THE SANCTUARY QUEEN’S CROSS CHURCH ABERDEEN
Monday 19th September 2022
PROGRAMME:
Hans Gál (1890 – 1987): Three Marionettes, Op. 74
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 – 1789): Sonata for piano duet, K521
Franz Schubert (1797 – 1789): Rondo in A major, D 951
Gabriel Fauré (1845 – 1924): Dolly Suite, Op. 56
Anton Dvořák (1841 – 1904): Slavonic Dance in e minor, Op. 72/2
Claude Debussy (1862 – 1918): Petite Suite
Mozart: Andante and Variations for piano duet in G, K501
Our new season of eight concerts for 2022 – 23 opened in ebullient spirit with an enchantingly tuneful performance by virtuoso piano duettists James Lisney and Sarah Beth Briggs. They had chosen some of the most attractive pieces in the repertoire, in particular Fauré’s ‘Dolly Suite’ the first movement of which I was already familiar with from the age of about three when it was the signature tune for ‘Listen With Mother’ on the radio. Television had not yet come to Aberdeen.
Live performances of piano duets are exceptionally rare, especially an entire concert of such music, so it was an especial delight to discover two works by Mozart, one each by Schubert and Dvořák and Debussy’s ‘Petite Suite’ which I knew on record but had never heard performed live before.
Regular attenders of Aberdeen Chamber Music Concerts will remember that we have given special support to the music of Hans Gál. He was born in Austria but spent the years of his life between 1938 and 1987 in the United Kingdom, mostly in Edinburgh where he was one of the founders of the Edinburgh Festival. We hosted a special weekend devoted to his music. Sarah Beth Briggs has a special affection for his music and she introduced us to ‘Three Marionettes’ three delightful pieces entitled Pantalone – Columbina and Arlecchino. Sarah Beth promised us music that was bright and sunny and full of fun. Gál was writing such music, post Brahms shall we say, when anything like that was being frowned upon by the musical ‘cognoscenti’ of the time. Now, in a new century, music like that of Hans Gál is very much coming back into fashion. Today’s duettists with the fire and fluency of their playing made the music shine and sparkle. From where I was sitting I could not see James Lisney’s hands but I enjoyed watching Sarah Beth’s dancing over the keys in this music.
Mozart’s ‘Sonata for piano duet, K521’ had three movements. The opening Allegro reminded me of Mozart the operatic composer. There was definitely a sense of drama delivered in today’s performance. Sometimes the players would seem to sing and reply to one another elsewhere they were wonderfully together in almost orchestral richness.
The following Andante was slow and as the programme note suggested almost melancholic but with a faster central section that was really exciting. The Rondo Finale we were told was possibly based on a bagpipe tune. Not a Scottish pipe tune to be sure but remember that there are different sorts of bagpipes throughout Europe. It made me think of music in an outdoor rustic setting and Sarah Beth’s playing in this movement stood out for it fast flowing delicacy.
Schubert’s ‘Rondo in A major, D951 had James taking over the ‘primo’ duet part. The repeated melodic fullness of tone was absolutely delightful.
After the interval we were introduced to the background story of Fauré’s marvellous ‘Dolly Suite, Op. 56’. The six short pieces were dedicated to a little girl, Hélène Bardac who Sarah Beth suggested could have been the composer’s daughter – but possibly not. She explained that some of the titles are confusing, for instance, the second piece Mi-a-ou is not the sound made by a cat but little Hélène’s childish way of referring to her brother ‘Monsieur Raoul’. No pussy cats in number four either, Kitty-Valse should be Ketty-Valse, Ketty being the name of composer’s dog. I have already said how the first movement Berceuse takes me way back to being a three year old. Now in my late seventies, Sarah Beth has reawakened my interest in the details of this music. It is of course gloriously colourful music. Not all that simple to play but wonderfully simple to listen to. I particularly enjoyed the duo’s sizzling performance of Le Pas Espagnol. I almost felt like shouting ‘Olé’ at the end, but better not perhaps.
James took over as ‘primo’ player for the next two pieces, the first a high-spirited performance of Dvořák’s ‘Slavonic Dance in e minor’. James explained that when Debussy composed his ‘Petite Suite’ to raise money, he produced pastiches of the music of his contemporaries, the free running melody of En Bateau suggesting Fauré, and the final movement Ballet touching on Delibes and Chabrier. Nevertheless for me both the second movement Cortège (Bizet) and the third, Menuet (Massenet) came through as very much Debussy himself because of the shine and clarity of the music something that our two duettists delivered with particular cleanness and brilliance of touch.
The final work in the official programme took us back to Mozart and his ‘Andante and Variations in G, K501’ very much a masterclass in how to write variations.
This performance drew enthusiastic applause from Monday’s reasonably large audience which was rewarded with a splendid version of Tchaikovsky’s ‘Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy’ from ‘The Nutcracker’.
Being that this concert took place on the day of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth, we observed a minute of silence before James and Sarah Beth performed a duet version of the National Anthem at the beginning of the concert.
Our next concert will be a performance by Dorine Sorber (piano), Francis Moore-Colyer (violin) and Ulla-Riikka Kuisma (cello) they are the ZeNoBo Piano Trio. What on earth does that name signify. We don’t know. Come along to Queen’s Cross on Monday 24th October when all will be explained in ‘A four-part programme based on the changing of the seasons’.