Musical Programme
Alexander Scriabin (1872–1915):
Étude Op. 2 No. 1 in C-sharp minor (1887)
Prelude & Nocturne (for solo left hand), Op. 9 (1894)
Étude Op. 42 No. 4 in F-sharp major (1903)
Claude Debussy (1862–1918):
L’Isle Joyeuse, L. 106 (1904)
Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943):
Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 36 (1913)
I. Allegro agitato
II. Non allegro – Lento
III. Allegro molto
Special thanks to Elina & Ariadne for their hosting and hospitality.
Programme Notes
Alexander Scriabin, in his early works such as the Étude Op. 2 No. 1, composed at the age of 15, is a poignant example of his early Roman- tic style influenced by Fréderic Chopin. His Prelude & Nocturne for the left hand alone, was born from an injury to his right hand, allowing him to continue composing and performing despite his short-lived physical limitation. His later work, Étude Op. 42 No. 4, delves into more complex harmonic and melodic structures, exploring tensions between tonality and emerging chromaticism.
Claude Debussy’s, L’isle joyeuse (1904). is a vivid piano work allegedly inspired by Jean-Antoine Watteau’s painting, L’ Embarquement pour Cythère, which depicts lovers journeying to the Greek island of Cythera, Aphrodite‘s mythical birthplace and known place of worship. Composed during a transformative summer on the Isle of Jersey with his lover Emma Bardac, the piece possibly reflects Debussy’s own emotional journey. The work opens with a musically thematic cadenza, dancing apollonian harp-like rhythms and a recurring fluid melodic motif that gradually grows leading up to a venereal culmination of ecstatic euphoria.
Finally, Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 36 (1913), is a seminal work of dramatic intensity and profound emotional scope. Its three movements — Allegro agitato, Non allegro – Lento, and Allegro molto — traverse the full spectrum of human emotion, from turbulence to tenderness, to reflection and triumph. Despite of its post-romantic underpinnings, this work reflects Rachmaninoff’s progressive musical language that makes it stand stylistically apart from many of his other works. The echo of bells permeates the music, while the recurring chromatically descending theme introduced in the 1st movement appears to infinitely transform throughout. After the introspective 2nd movement, the explosive finale builds up to a colossal recapitulation followed by a lightning-fast Coda.