Tamara Stefanovich: The Art of the Étude

Sunday 10 November 2019, Milton Court Concert Hall

2.30pm Part 1: From the past

4pm Part 2: In the present

7pm Part 3: When two worlds collide Olja Radmanovic Tamara Stefanovich piano

Part of Barbican Presents 2019–20

Please do ... Turn off watch alarms and phones during the performance. Please don’t ... Take photos or make recordings during the performance. Use a hearing aid? Please use our induction loop – just switch your The City of hearing aid to T setting on entering the hall. Corporation is the founder and principal funder of Programme produced by Harriet Smith; the advertising by Cabbell (tel 020 3603 7930) 2 Studies George Benjamin Steingrimur Rohloff John Woolrich Yihan Chen (world premiere: commissionedby theBarbican) Milica Djordjevic’ Part 2:Inthepresent 4pm Tamara Stefanovich rythme Messiaen Bartók Bacewicz Lourié pour lesarpègescomposés’from Études Debussy Roslavets Scriabin Szymanowski Part 1:From thepast 2.30pm Milton CourtConcertHall Sun 10Nov Tamara Stefanovich 10 ‘Filter’ and15 ‘Tamara’ from Études 6 ‘Animadóttir’, 7‘Entrap’, 8‘Point dejonction’, Vassos Nicolaou ‘Arabeske’ from 10 Studies 50 Études 50 ‘Étude’ from Daytime Routine No 2from Three Études Études Nos2and3,Op42 ‘Étude pour les huit doigts’ and ‘Étude ‘Étude pourleshuitdoigts’and Nos 4,5and8from 10 Études ‘Île defeu I’from Quatre Étudesde No 3from Three Études Étude No6‘Grains’ Étude I‘Evocation’ Étude 12 Études,Op33 Nos 1 ‘Anodos’, 4 ‘Chimes’, Nos 1‘Anodos’,4‘Chimes’, Role-playing 1:stringsattached ‘Relativity Rag’ from Three ‘Rivière d’oubli’ and ‘Rivière d’oubli’and Étude ‘Evening Cool’ piano piano

Tamara Stefanovich Ligeti Op 39No9 Rachmaninov Ligeti Op 39No8 Rachmaninov Ligeti Op 39No4 Rachmaninov Ligeti Op 39No1 Rachmaninov Ligeti Op 33No2 Rachmaninov Ligeti Op 33No1 Rachmaninov Part 3: When two worlds collide 7pm Étude No13 ‘L’escalierdudiable’ Étude No2‘Cordes àvide’ Étude No8‘Fém’ Étude No15 Étude No10 ‘DerZauberlehrling’ Étude No3‘Touches bloquées’ Étude-tableau inDmajor, Étude-tableau inDminor, Étude-tableau inBminor, Étude-tableau inCminor, Étude-tableau inCmajor, Étude-tableau inFminor, ‘ White onWhite’ piano

can tell stories andevoke images. they have incommontheideathat sound-worlds couldn’tbemore different, Ligeti’s which Rachmaninov’s she doesinthelastof today’s concerts, in when you juxtapose unlike withunlike, as an Today Tamara asks thequestion‘whatis as LisztandLigeti. offered inspiration to composersasvaried exercises invapid virtuosity. Hisexamples previously had often beenlittlemore than hall, bringingamusicaldepthto what study from thepractice room to theconcert It was Chopinwhofirst trulyelevated the fingers andmindintheform of 50 Stefanovich presents averitable workout for in whichtheremarkable pianistTamara A warm welcome to today’s concerts, Welcome étude études ?’ andexplores whathappens rub shoulders; though their rubshoulders;thoughtheir études-tableaux études études and and .

Huw Humphreys, Head of Music,Barbican enjoy it. It promises to beathrilling day: Ihopeyou Chin. Unsuk George Benjamin,HansAbrahamsen and commission) –shealsoperforms studiesby ´cDjordjevi (thelatter work aBarbican John Woolrich, Vassos Nicolaou andMilica her –by YihanChen,Steingrimur Rohloff, times. Aswell aspieceswritten expressly for fitting thatPart 2shouldbringusto modern interpretation of contemporary musicsoit’s Tamara Stefanovich iswell-known for her Bacewicz andMessiaen. rhythmic worlds of closecontemporaries here we move post-war to theglittering demands of Bartókandlate Debussy. From Roslavets form acontrast withtheextreme colours of Scriabin,Szymanowski and and mid20thcentury, where theheady Part 1transports usback intimeto theearly

3 Welcome 4 Quatre Études de rythme –’ Île de feu I’ feu de –’ Île rythme de Études Quatre 2 –No 18 Op Études, Three Bartók Béla 8 5and 4, – Nos Études Concert 10 Gra – Étude Routine Daytime Lourié Arthur 11, and doigts’ huit les ‘Pour 6, –Nos Douze Études Debussy Claude 3 –No Études Three Roslavets Nikolay 3 42 2and Op –Nos Études, Alexander Scriabin 33 Op 12 Études, Karol Szymanowski past From the 2.30pm: Nov: 10 Sun Étude of Art The the z . yna Bacewicz Bacewicz yna ‘Pour les arpèges composés’ composés’ arpèges les ‘Pour (1881–1945) (1891–1966) (1862–1918) (1908–92) (1881–1944) (1909–69)

(1872–1915)

(1882–1937)

the shortest, each aminute long.No 2manages second andthird numbersinthesetare among With Scriabin’sOp 42we goback to 1903. The around alastlookatthestars. Nos 10 and12 between themwrap thecycle up, and itsfinal chord soundslike anafterthought. leash of tonality asmuchanything elsehere, signature, thatof Eflat, though itstrains atthe earlier period(1908) istheonlypiecewithakey character. No 5,whichissaidto date from an different ways through theset’schangesof harmonies andtheostinatos, maintained in by commonfeatures, especiallythetwinkling short while).Wholenessisfurtherestablished onwards, andthecapriciousNo 9settlesfor a of stillness(every third oneisslow, from No 2 continuously, hurtlingon,through afew moments fast. Szymanowski asked thatthey beplayed number of minutes, mostbeingfast orvery 12 of themlastingnot muchmore thanthesame These of hisThird Symphony andFirstViolinConcerto. year for him,onethatalsosaw thecomposition We beginwithSzymanowski in1916 –abumper suggest, itdoesnow. value. Perhaps, asthenext programme might concentration onadefined task, had aparticular Perhaps atsuchatimethekeyboard study, inviting date from around thetimeof theFirstWorld War. halfway, withabevy of Tamara Stefanovich plungesinto thishistory countless composerssince. as well asinstructive, to beemulated inthatby in the1830s, made the to thegrowing popularityof thepiano.Chopin, however, before production took off, inresponse her husband’sdeath.Another centurypassed, for theHarpsichord orSpinet widow published muscular andmental agility. HenryPurcell’s material –for hours of dailypractice. Hencetheneedfor study only attheendof lengthy training, sustained by start; precious few achieve mastery, andthen difficult thingswe cando.Many of usmake a Playing amusicalinstrumentisoneof themost études are onaquite different scale,the études A Choice Collection of Lessons A ChoiceCollectionof Lessons , to extend andmaintain étude études an art form, poetic anartform, poetic in 1696, soonafter most of which mostof which ‘written-out arpeggios’of the11th étude,around droplets. Another isrevealed withinthelustrous simple songbeginsto make itselfheard inthe same, andsubjectto splashes.Neartheend,a taking thehandsincontrary directions orthe all water, made mostlyof quickfour-note scales one product. Thestudy‘for theeightfingers’ is a new abstraction. Hisbookof 12 as heputitinaletter to afriend,anddiscovered on theNormandycoast,he‘relearned’ music, 1914. The following summer, however, atPourville, outbreak of war, wrote nothing inthisyear of Debussy, initiallyill,andthenunsettledby the however, peters out. makes itsre-entry is offset against streaming triplets.Eventually it sometimes naked, sometimesrichlyharmonised, alternating withpassages inwhichamelody, than any we have heard sofar, hasrestless swirls Scriabin. Thelastof theset,amuchlongerpiece Études followers was Nikolay Roslavets, thoughhis tune withrevolution. Amongsuchunexpected flag, seeinginScriabinthesignpostto musicin Yet outof thishothouse somewould carryared which hesaw asintense blue. The key here isScriabin’sfavourite Fsharpmajor, trills thathave given itthenicknameof ‘Mosquito’. at top speed.No 3hashumour, too, intheneat a halt,atwhichpointthepattering bouncesback incessant quintupletsemiquavers onlyto cometo song, inFsharpminor, thateventually escapesits to beatoncemelancholy andhumorous, witha on thecover. Aminute-long study, whichLourié with anink-wash Cubistportrait of thecomposer Debussy from alittleearlier, from thesameyear asthe Revolution. Hisshortsuite during theyears immediately after theOctober of thePeople’s Commissariat for Education a Leninist,servingashead of themusicdivision contradiction inbeingatonceaScriabinistand Arthur Louriéwas another composerwhosaw no music getto address oneanother. of thecomposer’spreludes. Finallythetwo sortsof a middlesectionrecalling themusic-hallnumbers of 1914 find himnot yet sofar away from études , butwas publishedonlyin1918, con entusiasmo Daytime Routine . The enthusiasm, . Theenthusiasm, Études was was comes comes Three Three

5 Sun 10 Nov 6 dating from 1918. Allthree piecesinthissetstand us back again to theFirstWorld War period, The secondof Bartók’s luminous uncertainty. No 8 moves for themostpartinsmallcircles of middle sectionbriefly brought back attheend, whence itcame.Alsointernary form, butwiththe gain inpower anddetermination before returning fifth aslow movement ploddingintheshadows to The fourth pieceinthesetisa when theWarsaw Autumn festival was instituted. 1956 –acrucialyear for new musicinPoland, the piano,especiallyinher violin , butshealsowrote notably for seven stringquartets andthesamenumberof besides training asaviolinist.Herworks include and studiedcompositionwithNadia Boulanger, Graz the next wave, soonafter theSecondWorld War. for notable women composerswe have to await and painters inthespringtimeof modernism,but There were, of course, women poets,novelists scurrying incircles. Itwillhappenagain. where abasschord slamsinandsendsthemusic steady crescendo andrisingtension, to thepoint both handsstuckinthemiddle register. There isa right handwithmostlydiminishedfifths in theleft, main substance isclangorous: openfifths inthe Maria Barinova, isthefirst of thefive pieces.Its dedicated to hisconservatory pianoteacher . yna Bacewicz was borninto amusicalfamily Three Études 10 ConcertÉtudes moto perpetuo , Op 18, takes , the , the of of Programme note © warning. Intwo minutes itisallover. state, everything crashing inand outwithout with other material thatonlyintensifies theexcited with abirdsong above it,andsoon–interspersed accompaniment, soonafter inahigherregister start, inthebasswithadeeperbass-drum-style keeps recurring, indifferent settings–first, at the Études derythme with two of amore abstract cast to make dances were inhismind;hecombinedthepieces Island’ beingPapua New Guinea,whosefire movements underthetitle‘Îledefeu’, this‘Fire Bacewicz: OlivierMessiaen. In1949 hewrote two from thepost-1945 era, by acontemporary of The programme endswithanother piece attempted, butcannot bekept going. water hasfrozen into chunks of ice.Areprise is there isacadenza, unbarred, inwhichthe underground. Thehandsswitch functions,and well asSzymanowski, butthisisatorrent rushing with thewater musicof Debussy andRavel, as octaves intheleft,hassomethingcommon hand arpeggiationhere, over broken double they are indeedformidably difficult. Theright- later thathecouldnolonger play them,and and theirvirtuosorhetoric. Bartókconfessed (we are not sofar from Szymanowski territory) by virtueof theirbright-darkspangledharmonies out from therest of thecomposer’spianomusic . Astrongly rhythmic theme Quatre Quatre Milica DjordjeviMilica present the In 4pm: Yihan Chen Chen Yihan 6 ‘Grains’ No Étude Unsuk Chin (Barbican commission: world premiere) Role-playing 1: strings attached 15 ‘Tamara’ and jonction’,7 ‘Entrap’, de ‘Filter’ 10 8‘Point 1 ‘Anodos’, –Nos Études 4‘Chimes’, 6‘Animadóttir’, Vassos Nicolaou 3‘Arabeske’ and d’oubli’ 8 ‘Rivière –Nos Studies 10 Hans Abrahamsen Rag’ 3 ‘Relativity –No Studies Three Benjamin George Cool’ ‘Evening Étude Steingrimur Rohloff Étude Woolrich John I‘Evocation’ Étude

(born 1961)(born (born 1994)(born

(born 1954)(born c ’

(born 1971) (born (born 1984)(born (born 1960) (born (born 1952)(born (born 1971) (born

7 Sun 10 Nov 8 my sleepduringmy years away from home.’We tiles black, thusthescene unfolds when Idream in the waterside homeswiththewalls white androof grace thetapestry of canalsalongwhichstand see,’ hewrites, ‘andthemyriad of bridgesthat ‘The mistyrain thatveils allthatone’seyes can a setevocative of hisnative cityof Changzhou. October thatyear had added four more to make He wrote this youngest composerhere, andhimselfapianist. family from Chinato theUnited States, isthe Yihan Chen,whomoved asateenager withhis counterpoint. Aseverything fades, itisstillthere. when there arrives acannonade of two-part but thisinsistent note willnot besilenced,even alive withpinpoints,splashesandtiny figures, its presence felt. Thepianoprogressively comes G sharp inthemiddleof thepianokeeps making a fantasy of extreme registers –except thata a jumpupto another, andthestage issetfor comes onenote inthehightreble, followed by birthday, revision followed in2003.Atthestart of piecesdedicated to Pierre Boulezonhis75th here inLondonby Rolf Hindthatyear inarecital finished in2000,andgiven itsfirst performance a borderline caseinthisrespect, for thoughitwas The sixthandlast(sofar) of UnsukChin’s produced cancometo fullnessanddriftaway. the sustaining pedaldown sothatthesounds strings orpluckhigherones,allthewhilekeeping finger picks oraplectrumto scrape alongbass around stringsinthebottom register, anduse string continuously),draw onthreads woven guitars, to produce theeffect of bowing ona Ebows (electronic devices, intended for use on these into beingthepianisthasto operate four of metal melodyintheuppertreble. To bring from thefar bass,andeventually fragments of glowing harmonies,unearthlyconjurings the instrument,andresult isasoundscape attention to sonorityare exercised, rather, inside never touch thekeyboard. Dexterity andfine a pianostudyinwhichtheperformer’s fingers Milica Djordjevic’ comesan From theremarkably inventive Serbiancomposer dip back into the20thcentury. exceptions, andtheseare alsotheonlyitems that George BenjaminandHansAbrahamsen are expressly for her. Thepiecesby UnsukChin, , inmostcasesby composers writing Stefanovich’s programme are by living All the études inthesecondpartof Tamara étude inFebruary 2017, andby étude unlike any other, études is is produced in1982–5. Elemental ideas–notably one of three pianostudiesGeorge Benjamin in Cardiff by thecomposer, ‘Relativity Rag’ was Composed in1984, andfirst performed thatyear the intimacy. again. Alittlepostludebringsback thechords and draws thehandsapartandthenback together level gradually increases withthewhirling,which at thisstage comesto take over, andthedynamic ‘quasi jazz’–andquiet.Whatwas ornamental harmonies supportingalazymelody, played second of them,beginscoolindeed–wandering at the2016 . ‘Evening Cool’,the set of three in Germany sincehewent there to study, wrote a Steingrimur Rohloff, borninReykjavík butresident element, changingthegame. seem to wrap thingsup,except thatthere isa fifth study, revisited inthefourth piece–whichmight pieces, dialogue.Atthestart comesaright-hand definition, and,inthecaseof thesecondandthird start outfast, studiesinspeedandrhythmic between halfaminute andaminute long.They concatenation of fragments, each somewhere John Woolrich’s what surface itstrikes. as rain willmake different soundsdependingon register. Thequickpattering shiftsinposition,just the growing sways of harmony inthemiddle which thelefthandmustwork other figures, and tremulation atthetop of thekeyboard, around may allperhapssensethisintherapid right-hand the sameperiod, we have pre-echoes, interms in HansAbrahamsen’s ‘Arabeske’, datingfrom It iscuriousthatinthisBenjaminpiece, asalso forward from Poulenc to Benjamin. five minutes thepieceexecutes afive-decade fast- ticks of time, intheelements,stickaround; andin to whichthehandskeep timedraw apart;tiny say, isgoingon,andonseveral levels. Theclocks and bewhisked away. Timedilation,onemight recognisable, ready to gelinto therag oncemore teacher Messiaen. Theelements,however, remain it draws nearthebirdsong piecesof Benjamin’s transformed beyond recognition.’ Atonepoint the harmony distorts andeventually therag is like bitsof film, thetempi of thehandsseparate, again. AsBenjaminputsit:‘Phrases are cutup into apianorag, andthenunform themselves cheeky cadence –quicklyform themselves a lusciouslyharmonisedragtime step anda études Étude for Tamara Stefanovich to play , from 2013, isa ‘I amfascinated by how ourmindstry tirelessly notes below quote himfurther. extra-musical ideashave inspired measwell.’ The hands. Several numbers are studiesinrhythm, and on geometric-choreographic movements of the matters (suchastheinstrument’sresonance) or on aspecific way of playing, onbasicacoustic ‘In each piece’,hehaswritten, ‘Ifocus mostly by three for the2013 festival andmore beyond. the 2008RuhrPianoFestival, andwere followed (2017). Hisfirst five Pierre-Laurent Aimard: hand pieceswritten for Tamara Stefanovich and music generally, hisworks includingtwo four- the domainof thepiano been aproductive force thiscenturynot onlyin The Cypriot composerVassos Nicolaou has background. and perhapsthatpieceissomewhere inthe title Schumannusedfor hisOp 18 pianopiece, small group of notes. ‘Arabeske’ was alsothe the sameeffects of infinity andcurve witha of leaves andtendrils; Abrahamsen achieves piano. Anarabesque isageometricalpattern German piano,especiallytheRomantic German four allhaving titlesinGermanandrecalling the Abrahamsen beganhissequenceof studies,these ‘Arabeske’ was oneof thefour pieceswith which lives above. which thedead mustdrinkinorder to forget their one of thefive rivers of the underworld, from Ancient Greeks, theriver of oblivionwas Lethe, into soundlesstunnelsinkeeping withitstitle.For d’oubli’ nevertheless now andthenslipsaway remembering alsoitselfasitproceeds, ‘Rivière repertoire from almost acenturybefore, and in thispairis‘Cascades’). Remembering this not leastintheirwatery subject-matter (theother evoke thepianomusicof Debussy andRavel, his setof 10 in1998. Both have French titles,and two studieswithwhichAbrahamsen completed ‘Rivière d’oubli’,or‘River of Oblivion’,isoneof and UnsukChin. those of hispupils,whoincludeboth Abrahamsen others Ligetihimself was to composeaswell as defined allexamples since,certainly includingthe which cameoutin1985 andhaspretty much minuscule elements)of Ligeti’s first bookof music grow ininfinite repetition andvariation of of pianosoundand fractal thinking(having to recognise forms and figures inthe night études scene étude were commissioned for (2010) and but also in piano butalsoinpiano Frames études

, the piece. herself withcrossed handsandlegsattheendof virtuosic musicaltext traps thepianist,whofinds the righthand,creating illusoryspeeds.Thehyper- combined withmuchfreer andflowing musicfor ‘In “Entrap”, asteady left-handostinato is chordal bursts. a trill,causingtheinitialrubato to changeinto resonance. Thehighergestures accelerate into of musicenrichedby anaura of sympathetic accompanied by highergestures, both kinds ‘No 6 concernsmelodiesinthebaritone register study inreading. duality. Notated onupto sixstaves, thisisalsoa spectra –to create somethinglike major–minor harmonic spectra –andalsoreverse harmonic because thetone material isprojected onto imaginary very slow pace. They sound“natural” of Aeolian chimes,played by thewind,inan ‘The poeticideabehindthefourth polyphony. tried to achieve, from asingleline,anillusory Albert S Bregman´s psychoacoustical phenomenadescribedin highest ( lowest register of thepianoandendsin figures Iobserved. Thepiecebeginsinthe and thentriedto make heard theforms and “Anodos”, Icreated astarry skywithnotes wall. WhenIstarted composingthefirst sky, theclouds,oronsurface of anold Programme note ©Paul Griffiths taken duringthe process of composition.’ in complementary rhythms, withintuitive freedoms material forms itself,basedon two illusorycanons are more complex. A“machine” thatregenerates No 1, but alltheelementsandtheirdevelopment ‘Technically, No 15 hasmany similaritieswith though afilter hasbeenactivated. of notes withinchords are not synchronised, as ‘The 10th keyboard. the musiceruptsinto wildgestures across the a “trigger”causesseriesof disruptionsand or indirect resonance. Itstarts gently butsoon regarding dynamics andways of creating direct ‘“Point dejonction”iscomposedonseveral levels anodos étude is perhaps the calmest. Releases isperhapsthecalmest.Releases =upwards). Having regard to Auditory SceneAnalysis étude is that isthat étude , I , I ,

9 Sun 10 Nov 10 15 ‘White on White’ White’ on ‘White 15 No Étude György Ligeti Cminor, 1 39 in No Op Étude-tableau Sergey Rachmaninov Zauberlehrling’ ‘Der 10 No Étude György Ligeti 2 Cmajor, No 33 in Op Étude-tableau Sergey Rachmaninov 3 ‘Touches bloquées’ No Étude György Ligeti 1 Fminor, No 33 in Op Étude-tableau Sergey Rachmaninov 7pm: two When worlds collide

(1923–2006)

(1873–1943) 13 ‘L’escalier 13 No Étude diable’ du György Ligeti Dmajor, 9 39 in No Op Étude-tableau Sergey Rachmaninov àvide’ 2 ‘Cordes No Étude György Ligeti Dminor, 8 39 in No Op Étude-tableau Sergey Rachmaninov 8 ‘Fém’ No Étude György Ligeti Bminor, 4 39 in No Op Étude-tableau Sergey Rachmaninov

11 Sun 10 Nov 12 images are multipliedononeanother infinitely), included fractal patterning (whereby similar light inDebussy, andnewer enthusiasmsthat European folk music,thesurvivingdiatonic earlier experience of composingandof Central the instrumentfeeds into thesepieces:allhis much other thanintimate acquaintance with he publishedafirst bookof six Ligeti’s pianopractice bore fruitin1985, when memory. luminous territory, thestairways now justabad the final escapeinto completely consonantand twice, andperhapsprovides encouragement for C major–like bluesky–isvery briefly glimpsed, 2/4, 6/4or3/4outof thebasicfour-beat metre. incursion of irregular timesignatures: joltsto 5/4, takes, together withtheimbalancecausedby the dotted rhythms complicate thesteps Rachmaninov right attheendof theevening.) Chromaticism and be invited to complete thecomparisonwithLigeti within stairways, generally descending.(We will study –orapicture –of stairways, andstairways published asOp 33,for thisFminorpieceisa set datingfrom August to September 1911 and Rachmaninov’s first One mightwonder ifheever tackled Schumann, Debussy and,yes, Rachmaninov. the piano,hisrepertory includedBach, Chopin, was inthehabitof spendinganhouraday at tells usthatinthelate 1970s, whenthecomposer Richard Steinitz, inhisessentialstudyof Ligeti, from Ligeti’s,reintegrating butdestabilised. Also, tonality, disintegrating butstabilised, isnot sofar coinage. We mightfind, too, thatRachmaninov’s a picture, asan they agree decisively onconstruing the What canthesetwo say to oneanother? Well, magic dustleftwhenallthewhirlwindsare over. of modernism,ontheother Ligetipickingupthe of 19th-century Russiathrough thefirst whirlwind Rachmaninov maintaining thegloryandglitter études provocative combinationthatbringshertally of for theprogramme indicates asmuch–thisisa As Tamara Stefanovich iswell aware –hertitle for theday to 50.Ontheonesidewe have étude-tableau Étude-tableau , inRachmaninov’s études , from the , from the étude . So . So as as have asimpleostinato constantly onthemove interpretation of thelatter in of themultiplyingbrooms inWalt Disney’s in Dukas’s subject for him:theGoethestory musicallyretold second book,took whatwas anappropriate composition. ‘DerZauberlehrling’,from his four to beginathird, thelastof themhisfinal dozen more: eightto form asecondbookand stop, andover thenext 16 years produced a writing piano Ligeti, meanwhile, ismoving on.Having started most, though,isthearpeggiatingwater. clear thateach responds to theother. Whatspeaks registers, of course,andtheirown themes,butitis conversation. Thetwo characters have theirown near water, where awoman andamanare in clearest key, Cmajor, itmightbeof somewhere from Rachmaninov’s Op 33collectioninthe If onewanted animage, atableau, for theitem resumed. the righthand’shaltingrace isthenbriefly – strikinglytransformed, asitturnsout,though the bassandthenreappears inthehightreble a typicalLigetiantactic, themusicdescendsinto blocking, sothatitseven rhythm ishobbled.In strike akey theleftisholdingdown andthereby hand’s notes are interrupted whenittriesto ‘Touches bloquées’(Blocked Keys), theright moving atdifferent speeds.Inthethird study, the illusionof several simultaneous layers of ConlonNancarrow, allhelpinghimcreate African musicandthecomplex crossed rhythms Rachmaninov’s second setof crisis pointinto anAflat Phrygianscale. rhythmically andharmonically, turningatthemain in themainmaterial, where triplet semiquavers in C minor tornado thatopenstheset,not somuch touches of both thoseother composers inthe and of Prokofiev, was curtailed. We may sense other recent Russianpianomusic,thatof Scriabin decade, sothatthedialogueheopenedhere with 1917, andthelasthecompleted atallfor almosta the lastmajorwork hecompleted inRussia, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice études , hefound itimpossibleto Fantasia Études-tableaux . Instead , we we , was was more Ligetian inventions, initstranslucent fifths This and richer, more emphaticrealms of expression. along alarger wave between diatonic simplicity brief wave of gentleharmonicfluctuations moving instalment of Rachmaninov’s Op 39isbasedona Sunny intone for themostpart,Dminor territory isgoneover again atone-third speed. is thatfor ‘light’: luminous. (Closeto theHungarian word for ‘metal’ clangorous, indeedmetallic, andindeedalso triads to more complex chords: thesoundisharsh, registral spaces, andmoving from fifths and values, alternately loudandsoft, locked into close Ligeti’s ‘Fém’(Metal) isahocket ineven rhythmic which isanswered inthecoda. sections, both endingwiththesamequestion, of adancemovement, too, withtwo repeated also frequently switching metre). Theform isthat 18th-century gavotte, atoncefussy andelegant(if occasioned inthiscaseby amodel:thatof an with Rachmaninov’s inhisBminorpiece,though combination of simplification andsophistication It may not betoo muchof astretch to compare this still onlyonthewhite notes untilvery neartheend. on asymmetrically grouped runningquavers, but turns into atypicalplay of asymmetrical melody more directions atthesametime.Thenthisall unrepeated) often seemto bepullingintwo or case triads are rare, and chords are generally are crooked andunstable: progressions (inthis restricted meanscomeharmonicinclinationsthat keys inthetreble register, thoughoutof these slow chorale-canon proceeding entirely onwhite from traditional tonality. Thestudypresents a third book,of coursegoeseven furtheraslant ‘White onWhite’, withwhichLigetiopenedhis mechanical rhythms. modes, for instance, orheavyweight ostinatos and the whole-tone scaleand other non-traditional the three-minute piece:twinklingcascades in in octaves, asintheepisodesatcentre of the righthandswirl around theleft’sutterances étude-tableau fény , like thevery first, isoneof the .) In a quiet coda, some of the .) Inaquietcoda,someof the to beableto continueforever, becausewhen figures. The inexorable upward stairways seem breaks free, butisstillboundinto chromatic-scale but irregular music,therighthandterrifyingly foreign notes. After apage of thisfurious,driven scalar note isdividedfrom thenext by oneortwo braided together, butcrabbed, becauseeach Its stairs are chromatic steps, inrisingscales is themostimposingandalarmingof them. placed insinister 13th positionamonghis kind. ‘L’escalierdudiable’(TheDevil’s Staircase), Ligeti, of course,goesfor triumphof adifferent close. material, everything isoncoursefor atriumphant a by themiddlesection,inshiftingmetres, butonce march. Unwary marchers mightbewrongfooted of Rachmaninov’s harmony (asof Ligeti’s)–isa difference isnot somarked, given theopalescence only oneinthissetamajorkey, thoughthis The lastnumberinRachmaninov’s Op 39–the (Open Strings). to thetuningof stringinstruments:‘Cordes àvide’ piece isastudyinfifths, hencethetitle’sreference and metre instates of bewilderment orveiling. This elements, imprintsfrom folk music,andharmony all display generative constructionfrom simple We return to Ligeti’sfirst book,whosemembers sounding particularlyRachmaninovian.) not return thecompliment,noneof his on itsinitialright-handpattern. (Sadly, Ligetidid and, even more so,thechangesitconstantly rings Programme note ©Paul Griffiths to goonrising. returns towards itsformer condition,compelled and, despite thewildringingof bells,themusic upward chromatic motion soonreasserts itself in anemptiedmusicalspace, buttheruleof Chords now appearalone,asifpeeringaround into thefar treble andtheuneven steppings stop. Eventually, however, both handsare crammed another two ormore willstill have room ahead. one of themreaches thetop of thekeyboard scherzando interlude hasbrought back themain études études

, 13 Sun 10 Nov 14 Olja Radmanovic Symphony Orchestra underPablo Heras-Casado Orchestra underKirillPetrenko, Bavarian Radio She alsoappears withtheIsrael Philharmonic Vienna’s Konzerthaus and Brussels’sFlagey. Elbphiharmonie, here attheBarbicanCentre, This seasonsheappearsatHamburg’s Beethovenfest Bonn. Roque d’Anthéron, theSalzburg Festival and performed atinternational festivals suchas La Royal AlbertHalland Wigmore Hall.Shehas venues, includingSuntory Hall,Tokyo, the She appearsattheworld’s majorconcert Bremen, amongothers. of Europe andDeutscheKammerphilharmonie Philharmonic Orchestra, ChamberOrchestra and LondonSymphony orchestras, London the , theBamberg, Chicago to contemporary music, andhasperformed with unusually broad repertoire, ranging from Bach with leading international orchestras. Shehasan a chambermusicianandasconcerto soloist for herhighlyelaborate recital programmes, as Tamara Stefanovich isacclaimed worldwide Tamara Stefanovich About the performer Tamara Stefanovich piano of Zeynep Gedizlioglu’snew piano , hr-Sinfonieorchester, givingtheworld premiere Highlights lastseasonincludedherdebutwiththe Heinz Steffens, amongothers. and thePhilharmoniaOrchestra underKarl- Salonen, Vladimir Jurowski andSusannaMälkki. works withconductors suchasEsa-Pekka Aimard and Matthias Goerneandsheregularly include Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Pierre-Laurent and György Kurtág. Herchambermusic partners Boulez, George Benjamin,HansAbrahamsen She hasworked withcomposers suchasPierre of ,to great critical acclaim. recital tour of theUSA to markthe90thbirthday de SãoPaulo. Shealsoundertook anextensive of Europe andOrquestra Sinfônica do Estado Sinfonieorchester Köln,ChamberOrchestra Orchestra, MDRSinfonieorchester Leipzig,WDR performances withtheTokyo Symphony Other recent engagements have included of HansAbrahamsen’s National Symphony orchestras for performances alongside returns to theStavanger andDanish Left, alone . Curtis Institute and at Cologne’s Musikhochschule. Curtis Institute andatCologne’sMusikhochschule. Clearing’ Festival. ShestudiedinBelgrade, atthe and curator of Portland PianoInternational’s ‘The www.explorethescore.org. Shewas co-founder pedagogical analyses of Boulez’s as theinnovative onlineproject of interactive Philharmonie andKlavier-Festival Ruhr, such projects attheBarbicanCentre, Kölner Tamara Stefanovich regularly leads educational Bach. explores musicby Ives, Bartók,Messiaen and Influences works by Bach andBartók,hersecondalbum Award. Following herfirst solorecording, of of Boulez(DG)was nominated for aGrammy London Symphony Orchestra underthebaton orchestra withPierre-Laurent Aimard andthe Concerto for two pianos,percussion and an EdisonAward, andherrecording of Bartók’s Guihen Queyras for ECM.Thatalbumreceived Ensemble andReinbert deLeeuwandJean- and hisdoubleconcerto withAsko|Schönberg recording of Kurtág’s … Her award-winning discography includesa , released onPentatone inMarch, quasi unafantasia … Notations :

15 About the performer Pianists at the Barbican 2019–20

18 Nov, 21 Nov 2019 & 13 Jan, 31 Mar 2020 Yuja Wang 26 Jan, 13 Feb, 19 Feb, 7 Apr 2020 Igor Levit Fri 6 Dec 2019 Arcadi Volodos Thu 6 Feb 2020 Tue 25 Feb 2020 Simon Trpcˇ eski Mon 4 Apr 2020 Tue 21 Apr 2020 Murray Perahia Sun 7 Jun 2020 Hélène Grimaud Fri 12 Jun 2020 Jeremy Denk

Classical Piano 148x210 mono ad .indd 1 04/11/2019 10:52