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Programme produced by HarrietSmith;printed Part of Barbican Presents 2018–19 Evgeny Kissin Scriabin Debussy interval Schumann E major, Op 62No2 G major, Op 37No2 Chopin Wednesday 6February 2019 7.30pm, Hall in recital Evgeny Kissin online. during your visit. Additional feedback canbegiven If anything limitsyour enjoyment pleaseletusknow with ahandkerchief. you feel theneedto coughorsneeze,pleasestifle it sake of other audiencemembersandtheartists,if prevent coughingduringaperformance. But,for the We appreciate thatit’snot always possible to members. can spoiltheenjoyment of your fellow audience set to Titmay causehigh-pitched feedback which entering thehall.Ifyour hearingaidisnot correctly you shouldswitch your hearingaidto Tsettingon Please remember thatto useourinductionloop strictly prohibited. or usingrecording devices during aperformance is performance. Taking photographs, capturingimages Please turnoff watch alarms,phones etc duringthe Cabbell (tel 02036037930) by Trade WindsColourPrinters Ltd;advertising by Nocturnes:Fminor, Op 55No1 20minutes PianoSonata No 4,Op30 Préludes –selection PianoSonata No 3,Op14 piano

2 – another longstanding interest –intheform Three nocturnesare followed by Schumann he hasbeenassociated for many years. He beginswithChopin,whosemusic to hisrepertoire andnewer passions. a typicalmixof composerswho are central acute asever andtonight’s programme is His senseof musicaladventure remains as undertaken very muchinthepubliceye. Wunderkind to mature artisthasbeen still inhisteens andhisjourney from made international headlines while of today. Evgeny Kissinfirst concert, given by oneof thegreatest A warm welcome to thisevening’s Welcome Huw Humphreys, Head of Music,Barbican concert. Ihopeyou enjoy it. It promises to beavery memorable is amiracle of energy andfragility. few years before Debussy’s whose Fourth Sonata, written justa are alsoatrademark of Scriabin, for subtlecolourings.Subtlecolourings that exhibit Debussy’s extraordinary ear eight Evgeny Kissin’srepertoire and hepresents Debussy isamore recent addition to perfect balanceof form andcontent. a numberof timesinhisquestto find the that thecomposersubstantially reworked of hisThird PianoSonata. Thiswas apiece Préludes , vibrant character pieces Préludes , unexpected passion. to rises part central turbulent more its – while know will it through struggled has who student piano any –as seems it than challenging more far is sections outer its of simplicity apparent the but 55 Nocturnes, Op the of first the in naive Those reveries may initially appear almost opium eater.’ an of visions the than delicious more reveries into us plunge and bodily, there us take nocturnes Chopin’s but dreamland, of glimpses us given Dream Night’s in 1899: in ‘Mendelssohn writing instance, for T Finck, Henry critic American the insight, more rather showed Others work.’ Chopin’s mirror, gets one concave a distorting, before nocturnes charming Field’s holds one if … pepper of ahandful empties Chopin food, the into seasoning some puts Field where groans; Chopin sighs, Field where grimace, a grinning makes Chopin smiles, Field ‘Where wrote: crossly musicindifferent critic, and poet self-styled Rellstab, however. Ludwig this, appreciated quite contemporaries his of all soar. it Not made truly who Chopin was it but genre, piano Romantic a as nocturne the invented have may Field John Emajor, in 62 Op 2 No Nocturne Gmajor, 2 in 37 No Op Nocturne 1 Fminor, No 55 in Op Nocturne Fryderyk Chopin and Weber in in Weber and Oberon A Midsummer A Midsummer have have (1810–49) biographer Frederick Niecks wrote them off as as off them wrote Niecks Frederick biographer composer’s power’, the while creative ‘enfeebled an of evidence were pieces two the music, Klecz Jan for contemporaries: by his underrated seriously were they that bizarre seems it Nowadays death. his before years three just 1846, in written were 62, Op Nocturnes, published Chopin’s last repose. complete of anote on piece the ending word, final the has that melody second the is it as expected, reappears theme barcarolle-like the Though backdrop. chordal asimple against Chopin’s standards) unfolds, calm, confiding, by (even beauty sublime of a melody which in section, inner the for little changes mood The thirds. and sixths in given theme, like popular among pianists for its lilting barcarolle- mellifluous number,particularly once hugely a 2is 37 No Op Nocturne, Gmajor The Fauré’s in its self-possession. nocturnes anticipate to seems and coda consoling the in fleetingly, if warmed, finally is It section. middle faster-moving the through persists that mood a them, threw 2 that No of opening withdrawn on’. wispily the was it dwelling Perhaps ‘not worth y n ´ ski, an early editor of Chopin’s of editor early an ski,

(1842–4) (1842–4) (1846) (1838)

3 Programme notes 4 Kissin presents this evening, and it finds finds it and evening, this presents Kissin Evgeny that version four-movement the is It placed second. is which scherzos, the of one reinstating and his it 1853, in calling again orchestre published under the designation publisher Tobias Haslinger, and it was initially the of behest the at apparently scherzos, two the excised had he year following by the 1834; but in was That by Clara. atheme on variations of consisted that movement slow a central with the addition of surrounding scherzos two work, afive-movement as it conceived initially He Clara. beloved his from separated forcibly was Schumann when atime 1836, at in written was it of Much history. complex aparticularly 3 has No but post-Beethoven, sonata, the with do to what of challenge the to approach different slightly a takes works these 14. of Op 3, No Each and minor, 11, Op F sharp in Gminor, 2 in 22 No Op 1 –No sonatas completed three are there pieces, character of Schumann’s series between In 4 Prestissimo possibile Wieck Clara de Andante variazioni. 3 Quasi commodo Molto 2 Scherzo: 1 Allegro brillante rev (1834, 1853) Fminor, 14 3 in Op No Sonata Piano . But Schumann returned to the piece piece the to returned Schumann . But

Grande Sonate Grande

Concert sans sans Concert

3 3 No moving from D flat major to the distant key key distant the to major Dflat from moving theme, falling astepwise on built is movement, first the of opening the like which, Scherzo, the through continues energy That movement. first the launch –to energy aturbulent with –re-imagined theme her of adaptation an uses also Schumann for enough, not is that yet sonata not just physically but emotionally too: the of heart the is This variations. reaching far- and imaginative four writes Schumann which on lament, paced abroadly is theme Clara’s father. her of disapproval the to thanks separation enforced you’, their to for areaction ‘one was it long that Clara to wrote he when exaggerating not was Schumann powerful. very is that vision of singularity a with also but driven most his at Schumann interval Schumannn’s style. of atrademark such is that emotion high and restlessness of combination a heady is too, finale, Trio. The sonorous the for Dmajor of (1810–56) 20minutes

cri de coeur de cri

light peculiarto theMediterranean, thepianist an explosive evocation of thekindof dazzling The fifth only gradually revealed. mystery enhancedby theway themelodicline is forms atypicallyrestrained opening,thesenseof a reproduction of thepriestesses of Diana?It de Delphes’:was itasculpture intheLouvre or theories asto theinspiration behind‘Danseuses begin inAncientGreece. There are various countries, includingSpainandItaly, butwe the FirstBookwe’re offered glimpsesof many in anintermingling of highandlow art,too. In – not justgeographically andhistorically but which Evgeny Kissinselectseightthisevening Debussy travels far inhis24 be aboutanything else. inspiration, it’sdifficult to imagine thepiececould interpretation. Butonce you know thetitleandits supposedly to avoid over-influencing the titles attheendof each pieceisintentional, to doinhis genre inastrikinglynew direction, justashewas Chopin (acomposerherevered), they take the no hammers.Ifhis imagine they were playing aninstrumentwith was allaboutillusion–hewanted pianiststo sounds soeffortless. For Debussy, thepiano the effort thatwent into creating musicthat meticulousness withwhichhecomposed,of such apronouncement gives littleideaof the his long-suffering compositionteacher. But Pleasure isthelaw.’ SoDebussy famously told ‘There isnotheory. You merely have to listen. –excentric Lavine Général 2 Book Préludes, engloutie La cathédrale vent d’Ouest de Delphes Danseuses 1 Book Préludes, Debussy Claude Neopolitan folk song. This isthefirst of several specific by theintroduction of asultrypseudo- painting withbold strokes, thelocalemade more Prélude Études , ‘Lescollinesd’Anacapri’, is . Theplacing of theevocative . Préludes La fille aux cheveux de lin lin cheveux de aux fille La follow inthelineof Préludes . Les collines d’Anacapri d’Anacapri collines Les –from . Feux d’artifice d’artifice Feux (1909–10) (1909–10) (1911–13) (1911–13) (1862–1918) in allherpre-Raphaelite beauty. Debussy’s écossaises lin’. TheoriginisLeconte deLisle’s number of theset,‘Lafille auxcheveux de the first persononourtravels inthemostfamous From landscapes,real orfictional, we encounter the greatest musicalstorms inpianohistory. Debussy gives Lisztarunfor hismoney inoneof to return withstories of whatthey have seen. where thefour windsare dispatched andtold Christian Andersentale, qu’a vulevent d’Ouest’,whichrefers to aHans The temperature drops abruptlyinNo 7, in‘Ce with fake vernacular. preludes inwhichDebussy mingleshisown music the sound of thecathedral bells, andthedeep, medieval organum (usingparallel-motion fifths), sea through themists. Debussy’s evocations of could occasionally beglimpsed,risingoutof the the cathedral inthedrowned cityof Ys,which other intheset.Itrefers to a Breton legendabout comes closerto programme musicthanany The 10th ‘Ibéria’, thesecondof hisorchestral The ideaisactually aquotation from Debussy’s mocking strummedidea–another busker? performance istwiceinterrupted by agently by thepianist-turned-guitarist, theprotagonist’s hours spentover theborder. Aswe’re serenaded though hisexperience of itwas limited to afew enduring fascination for thecomposer, even interrompue’ (No 9),acountrythatwas an poem. We pay avisitto Spainin‘Lasérénade that plays down theeroticism of theoriginal plaintive air, give thesubjectanairof innocence portrait, withitsharmoniousthirds andtenderly . La sérénade interrompue

Prélude , inwhichouryoung lassisdescribed . Ce qu’a Ce le vu ,‘La cathédrale engloutie’, ,‘La cathédrale engloutie’,

The Garden of Paradise

Chansons Chansons Images

. , 5 Programme notes 6 such as: such as: the erotic isjustbelow thesurface, aswitnessline journey to afar-off star, though,asever, asenseof own programme for thesonata, whichinvolves a Scriabin’s state of mindcanbegrasped from his and thetheosophistMadame Blavatsky. Ahintof fascination withthephilosophiesof Nietzsche figure Mitrofan Belaiev butalso hisincreasing the deathof hispatron, publisherandfather- considerable upheaval inScriabin’slife: itsaw much of itspower. Theyear 1903 was oneof the structural underpinningthatgives hismusic something astraditional asasonata, infact it’s in thismostoutlandishof mindsetsconforming to the genre. Thoughthere mightseemto beanirony arguably hisearliestout-and-outmasterpiece in sonatas to bewritten inthe20thcentury, is His Fourth Sonata, thefirst of his10 numbered a mysticism entirely hisown. is anextraordinary one, from late Romanticism to which hetook thegenre over barely two decades the pianosonata hisown andthejourney on arguably thefirst Russiancomposertrulyto make greatest iconoclasts:.Hewas Evgeny Kissinendshisrecital withoneof music’s volando 2 Prestissimo – 1 Andante 30 Op major, Fsharp 4 in No Sonata Piano Alexander Scriabin than two staves. however, withthepieceslaidoutonthree rather First. Thetextures becomeever more complex, in 1913 andismore inward-looking thanthe The SecondBookof the spiritual. have aboutthemasenseof awe thatborders on gently swirling waters are uncannilyvividand Sweet light!’ Bathe meintrembling rays, ‘O bringmeto thee,far distant star! (1903) (1903)

Préludes

was published suspending the harmonies, Scriabin imbues the suspending theharmonies,Scriabinimbues Prelude) butjustasstrikingistheway that,by underlined by hisreferences to Wagner’s ‘Tristan’ aura of longinginthefirst movement (aneffect the egoare asone.There’s anunmistakable dance, flight, andthesensethatcosmos than hewas apoet.Butmotifs recur: light,colour, Fortunately Scriabinwas afar greater composer Marseillaise celebrations, complete withsnatches of the the spectacular fireworks of Paris’s 14th July literally: in‘Feux d’artifice’ Debussy conjures low-lying melody. Thesetendswithabang,quite the pianowithhistoes –perhaps evoked by the clown EdLavine, whosetalents includedplaying It’s saidto have beeninspired by theAmerican and shows Debussy’s geniusfor buffoonery. The sixthof them,‘Général Lavine’ isacakewalk Programme notes © Harriet Smith ©Harriet notes Programme is master of theentire keyboard. only aural but alsovisual,asthepianistshows he tumultuous, sensuousjoyfulness, thesensationnot reappears. Themoodby theendisoneof chords inwhichthefirst movement’s maintheme more airborne,culminatinginvibrant repeated Scriabin’s jerkilyskippingrhythms becomeever at thespeedof light,straight towards thesun.’ on theverge of thepossible…itmust beaflight Scriabin demanding:‘Iwant itasfast aspossible, The musicologistLeonidSabaneyev recalled the player, not justphysically butmentally too. a break, demandsreal fleetness onthepartof The secondmovement, whichfollows without music withthemostravishing luminosity. (1872–1915) .

Felix Broede His first appearances outside Russiawere in were recorded live. the next two years, several of hisperformances in album was released thefollowing year. During was recorded live by Melodiya, andatwo-LP Philharmonic underDmitriKitaienko. Thisconcert withtheMoscow State two pianoconcertos intheGreat Hall of the when, attheage of 12, heperformed Chopin’s came to international attention inMarch 1984 his first solorecital inMoscow oneyear later. He Mozart’s PianoConcerto, K466andhegave age of 10, hemade hisconcerto debutplaying Kantor, whohasremained hisonlyteacher. Atthe Music, where hewas astudentof AnnaPavlovna for gifted children, theMoscow GnessinSchoolof at theage of 2.At6,heentered aspecialschool began to play by earandimprovise onthepiano Evgeny Kissinwas borninMoscow in1971 and great orchestras of theworld. Riccardo MutiandSeiji Ozawa, aswell asallthe Dohnányi, CarloMariaGiulini,LorinMaazel, Ashkenazy, DanielBarenboim, Christoph von conductors, includingClaudioAbbado, Vladimir has appeared withmany of theworld’s leading veneration. Heisindemandtheworld over, and virtuosity have earnedhimconsiderable quality of hisinterpretations, andhisextraordinary Evgeny Kissin’smusicality, thedepthandpoetic Evgeny Kissin Evgeny Kissin About the performer performed with Herbertvon Karajan andthe by hisfirst tour of Japan.In December 1988 he 1985 inEastern Europe, followed ayear later piano broadcast live to anaudienceestimated atover guest atthe1992 Grammy Awards Ceremony, Academy of MusicinSiena.Hewas special the Musicianof theYear Prizefrom theChigiana year 1986 (hisfirst inJapan).In1991 hereceived Symphony Hallfor thebestperformance of the 1987 hereceived theCrystal Prizeof theOsaka world have beenshowered uponthepianist.In Musical awards andtributes from around the Boston andatCarnegieHall. Munich, Essen,Vienna,Amsterdam, Chicago, with performances inBaden-Baden, Paris, and NorthAmericawiththeEmersonQuartet, orchestral appearances. Healsotoured Europe addition to numerous European recitals and Chicago, Washington, DCandToronto, in Last seasonhegave solorecitals inNew York, live by BMGClassics. centennial seasonwithadebutrecital, recorded The following week heopenedCarnegieHall’s York Philharmonic,conducted by ZubinMehta. both Chopinpianoconcertos withtheNew year, made hisNorth Americandebut,performing appearance attheBBC Proms and,inthesame broadcast internationally. In1990 hemade hisfirst Berlin PhilharmonicinaNew Year’s concert Académie duDisque inFrance. d’Or andtheGrand Prixof LaNouvelle Netherlands, Grammy awards, andtheDiapason accolades, includingtheEdisonKlassiek inThe recordings have received numerous awards and Beethoven sonatas onDG.Hisprevious Evgeny Kissin’snewest release isa discof of theNegev. University of Jerusalem andBen-GurionUniversity doctorates by theHongKong University, Hebrew of MusicinLondon.Hehasbeengiven honorary an honorary membershipof theRoyal Academy musical honours.InJune2005hewas awarded the Shostakovich Award, oneof ’shighest prize. InDecember2003inMoscow, hereceived making himtheyoungest-ever recipient of that for hisoutstanding contributionto Russia’sculture, 1997 hereceived theprestigious Triumph Award youngest Instrumentalist of theYear in1995. In one billion,andbecame MusicalAmerica ’s ’s

7 About the performer Evgeny Kissinad A5.indd1 8 Scriabin and Rachmaninov. of passions brooding the against Volodos beloved sets his Schubert VolodosArcadi recital in 7March Thu 30/01/2019 16:45