Angela Cheng, piano | February 25, 2024 | House Program

CLASSICAL / VIRTUOSI SOLOIST SERIES
ANGELA CHENG
Solo Piano
FEBRUARY 25, 2024, AT 2:30 PM
CLASSICAL / VIRTUOSI SOLOIST SERIES
ANGELA CHENG
Solo Piano
FEBRUARY 25, 2024, AT 2:30 PM

CLASSICAL / VIRTUOSI SOLOIST SERIES
ANGELA CHENG
Solo Piano
PROGRAM
HAYDN
Piano Sonata in C Major, Hob. XVI/50
Allegro
Adagio
Allegro molto
MOZART Piano Sonata No. 10 in C Major, K. 330
Allegro moderato
Andante cantabile
Allegretto
BEETHOVEN Piano Sonata No. 31 in A Flat Major, Op. 110
Moderato cantabile molto espressivo
Allegro molto
Adagio ma non troppo – Fuga: Allegro ma non troppo
INTERMISSION
CHOPIN Nocturne in D Flat Major, Op.27, No. 2
Polonaise-Fantasie in A Flat Major, Op. 61
Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 23
Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 52

PROGRAM NOTES
The career of Viennese composer Franz Joseph
Haydn (1732-1809) coincided with a musical shift in
tastes, as the monothematic instrumental music of
the late Baroque evolved into the classical sonata
with its emphasis on contrasting melodic ideas
contained within a single movement. Recognizing
Haydn’s originality and models, both Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) and Ludwig van
Beethoven (1770-1827) were known
to remark on their indebtedness to Haydn.
The Haydn sonata opening this concert was likely
the last one Haydn composed and dates from
1794. A confidently mature work, it displays a
resourceful economy of motivic material. This can
be heard in the way the opening three notes are
continually isolated and reinterpreted, as well as in
the compactness of the final movement’s sparkling
rondo that races to the finish line in under three
minutes.
Mozart’s sonata in the same key was composed
a decade earlier than the Haydn and is built
more prominently around longer melodic lines
in the right hand, usually supported by brokenchord
figuration in the left. Of note, is the slow
movement’s digression to a very sombre F minor
that continually stresses a throbbing repeated-note
pedal point.
Ludwig van Beethoven’s earliest piano sonatas
date from 1795, and of the 32 he composed,
only Op. 110 is in A flat major. This work has an
intensely dramatic focus, prominently heard in
the third movement’s expressive recitative-like
passages that lead into a Bach-like fugue based
on a subject of rising perfect fourth intervals. This
fugue subject reveals the organic nature of the
entire work as its pitches follow the main notes of
the opening movement’s gentle theme. The brevity
of the second movement’s F minor Scherzo, and
the way it abruptly ends with an arpeggiated F
Major chord that resolves into the slow movement,
also suggest that Beethoven viewed this work as
one continuous overarching structure. The last
movement’s reworking of the slow movement’s
recitative-like theme after the initial fugue, is
always an astounding moment, especially given
the way it sets up an entirely new fugal section
and coda, all based on the fugue subject turned
upside down and employed in combination with
the original version.
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) composed almost
exclusively for the piano and his own performance
opportunities, although he preferred playing in
the more intimate settings of a Paris salon than on
the concert stage. In genres such as the Nocturne
and Polonaise, Chpoin’s operatic-like approach
to melodic ornamentation and the incorporation
of Polish dance elements, lend his music a
distinctiveness that is often quite recognizable. The
Polonaise-Fantasie is a late work and, from the very
first page with its surprising harmonic shifts and
slow cadenza-like exploration of the keyboard, it is
apparent that the fantasy element will be a primary
compositional motivator. As will also be heard in
the two Ballades, it is in the transitions joining two
sections together, where Chopin is often his most
creative, either harmonically or virtuosically (or
both). These moments provide the music with a
forceful sense of momentum that in all three works,
reaches its peak towards the music’s conclusion.
©2024 by John Burge for the Isabel
ABOUT ANGELA CHENG
Consistently praised for her brilliant technique,
tonal beauty, and superb musicianship, Canadian
pianist Angela Cheng is one of her country’s
national treasures. In addition to regular guest
appearances with virtually every orchestra in
Canada, she has performed with the symphonies
of Saint Louis, Houston, Indianapolis, Colorado,
Utah, San Diego and Jacksonville, as well as the
philharmonic orchestras of Buffalo, Louisiana,
Rhode Island, London, Israel and Minas Gerais
in Brazil.
Recent performances include a debut with the
Fort Worth Symphony, performing Rachmaninoff’s
“Variations on a Theme of Paganini,” under the
baton of Robert Spano, and a return to the
Vancouver Symphony, performing Ravel’s Concerto
in G with Otto Tausk. Next season will include the
Boulder Philharmonic, Newfoundland Symphony,
Okanagan Symphony, Saskatoon Symphony,

Saguenay Symphony and the Symphony of
Northwest Arkansas.
Angela Cheng has performed recitals and
concertos at Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center
in Washington, D.C., the 92nd Street Y in New
York, and Wigmore Hall in London. She appears
regularly on recital series throughout the United
States and Canada and has collaborated with
numerous chamber ensembles including the
Takács, Colorado, and Vogler quartets. North
American festival performances include Banff,
Chautauqua, Colorado, Great Lakes Chamber
Music, Vancouver, Toronto, and the Festival
International de Lanaudière in Quebec.
Ms. Cheng has made several recordings for CBC,
including discs of Mozart and Shostakovich
concerti and a CD of four Spanish concerti with
Hans Graf and the Calgary Philharmonic. In
addition, an all Chopin recital CD has been
released by Universal Music Canada.
Angela Cheng has been Gold Medalist of the
Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Masters
Competition, as well as the first Canadian to
win the prestigious Montreal International Piano
Competition. Other awards include the Canada
Council’s coveted Career Development Grant
and the Medal of Excellence for outstanding
interpretations of Mozart from the Mozarteum
in Salzburg, Austria.
A native of Hong Kong, Ms. Cheng studied
extensively with Menahem Pressler at Indiana
University and with Sascha Gorodnitzki at The
Juilliard School. She is currently on the artist
faculty of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music,
where she was honored with the 2011-12
Excellence in Teaching Award. •
SPECIAL
EVENT!
BADER & OVERTON CANADIAN
PIANO COMPETITION WINNER
Jonathan
Mak, piano
CLASSICAL / SOLOIST
Tues, May 21, 2024 at 7:30pm
Winner of the 2023 inaugural Bader &
Overton Canadian Piano Competition and
one of CBC’s 30 hot Canadian classical
musicians under 30, Jonathan Mak has
already made his mark on the world
stage as a guest soloist with numerous
orchestras. Mak will take the Isabel stage
performing a program of repertoire by
Bach, Schumann, and Prokofiev.
TICKETS: General Public $30+ / Faculty/Staff $27+ / Student $10
queensu.ca/theisabel