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 <strong>piano</strong> 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 <strong>piano</strong> 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. ©<strong>2024</strong> by John Burge for the Isabel ABOUT ANGELA CHENG Consistently praised for her brilliant technique, tonal beauty, and superb musicianship, Canadian pianist <strong>Angela</strong> <strong>Cheng</strong> 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,
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