Programme Notes Prokofiev (1891-1953): Sonata in D major for solo violin, Op. 115 (1947) I Moderato : II Andante dolce - Tema con variazioni : III Con brio - Allegro precipitato This sonata was originally designed to be played not by one soloist but by multiple young performers in unison, when it was commissioned by the Soviet Union’s Committee of Arts Affairs as a pedagogical work for talented violin students. It was not performed until 10 July 1959 - six years after Prokofiev’s death - by Ruggiero Ricci at the Moscow Conservatory. The work is composed in Classical style and its melodies are largely diatonic. The first movement is in sonata form, with a texture that is bare and uncluttered, breaking now and again into a brilliance borne of clarity. The theme and variations of the second movement are lyrical and introspective for the most part, and as such characteristic of Prokofiev’s later style as a whole. The mazurka-like finale is marked by typical elements of ‘scherzo’ lines. As befits a work in this genre, the faster movements contain their fair share of violinistic challenges, such as the double-stops of the finale. Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet Suite for violin and piano (arr. Baich/Fletzberger) I Introduction : II The Young Juliet : III Dance of the Riders : IV Balcony Scene : V Dance of the Five Couples : VI Mercutio : VII The Duel and Death of Tybalt After careful study of the original orchestral scores, Baich and Fletzberger have captured the colourful and diverse sound of Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, with only two instruments. As the drama of the story unfolds in this imaginative arrangement, you will hear both violin and piano functioning as equal solo instruments, rather than the piano serving as accompaniment. Prokofiev: Five pieces from Cinderella, Op. 87 (arr. Fichtenholz) I The Grand Waltz : II Gavott : III Passepied : IV The Winter Fairy : V Mazurka The three-act ballet Cinderella, Op 87 was composed by Prokofiev in 1940/44 – a commission by the Kirov Ballet. The premiere was given in 1945 at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Prokofiev made various arrangements including transcribing a collection of Ten Pieces from Cinderella for piano. It was from this score that Mikhail Fichtenholz arranged this set of Five Pieces from Cinderella for violin and piano for David Oistrakh. Mikhail Izrailevich Fichtenholz (1 June 1920 – 4 June 1985) was a Soviet violinist. In 1937, he caused a sensation at the International Ysaye Competition together with the other top prize winners. These were David Oistrakh, Boris Goldshtein (Goldstein), Yelizaveta Gilels and Mikhail Fichtenholz. During the height of Joseph Stalins regime (Great Purge), Mikhail married the daughter of a high-ranking government official, who subsequently was executed as an “enemy of the people”. His relatives immediately fell out of favour and Mikhail was told to divorce his politically stained wife. Fichtenholz refused to divorce her and immediately had all prestigious concerts cancelled. The nervous strain was heavy on him, and one of his hands failed – after a few minutes of playing, pain forced him to stop. Fichtenholz started making arrangements of popular piano and orchestral pieces, working in the studio, where he could always take a break and endure the pain. He was also increasingly getting into teaching, and soon after he was teaching at the Gnessin State Musical College in Moscow.

During the mid-Sixties, a leading psychotherapist ventured to get Mikhail playing again. Much to his colleagues’ surprise, the man quickly restored mobility to Mikhail’s failing hand. Mikhail rehearsed day and night, and after twenty-three years away from the stage, he began playing again. The strain to retrieve the time he had lost was great, and he died of a heart attack at the age of sixty-five.

Interval Beethoven (1770-1827): Sonata for violin and piano in C minor, Op. 30, No 7 I Allegro con brio : II Adagio cantabile : III Scherzo; Allegro : IV Finale: Allegro; Presto This sonata is the second of Beethoven’s three Opus 30 sonatas for piano and violin which were published in 1803, as “Three Sonatas for the Pianoforte with the Accompaniment of Violin” and dedicated to Tsar Alexander I of Russia. Reflecting an earlier sense of the medium’s instrumental priorities, the piano opens all four of the C-minor Sonata’s movements alone and introduces the thematic material. This is not to say that the violin part is inconspicuous, but simply that it is conceived as a more lyrical foil to the piano’s dramatic power. In the first years of the 19th century, increasing deafness tormented Beethoven. His musical response was to emphasize originality, stepping up the pace of invention and innovation that developed the heroic works of his middle period. Part of this process was the evolution of a “symphonic ideal”, music of expanded weight and forcefulness that created a feeling of a spiritual quest or psychological journey. This ideal also inspired much of Beethoven’s nonorchestral music, including his chamber music. This Sonata is a piece on the cusp of this new period, but in its dimensions and emotional thrust it clearly belongs to this developing ideal. Beethoven opens with a huge, sprawling movement shaped by the tonal arguments of sonata form: the exposition and development of opposing keys and themes, and their harmonic reconciliation. This is music of violent contrasts on all levels, which begins softly and ends in fury. The singing Adagio in A-flat major brings a measure of sweetness and light into the work, although chromaticism is a destabilizing current and the piano’s rushing scales finally break out in explosions of C major, one of the keys of pointed contrast in the first movement. C major is also the key of the ensuing parodistic Scherzo and its contrapuntal Trio. The Finale is another turbulent movement, capped with a delirious coda. It begins with a rumble full of portent, an influential little figure with connections to the first movement – and there are many other points of reference to the first movement. One of the hallmarks of Beethoven’s emerging style is wringing every implication possible from the smallest gestures and extending them throughout an entire piece. This movement is a marvel of concentrated musical and psychological development, each phrase seeming to draw cumulative strength and meaning from all that has gone before.

Maria Canyigueral (http://mariacanyigueral.co.uk) Maria has attracted a devoted following of her worldwide concert itineraries. After undergraduate studies at the Conservatori del Liceu in Barcelona with Michel Wagemans, she attained a Master of Arts in Performance from the Royal Academy of Music in London, studying with Sulamita Aronovsky. Maria has performed in Spain, the UK, Japan, Belgium, Slovenia and France. Recent highlights include solo recitals at Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona and at Fundación Juan March in Madrid, and recitals at the Wigmore Hall and at Ljubljana Festival with violinist Lana Trotovšek. Maria has recently been appointed artistic director at a new chamber music series in Barcelona. Lana Trotovšek (https://lanaviolin.com) Since her debut with the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra under Valery Gergiev in 2012, Lana Trotovšek appeared with some of the world’s finest orchestras. In 2014, she toured with the Moscow Soloists and Yuri Bashmet and in 2016 she performed Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No.1 with the London Symphony Orchestra under Gianandrea Noseda. Her highlights in 2019 include Tchaikovsky violin concerto with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Rafael Payare, Mendelssohn violin concerto with the RTS Symphony Orchestra in the Shanghai Oriental Arts Centre and an evening recital at the Wigmore Hall. Lana lives in London and is a professor at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.

Next concert coming soon… Saturday 26th March 2022, 8pm Inverurie Town Hall Christopher Baxter (Piano) Programme: J S Bach: French Suite No.6 Chopin: Four Mazurkas Op. 30 Ravel: Valse Nobles et Sentimentales Ginastera: Danzas Argentinas Schubert: Sonata No. 19 in C minor, B 958 On Sunday 27th March 2022, Christopher Baxter will give a special performance to raise funds for the Inverurie Music Award Scheme for young musicians – more details soon.