Mao Fujita, Piano
Performers
Mao Fujita, Piano
Program
A. YASHIRO Selections from Twenty-Four Preludes
SCRIABIN Fantasy in B Minor, Op. 28
LISZT "Sonetto del Petrarca No. 104" from Années de pèlerinage, deuxième année: Italie, No. 5
LISZT "Après une lecture du Dante, fantasia quasi sonata" from Années de pèlerinage, deuxième année: Italie
MOZART Variations on "Ah vous dirai-je, maman," K. 265
BEETHOVEN Thirty-Two Variations on an Original Theme in C Minor, WoO 80
BEETHOVEN Piano Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 57, "Appassionata"
Encores:
SCRIABIN Prelude in B-flat Major, Op. 11, No. 21
FELIX MENDELSSOHN Song Without Words in F-sharp Minor, Op. 67, No. 2
GLAZUNOV Etude in E Minor, Op. 31, No. 2
Event Duration
The printed program will last approximately two hours, including one 20-minute intermission.At a Glance
YASHIRO Selections from Twenty-Four Preludes
One of Akio Yashiro’s earliest works, the Twenty-Four Preludes showcase the young composer’s wide-ranging knowledge of repertoire and a healthy dose of humor.
SCRIABIN Fantasy in B Minor, Op. 28
Although called a “fantasy,” Scriabin wrote a single-movement sonata form with what initially sounds like a relatively conventional reprise that escapes into a lengthy coda that synthesizes both thematic groups.
LISZT “Sonetto del Petrarca No. 104” from Années de pèlerinage, deuxième année: Italie, No. 5; “Après une lecture du Dante, fantasia quasi sonata” from Années de pèlerinage, deuxième année: Italie, No. 7
A well-traveled virtuoso, Liszt wrote the collected volumes Années de pèlerinage (Years of Pilgrimage) as a form of travel writing. His treatment of the primary lyric theme “Sonetto del Petrarca No. 104” recalls song transcriptions, alternated with keyboard theatrics. Liszt’s demanding score for “Après une lecture du Dante, fantasia quasi sonata” reads more like an impressionistic response to selected passages from the poet, especially the descent into Inferno.
MOZART Variations on “Ah vous dirai-je, maman,” K. 265
Although more recent poems set to the original tune include “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” in Mozart’s milieu “Ah vous dirai-je” was popular music, featuring bawdy though conventional lyrics. His variations steadily increase in difficulty, rewarding careful listeners as each variation’s gimmick informs at least one other variation.
BEETHOVEN Thirty-Two Variations on an Original Theme in C Minor, WoO 80; Piano Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 57, “Appassionata”
Despite the slight proportions of the Thirty-Two Variations, Beethoven wrings plenty of material from his unusual theme, which itself seems to resemble a variation on a simpler theme. The name “Appassionata” was added to Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 57, likely as an attempt to render the work more accessible to audiences—the outer two movements featuring some of his most difficult writing.