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CHOPIN: ÈTUDES, OP. 25

In the early nineteenth century, as Europe’sexpanding middle class began purchasingpianos in earnest, composers churned outteaching material to meet the demand of thisnew breed of cultivated amateur. Despite thesurge of interest in study pieces, the étude(French for “study”) remained almost exclusively didactic, to be practiced in private.

With the release of his first set of twelveÉtudes, Op. 10, in 1833, Chopin almostimmediately initiated a re-evaluation of thegenre. These études combined technical difficulty and artistic sensibility in a way thathad previously been absent from most study pieces. Another key element of theÉtudes’ critical reception was their virtuosic performances at the hands of Franz Liszt, themost famous pianist of the era. Chopinclaimed that Liszt was the first person toproperly play his Études, and even dedicatedthe first set “to my dear friend, Franz Liszt.”

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2019 | 8PM

Segerstrom Center for the Arts | Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert HallPre-concert lecture by Brian Lauritzen, 7pm

BEATRICE RANA, PIANO

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Ètudes, Op. 25 Frédéric CHOPIN(1810-1849)

Etude No. 1 in A-flat majorEtude No. 2 in F minorEtude No. 3 in F majorEtude No. 4 in A minorEtude No. 5 in E minorEtude No. 6 in G-sharp minorEtude No. 7 in C-sharp minorEtude No. 8 in D-flat majorEtude No. 9 in G-flat majorEtude No. 10 in B minorEtude No. 11 in A minorEtude No. 12 in C minor

- I N T E R M I S S I O N -

Miroirs Maurice RAVEL (1875-1937)

NoctuellesOiseaux tristesUne barque sur l’océanAlborada del graciosoLa vallée des cloches

The Firebird Igor STRAVINSKY/arr. AGOSTI(1882-1971)

Danse infernaleBerceuseFinale

Beatrice Rana records exclusively for Warner Classics

For more information on Beatrice Rana, visit www.beatriceranapiano.com

Management for Beatrice Rana: Primo Artists, New York, NYwww.primoartists.com

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For reasons unknown, Chopin would dedicate his second set of Études, Op. 25, toLiszt’s lover, Marie d’Agoult. While theywere friends, rumors abounded about thenature of their relationship. Around the timehe finished Opus 25, he became engaged to Maria Wodzińska, the daughter of a Polish count and countess. However, theirengagement would be broken off a year later.Her father expressed concern over Chopin’spoor health, and may have objected to thecompany he kept, including unmarriedwomen such as Marie d’Agoult and thefemale writer George Sand.

Each of the twelve études has a nickname,none given by Chopin, who actually objectedto them. Some, such as those of Études Six,Eight, and Ten (“Thirds,” “Sixths,” and“Octaves,” respectively), simply denote theprimary technical challenge of the particularpiece, while other titles (“Bees” and “TheHorseman” for the second and third) aremore programmatic. To composer RobertSchumann, the arching arpeggios of the firstétude evoked the breezy sound of the Aeolianharp.

The first four are short and straightforward,each with one predominant character. Notuntil the fifth étude (“Wrong Note”) doesChopin introduce individual movementswith more developed formal structures andmarked shifts of mood. The unaccompaniedsolo in the bass clef gives Étude Seven thenickname “Cello.” Its dirge-like theme givesway to passionate outbursts contrasted withmoments of repose. At five minutes, thisétude is by far the longest in the set.

Études Ten, Eleven, and Twelve form a tempestuous climax. Fierce, whirling octavesin the tenth recall Franz Liszt’s flashiest show

pieces. Number Eleven, “Winter Winds,”crackles with pyrotechnics, surging forwardon an insistent march rhythm. In the lastpiece, Chopin evokes crashing waves acrossthe full range of the piano, spanning multipleoctaves with passages marked “as loud as possible.” On the final page, the oceanchanges from a seething minor key to triumphant major.

RAVEL: MIROIRS

The precocious Ravel gained admittance tothe prestigious Conservatoire de Paris at theage of fourteen. Initially impressed with theboy, the faculty grew impatient and expelledhim for not winning enough prizes. They re-admitted him two years later only to expelhim again, both for his failure to win awardsand for his progressive musical leanings.

Amidst his frustrations with theConservatoire, Ravel joined a group of avant-garde artists who called themselves Les Apaches. Taken from the NativeAmerican tribes of the same name, in Paris,the word “Apaches” referred to a gang ofhooligans. Self-styled “artistic outcasts,” thegroup’s young, almost exclusively-male members came from all walks of artistic lifeand included the poet Tristan Klingsor(Ravel set some of his texts in his song cycleShéhérazade), composer Manuel de Falla, andIgor Stravinsky, who joined a year before the premiere of his groundbreaking balletThe Firebird. Les Apaches had a lasting influence on Ravel, expanding his artistichorizons and emboldening him to break evenfurther from the conventions espoused by theConservatoire.

Four years after his second expulsion fromthe conservatory, Ravel began composing

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mother’s Basque-Spanish heritage wouldinspire Ravel to compose several Spanish-themed works, most famously Boléro. An alb-orada is a love song sung to a sleeping womanat dawn, while a gracioso is a figure from theSpanish theater similar to a court jester.Jaunty Andalusian dance rhythms evoke thestreets of Madrid while dry, jangly arpeggiosmimic the pluck of guitar strings and thesnap of castanets. The second section openswith unaccompanied recitative, a nod to the cante jondo, or “deep song,” a style of flamenco folk singing. Reflective yet at timesagonizingly dissonant, the piano sings of passionate desire. In the third and final section, the gracioso’s strumming againbecomes lively and virtuosic, whirling into adriving finish.

In “La vallée des cloches,” Ravel depicts fivebells ringing across a valley. He uses varyingdynamics, rhythms, harmonies, and pitchesto create a sense of three-dimensional space.Dissonance builds as the bells layer upon oneanother. Never rising above mezzo forte, themusic turns wistful, yet also peaceful. In thefinal bars, the tolling bells slowly die away, a sonic decrescendo also suggestive of memories fading across time.

STRAVINSKY (arr. Agosti): THE FIREBIRD

As the first decade of the twentieth centurydrew to a close, Paris stood on the eve of arevolution in ballet. Russian impresario SergeDiaghilev, sensing that the genre had grownstale, imported Russian dancers, scenarios,and composers to the city to capitalize on theFrench aristocracy’s fascination with Russiaand the “exotic East.”

Following early successes, Diaghilev soughtto create new, uniquely Russian works to

Miroirs. Each of its five movements is dedicated to a different member of Les Apaches. The first, “Noctuelles,” Raveldedicated to poet Léon-Paul Fargue, whose verses directly inspired it: “Nightmoths depart their rafters, in ungainly flight, circulating beneath other beams.” Bitonality(the simultaneous playing of music in twodifferent keys), clashing rhythms, and timesignature changes illustrate the erratic divingand weaving of the moths.

Ravel dedicated “Oiseaux tristes” to RicardoViñes, a Spanish pianist and classmate ofRavel’s who would premiere the suite. The composer wrote, “It evokes birds lost inthe torpor of a somber forest during the mosttorrid hours of summer.” Ravel avoids tonicchords throughout much of the movement,heightening the feeling of restlessness. The middle section finds a chorus of birdsjoining in, screeching and flapping about thewood. A shimmering, cadenza-like finale settles into languor and gloom.

A persistent rocking animates “Une barquesur l’océan.” One can easily imagine roaringwaves and a prow cutting across the water;the score itself, teeming with upward arcs,resembles the choppy surface of the sea.Contrasting meters pull at one another like wind against sails or rudder against current. Ambiguous, shifting tonalities and tense rhythms build as the music grows increasingly turbulent. Across this background, Ravel paints a kaleidoscope ofemotions from tranquility to awe and fearbefore a triple-forte climax ushers in a hushedsigh of relief.

Ravel’s inspiration for “Alborada del gracioso” was likely two-fold. Ricardo Viñes,dedicatee of “Oiseaux tristes,” inculcatedRavel’s interest in Spanish music, while his

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BEATRICE RANA, PIANO

At only 26 years old, Gramophone’s 2017“Young Artist of the Year” BeatriceRana has shaken the international classical music world already and arousedadmiration and interest from concert presenters, conductors, critics and audiencesin many countries.

The year 2017 will remain as a milestone inMs. Rana’s career with the release of Bach’s Goldberg Variations on WarnerClassics and a 30-city tour of the work.Debuting at No. 1 on the U.K. ClassicalCharts, the recording was praised by reviewers worldwide and crowned by twomajor awards: Gramophone’s “Young Artistof the Year” and Edison Klassiek’s “Discoveryof the Year” Award. In 2018, she was nominated as 2018 Female Artist of the Yearat the Classic BRIT Awards, where she performed for a nationally televised audienceat Royal Albert Hall.

Ms. Rana performs at the world’s mostesteemed concert halls and festivals includingVienna’s Konzerthaus and Musikverein,Berlin Philharmonie, Amsterdam’sConcertgebouw, New York’s Lincoln Centerand Carnegie Hall, Zurich’s Tonhalle,London’s Wigmore Hall, Royal Albert Halland Royal Festival Hall, Paris’s Théâtre desChamps-Elysées, Lucerne’s KKL, ColognePhilharmonie, Munich’s Philharmonie,Prinzregententheater and Herkulessaal,Frankfurt’s Alte Oper, Milan’s Società deiConcerti, Ferrara Musica, Verbier Festival,Klavier Festival Ruhr, Lugano’s LAC, LaRoque d’Anthéron Festival, MontpellierRadio-France Festival, Rencontres Musicalesd’Evian, Bucharest Enescu Festival, MostlyMozart Festival at Lincoln Center, San

enchant Parisian audiences. For the first ofthese, Diaghilev and his collaboratorsstitched together two Slavic folktales: that ofKoschei the Deathless, an evil sorcerer; andthe tale of the Firebird, a mythical creaturethat brings fortune and devastation to itscaptor.

When Diaghilev approached Igor Stravinskyto write a score for The Firebird, he was little-known outside their native St. Petersburg, yet the impresario saw something special in the impassive youngcomposer with “vague, meditative eyes.”“Mark him well,” Diaghilev urged hisdancers. “He is a man on the eve of celebrity!”Diaghilev’s prediction came true. The Firebird made Stravinsky an overnightsensation across Europe, and cemented arelationship with Diaghilev that would leadto four more collaborations, including theballets Petrushka and the riot-inducing Rite of Spring.

Early in the ballet, the handsome Prince Ivanensnares the Firebird. In exchange for herrelease, she offers him an enchanted featherthat can summon her in time of need. As the tale unfolds, Koschei the Deathless andhis minions surround Ivan, who uses the Firebird’s feather to call her to him. TheFirebird bewitches the evil coterie, forcingthem to perform an elaborate Infernal Dance.Intensely percussive and seething with protean rhythms, this grotesque parody of awaltz builds until Koschei and his demonsfall into an exhausted sleep. The Firebird’sLullaby, while beautiful and restrained, suggests a dark and uneasy slumber. PrinceIvan’s theme, a majestic march, proclaims histriumph over evil. Massive fortissimo chordsdazzle as the theme climbs higher and higher, swelling to a dizzying climax.

— © Andrew McIntyre, 2019

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Francisco Performances, Los Angeles’ WaltDisney Concert Hall and Hollywood Bowl,and Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center.

She collaborates with conductors of the highest level such as Riccardo Chailly,Antonio Pappano, Yannick Nézet-Séguin,Fabio Luisi, Yuri Temirkanov, GianandreaNoseda, Emmanuel Krivine, James Conlon,Jun Märkl, Trevor Pinnock, MirgaGrazinyte-Tyla, Lahav Shani, AndrésOrozco-Estrada, James Gaffigan, SusannaMälkki, Leonard Slatkin and Zubin Mehta.Orchestral appearances include the London Philharmonic Orchestra, City ofBirmingham Symphony Orchestra, BBC

Symphony Orchestra, PhiladelphiaOrchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic,Detroit Symphony Orchestra, NHKSymphony, Dallas Symphony Orchestra,Seoul Philharmonic, Orchestre National deFrance, Tonkünstler Orchester, LucerneSymphony Orchestra, Orchestradell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia,Orchestra Sinfonica della RAI, Filarmonicadella Scala, Helsinki Philharmonic and St.Petersburg Philharmonic.

During the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons,Ms. Rana makes debuts with the RoyalConcertgebouw Orchestra, ChicagoSymphony Orchestra, San Francisco

(MARIE STAGGAT)

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Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris,Bayerische Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester,Hessischer Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester,Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, ViennaSymphony Orchestra, Royal StockholmPhilharmonic Orchestra, Danish NationalSymphony Orchestra, Royal LiverpoolPhilharmonic and Melbourne Symphony.She performs with the PhiladelphiaOrchestra with Yannick Nézet-Seguin atPhiladelphia’s Kimmel Center and NewYork’s Carnegie Hall, TonkünstlerOrchester with Yutaka Sado at theMusikverein, Detroit Symphony Orchestrawith Kent Nagano; tours with the LondonPhilharmonic Orchestra and VladimirJurowski; and starts a residency at the ZurichOpera with Fabio Luisi and thePhilharmonia Zurich for a completeBeethoven concerto cycle. She will playrecitals at Geneva’s Great Performers seriesat Victoria Hall, Munich’sPrinzregententheater, London’s QueenElizabeth Hall and Wigmore Hall, EssenPhilharmonie, Berlin Philharmonie’sKammermusiksaal, Lisbon’s GulbenkianFoundation, Paris’ Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Madrid’s Scherzo GreatPerformers series, Gilmore KeyboardFestival and at Zankel Hall in her Carnegie debut.

An exclusive Warner Classics recordingartist, Ms. Rana released her first album in 2015, featuring Prokofiev’s PianoConcerto No. 2 and Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with AntonioPappano and Orchestra dell'AccademiaNazionale di Santa Cecilia. The disc receivedunanimous international acclaim includingGramophone’s “Editor’s Choice” and BBC Magazine’s 2017 “Newcomer of the

Year” Award. In August 2018, WarnerClassics released an album that featuresBernstein’s Age of Anxiety with Pappano and Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia.

Beatrice Rana came to public attention in2011 after winning First Prize and all specialjury prizes at the Montreal InternationalCompetition. Her very promising career wasbrought to an even higher level in 2013 when she won the Silver Medal and theAudience Award at the 14th Van CliburnInternational Piano Competition. In 2015,she was named a BBC New GenerationArtist, and in 2016 she was awarded a fellowship from the Borletti-Buitoni Trust.

Born in Italy into a family of musicians, Ms. Rana began her piano studies at the ageof four and made her orchestral debut at the age of nine, performing Bach Concerto in F minor. She obtained her piano degreeunder the guidance of Benedetto Lupo, her lifetime mentor, at the Nino RotaConservatory in Monopoli, where she alsostudied composition with Marco dellaSciucca. She later studied with Arie Vardi atthe Hochschule fur Musik in Hannover. Sheis based in Rome.

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