Dreams and Variations - A Piano Recital by Megan-Geoffrey Prins
Sun Aug 20, 15:00 - Sun Aug 20, 17:00
Northwards House, Parktown, Johannesburg
ABOUT
The Chamber Music Collective is proud to present the internationally acclaimed pianist performing works by Ravel, Mozart, and Rachmaninov.
Maurice Ravel: Gaspard de la Nuit M. 55
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Twelve Variations on "Ah vous dirai-je, Maman", K. 265/300e
Sergei Rachmaninov: Variations on a Theme of Corelli, Op. 42
Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit is based on three fantastical tales from a collection of poems of the same name by Aloysius Bertrand. The origin of the collection of poems is steeped in as much mystery as the poems/stories themselves and this is reflected in the ethereal soundscapes of the music. The poem on which the first movement is based tells the story of a water nymph (Ondine), singing to seduce the observer to visit her kingdom at the bottom of the lake. The poem that inspired the second movement describes a desert where the lone corpse of a hanged man on a gibbet stands out against the horizon, reddened by the setting sun. The third and final movement is based on a poem that depicts the night-time mischief of a small fiend or goblin, making pirouettes, flitting in and out of the darkness, disappearing and suddenly reappearing. Its uneven flight, hitting and scratching against the walls, casting a growing shadow in the moonlight, creates a nightmarish scene for the observer lying in his bed.
Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit is considered one of the most difficult works to perform in the standard piano repertoire.
The second work in the programme is a theme and variations by Mozart on the French folk song "Ah! vous dirai-je, maman", better known as “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”.
The final work on the programme, the Variations of a theme by Corelli by Rachmaninov is a showcase for Rachmaninov’s rich melodies and staggering pianism and will provide a virtuosic close to the programme.