The Persistence of Memory
Thu Dec 5, 7:30 PM - Thu Dec 5, 9:30 PM

Drawing from influences as far-reaching in nationality and era as was possible at the time, Bach’s music influenced nearly every composer who followed and has been quoted and reimagined in every subsequent historical era. By juxtaposing Kurtag’s original works with his transcriptions of Bach cantatas, this program forms an arch linking one of the most significant composers alive today to one of the most significant composers to ever live. While Mozart excelled at opera and Schubert excelled at Lied, or song, one can see the immeasurable influence that the older Austrian master of vocal writing had on the newer. With or without poetry or the theater, each composer builds compelling dramas and paints vivid characters, while showcasing the lyrical beauty of the melody. The two Mozart Sonatas show the composer’s own evolution from young prodigy to fully matured artist, while Schubert’s Grand Duo shows the evolution of this vocal style into far more expansive forms, where continuously developing ideas seem to echo memories and time seems to move in cycles.

Program:

J.S. Bach / Gyorgy Kurtag – Sonatina from Actus Tragicus, BWV 106 and Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir, BWV 687

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Sonata for Piano Four Hands in D major, K. 381/123a

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Sonata for Piano Four Hands in F major, K. 497

Franz Schubert – Sonata for Piano Four Hands in C Major, D. 812

Performers:

Kenneth Slowik (piano)
Naoko Takao (piano)