Lunchtime Concert Series

Olga Jegunova Piano

Monday 22 August 2011 1.00pm Concordia Foundation Series

Suggested donation £3.50

St Martin-in-the-Fields Trafalgar Square London WC2N 4JJ Tel: 020 7766 1100 www.smitf.org

If you are unable to stay for the whole of the concert please leave during the applause. Smoking and the consumption of food and drink are not allowed in this church. Members of the audience are kindly requested to switch off mobile phones and alarms on digital watches. Photography, audio or video recording are not permitted.

Programme

Piano Sonata No 21 op 53 in C Beethoven 1. Allegro con brio 23 mins 2. Introduzione: Adagio molto - attacca 3. Rondo. Allegretto moderato - Prestissimo

The ‗Waldstein‘ was published in the same year as the ‗Eroica‘ and exhibits many of the same features. It is certainly a work worthy of a dedication to the distinguished Count Ferdinand Ernst von Waldstein, Beethoven‘s patron who had given him loyal support for many years. The lengths that Beethoven went to to expand the scale of the movements led him to replace the original second movement with a short passage serving as an introduction to the finale, meaning that the sonata is essentially only two movements long. The well-known opening serves the first surprise to the listener, when the first theme emerges discretely from the soft opening chords which form such a feature of the movement. Having created such a quantity of sparkling energy in the opening, the second theme relaxes with simple chords, expressively phrased. The brief Adagio molto is subdued and full of expressive notes. The nickname ‗L‘Aurore‘ (The Sunrise) has often been given to the sonata on account of the opening of the last movement, which steadily rises from a simple theme to a grand forte of life and virtuosity. If at times the tempo feels a little slow for a finale, then Beethoven makes up for it at the end with a Prestissimo coda.

Fantasiestücke op 12 Schumann 20 mins Des Abends, Aufschwung, Warum? Grillen, In der Nacht, Fabel, Traumes Wirren, Ende vom Lied When this set of pieces was written, in 1837, Schumann was going through a crisis in his relationship with his teacher‘s daughter, Clara Wieck. Nine years his junior, Clara was assured a career as a soloist. Her father, however, did not want her in a relationship with the tempestuous Schumann, and went to every effort to prevent the match. In 1837 he banned the two from having any contact. Despairing, Schumann turned to drink, and also to other women, in an attempt to console himself. This set of pieces is dedicated to the Scottish pianist, Anna Robena Laidlaw, who visited Leipzig around this time. While it sometimes appears that Schumann‘s music fits the titles very closely, it is actually the other way around—he frequently added the title only afterwards, relying on the images created in his mind by the completed piece. The gently flowing melody of the first piece, with its yearning harmonies and restrained scope, is a perfect match with Schumann‘s idea of evening. ‗Soaring‘ has become well-known, striking in its dramatic sweeps and sense of propulsion, evoking the exhilarating sense of flying through the air. The contrasting ‗Why?‘ is fraught with quiet uncertainty. Schumann‘s delight in creating characterful contrasts abounds in ‗Whims‘, while surging uncertainty returns with ‗In the Night‘, Schumann‘s favourite of the set. The narrative contrasts of ‗Story‘ present a light-hearted contrast to the drama of ‗In the Night‘. While ‗End of the Song‘ carries only poetic as opposed to specific connotations, Schumann‘s reference to it as combining a wedding with melancholy is very apt.

Lynette Bowring, January 2010

The Performer Latvian pianist Olga Jegunova was born in 1984. She moved to London after obtaining her BMus degree at The Jazeps Vitols Latvian Music academy with Prof Sergejs Osokins and her MMus degree at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hamburg with Prof.Volker Banfield. In 2010, with the support from Yehudi Menuhin LIVE MUSIC NOW Hamburg, Olga graduated from the Royal College of Music‘s Artist Diploma course as an RCM scholar, having been a student of Prof Dmitri Alexeev. She is currently furthering her studies at the Royal Northern College of Music with Prof. Norma Fisher. Olga has participated in master classes with Vera Gornostayeva, Igor Zhukov, Lazar Berman, Petras Geniushas, Ian Fountain, Elena Richter, Eugene Pridonoff, Emanuel Krassovsky, Mikhail Voskresensky, Dmitri Bashkirov and Eliso Virsaladze. As a soloist she has collaborated with conductors such as Saulius Sondeckis, Normunds Vaicis, Andris Vecumnieks, Alexander Soddy, Muhai Tang and Andres Mustonen. Olga has won first prize in numerous international piano competitions including the Ginette Gaubert competition in Paris and the Steinway-Folderpreis in Hamburg. She has been a prize winner at the Maryse Cheilan competition in France, the Stasys Vainiunas competition in Vilnius, the Animato competition in Zurich, and was recently a semi-finalist at the prestigious Geza Anda Concours in Zurich. She has participated in festivals including the Liepaja Star Festival in Latvia, the J.S. Bach Festival in Riga, the Young Artists Festival organised by the Vladimir Spivakov foundation in Riga and Moscow, the L.van Beethoven Festival ―Kasseler Musiktage‖ in Germany, the Deal Festival and the Chilingirian Schumann Fest in London. Olga is also very active as a chamber musician, having collaborated with a wide range of artists and ensembles as a pianist, harpsichordist and fortepiano player. Since 2009, she has worked as a performer for LIVE MUSIC NOW; a charity providing live music in the UK's welfare, educational, justice and health sectors. Since January 2011, in cooperation with Karin Norlen, Olga acts as Artistic director of Little Venice Chamber Music series. The CONCORDIA FOUNDATION was established in 1994 and became a registered charity in 1995 with Yehudi Menuhin as its patron. Founded by Gillian Humphreys, international soprano out of her real concern that it is important to build bridges of friendship and excellence through Music and the Arts. www.concordiafoundation.com

St Martin-in-the-Fields has welcomed talented musicians to this central London platform for over 50 years - from highly acclaimed young soloists, to choirs from all over the world; from promising new ensembles, to established professionals. This tradition is supported by the generosity of our performers as well as our audiences. Whilst these concerts are free to all, for those able to give, a suggested donation of £3.50 would be greatly appreciated to help fund all aspects of the work at St Martin‘s.

Tuesday 23 August 1.00pm Lunchtime Concert Mozart – Sonata for Violin and Piano in E Flat K380 Leclair – Sonata for Violin and Piano op 9 No 3 Philippe Clement Violin Daria Hovora Piano Lunchtime Concerts are FREE, suggested donation £3.50 which goes towards the work of St Martin‘s Tuesday 23 August 7.30pm Faure - Requiem by Candlelight Fauré - Cantique de Jean Racine Fauré - Pavane Mozart - Ave Verum Corpus Mozart - Salzburg Symphony No 2 Purcell - 'Fairy Queen' Suite Purcell - Chacony Fauré - Requiem English Chamber Choir Belmont Ensemble of London Philip Tebb Baritone Peter G Dyson Conductor Tickets: £22 £16 £10 STAY IN TOUCH www.facebook.com/musicatstmartins Twitter: @stmartinsmusic

Hire the Neville Marriner Room for your rehearsal or workshop. Purpose built rehearsal space in central London with break-out areas, changing rooms and kitchen facilities Discounts available for block bookings and community groups. For more information call 020 7766 1130 or e-mail music@smitf.org