A surprisingly large and appreciative audience joined me on Sunday afternoon, November 6, 2022 at Stanford’s Bing Concert Hall. We heard a wonderful concert by pianist Helene Grimaud.
Much time has passed because of COVID since I had entered this lovely place. And Ms. Grimaud presented a very creative program of solo piano music.
The program began with several works by Ukrainian-born composer Valentin Silvestrov. We heard Silvestrov’s Bagatelles Opus 1, numbers 1 and #2. These compositions were separated by Claude Debussy’s Arabesque #1.
The entire first half of the program featured similar short pieces stitched together like a beautiful Persian carpet… and the compositions were not interrupted by applause.
Beginning with the 4th selection we heard the following:
ERIK SATIE (1866-1925): GNOSSIENNE NO. 4 (1891)
FRYDERYK CHOPIN (1810-49): NOCTURNE IN E MINOR, OP. 72 NO. 1 (C1829)
ERIK SATIE (1866-1925): GNOSSIENNE NO. 1 (1890)
ERIK SATIE (1866-1925): EN Y REGARDANT À DEUX FOIS FROM DANSES DE TRAVERS (1897), FROM PIÈCES FROIDES
CLAUDE DEBUSSY (1862-1918): LA PLUS QUE LENTE, L. 121 (1910)
FRYDERYK CHOPIN (1810-49): MAZURKA IN A MINOR, OP. 17 NO. 4 (1833)
FRYDERYK CHOPIN (1810-49): WALTZ IN A MINOR, OP. 34 NO. 2 (C1834)
CLAUDE DEBUSSY (1862-1918): CLAIR DE LUNE FROM SUITE BERGAMASQUE, L. 75 (C1890, REV. 1905)
CLAUDE DEBUSSY (1862-1918): RÊVERIE, L. 76 (68) (C1890)
ERIK SATIE (1866-1925): PASSER FROM DANSES DE TRAVERS (1897), FROM PIÈCES FROIDES.
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What became clear to me as the first hall of this concert unfolded were several things:
1. Ms. Grimaud is a powerful, sensitive, and highly capable pianist.
2. She chose these selections in a thoughtful manner that allowed them to be played sequentially even though they were composed by four different composers.
The concert’s second hall was devoted to just one piece:
ROBERT SCHUMANN (1810-1856): KREISLERIANA, OP. 16 (1838)
This is a composition in 8 movements that Robert Schumann wrote in the heat of his inspiration, in just four days in April 1838. In its pages he makes constant references to the woman he loved, Clara. Schumann wrote that “You and one of your ideas are the principal subject, and I shall call them “Kreisleriana” and dedicate them to you.”
Ms. Grimaud rewarded the audience with several encores to close a very enjoyable Sunday afternoon.
