ReSounding in London
ReSounding offers two themes: voices lost to history and now revived, and the scenic and spiritual transcending musical cultures.
We begin with Debussy’s summer-winter preludes. Mendelssohn-Hensel's Easter Sonata fuses Romantic Lieder and virtuosity with an homage to Bach. Written in 1828, the Sonata was lost to the archives, then mistakenly attributed to her brother Felix, and only premiered under the right name in 2010. The finale depicts the earthquake in St Matthew’s Passion—an uncanny link to Buencamino’s Fantasy on the most active volcano in the Philippines. The tension between tradition and innovation is revisited in Schumann’s bold take on Beethoven’s famous symphonic theme. We conclude the evening with African-American composer Price’s Fantasie nègre No. 2, written in 1932 but only premiered and published in 2020, and a triumphant celebration of her identity.
Morden College Merchant’s Hall: Saturday Morning Concert
Programme TBC, to include Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel’s Easter Sonata
ReSounding in Manila
On International Women's Day, join pianist Ning Hui See as she revives masterpieces once lost to history, and sounds stories of life, love, and identity. Written during the Mendelssohns' preparations for the Bach Revival, Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel's Easter Sonata depicts the Passion of Christ with Romantic virtuosity. Lost to the archives and falsely attributed to her brother Felix, it was finally premiered under her name in 2010. Three works from Clara Wieck-Schumann trace her rise from child prodigy to mature artist. Inspired by Clara's own creative programming, these are woven amongst mysterious bell chimes from French composer Mel Bonis, dreams of love from American composer Amy Beach, a boat lost on the sea from Finnish spectral composer Kaija Saariaho, meditations from Singaporean composer Emily Koh, and a triumphant celebration of her mixed heritage from African-American composer Florence Price.
SG60 & Women's History Month
A recital celebrating underrated gems in Romantic repertoire. We begin with the playful Romance variée, Op. 3 from 12-year-old Clara Wieck-Schumann. A simmering, darker maturity follows with her Romanzen Op. 11 No. 2, written at a turning point in her life. Amy Beach's 'Dreaming' rises from the depths with a quote by French poet Victor Hugo, while Francisco Buencamino Sr's Mayon Fantasy portrays the active volcano in Bicol, Philippines. (We conclude with a popular Singapore song, reminding us of 'home'.)
THE PROGRAMME:
Clara Schumann: Romance variée, Op. 3
Clara Schumann: Romanzen Op. 11 No. 2
Amy Beach: 'Dreaming' from Four Sketches, Op. 15
Francisco Buencamino Sr: Mayon Fantasy
Royal College of Music London: Reception at Shangri-La
Bozza: Eugène Bozza: Récit, Sicilienne et Rondo (with bassoonist Siping Guo)
Francisco Buencamino: Mayon Fantasy
Manu Martin: Lim Fantasy of Companionship Suite for Piano, Flute and Strings Octet, Act III: Timeless