Brahms Today : trois concerts exceptionnels!
L’Alliance Française Malte-Méditerranée vous invite à un prochain événement, Brahms aujourd’hui, organisé en collaboration avec l’Ambassade de France à Malte et l’Ensemble des Equilibres.
L’événement comprendra une commande exclusive de l’Ensemble Des Equilibres qui prendra la forme de trois concerts exceptionnels mettant en valeur le travail de trois compositeurs contemporains, Graciane Finzi, Nicolas Bacri et Philippe Hersant, qui apporteront leur vision unique sur le triptyque de sonates de Brahms.
Chaque compositeur s’est inspiré de l’une des sonates de Brahms, ce qui a donné lieu à trois créations exceptionnelles et originales. L’interprétation unique de l’œuvre de Brahms par chaque compositeur est mise en valeur dans une œuvre collaborative :
– Philippe Hersant a choisi d’écrire sur la première sonate de Brahms, – Nicolas Bacri a choisi d’écrire sur la deuxième sonate de Brahms, – Graciane Finzi a choisi d’écrire sur la troisième sonate de Brahms
Programme des concerts :
– Philippe Hersant Sonata Regenlied – 2018 for violin and piano
– Nicolas Bacri, Sonata No. 4 op. — 2017-18 for violin and piano (Editions Alphonse Leduc)
– Graciane Finzi, Sonate Winternacht – 2018 for violin and piano
Ces oeuvres seront interprétées par deux artistes incroyables : Agnès Pyka (violon) et Laurent Wagschal (piano) !
L’évènement aura lieu :
Le 25 avril 14:00 University of Malta
Le 26 avril 19:30 Exhibition Hall, Ministry for Gozo
Le 28 avril 19:00 Concert Hall, Malta Society of Arts
L’entrée est gratuite. Aucune réservation n’est nécessaire. Les compositeurs seront également présents ! C’est une occasion incroyable pour les amoureux de la musique de découvrir les œuvres de compositeurs contemporains inspirés par l’un des plus grands compositeurs de tous les temps, Brahms.
Les concerts sont organisés en partenariat avec : the Ensemble des Equilibres, the Department of Music Studies of the University of Malta, the Alliance française Malte Méditerranée, the Valletta Cultural Agency and the Ministry for Gozo.
NOTES D’INTENTION
PHILIPPE HERSANT – Sonata Regenlied for violin and piano (2018)
To Agnès Pyka and Laurent Wagschal
Since a long time, I like to write pieces that are inspired by historical works. I did this several times, with my Trio (a piece based on “The Bells of St. Genevieve by Marin Marais), with my 4th string quartet, that draws its inspiration from Beethoven’s 8th Quartet, or with my Psaum 130 that recalls Bach’s chorale “Aus tiefer Not”.
Therefore, I accepted with great pleasure the Des Equilibres ensemble’s proposal to write a piece for violin and piano echoing one of Bach’s three sonatas.
As for me, I would like to choose “Regenlied” as an inspiration, which is a wonderful melody used by Brahms in the finale of his First Sonata.”
NICOLAS BACRI – Sonata for violin and piano n°4, Opus 148 (2017-2018)
To Agnès Pyka and Laurent Wagschal
“I discovered Brahms when I was about 8-10 years old with the Quintet in F minor Op.34. I loved it. Later, my schoolteacher introduced me to Russian music. Stravinsky became my main interest after “The Five”. It was only at the age of seventeen that I became truly familiar with Brahms’ symphonies, and so a love for his chamber music followed along. His chamber music will forever remain an unmatched landmark in terms of balance between tradition and innovation: for its language, depth, and communicability, for its aesthetics, instrumentality, and vocal style, as well as for its approach of sound design.
Brahms’ chamber music is part of a series of masterpieces such as Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, and Schuman. These pieces encourage me to give my very best. It is with great joy that I accepted Agnès Pyka and Laurent Wagschal’s proposal to write a new sonata for violin and piano.
The sonata is a music genre that triggered my esthetic questioning at the end of the 80’s and led me to leave the ranks of the post-serial musicians. My first sonata, Op.40, dates from 1994. It emphasizes melodic dominance and sketches a reconquest of the classical bi-thematic sonata form. The second sonata, Op. 75 was written in 2002. It emphasizes the specific formal option of the sonata and explores the rondo form in the “Finale”. The third, Op. 138 is called “Torso” due to its contours that seem sculpted by a chisel. Besides, it is, just as some of my main works, written as a single piece. It includes different movements linked together and it forms a whole which can be interpreted as a synthesis between the sonata form and free variations on two additional themes.
The fourth sonata subtitle will be “Frei aber Einsam und Froh”; as a reference to Joseph Joachim’s motto (Frei aber Einsam) – which was used by Schumann, Dietrich and Brahms for the Sonata F.A.E. – merged with Brahms’ “Frei aber Froh”, the title of the first movement of his third sonata. This will provide the piece main pattern: F, A, E, F sharp. Any similarity to the author’s personal life is purely coincidental.”
GRACIANE FINZI – Winternacht for violin and piano (2018)
To Agnès Pyka and Laurent Wagschal
“When Agnès Pyka asked me to write a piece for violin and piano around Brahms’ sonatas, I was immediately thrilled by the idea for multiple reasons.
Firstly, I deeply appreciated the talent Agnès Pyka and Laurent Wagschal during several concerts where they performed my works. In addition, drawing on such a musical masterpiece for piano and violin as Johannes Brahms’s three sonatas is at the same time challenging and rewarding.
I’m truly delighted about this project, especially because of the collaboration with the two other composers: Philippe Hersant and Nicolas Bacri.”