Renowned pianist Kathryn Stott tells us how she plans to whisk you away at her recital this summer.
I’ve always loved music centred around dance movements and so when thinking about this programme, I decided to incorporate some of my favourite dances with colourful flavours of foreign lands and feelings. This is a concert where you won’t be needing your passport but can travel from Romania to France and hear music from both North and South America.
The Bartok Romanian Dances are great fun, very short and based on folk music from Transylvania. After catching my breath I hope we can all relax with Debussy’s gorgeous slow waltz, La Plus que Lente before taking 4 Excursions written by Barber. Again these have references to traditional folk idioms and are a wonderful departure from works like his famous ‘Adagio’.
After the final barn dance, I wanted to move the tempo down again with a Waltz so full of nostalgia and lost love. Written for Maria Wodzińska to whom Chopin was engaged, it bids farewell with melodic beauty and simplicity. Perhaps the core of the programme are the Valses Nobles et Sentimentales by Ravel. These compact gems form a suite of absolute treasures and I find them to be one of the most delicious works in my repertoire. Ravel leaves us with a feeling of the party being over, but my final journey takes us to South America and the fabulous 3 Argentinian Dances written by Ginastera. I’m really looking forward to returning to Buxton after the cancellation last year and so much look forward to sharing some my favourite musical snapshots with you.
Book to join Kathryn Stott on her musical journey Friday 9 July.