Edendale Library Up Close Concerts 5/14/21 at 2:30 pm PT

(All Edendale concerts information before 2021 is archived at http://edendaleupclose.blogspot.com )

VIEW the archived performance by pianist Mark Robson

on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/jacquelinesuzuki/videos/10226201486889636

on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKTXGsQzqvQ

This recital was originally presented on Friday, May 14th at 2:30 p.m. PST on Zoom.

We are very excited to be able to continue our Edendale Up Close series (which we used to present live at the library) online.  Thanks so much to Jacqueline Suzuki and Fulcrum Arts Emerge Projects/ Kewa Civic Concerts for making this and future performances possible. 

Program:

Sonata in B minor, K 87                         Domenico Scarlatti

                                                               (1685-1757)

 

Quinze Improvisations                           Francis Poulenc

                                                                             (1899-1963)

I--in B minor, Presto ritmico

II--in A-flat major, Assez animé

III--in B minor, Presto très sec

IV--in A flat, Presto con fuoco

V--in A minor, Modéré mais sans lenteur

VI--in B-flat major, À toute vitesse

VII--in C major, Modéré sans lenteur

VIII--in A minor, Presto

IX--in D major, Presto possible (très sec et très net)

X (Éloge des gammes-)--in F major, Modéré, sans traîner

XI--in G minor, Assez animé

XII (Hommage à Schubert)--in E-flat major, Mouvement de Valse à 1 temps

XIII--in A minor, Allegretto commodo

XIV--in D-flat major, Allegretto (strictement au même tempo d'un bout à l'autre

XV (Hommage à Édith Piaf)--in C minor, Très vite, surtout sans traîner

(Encore: Nostalgie for left hand, by Mark Robson)

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Scarlatti's compendium of 555 single-movement sonatas emerged over many years

as teaching material for the Infanta Maria Barbara, daughter of John V of Portugal.

The composer was in his employ in Lisbon, and he later followed his pupil to Madrid after

her marriage to the Spanish Crown Prince Fernando.  The B minor sonata on the program

(whose number derives from the cataloging system created by American harpsichordist 

Ralph Kirkpatrick) is a gem of four-part keyboard writing.  It shows a more reflective

and melancholic side of the Italian composer, showing a skill with counterpoint that rivals

the rambunctious virtuosity we often associate with his compositions.

Poulenc compiled his Quinze Improvisations over a period of 27 years; most were written

in the 1930s, and those from XI on followed in the 1940s and 50s, concluding with the

stylistically emblematic piece dedicated to cabaret singer Edith Piaf.  By some form of

unflappable alchemy, Poulenc created one piece after another in his career by reusing and

rearranging an arsenal of motifs, harmonic progressions and stylistic climates to produce his

undeniably unique voice and expressive palette.  He was unashamedly inspired by snippets

of Stravinsky, by the popular music of his day, by the hard-edged antics of anti-Romantics

at the end of World War I and by the pianism of the likes of Chopin, Fauré, Rachmaninoff and

Prokofiev.  And yet it is always Poulenc in the end.  This suite (which he counted as a favorite)

shows his mercurial twists of virtuosity, wit, unabashed lyricism and tuneful melody; there is

also a typically consistent sense of the theatrical and vocal.  He praises scales in X and nods

to Schubert (dressed as Chopin) in XII.  Each piece is dedicated to a friend, professional associate, artist, or patron, which may or may not imply that they are character portraits. It is the piano music of a true lover of the instrument, embodying Poulenc's ardent and tactile embrace of the keyboard.

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Mark Robson has been hailed by the Los Angeles Times as a pianist with “one of the great techniques,” “an inquiring mind” and a performer capable of evoking an “exquisite engulfing pastel haze,” and he continues to impress with his multi-faceted career as a soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. Mr. Robson is equally comfortable in styles ranging from early music played on the harpsichord and organ to the great Romantic repertoire and beyond to contemporary piano works demanding theatrical participation from the performer. As a collaborative artist with singers and instrumentalists, he commands the respect of his peers in both the recital and chamber settings. He presents an annual recital for the LA series Piano Spheres and has performed for Jacaranda on numerous occasions. As an organist, he has also appeared as a soloist in the Minimalist Jukebox at Disney Hall and has performed on the organ in Mahler’s 8th Symphony at the Hollywood Bowl in their 2008 season.

After completing conservatory and university training, Mr. Robson amplified his musical studies with extensive study in Paris-where he was a pupil of Yvonne Loriod, widow of composer Olivier Messiaen-and through his work as an assistant conductor and assistant chorus master for the Los Angeles Opera. During this time he worked with renowned international singers and conductors, gaining great insight into the lyric art. He has also been a musical assistant at the Salzburg and Spoleto (Italy) festivals. As a composer, Robson has been programmed on concerts in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Barcelona and Paris. The Brentwood-Westwood Symphony Orchestra has premiered two of his orchestral works, Apollo Rising and Christmas Suite. Soprano Patricia Prunty has recorded his song cycle A Child of Air and the same piece was presented by Sari Gruber at the winter Ravinia Festival.

The recipient of several scholarships and awards (including the Certificate of Excellence from the Corvina Cultural Circle for artistic contributions to Hungary), Mark Robson has received degrees from the University of Southern California and Oberlin College. He has worked as a vocal coach for the faculties of USC, Chapman University, the California Institute of the Arts and Cal State Fullerton. Among his formidable musical projects has been the performance in eight concerts of the complete piano sonatas of Beethoven and numerous performances of Messiaen’s massive cycle, Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus.