James Lisney: poèmes, mélodies et danses

James Lisney returns to St George’s with a garland of romantic piano music inspired by poetry, song, and the spirit of the dance. James Lisney piano Liszt Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude Schubert Drei Klavierstücke, D 946 Chopin Sonata in b, opus 58 Rachmaninoff Lilacs opus 21/5 Daisies opus 38/3 Kreisler Liebesleid; Liebesfreud Franz Liszt considered his Bénédiction (the third piece of his 1853 piano cycle Harmonies poétiques et religieuses) one of his most significant works, often performing it for house guests. It is a profound meditation on the eponymous poem by Alphonse de Lamartine, interpreting French Romantic sentiments through the most sumptuous of piano writing. Franz Schubert’s Drei Klavierstücke, written 1827/28, gained their Germanic title from Johannes Brahms who edited the pieces for their first publication in 1868. The first two pieces allude to his own lied and the opera Fierabras, and some commentators see a quote from Handel’s Messiah – a score that Schubert was studying in 1828. The outer sections of the final Allegro, however, are shot through with bohemian dance rhythms and virtuosic piano writing, contrasting the ruminative trio section. Fryderyk Chopin was intensely interested in the bel canto style of Italian opera and particularly admired the long melodic lines of composers such as Vincenzo Bellini. The sonata presents a rich mixture of melodies and pianistic brilliance, but it is tightly wrought beneath the surface – one of the most satisfying of nineteenth century piano sonatas. Finally, Rachmaninoff produced affectionate transcriptions of music by Bach, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, and others. James Lisney presents two celebrated songs originally written for soprano – and two waltzes that the celebrated violinist Fritz Kreisler passed off as “Old Viennese Dances” before confessing that they were his own. Rachmaninoff’s virtuosic and humorous transcriptions are a splendid tribute from one emigré musician to another. ‘I have nothing but praise for James Lisney’s piano playing; he combines velvet touch and wide range of colour with complete understanding of phrasing and dynamic shading. This is someone who can really give the mechanical box of wires and wood a singing soul’ The Telegraph