Christian Zimerman Piano Recital You can see the song description!

1)
Below, you can see the explanation of Krystian Zimerman's piano recital in Japan 2023, including Szymanowski's "Variations on a Theme of Polish Folk Songs Op.10", which is the favourite of this programme.

"Szymanowski: Piano Works", which Zimmerman recorded in 2022 and which he had long wanted to perform, won Britain's "Gramophone Award 2023" this autumn. Szymanowski's Variations on a Polish Folk Song Theme Op.10, included here, will be the finale of the Japan performance programme.

Don't miss the opportunity to hear Zimmerman's simple, delicate, elegant and dynamic Szymanowski Variations at the Japanese performance, which makes you think the programme was prepared for this finale.

2)
Chopin: From the Nocturnes (4 pieces)

Most of the works of Frédéric Chopin (1810-49), born near Warsaw in Poland, were piano pieces. Among the many masterpieces of his creative genius, about 21 of his Nocturnes have survived.

This piece is full of delicate, graceful and romantic flavours unique to Chopin and enhances the expressiveness of traditional nocturnes. Still, its song-like character is also one of the characteristics of Romantic piano pieces.

In other words, they do not seek the scale of a sonata with a development section but prioritise melodic beauty. The following four songs will be performed this time.

No. 2 Op. 9-2: Andante in E flat major. Composed in 1830-31. Chopin's most famous nocturne. Its romantic and sweet melody was later arranged as popular music and used as the film's theme song, "Love Story."

No. 5 Op. 15-2: Larghetto, F-sharp Major. Composed in 1830-31. This is also a very popular nocturne with a graceful and mysterious melody.

No. 16 Op. 55-2: Lento sostenuto in E flat major. Composed in 1842-43. It is written as an improvisatory calligraphic and reminiscent of Chopin's later style.

No. 18 Op. 62-2: Lento in E major. Composed in 1846. Although it begins with a simple melodic idea, Chopin's skilful technique in his later years is evident in the sophisticated harmonic arrangement and detailed movements in the middle section. The two pieces listed as Op. Sixty-two are Chopin's last nocturnes and the last to be published during his lifetime.

3)
Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op.35 "Funeral"

Chopin left three piano sonatas. No. 2, completed in 1839, is also called "Funeral" or "Mourning March". This work, remarkable for its breadth of expression and boldness in breaking with the tradition of the classical sonata, is in four movements.

Still, only the third movement, the Funeral March, was written first. It is thought that the whole work was conceived based on this heartbreaking movement.

1st movement: B flat minor. After beginning with a sombre introduction that seems to sum up the dark and anxious mood of the entire movement, the central section starts with the command "Doppio Movimento" (double speed) and unfolds in sonata form.

2nd movement: Scherzo. E flat minor, in three parts. It consists of a central section with an eerie atmosphere, a bright and sweet middle section, and finally, the melodic thoughts of the middle section are recalled.

Third movement: Lento, marche funèvre. B flat minor, in three parts. It is a famous funeral march in its own right, expressing a dark and sad funeral procession. A beautiful melody appears in the middle section, like celestial music.

4th movement: Finale: Presto. B flat minor. It is a short but mysterious and original finale. Its calligraphy, ahead of its time, is striking, as is the use of ambiguous keys.

4)
Debussy: Prints

French composer Claude Achille Debussy (1862-1918) used his delicate and sharp sensibility to depict the natural world, such as water and light, and various landscapes, using his unique sounds and calligraphy. Completed in 1903, "Hanga" is his first collection of piano pieces in which he established a new style, consisting of the following three pieces.

1. Song "Tower": "Moderately active". It is said to have been composed based on his impression of listening to Javanese gamelan music at the 1889 World's Fair in Paris. It begins with an oriental theme based on a pentatonic scale, and because it is repeated in slightly different forms, it creates a unique atmosphere.

Song 2: "An Evening in Granada": "With the Habanera movement. Set to the rhythm of the Habanera dance, it describes the sunset in Spain's ancient capital, Granada. This piece shows Debussy's rich imagination and creativity, even though he never visited Spain.

Song 3 "Rain Garden": "Clear and quick". It's a technical song with many minor broken chords, but like the previous two, it's also descriptive. The theme is based on the melodies of two French nursery rhymes: "Sleepy Boy" and "I'm Not Going to the Forest Again".

5)
Szymanowski: Variations on a Theme of a Polish Folk Song in B Minor, Op.10

Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937), born in Tymoszowka, Poland (now Ukraine), was a composer with a lyrical and romantic style.

"Variations on a Theme of Polish Folk Songs," written while he was a student at the Warsaw Conservatory and dedicated to his teacher Zygmunt Noskowski, was his earliest work influenced by Chopin, Wagner and Scriabin. It is a piano piece from when he searched for his style.

6)
Begun in 1900 and completed in 1904 over about five years, it is a complex piece with precise calligraphy. It requires a high skill level, making it a masterpiece of considerable scope.

This variation was premiered in Warsaw in February 1906 with Genrich Neygauss at the piano. Neygauss was a relative of Szymanowski and the grandfather of the modern pianist Stanislav Bunin.

7)
The piece is in B minor, with a short introduction and a simple theme. The theme is said to be based on folk songs from the mountainous regions of southern Poland. A total of 10 variations follow seamlessly, but the 8th and 10th variations are particularly distinctive.

From the beginning to the fifth variation, it is written in B minor and the sixth variation changes to B major. Variation 8, which follows Variation 7 in B major, is the "Funeral March" in G minor.

8)
Variation 8, with the musical notation "quasi campana" (like the toll of a bell) and sounding exactly like a funeral bell, was played by the orchestra at Szymanowski's funeral in Warsaw in 1937.

Then, in the 9th variation, the key returns to B major and the final 10th variation begins. It is an extended finale, with a fugato section in the middle, which is said to be "with humour," it ends the whole piece on a high note, showing developments on a grand scale.

Christian Zimerman Piano Recital You can see the song description!

https://www.japanarts.co.jp/news/p8241/

Christian Zimerman starts performances in Japan on November 4th!

https://www.japanarts.co.jp/news/p8209/

Szymanowski: Variations on a Polish Folk Theme, Op. 10 - Andante doloroso rubato

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1O0Ow1Ma5-M&list=PLRuarobDd9XlULx-IA4yO_uUir17d7PsG

//Postscript//

So, I would like to talk about Zimerman as a great pianist.

His career includes collaborations with Karajan and Bernstein, and he is one of the few outstanding pianists whose many great performances can still be heard today.
He not only knows the piano's structure but also tunes the piano himself, and I feel that he is exceptionally particular about the tone.
He also performs recitals in Japan every year and even has his own home in Tokyo, where he is a Japan enthusiast who praises Suntory Hall highly.

And tomorrow we'll talk about his concert last Saturday.
He is Polish, and it has been his long-held dream to perform "Variations on a Theme of a Polish Folk Song" by fellow Polish composer Szymanowski, and he finally had a concert.

How do you make this new song that many people have never heard shine?

This new song moved me.

It was "Szymanowski: Variations on a Theme of a Polish Folk Song in B Minor, Op.10."
His playing was so brilliant that I thought he had prepared all the other songs for it.

However, this was the first time I heard this new song in concert.
Unfortunately, there were no memorable phrases.
Perhaps it is because the songs of Chopin and Debussy are too famous.
Masterpieces don't depend on the level of the person playing them.
Whether you are a beginner or a child, the performance will be excellent if you play Chopin's Nocturne.

This new piece would be great if played by Zimerman.
But what if someone who doesn't understand it plays it?
That's the difference between a masterpiece that lasts forever and a great song.

In any case, there is no doubt that it was a wonderful concert where you could feel Zimerman's outstanding performance and his passion for his new songs.