Cycle
Mirroring worlds

On the shores of the Mediterranean

Recital
What were Parisian musicians seeking, at the turn of the twentieth century, when they headed for the shores of the Mediterranean Sea? Perhaps they wanted to set foot in a colonised land and pay tribute – as Camille Saint-Saëns did at the end of his Suite algérienne – to the French military presence there. But there was also a desire to explore a part of the world that, for many, represented the cradle of modern civilisation, untouched by the industrialisation that was ravaging Europe. A quest for origins that was part of a reformulation of a national identity, and appeared to be a response to Germany: set against the Nordic myths taken up by Wagner was a heritage that combined the greatness of Rome, the dreams of Cleopatra and the conquests of Spain and Portugal.

Concert followed by an aperitif.

Dates

Fri 27 October 2023
19.30
Palazzetto Bru Zane, Venice

Performers

Lidija and Sanja Bizjak piano

Programme

Works for piano four hands by SAINT-SAËNS, CHAMINADE, BONIS, DEBUSSY and RAVEL

Camille Saint-Saëns
1. Suite algérienne op. 60 :
I. Prélude : Molto allegro – II. Rapsodie mauresque : Allegretto non troppo – III. Rêverie du soir (À Blidah) :
Allegretto quasi Andantino – IV. Marche militaire française : Allegro giocoso
(transcription de Gabriel Fauré)
Cécile Chaminade
2. Six Pièces romantiques pour piano à quatre mains op. 55 (extraits) :
III. Idylle arabe : Mouvement modéré – V. Danse hindoue
Mel Bonis
3. Le Songe de Cléopâtre pour piano à quatre mains op. 180/1
Claude Debussy
4. Images (extraits) :
II. Iberia : Par les rues et les chemins – Les Parfums de la nuit – Le Matin d’un jour de fête
(transcription d’André Caplet)
Maurice Ravel
5. Rapsodie espagnole :
I. Prélude à la nuit – II. Malagueña – III. Habanera – IV. Feria
(transcription du compositeur)