Author: guillaume

A lot of music has been written for many different instruments and ensembles. However, we find numerous transcriptions of them in the piano literature. Why were they made and how do they sound on the piano? Julia Helena will explore and explain them to you, from Bach to Opera.

• Bach-Bauer:
  • Die Seele Ruht in Jesu Händen, BWV 127
  • Jesu bleibet meine Freude, BWV 147
• Mozart-Fischer: Fantasia F minor KV 608
• Kchachaturian: Adagio from ‚Spartacus‘
• Manuel de Falla
  • Danza del molinero
  • Danza ritual del fuego

PAUSE

• Bach-Liszt: Fantasia and Fugue in g minor, BWV 542
• Schubert-Liszt: Ständchen (Serenade)
• Wagner-Liszt: Isoldes Liebestod
• Saint-Saëns-Liszt: Dance Macabre

Sounds of Klezmer

• Julia Helena: Two Jewish pieces

Sounds of the Middle East

• Leopold Godowsky: Nocturnal Tanger
• Fazil Say: Kara Toprak

Sounds of the Far East

• Leopold Godowsky: Gamelan

Sounds of Cuba

• Ernesto Lecuona
  • Danza de los Nanigos
  • La Comparsa
  • Andalucia
  • Por que te vas?
  • Malaguena

PAUSE
Sounds of Norway

• Edvard Grieg
  • Phantom
  • Puck
  • Wedding Day at Troldhaugen

Sounds of jazz

• Fazil Say: Variations on ‘Summertime’
• Julia Helena: The old fashioned stomp

Sounds of Spain

• Isaac Albeniz
  • Cordoba Op.232, No. 4
  • Rumores de la Caleta Op. 71, No. 6

• Manuel de Falla
  • Danza del molinero
  • Danza ritual del fuego

Julia Helena has a particular affinity with the sonata form. Over time, she has discovered many of them, known and virtually unknown ones. She continues to spend a great deal of time on her quest for marvellous sonatas.
This cycle is an exploration of the sonata form and how it evaluated over centuries. Rarely there has been a classical composer who would not take up the challenge of writing a sonata. Julia Helena has made a selection of finest sonatas.

Sonata Program 1

• M. Clementi: Sonata in E flat major op.35, No.2
• L. v. Beethoven: Sonata quasi una fantasia in E flat major, op.27 No.2

PAUZE

• R. Schumann: Sonata No.3 in F minor, op. 14 ‘Concert sans orchestre’

Sonata Program 2: The ‘English’ sonatas

• Arnold Bax: Sonata No.3 in G sharp minor, GP 279

PAUZE

• York Bowen: Sonata in F minor op. 72

Sonata Program 3:

• L. v. Beethoven: Sonata in E major op. 14, No.1
• F. Chopin: Sonata in B flat minor op. 35

PAUZE

• D. Scarlatti: Two sonatas
• N. Kapustin: Sonata-fantasia

Sonata program 4

• N. Medtner: Sonata Remiscenza op.38 No.1
• J. Haydn: Sonata in E flat major Hob.XVI:49

PAUZE

• D. Scarlatti: Two sonatas
• S. Bortkiewicz: Sonata in C sharp minor op.60

Sonata Program 5

• F. Schubert Sonata in C major D279
• E. Rautavaara: Piano Sonata No. 1 “Christ and the Fishermen” (1969)

PAUZE

• F. Liszt: Sonata in B minor S.178

This program contains pieces which Julia Helena treasures but has been explicitly asked to avoid to play or to stop to play due to being “too long, too hard, too loud, too soft, too complex, not accessible, too boring, too unknown” and so on…
Are you a music lover who would appreciate hearing other things than popular piano literature? Then this program is for you!

• Bach-Kabalevsky: Toccata and Fugue in d minor BWV 538, “Dorian”
• O.Messiaen: Prelude No.6: Cloches d’angoisses et larmes d’adieu (Bells of anguish and tears of farewell)
• F. Mompou: Suburbis

pauze

• N. Medtner: Sonata op 25, No.2 ‘Night Wind’

Liszt is a pivotal figure in the history of piano music. The amount of lasting changes that he made concerning not only the piano, but also orchestration and programmation, will be discussed in this recital. This program wants to show the many sides of Liszt, namely a person who not only had profound knowledge of other composers and transcribed their works marvellously for the piano, but also a daring innovator and intense, enigmatic figure in music history.

• Bach/Liszt: Fantasy and Fugue in G minor, BWV 542
• Schubert/Liszt: Ständchen (serenade)
• Funerailles or Valée d’Obermann

Intermission

• Die Lorelei
• Schubert/Liszt: Litanei
• Wagner/Liszt: Isoldes Liebestod
• Saint-Saëns/Liszt: Dance macabre

This program contains well known pieces of the piano repertoire and witty arrangements which will surprise and amuse any listener. A beautiful, virtuoso and witty program which will appeal to everybody and turn the concert into a musical party!

• E. Grieg: Selection of lyrical pieces
• R. Schumann: Arabesque op. 18
• E. Uslan:
  • Für Elise
  • Chopin’s “Knocked Urn”
  • Bluin’ the Danube

Intermission

• E. Lecuona: selection of pieces
• F. Liszt/Schubert: Ständchen (Serenade)
• F. Liszt: Rhapsody Nr. 2

Bach, Beethoven and Brahms belong to the most celebrated classical composers.
This program wants to show known, but also less known works of this famous ‘triad’.

• Bach-Zadora: Prelude and Fugue in G minor, BWV 535
• J. Brahms – Scherzo in E flat minor, Op. 4
• L. v. Beethoven: 32 variations on an Original Theme in C minor, WoO 8

Intermission

• Bach-Liszt: Fantasia and Fugue in G minor, BWV 542
• J. Brahms: Variations on an Original Theme in D major, Op. 21 No. 1
• L. v. Beethoven: Rondo alla ingharese quasi un capriccio in G major, Op. 129

Russian culture has always fascinated people all over the world. Until the present day, the influence of Russian composers and pianists remains powerful. This program aims at presenting a kaleidoscope of Russian piano music, including known, but also less known composers.

• P. Tchaikovsky:
  • Rêverie du soir, Op. 19: No. 1
  • Dumka, op. 59
• A. Scriabin: 5 preludes, op. 16
• S. Rachmaninoff: selection of etudes and preludes

Intermission

• N. Medtner: Sonata Reminiscenza, op.38 nr.1
• S. Bortkiewicz: Piano Sonata Nr.2, op.60