Pianoforte music from French composers featured at yesterday's lunchtime concert in Marama Hall. Guest performer was Dunedin pianist Sandra Crawshaw, who has a particular interest in women composers and French classical repertoire.
The recital began with La Cathedrale blessee, composed in 1915 by Mel Bonis. It is a programmatic piece with sonorous resonating harmonies and simple yet emotionally effective themes which depicted the structural stature, as well as the atmosphere and ambience, of a cathedral.
Sonatine, by Maurice Ravel, was a three-movement, early 20th century work, which Crawshaw delivered with clarity and stylistic technical proficiency.
In 1936, Francis Poulenc composed a set of musical cameos inspired by the ‘‘character, looks and idiosyncrasies'' of some of his friends.
This collection of eight short pieces, entitled Les soirees de Nazelles, is crammed with refreshing variety, interlacing many moods and motifs. After a bright Preamble, the ‘‘portraits'', all of which although individually titled remain anonymous, were lovingly interpreted by Crawshaw, with attention to detail, dynamics and accentuated humour where appropriate.
Terence Dennis and the second Steinway joined to perform Cecile Chaminade's Pas des cymbales pour deux pianos, in an entertaining, rhythmically disciplined and tuneful duo.
Chaminade (1857-1944) wrote for piano and voice, made recordings and pianola rolls, and her late-Romantic salon-style works were popular, especially in America and also in the colonies.
Crawshaw's research indicates the last public performance of this work in Dunedin was probably in 1920, at a Barth School of Music recital in the Bristol Piano Salon.
-By Elizabeth Bouman
To see
French Piano Music for One and Two Pianos
Marama Hall
Wednesday, April 13
