Maha Zahid

Claude Debussy (1862-1918)

La cathédrale engloutie (Debussy)

“La cathédrale engloutie” (The Sunken Cathedral) is a musical composition written by the French composer Claude Debussy for solo piano. It was published in 1910 as the tenth prelude in Debussy’s first book of preludes. It is characteristic of Debussy in its form, harmony, and content. The piece is based on an ancient Breton myth in which a cathedral, submerged underwater off the coast of the Island of Ys, rises up from the sea on clear mornings when the water is transparent. Sounds can be heard of priests chanting, bells chiming, and the organ playing, from across the sea. Accordingly, Debussy uses certain harmonies to allude to the plot of the legend, in the style of musical symbolism.

Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

Sonata in A major, D.664 (Schubert)

i Allegro moderato
ii Andante (in D major)
iii Allegro

Well regarded among pianists, the “Little” A major sonata is so called to distinguish it from the hefty 1828 sonata in the same key. It is the shortest among Schubert’s complete sonatas. The manuscript, completed in July 1819, was dedicated to Josephine von Koller of Steyr in Upper Austria, whom he considered to be “very pretty” and “a good pianist”. The lyrical, buoyant, in spots typically poignant nature of this sonata fits the image of a young Schubert in love, living in a summery Austrian countryside, which he also considered to be “unimaginably lovely”.

Claude Debussy (1862-1918)

Estampes, L. 100 (Debussy)

i Pagodes (Pagodas), ii La soirée dans Grenade (Evening in Granada), iii Jardins sous la pluie (Gardens in the Rain)

Estampes (Prints), L. 100, is a composition for solo piano by Claude Debussy. It was finished in 1903.

Performers

Maha Zahid - Piano

Native of Casablanca, Maha Zahid started playing the piano at the age of 6. She started at the conservatory of the city of Casablanca and pursued her studies a few years later at the Salmon music school. She then went on to join the Ecole Normale de Musique of Paris. She studied with pianist Caroline Sageman while preparing a Master’s degree in Musicology at the University of Paris 8. Currently, she is studying in the Liège Royal conservatory with Alexander Gurning, Florian Noack and Christophe Meunier.