Milda Daunoraite

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D minor, BWV 903 (Bach)

i Fantasia, ii Fugue

Although there exist many copies, no original manuscript of the piece remains, therefore the date of composition is unclear. But it is believed to have been completed around 1720. It was highly praised during Bach’s lifetime, and was already known throughout Europe in the 18th century. Even in the 19th century, many famous composers, including Beethoven, published revised versions, and there are records of performances held by Mendelssohn, Liszt, Brahms, and others.

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Piano Sonata No. 26, Op. 81a “Les Adieux” (Beethoven)

i Das Lebewohl
ii Abwesenheit
iii Das Wiedersehen

Les Adieux (“The Farewell”) was written during the years 1809 and 1810. The title Les Adieux implies a programmatic nature. The French attack on Vienna, led by Napoléon Bonaparte in 1809, forced Beethoven’s patron, Archduke Rudolph, to leave the city. Yet, there is some uncertainty about this nature of the piece — or at least, about the degree to which Beethoven wished this programmatic nature should be known. He titled the three movements “Lebewohl”, “Abwesenheit”, and “Wiedersehen” (‘farewell’, ‘absence’, and ‘reunion’), and reportedly regarded the French “Adieux” (said to whole assemblies or cities) as a poor translation of the feeling of the German “Lebewohl” (said heartfully to a single person). Indeed, Beethoven wrote the syllables “Le-be-wohl” over the first three chords.

Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915)

Sonata-Fantasie in G-sharp minor, No. 2 Op. 19 (Scriabin)

i Andante, ii Presto

Scriabin’s Piano Sonata No. 2 in G-sharp minor, (Op. 19, also titled Sonata-Fantasy) took five years for him to write. It was finally published in 1898, at the urging of his publisher. The piece is in two movements, with a style combining Chopin-like Romanticism with an impressionistic touch. The piece is widely appreciated and is one of Scriabin’s most popular pieces.

Igor Stravinsky (1882-1981)

Petrushka (Stravinsky)

i Danse Russe
ii Chez Petrouchka
iii La Semaine Grasse
iv Fugue

A Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship, Stravinsky is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the 20th century and a pivotal figure in modernist music. Three Movements from Petrushka for the solo piano were composed for his friend, pianist Arthur Rubinstein, and are dedicated to him. Stravinsky is very explicit in stating that the movements are not transcriptions. He was not trying to reproduce the sound of the orchestra, but instead wished to compose a score which would be essentially pianistic even though its musical material was drawn directly from the ballet. Stravinsky also wanted to create a work which would encourage pianists to play his music, but it should be one in which they could display their technique, an objective he amply achieved.

Performers

Milda Daunoraite - Piano

Milda Daunoraite (b.2001) began her piano studies at the age of six. She received her formative education at The Purcell School of Music (London) and is currently studying with Tessa Nicholson at the Royal Academy of Music, under a full fees scholarship, where she is a recipient of the ABRSM Scholarship award. She has been supported by The Keyboard Charitable Trust , ‘SOS Talents foundation – MS’ and Mstislav Rostropovich Charity and Support Foundation.