i C major. Sans traîner - Le double plus lent, ii A minor. Bal de jeunes filles. Très animé - Strictement au même mouvement - Très lent, iii F major. Les cloches de Malines. Modéré mais sans lenteur - Agité et mystérieux - Tempo I, iv C minor. Bal fantôme. Lent, très las et piano, v D minor. Phalènes. Presto misterioso, vi G major. Très calme mais sans traîner, vii E-flat major. Assez allant - Toujours strictement au même mouvement, viii G major. (pour servir de coda au cycle). Très modéré
Huit nocturnes, FP 56, is a cycle of nocturnes for solo piano by French composer Francis Poulenc. Written over a period of nine years, each one of the nocturnes were published separately. Poulenc composed his nocturnes as individual pieces and never conceived them as a set. The earliest account of these pieces dates back to 1929, when he started composing short piano pieces, some of them with titles, and each piece was dedicated to an important person in Poulenc's life. In 1938, when he completed the eighth and final nocturne, he wrote that it would serve as a "coda to the cycle", indicating that it was then that he conceived the nocturnes as a set.
i Moderato assai, inquieto: A tense, restless opening, ii Allegretto: A contrasting, often ironic middle movement, iii Lento: A slow, contemplative piece, iv Senza tempo: A "timeless" piece, often allowing free interpretation of time, v Grave: A final, solemn, and heavy movement.
Alfred Schnittke's Five Aphorisms for piano solo (1990) are short, intense musical pieces known for their dense, introspective nature. Written late in his career in 1990, these concise works are characterized by shifting moods, spanning from uneasy moderato to profound grave. Schnittke dedicated the works to pianist Alexandr Slobodyanik (who gave the world premiere at Carnegie Hall that year), and to the Russian poet Brodsky.
Saul Picado - Piano
As a pianist, I regularly perform both as a soloist and as a chamber musician. I completed my Doctorate in Performance in 2022 at Universidade de Aveiro, where I studied piano with Pedro Burmester. I graduated with distinction in Piano Accompaniment and Chamber Music in 2010, studying with Alexei Eremine, and obtained my Master’s in Performance from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in 2012, studying with Peter Bithell and Martin Roscoe. Later, I was awarded the Gilbert & Eileen Edgar Junior Fellowship in Piano Accompaniment at the Royal College of Music (2014–15). My piano studies began in 1998 at the Conservatório Regional de Castelo Branco, my hometown in Portugal, with João Paulo Cunha.
In 2011 the Dryads Duo (my duo with violinist Carla Santos) was awarded the 1st prize at the “Prémio Jovens Músicos” competition in Portugal. This win gave us the opportunity to record our first CD (GDA). In 2016 we released our second CD (KNS), entitled Intimate Colours. In 2018, I was invited to play in a CD recording for NAXOS featuring all the chamber music of composer Pedro Faria Gomes. And in 2019, I recorded a CD with music for piano in four hands (with pianist Diana Vieira) featuring music for children by composer Sérgio de Azevedo.
Currently, I teach piano at The Abbey School, Wellington College, and Windsor Piano School. My goal is to share, inspire and nurture the love for music. Teaching piano is a central part of my life, and sharing my love for music with others is one of my greatest sources of fulfillment. I am deeply passionate about the arts—both visual and performing—and especially about their intersection. I find inspiration in the world around me, constantly seeking new perspectives.
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