Kanae Furomoto

Performers

Notes on the performers

Kanae Furomoto has given performances in a number of countries in Europe and South East Asia, in the USA, as well as within the UK and her native Japan. Her experience as a soloist, as ensemble player and as accompanist extends from the radio broadcasts on the Classic FM, the NHK-FM and others to appearances at music festivals like the Budapest Spring Festival.

She studied at the Royal Academy of Music in the UK, firstly with Lois Phillips, and later with Hamish Milne. Having graduated RAM with the highest mark among the pianists, she was awarded several prestigious prizes and scholarships which enabled her to continue her study on the postgraduate course at the RAM. She simultaneously obtained the M.Mus. from the University of London. In 1999 she was one of the chosen soloists for the PLG Young Artist Concert Series to appear at the Purcell Room in London.

Programme

Programme notes

Johann Sebastian Bach

Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D minor, BWV 903

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.

This piece, which combines the composer’s rich imagination with the strict contrapuntal form of fugue, beautifully expresses the contrast between “freedom” and “discipline”. The romantic and improvisational fantasy progresses in a brilliant, galloping toccata style in the first half, and in the second half, marked as recitative (recitation), dramatic contrasts of dynamics and unexpected key changes are repeated, fusing it with toccata elements. The following fugue is in three parts based on a chromatic theme and although limited to the minor keys, it modulates to distant keys and gradually builds up tension. After a massive statement of the theme in a wide range, the piece concludes with a brief recollection of the chromatic theme used in the Fantasia.

Source: Kanae Furomoto

Robert Schumann

Fantasie in C, Op. 17

1. Durchaus fantastisch und leidenschaftlich vorzutragen; Im Legenden-Ton – Quite fantastic and passionately delivered; In the tone of a legend.
2. Mäßig. Durchaus energisch – Moderate. Quite energetic. (in E♭ major)
3. Langsam getragen. Durchweg leise zu halten. – Taken slowly. Keep quiet throughout.

Composed in 1836 and published in 1839, the Fantasie in C is one of Schumann’s early piano works. It is a sonata-like fantasy in three movements. In 1836, a plan to build a monument was presented in his hometown of Bonn to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Beethoven’s death. Liszt was the primary person to undertake raising funds, and Schumann, who acceded to support the plan, composed this piece intending to donate his royalties from the publication of it.

At the preface is a quote of the poem by Schlegel (“Resounding through all the notes/In the earth’s colorful dream/There sounds a faint long-drawn note/For the one who listens in secret.”), and according to Schumann, this “melody” refers to his love, Clara. In addition, at the end of the first movement, a song from Beethoven’s song cycle “To the Distant Beloved” is quoted, and the lyrics read, ” Accept then these songs [beloved, which I sang for you alone]” suggesting that this piece is filled with respect for Beethoven as well as personal feelings for Clara. This was a time of uncertainty for the couple, as Clara’s father and Schumann’s teacher, Wieck, was opposed to their marriage.

Source: Kanae Furomoto

Alexander Scriabin

Fantasie in B minor, Op. 28

The piece was composed in 1900. Scriabin taught at the Moscow Conservatory from 1898 to 1902, and this Fantasie was the only piano piece he composed during the period when he was so busy as a professor. (However, there is an anecdote that he seems to have forgotten about writing this piece).

It is a transitional piece written between the Third Sonata, which is the end of Scriabin’s early period and shows a late romantic style, and the Fourth Sonata, which is considered to be the beginning of his middle period, when more originality such as the frequent use of dissonances and chromatic scales appears. It is a single movement piece in sonata form, and is a profound and dramatic output that makes full use of virtuosity, with a remarkable canonical treatment of the theme

Source: Kanae Furomoto