Aylesbury Lunchtime Music presents

Neil Crossland

Print version
30 November 2023

Starts: 12:45pm, Doors: 12:15pm

Duration: 1 hour (approx.)

St Mary the Virgin, Aylesbury

£7 adults on the door (<18s & carers free)

Programme

  • 1786-1832

    Sonatina in A minor Op. 88 No 3 (Kuhlau)
    i Allegro con affetto (A minor) ii Andantino (F major) iii Allegro burlesco (A minor)

    Kuhlau was a Danish pianist and composer during the late Classical and early Romantic periods. He was a central figure of the Danish Golden Age and is immortalized in Danish cultural history through his music for Elves’ Hill, the first true work of Danish National Romanticism and a concealed tribute to the absolute monarchy. To this day it is his version of this melody which is the definitive arrangement.

  • 1770-1827

    Sonata No 4 in E flat major, Op. 7 (Beethoven)
    i Allegro molto e con brio ii Largo con gran espressione iii Allegro iv Rondo: Poco allegretto e grazioso

    Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 4, in E♭ major, Op. 7, sometimes nicknamed the Grand Sonata, was written in November 1796 and dedicated to his student Babette, the Countess Keglević. The sonata was composed during Beethoven’s visit to the Keglevich Palace. Beethoven named it Great Sonata, because it was published alone, which was unusual for the time.

    Along with the Hammerklavier Sonata, it is one of the longest piano sonatas that Beethoven composed.

  • Piano Suite Op. 1 (Crossland)
    i A ii B iii C iv D

    Written in my first year at the Royal College of Music (1988) Piano Suite Op 1 is in Four short movements. First premiered at College by Julian Saphier. My composition teacher Edwin Roxburgh wanted me to change my style from pastiche to more contemporary and this was my first attempt at writing modern music. At the time I was learning Bartok’s Piano Suite Op 14 with my piano professor Peter Wallfisch, I used this piece as a roll model to help me get started. When writing the third movement I felt as if I was writing something that I’d heard before. It was a few days later that realised that my thematic idea was from a song called Umpa, Umpa (Stick it up Your Jumper)

    Today’s recital gives me the opportunity in performing my Piano Suite in public for the first time. I hope that you like it!

  • 1810-1849

    Nocturne No. 1 in F major, Op. 15 (Chopin)

    The Nocturnes, Op. 15 are a set of three nocturnes for solo piano written by Frédéric Chopin between 1830 and 1833. The work was published in January 1834, and was dedicated to Ferdinand Hiller. These nocturnes display a more personal approach to the nocturne form than that of the earlier Opus 9. The melodies and emotional depth of these nocturnes have thus been thought of as more “Chopinesque.”

  • 1810-1849

    Nocturne No. 1, Op 48 (Chopin)

    The Nocturnes, Op. 48 are a set of two nocturnes for solo piano written by Frédéric Chopin in 1841 and published the following year in 1842. They are dedicated to Mlle. Laure Duperré.

    The Nocturne in C minor is one of the more well known nocturnes, and has been categorized as one of Chopin’s greatest emotional achievements. Theodor Kullak said of the piece, “the design and poetic contents of this nocturne make it the most important one that Chopin created; the chief subject is a masterly expression of a great powerful grief.”

  • 1810-1849

    Nocturne No. 1 in F minor, Op. 55 (Chopin)

    The Nocturnes, Op. 55 are a set of two nocturnes for solo piano written by Frédéric Chopin. They are his fifteenth and sixteenth installations in the genre, and were composed between 1842 and 1844, and published in August 1844. Chopin dedicated them to his pupil and admirer Mademoiselle Jane Stirling.

Performers

  • Neil Crossland

    Piano

    Yorkshire pianist and composer Neil Crossland studied at the Royal College of Music, where he won major prizes in both piano and composition. Since then he has performed extensively at home and abroad. He makes regular appearances at the Aylesbury Lunchtime Music concerts

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Key information for concert goers

When

Every Thursday at 12:45pm (except August & over Christmas). Performances last around 60 minutes. Please enter quietly as there is a noon service in the Lady Chapel.

How much?

Entry is £7 per adult (card or cash), under 18s and carers are free. The price includes a programme. Donations are welcomed to subsidise the larger ensembles.

Where?

Performances are at St Mary’s Church in the heart of Aylesbury Old Town. See directions for further details.

Do I need to book?

No, just turn up. Doors open at 12:15 pm. Make sure you arrive in good time to get a seat.

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