Saturday 26 September 2026, 7.00pm
St Cyprian's Church, Glentworth Street, London NW1 6AX
Liszt Two Legends
Nick Ray First Piano Sonata
("Frankenstein")
Schubert Four Impromptus, D.899
Bax In a Vodka Shop
The Princess's Rose Garden
Apple-Blossom-Time
Lullaby
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There is much pictorial representation in this programme, beginning with two magnificent illustrations by Liszt. The first of the Two Legends depicts the poignant sermon given by St. Francis of Assisi to an attendant flock of birds, whilst the second portrays with epic grandeur the miracle of St. Francis of Paola walking across turbulent waters after being refused passage by a ferryman. The works are a product of Liszt's later age and reveal the devotional intensity of his lifelong Catholic faith.
Taking as its source Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Nick Ray's First Piano Sonata captures much of the unhallowed atmosphere of the famous Gothic tale without resorting to a blow-by-blow depiction of the narrative. The result is a highly memorable single movement composition; a decidedly eerie drama, at turns melancholy and eruptive.
A familiar, much-loved fixture of the repertoire follows. Schubert's D.899 Impromptus weld their generous Viennese urbanity with a much darker pathos, resulting in compositions that have exerted considerable influence over successive composers, particularly Schumann.
Bax's piano music is rarely heard in recital nowadays; a pity since the work is highly crafted and possessed of real beauty. Pre-dating the important cycle of seven symphonies, these evocative creations display a keenly felt affinity with Impressionism.
January 2016 live performance of Haydn's Piano Sonata in F at at the Forge, Camden.
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