Piano Series AYESHA GOUGH IN RECITAL
Thursday 21 March : Ian Hanger Recital Hall
FANTASIA IN C MINOR, K.475 W.A. MOZART
Published in December 1785 together with Sonata in C minor, K.457, the Fantasia is the only work of a different genre to accompany a Mozart sonata. The influence of Bach is apparent, with each of the five sections reflecting the dramaticism of Bach’s own fantasias. There are moments where the music could be that of Beethoven or Schubert, with semi-Romantic outbursts and unexpected modulations. In fact, the Fantasia feels like an improvisation, as though the music is materialising in real time.
CARPE DIEM
Italian Gothic ‘Bas-Relief’ after Respighi’s The Pines of Rome
Michael Kieran HARVEY
Carpe Diem (Latin for “seize the day”) by Michael Kieran Harvey (2015) is an Italian Gothic “bas-relief” for solo piano, a rumination on Respighi’s “The Pines of Rome”. This etude was written for Michael Kieran Harvey’s wife Dr Arabella Teniswood-Harvey on the occasion of her 40 th birthday. Both had recently returned from a visit to the site of these distinctive trees in the Villa Borghese, Rome. As in the technique of bas-relief sculpture, the undulating septuplets of the opening suggest the “umbrella” shape of the intermingling pine canopies, while the stark octave theme hints at the majestic yet sensual curving pine trunks. The work is in a miniature sonata form, with a central section reminiscent of moonlight summer nights in the garden of the Villa Borghese, disturbed by a gentle melancholy breeze. Such beautiful and romantic surroundings irresistibly lead to passionate urges to grab life while one can, to “seize the day”, to make the most of one’s existence.
*Notes taken from the score
PRELUDIO RELIGIOSO
from Petite Messe Solennelle
Gioachino ROSSINI
Composed 34 years after his last opera, Rossini referred to the Messe as "the last of my péchés de vieillesse" (sins of old age). In the Neapolitan harpsichord tradition of the 18 th century, the work is scored for voices, two pianos, and harmonium, though the Preludio Religioso, placed at the Offertory of the Mass, is often performed as a standalone piece for solo pianist. The character of the Preludio, and indeed the entire Messe, is a synthesis of Italian opera tradition and strict religious musical style, blending dramatic contrast with an almost Bach sound-world. Rossini wrote on the last page of the manuscript:
“Dear Lord, here it is finished, this poor little mass. Have I just written sacred music, or rather, sacrilegious music? I was born for opera buffa, as you well know. Not much technique, a little bit of heart, that's all. Blessings to you and grant me Paradise.”
VALLÉE D’OBERMANN
Franz LISZT
Vallée d’Obermann is from Liszt’s Années de pèlerinage: Première année: Suisse. It is inspired by Senancour’s novel of the same name, in which a Swiss hero struggles with nature and a feeling of longing, before coming to understand that only feelings are true. Two captions accompany the score, one from Byron:
"Could I embody and unbosom now / That which is most within me,--could I wreak / My thoughts upon expression, and thus throw / Soul--heart--mind--passions--feelings--strong or weak-- / All that I would have sought, and all I seek, / Bear, know, feel--and yet breathe--into one word, / And that one word were Lightning, I would speak; / But as it is, I live and die unheard, / With a most voiceless thought, sheathing it as a sword"
and the other from Senancour’s Obermann:
What do I want? Who am I? What do I ask of nature?
ROC’H AR VUGALE
from Eusa
Eusa is best described by Tiersen himself:
Yann TIERSEN
Two years ago I was travelling through California by bicycle with my fiancée. One day we were cycling along a remote track of the Lost Coast in the middle of the Sinkyone Wilderness State Park. It wasn’t an easy trip – we were alone, with no humans nearby and no noise around. After five hours of cycling we heard a sound to our left: something was moving in the undergrowth beside the path. The noises continued as we cycled on until, after half an hour, we saw a mountain lion cross the path ahead of us. This big and beautiful cat was obviously looking for lunch and had been circling us all afternoon. We cycled for hours until we eventually reached safety.
Our lives changed completely after this event. On this special day on the Californian Lost Coast I was nothing more than food for a wild animal. It made me realise that where we are at any given place is integral to who we are. Our place in the world is what defines us more than anything. And it made me feel that I needed to know more deeply my own place, my own home, to discover who I am.
And my home is the island of Ushant, West Brittany, in the middle of the Celtic Sea. To understand it and to discover myself I decided to draw a musical map of the island. Here is Volume One: ten piano works about ten places on Ushant.
BALLADE NO.1 IN G MINOR, OP.23
Frédéric CHOPIN
Robert Schumann wrote: "I have a new Ballade by Chopin. It seems to me to be the work closest to his genius (though not the most brilliant). I even told him that it is my favourite of all his works. After a long, reflective pause he told me emphatically: 'I am glad, because I too like it the best, it is my dearest work.”
Indeed, there is something of Chopin’s soul in this work. It encapsulates all the variations of emotion a sensitive man who had suffered separation from his homeland may have felt, as well as his
perseverance, patriotism, and sense of humour. It is a portrait of Chopin’s inner world, and one of the greatest works for piano.
Australian pianist Ayesha Gough is developing her own style of unique and engaging performances grounded in traditional pianism. Her passion for finding new ways to connect with audiences has seen her branch out into the fields of improvisation, videography, and creative writing.
As the recipient of the 2022 Michael Kieran Harvey Scholarship, she has developed Landings: an exploration of Australian musical identity through improvisation, poetry, and film created within multiple landscapes. Landings is viewable on her YouTube channel.
First prize-winner at the 2015 Lev Vlassenko Piano Competition, Ayesha performed with the Russian National Orchestra in December 2018, under the baton of Mikhail Pletnev, as part of a concert held in memory of Lev Vlassenko. She has also performed with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, the Queensland Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra, and the Queensland Pops Orchestra under such conductors as Edvard Tchivzhel, Nicholas Braithwaite, Daniel Carter, and Marco Bellasi. Her recital opportunities have taken her throughout Australia, as well as New Zealand, Italy, Japan and China. She regularly works with the Northern Rivers Symphony Orchestra and the Gold Coast Chamber Orchestra.
Ayesha studied under Oleg Stepanov for 10 years, both at pre-tertiary and tertiary level at the Queensland Conservtorium, Griffith University. Throughout 2018, she continues study in Italy with Boris Petrushansky at the Accademia Pianistica Internazionale ‘Incontri col Maestro’. In 2020, she graduated from the Royal College of Music, London, with a Masters with Distinction. At RCM she studied with Andrew Zolinsky and Gordon Fergus-Thompson which undertaking research concerned with pushing the boundaries of the piano recital.
She has been awarded the Theme and Variations Foundation Award, the Brisbane Club Award, the QCGU Postgraduate Prize, the Ena Williams Award, the Joyce Campbell Lloyd Scholarship, the Allison/Henderson Scholarship and in early 2017 she participated in the Hamamatsu International Piano Academy. Ayesha has been supported by Variety, the Children’w Charity, of which she is an International Ambassador.