It is not often that a concert programme unfolds as such an intriguing mirror image. Whether viewed from beginning to end or in reverse, it reveals the same sequence of genres. At either end stand sonatas by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, while at its centre are variation cycles by composers from successive eras. Yet this symmetrical design conceals another musical surprise.
What, then, is the variation form? A composer presents a musical idea and then transforms it, changing its tempo, mood and colour – as though showing the same object in an ever-changing light. The Sonata in D major that opens the concert ends, unusually for Mozart, with an extensive cycle of variations, while the Sonata in A major that closes the evening, with its famous ‘Turkish March’, begins with one. As a result, we shall hear four entirely different approaches to the variation form in a single programme.
Within this Classical, Mozartian frame, a fascinating dialogue between eras unfolds. On the one hand are Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's Variations sérieuses, steeped in Romantic darkness and the gravity suggested by their title; on the other, Aaron Copland's austere modernist work, described by the young Leonard Bernstein, who greatly admired it, as ‘the synonym of modern music’.
These works will be performed by the distinguished British pianist Paul Lewis. He is known for immersing himself completely, and unhurriedly, in the music of successive composers. This patient approach is reflected in interpretations that are profound, meticulously crafted and deeply respectful of the score. In seeking subtle connections between different eras, he also has a gift for creating programmes as thoughtfully conceived as the one he will present in his recital at the Warsaw Philharmonic.
Bartłomiej Gembicki