In Concert with Didzis Kalniņš

Didzis Kalniņš - piano

Four Etudes for the Sostenuto Pedal by Lūcija Garūta (1902-1977)
World premiere of a commissioned piece by Rhona Clarke which will also explore the device of the ‘third’ pedal.

Sonata in B minor by Franz Liszt (1811-1886)

While the sostenuto pedal is regarded as a valuable tool for colouring and clarifying musical texture, its main feature is a selective sustain of notes without blurring the sound. The Latvian composer Lūcija Garūta premiered the Etudes in 1933. Each movement is given a characteristic title which is intensified with the effects of different sostenuto pedal techniques, unfolding the composer’s independent research of this rarely used pedal. Together with Clarke’s new work, these compositions provide ground-breaking material in the realm of the sostenuto pedal. Sonata in B minor by Franz Liszt (1811-1886), dedicated to Robert Schumann, was completed in 1853 and published in 1854. The work did not receive immediate acclaim from audiences or critics, but by the early twentieth century, it had established itself as the pinnacle of Liszt's repertoire. The unique structure, along with Liszt's virtuosity, results in a piano composition full of expression and mysterious beauty.