Paolo Veronese and studio, The Coronation of Hebe (detail), 1580s.
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Concert:
Podcast No. 90
In the Salon (47.54 MB)
Works for solo piano and piano quartet performed by pianist Sonia Chan and Musicians from Ravinia’s Steans Institute.
•Ravel: Miroirs
•Fauré: Piano Quartet No. 2 in G minor, Op. 45
We go inside the French salon to hear works by two great composers working about the turn of the last century: Ravel and Fauré. First up is a suite of bravura piano of whichChan performs three of the original five movements. The first, “Night Moths,” includes quiet, quick chromatic runs, and the second movement, “Sad Birds,” was apparently inspired by a blackbird’s song. The fourth movement of the suite, “Alborada del gracioso,” is a Spanish-tinged comic serenade. From this highly evocative, programmatic set, we move on to Fauré’s more abstract Piano Quartet. Probably best known for his art songs, Fauré was an expert melodist, which you can hear in the work’s long, soaring lines. And, as in most of his songs, each movement begins with a bit of a piano introduction, setting the scene for the string instruments’ melody.
