Home Impressions

This week On Stage At Curtis features two pieces that generates feelings of home for Moscow harpist Alexandra Tihonova and pianist Yangyang Ruan from Xiamen China.

Tchaikovsky: “November: In The Troika,” From The Seasons, Op. 37bis
Alexandra Tihonova, Harp

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is the most famous composer from Russian. Between 1875 and 1876 Tchaikovsky composed The Seasons, for Piano, Op. 37. Alexandra Tihonova, from Moscow transcribed “November: In The Troika,” from The Seasons, Op.37bis for harp. This piece brings warm feelings about home for Alexandra.

Debussy: Images, Book II
Yangyang Ruan, Piano

Debussy: Images, Book II is very different from its predecessor. The first images Cloches à travers les feuilles translate (Bells Through the Leaves), the audience should listen for the bell tones through the rustling of the leaves. The second images is Et la lune descend sur le temple qui fut translate (And the Moon Sets over the Temple That Was), the last images is Poissons d’or translate (Goldfish). Debussy wrote this images base off a Japanese lacquer that was in his possession. Yangyang thinks of his family in Xiamen, China while he performs the piece.

Bottesini: “Une Bouche Aimée”
Sophia Maekawa, Mezzo-Soprano; Marcus Elliott Gaved, Double Bass; Jungeun Kim, Piano

Bottesini transcribed the original Une Bouche Aimee by Charles Gounod based on ‘My Beloved Spake’, for soprano, cello and piano with words from ‘The Song of Solomon’, for voice, double bass and piano.