João Pedro Gonçalves, Nour Ayadi
During this Piknik concert, two musicians in residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel join forces: Portuguese cellist João Pedro Gonçalves and Moroccan pianist Nour Ayadi. Central to their program are three cello sonatas by Debussy, Fauré, and Chopin, each composed toward the end of their lives. In his Cello Sonata, Debussy weaves the colourful influences of Spanish music and jazz with the French baroque of Couperin and Rameau. Fauré’s majestic Second Cello Sonata, according to the composer, arose organically from the second movement, based on the funeral march he composed for the 100th anniversary of Napoleon’s death. And Chopin’s lyrical Cello Sonata, his last published work, is an unexpected gem from a composer primarily associated with the piano. Interspersed in the program is Grave – Metamorphoses by Witold Lutosławski, the raw and exhilarating power of which provides an enriching contrast to the lyricism and refinement of the sonatas.
Flagey