THE JOY OF MUSIC FESTIVAL 2026
12 October 2026
ILYA RASHKOVSKIY, Piano
1st Prizewinner, 1st Hong Kong International Piano Competition 2005
GIUSEPPE ANDALORO, Piano
1st Prizewinner, 3rd Hong Kong International Piano Competition 2011
The Logos Chamber Group
Sergei Rachmaninov wrote two books of studies, which he designated Etudes-Tableaux to display visual and programmatic dimensions alongside technical demands. These are essentially miniature tone poems. The nine etudes from Op.39 (1917) are technically more difficult than the Op.33 set as Rachmaninov piles on the notes, multiplies the already dense textures and ups the level of dissonance. Four of these were later orchestrated by Ottorino Respighi and given descriptive titles.
No.1 in C minor is very turbulent and borders on outright violence.
No.2 in A minor is slow and placid. Within its gently lapping rhythm, the medieval chant Dies Irae (a favourite theme of Rachmaninov's) is constantly alluded to, reliving his tone poem The Isle of the Dead and a profound sense of unease. In Respighi’s version, it carries the title The Sea and the Seagulls.
No.3 in F sharp minor is one of the most fiendish pieces, exhibiting a Lisztian flair which has been described as demonic.
No.4 in B minor is a gavotte-like dance which gets more complex as it progresses.
No.5 in E flat minor is the set’s most famous number. Bell-like chords express a brooding typically Slavic pathos. This may have been the inspiration for Howard Blake’s Speech After Long Silence, set-piece written for the 3rd Hong Kong International Piano Competition in 2011.
No.6 in A minor has the nickname Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, so listen for the wolf's unmistakable growl in crescendo octaves and the wild and frenzied chase that ensures. The wolf wins in the end.
No.7 in C minor is arguably the best work in the set, a funeral march in all but name which culminates with the tolling of bells, a recurrent feature with Rachmaninov.
No.8 in D minor is lighter in spirit, giving the impression of autumn leaves swirling in the breeze.
No.9 in D major is a triumphal march, a procession with heavy brass and yet more pealing of bells.
Dmitri Shostakovich’s Concertino in A minor for two pianos (Op.94) was composed in 1954 with his teenaged son Maxim in mind. Opening with a slow prelude leading into an allegro main section, its optimistic tone and cheerful melodic content is similar to that of the Festive Overture (Op.96) from the same year and the Second Piano Concerto (Op.102) of 1957. This is Shostakovich at his sunniest and with no hint of irony.
Maurice Ravel’s Ma Mere L’Oye (Mother Goose Suite), for piano four hands, was composed in 1908 for the Godebski siblings, children of his close friends. It was later orchestrated in 1911 and expanded into a ballet a year later. Its five movements were inspired by fairy tales, including Sleeping Beauty (a serene pavane), Tom Thumb (with mimicry of birdsong), Beauty and the Beast (a waltz with two distinct subjects, heard separate and later united) and the Fairy Garden, which closes with joyous glissandi. The central third movement, Little Plain Girl, Empress of the Pagodas, is a pentatonic wonderland, Ravel’s best impression of the Far East.
Contemporary Hungarian composer György Ligeti’s Sonatina (1950) for piano four hands comprised three short and uncomplicated rhythmic pieces in the fast-slow-fast (Allegro–Andante–Vivace) sequence, possibly influenced by folk music. If some of the music sounded vaguely familiar, that was because of the composer had recycled its themes for his later Musica Ricercata and Violin Concerto.
Dmitri Shostakovich’s only Piano Quintet was composed in 1940. It earned him a year later the Stalin Prize (First Grade), considered a seal of approval from the totalitarian authorities, together with the tidy sum of a hundred thousand roubles. Shostakovich was a highly skilled pianist himself, which may be discerned in a small body of recordings. He gave its first performance with the Beethoven Quartet which had commissioned the work.
The first two movements are in the classical prelude and fugue form, written in the best neo-Bachian tradition. The piano opens with a declamatory solo passage to which the strings enter with matching poignancy. This sets a solemn tone for the fugue, the work’s weightiest movement, which begins with an air of introspection and profound sadness. This gradually builds up to an anguished climax before returning to the depths of silence.
The brief Scherzo shatters the mood of seriousness, with a mock gaiety that would later rear its head in his “celebratory” Ninth Symphony. The Intermezzo has high strings carrying the melodic line over a repetitive bass provided by low strings, in the style of a passacaglia. In yet another about-face, the finale is superficially light-hearted and optimistic, but the seemingly cheerful dance belies undertones of unease. Are there hidden or cryptic messages in this music? If there were, which was likely given Shostakovich’s personality, the powers-that-be were obviously none the wiser.
Programme notes by Chang Tou Liang