Acclaimed pianist Inna Faliks breaks new ground with an homage to Beethoven and Ravel which manages to do the impossible: be breathtakingly innovative while remaining respectful to the source material. This program presents the live premieres of nine imaginative and rich new works for the piano, alongside masterpieces by Beethoven and Ravel. It also celebrates Faliks’ new, internationally acclaimed CD release of the program on Navona Records which was recorded/produced during the global pandemic, with the help of Yamaha’s Disklavier technology.
Nine contemporary composers, including Paola Prestini, Billy Childs, Timo Andres, as well as six UCLA faculty composers - Richard Danielpour, Peter Golub, Ian Krouse, David Lefkowitz, Mark Carlson and Tamir Hendelman - were commissioned to craft responses to Ludwig van Beethoven’s Bagatelles, op. 126 (incidentally, the master’s favorite) as well as Maurice Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit. The results are exhilarating, not least owing to Faliks’s stunningly precise and sensitive pianistic interpretation: the Ukrainian-born American pianist ties together classical, romantic and modern pieces with disarming nonchalance and rock-solid technical skill. Defying the challenge of uniting three centuries of musical styles and social commentary, Reimagine Beethoven and Ravel proudly raises a monument not only to the genius of Beethoven and Ravel, but also to the perseverance and verve of some of today’s most exciting and important composers.
Running Time: Approximately 2 hours including 15-minute intermission.
PROGRAM
Peter Golub: Bagatelle
Ludwig van Beethoven: Bagatelles opus 126: Andante con moto, Cantabile e compiacevole
Tamir Hendelman: Bagatelle
Beethoven: Bagatelle # 2, Allegro
Richard Danielpour: Bagatelle
Beethoven: Bagatelle # 3. Andante, Cantabile e grazioso
Ian Krouse: Etude 2a - ‘ad fugam’
Beethoven: Bagatelle # 4, Presto
Mark Carlson: Sweet Nothings
Beethoven: Bagatelle # 5. Quasi allegretto
David Lefkowitz: Bagatelle
Beethoven: Bagatelle # 6. Presto, cut time then Andante amabile e con moto
INTERMISSION
Variations on a Spell - Paola Prestini (response to Ondine by Ravel)
Old Ground - Timo Andres (response to Le Gibet by Ravel)
Pursuit - Billy Childs (response to Scarbo by Ravel)
Gaspard de la nuit Maurice Ravel
Ondine
Le Gibet
Scarbo
Inna Faliks is a Yamaha Artist
Commissions supported by Davise Fund, UCLA and Yamaha Artist Services.
Chamber music at The Wallis is made possible in part by generous support from the Colburn Foundation.