Khachaturian – Song-Poem (1929)
Prokofiev- Violin and Piano Sonata no.1 in F minor
Juliet Ayre and Zeb Wulff both grew up in Nelson studying at NCMA, they now teach and perform in Nelson.
In this programme they will be playing Prokofiev’s magical Violin sonata no.1
Prokofiev’s enigmatic 1st violin sonata was written during Russia’s Great Terror.
After losing so many colleagues and friends who were purged under Stalin’s regime, It’s thought that he wrote it to heal himself of his inner traumas.
He commented that the eerily peaceful gliding scales that begin and end the sonata should sound like “wind passing through an abandoned graveyard”.
In early rehearsals, under Prokofiev’s direction, the musicians were worried they were overpowering each other, Prokofiev insisted they should be even more aggressive “People should say ‘Are they out of their minds?'”
From the haunting and grief stricken opening, to the frantic joyous mayhem of the finale, this sonata is an insightful panorama of the unknown dark side of the human psyche.
Sponsored by Nelson Pine Industries, GoldenEdge MDF
