©Kaja Smith
(Tue 10 Oct 2023 8.00pm Little Missenden Church)
Mahan Esfahani harpsichord
William Byrd Lachrimae Pavan; The Bells
Bohuslav Martinů Deux Pieces (1935)
JS Bach 'English'Suite IV in F BWV809; 'English' Suite V in E BWV 810
Poul Ruders Quickstep Rag (2023)
Programme Notes (also available free at concert)
More than any other composer, William Byrd was responsible for placing the harpsichord firmly in the mainstream of English music. As a contemporary put it – “he kindled English virginal music from the driest of dry wood to a splendid blaze”. The Lachrimae Pavan is a homage to John Dowland based on the latter’s deliciously melancholy song ‘Flow my tears…’, while The Bells – one of Byrd’s most famous keyboard works – hypnotically evokes the church bells he would have heard in the Essex countryside.
Bach’s six English Suites have nothing much English about them. Rather, they’re very similar in layout to his slightly later French Suites, with the same sequence of dance movements and the addition of a prelude, typically found in French lute music of the period. They’re just meant to be enjoyed, with Bach clearly delighting in showing us how much variety he can introduce into a conventional format.
Unusually for a 20th-century composer Martinů wrote both large and small-scale works for harpsichord. His Deux Pièces are short and playful, the arpeggio-based second strongly reminiscent of the fairground. This – and Ruders’ Quickstep Rag, recently written for Mahan – are firm proof that the harpsichord can be as relevant now as it was in the Baroque.
Mahan Esfahani is a true virtuoso. A Borletti-Buitoni prize winner, three-time nominee for Gramophone Artist of the Year, and the only harpsichordist to become a BBC New Generation Artist, he can often be heard on BBC Radios 3 and 4. Unfailingly entertaining, Mahan will be appearing for the third time at Little Missenden.
“Esfahani has taken the musical world by storm with his creative programming, performing music by the usual suspects such as Bach, Couperin and Rameau, as well as modern composers such as Ligeti and Reich…Esfahani’s mastery of the harpsichord…is complete” The Straits Times
Online booking is managed by TicketSource. This event may be booked from the Tickets link on this page but, when booking for multiple events, it may be more convenient to use our Little Missenden Festival page on TicketSource.
Tue 10 Oct 2023 8.00pm
Little Missenden Church
Online booking is managed by TicketSource. This event may be booked from the Tickets link on this page but, when booking for multiple events, it may be more convenient to use our Little Missenden Festival page on TicketSource.