Yeol Eum Son

Auditorio de Tenerife programmes, as part of its piano concerts, a performance by Yeol Eum Son.

In her programmed recital, South Korean pianist Yeol Eum Son will interpret a selected repertoire that, as if projected through a musical kaleidoscope, will feature a series of short pieces composed for the piano by some of history’s greatest pianists. All of the composers are legends whose careers consolidated over the 20^th century, and all explored contemporary creation at some point in their lives, in addition to their professional dedication as interpreters of the instrument. Among these selected pianists, only Ignacy Paderewski and Sergei Rachmaninoff became established composers who earned a place in the annals of music history.

The recital begins with Paderewski and three of his six Humoresques de concert, from the first book of this work: the Mozart-influenced Menuet; and Sarabande, whose notable resemblance to the works of Bach was acknowledged by Paderewski; and Caprice, based on a single theme in the style of Scarlatti.

Early in her career, Spanish piano legend Alicia de Larrocha spent several years learning about aspects of music other than concert performance. Under the guidance of masters such as Domènec Mas i Serracant and Frank Marshall, she assimilated a composing style that allowed her to recreate the language of giants such as Bach or Scarlatti, of whom the style and texture of her Sonata Antigua, included in this recital, are reminiscent.

Continuing with the evening’s repertoire of great pianists whose composing skills were overshadowed by their interpretive talent, the next piece is Etude of Bulgarian pianist Alexis Weissenberg, followed by three pieces selected from the cycle Play Piano Play of Austrian pianist Friedrich Gulda (master of masters such as Marta Argerich and Claudio Abbado) and Reminiscences of Snow White by the American pianist Earl Wild.

The recital concludes with Thirteen Preludes composed for the piano by Sergei Rachmaninoff, a work that constitutes an enormous interpretive challenge in expression and technique.