Martín García García

The Chamber Music Cycle of the Auditorio de Tenerife is offering a concert by the young Spanish pianist, Martín García, winner of third place at the 18^th  edition of the International Chopin Piano Competition.

This recital features two of the greatest pieces in piano literature. Bach's Partita No. 6, the last of his harpsichord partitas, was written in 1731. While it follows the basic structure of Baroque dance suites, it also departs from the traditional framework. It incorporates seven movements, beginning with a Toccata divided into three parts, which includes an episode in a three-voice fugue in the middle. This monumental and innovative work represents the culmination of the series in terms of its immensity of proportions, harmonic depth, technical difficulty, and expressive character.

Continuing with the recital, another monumental piano work is played - Brahms' third sonata. This particular piece solidified Brahms' status as Beethoven's absolute heir during his third period, while still maintaining his own identity and originality. The piano writing is extremely dense, clearly reaffirming Brahms' unique character. Interestingly, Brahms began composing the second movement first, inspired by the verses of writer Otto Julius Inkermann, who wrote under the pseudonym C.O. Sternau.

As twilight falls and the moon shines,

two hearts embrace in love's bliss.

This long nocturne, with intense poetry, represents one of the most noble love scenes in German romantic music. The three sonatas show an affinity with the symphonic genre which amazed Schumann when he discovered it in 1853, during the process of composing them, and he wrote about it in the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik, stating that his sonatas were “disguised symphonies, where the piano transforms into an orchestra of voices, at times jubilant and at others mournful.”

The sonata, divided into five movements, displays the legacy of Bach and Beethoven (the other two legendary Bs of music history). The sonata genre was believed to have reached its peak until the young Brahms, at the age of twenty, managed to flawlessly merge the romantic, passionate, and free-spirited elements with the strictest formal classical architecture. In the finale of this series, the composer showcases his characteristic orchestral writing, unique arrangements that enhance the classical form, a plethora of counterpoint work, and an expansive freedom in development.