Classical Music | Piano Music

Recorded on 06/20/2006, uploaded on 01/27/2009

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Sonata in f minor, K. 11          Domenico Scarlatti

Today's concert is a tribute to the artistry of Dame Myra Hess in that it presents repertoire which she performed frequently, and it is given by a pianist who admires that artistry greatly.

When listening to Myra Hess's piano performances, one can think of the contrasts represented by Apollo and Dionysius or Eusebius and Florestan.  Her sound was rich. Her performances were full of temperament, yet with full attention to clarity of texture and structure.  Her concentration as well as her personality was intense and passionate, yet spiritual and stoic.  She was born and raised in a Jewish family, yet as an artist she was known as a champion of German and Austrian repertoire.  Throughout her life she transformed herself into a persona whose artistry broke the boundaries of politics and spirituality.

She was born in London in 1890.  Soon her precocious musical talents were noticed.  At an early age she was giving recitals with great success. In 1903 she met with one of the great masters in piano pedagogy, Tobias Matthay.  He became like a second father, musically and spiritually.  His concept of free weight to make rich sonority and the idea of a strong rhythmic foundation would become two of the trademarks in Myra Hess's performance style. 

During the Second World War, Myra Hess established a series of midday recitals.  Throughout the war, the music of Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann, Scarlatti, Brahms and many others was heard at the National Gallery in London, accompanied by bombs and the sounds of war.  She provided defiance and hope to the nation with her music.

Her temperament, her intellect, her passionate outbursts, her intimacy, all  of these qualities in her performances were revered by the great musicians of the time such as Toscanini, Pablo Casals, Sir Adrian Boult, and Sir Thomas Beecham, to name a few. She was adored in the United Sates during her many tours. As pianist, Myra Hess was at ease with the wonderful romantic works. She was also a champion in the Baroque and Classical style for clarity, line, rhythm, structure and pathos, with a particular affinity for the Italo-Iberian composer Domenico Scarlatti.

... This composition is preceded on the program today by two sonatas of Baroque composer Domenico Scarlatti.  Elements of dances, with brilliant rhythmic delineations, are found in these "esercizi sonate".

Dame Myra Hess died in 1965, but her legacy continues to this day, through her many pupils, through her magnificent recordings, and through her art and entire persona.      Carlos César Rodríguez

Courtesy of International Music Foundation.