The Dolci Show

Dolci Show #21: Grandval and Andriessen for English Horn and Piano

August 18, 2020 Ted Rust and Viva Knight Season 1 Episode 21
The Dolci Show
Dolci Show #21: Grandval and Andriessen for English Horn and Piano
Show Notes

Prélude et Valse lente (1886)                                Marie de Grandval (1828-1907)

Marie, Vicomptesse de Grandval, was an accomplished French composer, and a generous supporter of other composers. To avoid scandalizing her titled family she published mostly under pseudonyms and little of her work is now available. She dedicated this Prélude and Slow Waltz to her friend Georges Gillet of the Paris Opera, who was especially renowned for his beautiful tone and expressive playing on the cor Anglais. Grandval’s gratitude to her teacher Chopin is made clear when a Mazurka, not a trio, pops up in the middle of her waltz. This modern edition is by Bruce Gbur for Prairie Dawg Press. 

Variations on a Theme of Joseph Haydn (1968)         Hendrik Andriessen (1892-1981) 

Hendrik Andriessen was a prominent Dutch composer and organist. His family populated the Netherlands with excellent composers and musicians throughout the 20th century. This piece for cor Anglais and piano is based on a clever, syncopated theme from the trio of  Haydn’s Piano Sonata #26. It retains Haydn’s genial spirit while transforming the theme with rhythms and harmonies of his own time. 

The cartoon is by Gerard Hoffnung.