Bose-Pastor Duo in Concert

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Crossing Musical Boundaries: The Human-Nature Connection

"In times of turmoil, we often retreat to Nature in search of simplicity, to rejuvenate the body and soul; yet our inner forces as human beings rarely allow this repose to be long-lasting."

The four-hand piano program they have selected highlights this duality through its extra-musical associations—from the atmospheric, contemplative refuge from the outside world to the overt, traumatic expression of it—and is an exploration of context through four groundbreaking works: Maurice Ravel's arrangement of Claude Debussy's Prelude to an Afternoon of a Faun, Carl Vine's Sonata for Piano Four Hands, Liszt's arrangement of Les Preludes, and Fazil Say's Night.

Unlike the three other works, Vine's Sonata has links to tradition in form and genre and is meant to have « no specific accompanying narrative or poetic allusion;» but its section titles (such as "Meditation") make us question context-based interpretation, within the piece and in this program as a whole.

The musical illustration of Nature—and the human struggle to simultaneously connect with it and beyond it—is central to the program. This is especially relevant in the world today, in which music can serve as a bridge to understanding our common sense of belonging.

Prélude to An Afternoon of a Faun (1894) – Claude Debussy
Arranged for piano four-hands by Maurice Ravel

Sonata for Piano Four Hands (2009) – Carl Vine
I.Prelude
II.Waltz
III.Deuces
IV.Meditation
V.Toccata

Les Préludes (1854) – Franz Liszt
Transcription for piano four-hands by F.Liszt

Night, Op. 68 (2017) – Fazil Say