An Evening of Preludes with Tien Hsieh
Tien Hsieh’s program of Preludes, (or Mostly Preludes), pairs Frederic Chopin’s 24 Preludes, Op. 28 with Alexander Scriabin’s 24 Preludes, Op. 11. The program debut in Bandon is one Tien has anticipated for years.
“It’s been a dream to pair Chopin with the Scriabin. You’re the first venue where I get to do that,” she said.
For a program of short pieces, the challenge is in navigating the many shifts in tone and character. Tien tackles that challenge by studying the transitions at the beginning and end of each prelude to create “one long arc” in each cycle.
Like so many musicians, Tien took a pandemic-induced performance hiatus from February 2020 to October 2021. And she’s excited to reconnect with live audiences.
“It’s about everyone being together and bonding through a shared experience,” she said.
Chopin wrote his Opus 24 preludes in all major and minor keys over a span of 4 years, from 1835 to 1839, while living in Paris and Mallorca. Tien notes that each prelude is fairly short in duration, but the scope of character, emotion and musical line for each prelude speaks volumes for a small form being able to stand on its own as its own entity. It was bold and innovative for its time.
Although Scriabin’s Op. 11 follows in the footsteps of Chopin, his harmony, color, texture and rhythmic flexibility are so vivid that it’s almost a combination of aural and visual elements. Scriabin’s Op. 11 preludes were written over a span of 8 years from 1888 to 1896. Tien refers to the preludes as Musical Postcards– musical reflections of his travels, from Moscow, Paris to Vitznau and Heidelberg. And, as reference for the pianist, Scriabin actually included the year and city at the end of each prelude in the music.
Our Bandon audience may also anticipate a taste of Sergei Rachmaninoff to round out the program.
