Piano recital in SW Berkeley

This program explores the threads of dance across various cultures and time periods, highlighting the rhythmic vitality and lyrical grace that permeate each work. Sofia Gubaidulina’s Chaconne opens the program with a bold reimagining of the 17th-century dance form, infused with her distinctive Russian-Tatar style. We then journey through the introspective and sometimes minimalist dance rhythms of a selection of Spanish composer Federico Mompou’s Preludes, followed by the elegant yet sensual Brazilian Valse No. 2 of Adelaide Pereira da Silva. The program continues with a poetically lyrical expansion of a waltz with Polish/French composer Frédéric Chopin’s Nocturne in D-flat Major, Op. 27, No. 2. From there, we move into the shimmering soundscapes of French composer Claude Debussy’s Images, Book I. “Reflets dans l'eau” (Reflections in the Water) evokes the fluidity of water “Hommage à Rameau” draws on the stately elegance of Baroque dance, and the final movement, “Mouvement,” captures a sense of perpetual motion. Together, these works traverse a wide emotional landscape, moving from the dramatic and complex to the intimate and reflective offering both homage and transformation to the subtle threads of dance.