Jocelyn Swigger, Piano Recital

Liner Notes:

You might find these pieces in your grandmother's piano bench. Ravel wrote Le tombeau de Couperin, a suite of dance movements, in homage to Baroque composer François Couperin. He also dedicated individual movements to friends who had died in World War I: the Prélude to Lieutenant Jacques Charlot and the Rigaudon (a court dance with hopping) to Pierre and Pascal Gaudin. Mozart's favorite genre was opera, and the Sonata in F major is one of his most operatic, with a beautiful singing first theme in the first movement and an improvisatory aria for the second movement. The last movement is mostly fiery flourishes, ending with a shrug. The Op. 64 Waltzes by Chopin are a staple of the student piano repertoire, and teaching them made me want to play them again. The Nocturne is Chopin at his most lush and longing. Partita #2 by Bach pairs some of his darkest and most romantic keyboard music with contrapuntal dances and fugues that are terrific fun to play. The Berceuse from Godard's opera Jocelyn used to be in all the anthologies. Family legend has it that when I was born, my mother called my grandfather and said "It's a girl and we've named her Jocelyn," to which he replied "You can't name her Jocelyn! It has five flats!" I was delighted to discover the Bettina Polka by Smetana in a music shop in Prague, because my beloved sister is named Bettina. The Boogie-Woogie Etude by Gould is a virtuosic stride romp. –Jocelyn Swigger

Contents:

Maurice Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin

1. Prelude

2. Rigaudon

W.A. Mozart: Sonata in F major, K. 332

3. I. Allegro

4. II. Adagio

5. III. Allegro assai

Frederic Chopin:

6. Waltz in Db major Op. 64, No. 1

7. Waltz in c# minor Op. 64, No. 2

8. Nocturne in Db major Op. 27 No. 2

J.S. Bach: Partita in c minor BWV 826

9. Sinfonia

10. Allemande

11. Courante

12. Sarabande

13. Rondeau

14. Capriccio

15. Benjamin Godard: Berceuse from "Jocelyn"

16. Bedrich Smetana: Bettina Polka

17. Morton Gould: Boogie-Woogie Etude