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Sam Olluver

ALEXANDRE THARAUD PIANO RECITAL
	Le French May
 
Le French May's classical music offering on May 18 is a piano recital by Alexandre Tharaud. His easy-listening programme comprises 15 bite-sized movements from works by four composers.
Fellow Frenchman Maurice Ravel completed his Miroirs (Reflections) in 1905, and Tharaud has opted to play the middle three of its five movements: Sad Birds, A Boat on the Ocean and The Jester's Aubade.
The music is every bit as colourful as the titles, each being dedicated to one of Ravel's unconventional artistic friends.
Polish by birth, but French by dint of his long association with the city of Paris, Frédéric Chopin is represented by three of his popular waltzes from the 1830s, salon music that reflected the glitter of society ballrooms at the time.
Written about 50 years earlier, Mozart's Piano Sonata K331 also represents the spirit of its age. Titled Alla Turca (In the Turkish Style), the last movement exemplifies European high society's enthusiasm for all things Turkish, from couture to music.
Piano builders even manufactured special pianos equipped with drums and cymbals to imitate the sound of Turkish military bands. These would have been used in this sonata's finale, but listeners on Sunday will have to use their imagination.
For cinema buffs, Schubert's Impromptus Op 90 may carry a sense of déjà vu, as well as déjà entendu. In 2012, Tharaud made his acting debut in Michael Haneke's film Amour, which went on to win the Palme d'Or prize for best film at the Cannes Film Festival. Tharaud played Schubert's Impromptu No 3 as part of the soundtrack, and had an on-screen supporting role as a former student of a couple of retired musicians facing their final days in painful circumstances. Written in 1827, the year before his own untimely death at the age of 31, Schubert's music added a bittersweet character all of its own.
Tharaud, who is co-presented by the First Initiative Foundation, will also host a masterclass at the Polytechnic University on May 17.
 
Concert Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Centre, 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, May 18, 8pm. HK$120-HK$380 Urbtix. Inquiries: 3752 9965
 


Alexandre Tharaud performs easy listening classical music for Le French May

Alexandre Tharaud will perform Schubert at Le French May. Photo: Marco Borrgreve

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Le French May's classical music offering on May 18 is a piano recital by Alexandre Tharaud. His easy-listening programme comprises 15 bite-sized movements from works by four composers.
