Programme 

T. SVETLOVA: Humoresque on “GOD SAVE THE KING “ 

(Coronation present to HM King Charles III) 

BACH–BUSONI: Chaconne in D minor, BWV 1004 

T. SVETLOVA: Sonnets No. 1 on the theme of Bach’s Chaconne 

MOZART: Fantasy in C minor, K. 475 

E. STERN: To-nal or not to-nal, Op. 1 

Intermission 30 minutes 

CHOPIN: 24 Preludes, Op. 28 

Some very beautiful playing in which Madame Stern relied more on striving to find the soul of the music with sounds of fluidity and subtle beauty than the more usual hard hitting accuracy that we are becoming ever more accustomed to these days! It was Anton Rubinstein who declared that the pedal was the ‘soul of the piano’ and it was this which was evident from the very first notes of Tatiana Svetlova’s atmospheric homage to HM King Charles III on his Coronation. A mirage of ravishing sounds where on the horizon could be overheard “God save the King”. Tradition has it that we should stand as for the ‘Hallelujah’ Chorus from Handel’s Messiah. No one moved as they were mesmerised by the glistening beauty that flowed with such beautiful movements from Madame Stern’s hands and arms. It was very noticeable the natural use of the whole of the arm like a ballet dancer, swimming with radiant ease in a magic lake of sounds.

It was the same sounds that she brought to Busoni’s recreation of the greatest work ever written for solo violin and is by J.S. Bach. Ysaÿe had tried to match this masterpiece with six of his own solo violin sonatas but ended up by having to quote from the ‘Dies Irae’ and much else without ever coming near to Bach! Madame Stern played it with the freedom of a composer on a voyage of discovery bringing a great sense of style and individuality to the extraordinary chameleonic changes of character. It was remarkable that even with these excursions to stop and stare that she never lost sight of the architectural shape of this monumental Gothic Cathedral.

Tatiana Svetlova’s Sonnet n.1 on the Chaconne theme was another excursion into her atmospheric world of improvised beauty. Moments of sudden outbursts were played with crystalline clarity and rhythmic authority that just contrasted with this world of dreams that Madame Svetlova shares with us so serenely.

Mozart’s C minor Fantasy was played with operatic colouring and a sense of character without any hard edges but with a palette of sounds that brought this masterpiece vividly to it’s operatic life and made us sorry that it could not have been the enticing prologue to the C minor Sonata. Madame Stern’s own play on words and sounds in ‘Tonal or atonal’ she certainly nailed ,and it cleared and cleansed the air before tasting the exquisite wines that Bechstein has in its cellars downstairs.

After such Bacchian delights we were treated to Chopin’s 24 Problems op 28 . This was Fou Ts’ongs description of the Preludes which he, like Cortot , would play in concert together with the 24 Études op 10 and 25 even playing the three posthumous studies as encores. A marathon that Madame Stern had no need to match as she played the Preludes with exquisite sounds and a freedom with a play of balance that illuminated these gems as rarely can happen in larger more exposed spaces. She created in this unique space a sense of intimacy where beauty and style took the place of brutality and brilliance. The final Prelude was a case in point where her pointing of the thumb notes in the left hand with a subtle use of pedal allowed her to shape Chopin’s miraculously mellifluous outpouring with beauty and aristocratic authority rather than brutality and bruising showmanship. Two of her own pieces showed off not only her voice but more importantly her sense of improvisation in which her sudden total conviction and searing intensity ignited the comfort zone that she had enveloped us in before this unexpected outburst of dynamic drive and passionate virtuosity. Her own soothing Lullaby she sang and played and it took us back into the cocoon of beauty and elegance that she had shared with us all evening .

Edna Stern began her studies in Israel with Viktor Derevianko, a student of Heinrich Neuhaus. She continued studying with Krystian Zimerman at the Basel Hochschule and with Leon Fleisher at the Peabody Institute and at the Lake Como International Piano Foundation. Her repertoire ranges from Bach to Berio. Her recordings are highly praised by critics, receiving such awards as Diapason d’Or, Diapason Découverte, Arte Best CD, Gramophone upcoming artist, and Sélection Le Monde. Her last recording, dedicated to Hélène de Montgeroult received a Critic’s Choice of the Year 2017 of the Gramophone Magazine and Choice of France Musique, the French radio.

Edna Stern has performed at prestigious halls and festivals such as the Philharmonie of Paris, Concertgebouw of Amsterdam, Munich’s Hekulessaal, Paris’ Châtelet Theater, Moscow’s Music-House, Petronas in Kuala Lumpur and Musashino hall in Tokyo; performing in solo recitals and with orchestras, with conductors such as Claus Peter Flor and Andris Nelsons. Stern gives masterclasses all over the world, in such places as the CNSM of Paris, Rutgers University, and Tel-Aviv Zubin Mehta School of Music.

She has been a professor at the Royal College of London since 2009 and her musical activities include working with great artists in other art fields, like film director Amos Gitaï, as well as Etoile/Leading principal dancer from the Paris Opera, Agnès Letestu.

Musical Profile
 
Stern built a reputation as an interpreter who does not shrink from taking strong and unconventional stands and at the same time respectful of the historical tradition of interpretation and the heritage of her own teachers. She is especially known for her Bach interpretation which received awards and critical praise throughout Europe (Gold Diapason, Arte best cd, 10/10 ClassicToday, 4 stars Classica Magazine).

“With Edna Stern we avoid the clichés. Her playing is neither romantic nor baroque. It takes on perfectly the serious tone of the composer without falling into coldness or rigidity. It is at the same time an instrumental revelation and a clear sign that music is indeed alive.”
– Mathias Heizmann, Arte/2009

While studying with Krystian Zimerman at the Basel Hochschule in Switzerland, she also took advantage of the famous Schola Cantorum Basilensis and its collection of authentic instruments, developing thus another facet to her musical approach. For the 2010 celebration of the birth of Chopin, Paris’ museum of instruments of the Paris Philharmonie, she was chosen as the pianist to record for their series on the museum’s original instrument, a Pleyel from 1842. This recording was released with Naïve and got enthusiastic reviews:

“The subtle chemistry of a successful Chopin. This CD has eclipsed all that we’ve heard so far in the commemoration of the bicentenary of Chopin’s birth.”
– Katchi Sinna, Muzikzen 2010

Her interest in different instruments and sounds set her apart as a Mozart player and her recording of Mozart’s Concerti was chosen in France by the newspaper Le Monde as one of the 10 top CD’s of 2010, and was as well praised in the German and English critique:

“It is fascinating to hear Edna Stern’s perfect, mature and effortless technique, which she does not however use for the purpose of bragging, but puts discreetly at the service of music. She succeeds to the extent of completely disappearing behind the music… developing a whole unexpected wealth of nuances and a variety of tone colors. …a spontaneous joyful playing with beauty and respect: my Mozart- Ideal through this CD has become much closer.”
– Bayrische Rundfunk, 2010

“This is an artist with a delicate touch who likes to shape every detail of phrasing and articulation as if polishing a tiny gem.”
– Gramophone Magazine, 2011

Edna Stern has a special interest in interpreting and rediscovering forgotten composers. Her recording “Piano of Enlightenment” presented the music of nowadays under-estimated composers such as Galuppi and C.P. E. Bach alongside pieces by J.S. Bach, Haydn and Mozart. Her latest Montgeroult recording published by Orchid Classics was awarded a Critic’s Choice of the Year 2017 by Gramophone Magazine and Choice France Musique.

BBC Magazine writes:
“Stern, playing and 1860 Pleyel trumps Bruno Robillard and Nicolas Stavy’s recordings in colour, style and panache. Textures shimmer in the Etude No. 37, the melody speaks eloquently in No. 26 and in the D minor Op. 107, the shades of Chopin Revolutionary Etude are made obvious.”

And Gramophone:
“Edna Stern deserves the highest praise for resurrecting it, and has the fleet fingers and sensitive musicianship necessary to make the very best case for it.”
 
A very meaningful and important program she has been playing these last few years features Sonatas written by Jewish Composers from Theresinstadt. She has been the first to perform and record Karel Reiner’s 2nd Piano Sonata “Victory”. Her performance in New York earned her an immediate invitation to perform in Los Angeles at the Colburn School of Music as part of the “Recovered Voices” project of James Conlon.
 
Edna Stern recorded fifteen albums spanning the Baroque (3× J.S. Bach, C.P.E. Bach), Classical (Mozart Concerti, Piano of Enlightenment, 3× Beethoven Sonatas, Montgeroult, Johann Simon Mayr Concerti), Romantic (Schumann, 2× Chopin) and 20th century (Fire of Black and White album) periods.

Shunta Morimoto at the National Liberal Club ‘A musical genius comes of age’

Louis-Victor Bak at St James’s Piccadilly