EPISODE 200! Hayden’s Ferry Chamber Music Series

Jan. 3, 2023

About the Program…

When Sergei Prokofiev wrote music, he wasn’t writing his memoir in notes on the score. Music, he felt, served a higher purpose than just capturing one artist’s emotions at one point in time. But Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata No. 7 is a bit different. He finished this piece at a critical moment in 1942, not long after he had been evacuated from Moscow to Tbilisi following Hitler’s invasion of Russia. You can guess what was on Prokofiev’s mind from his tempo markings in the score: “tumultuous, marching, fast… grieving.” Pianist Ying Li will bring this sonata to life in this episode of Arizona Encore. She performed the piece as part of the Hayden Chamber Music Series at the Tempe Center for the Arts. We’ll also hear two more outstanding performances from the series, one from violinists and brothers Nikki and Timothy Chooi and one by the up-an-coming Arod Quartet.

Featured in this episode:

Featuring performances by Ying Li, piano; Nikki Chooi, violin; Timothy Chooi, violin; and The Arod Quartet

Prokofiev - Piano Sonata No. 7 in B-flat Major, Op. 83 - Ying Li, piano
I. Allegro inquieto
II. Andante caloroso
III. Precipitato
Prokofiev - Sonata in C Major for 2 Violins, Op. 56 - Nikki Chooi, violin; Timothy Chooi, violin
I. Andante cantabile
Ravel - String Quartet in F Major - The Arod Quartet
I. Allegro moderato - Très doux
II. Assez vif - Très rythmé
III. Très lent
IV. Vif et agité