A recital by Dutch pianist Arielle Vernède is often experienced by the audience as a narrative with a clearly implied message. She unravels the musical form, the place and the period in which a piece of music is embedded. In the planning of her programs she searches for a well thought out combination of well known and, often unjustly, lesser known repertoire.

When playing the piano her virtuosity and an extremely colorful palette are the building blocks for playing the piano in a way that captivates the listener throughout the performance.

A peep behind the curtain:

•	Studied with, amongst others, Geoffrey Madge at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, Netherlands.
•	Studied with Claude Helffer in Paris.
•	Winner of the "Zilveren Vriendenkrans"an annually awarded prize by the Concertgerbouw Amsterdam
•	Prizewinner of, amongst others, the Concours Robert Casadesus in Cleveland, USA.
•	Concerts in the Netherlands and abroad.

Two characteristics that are certainly applicable to Enrique Granados (1867-1916): he was a nationalist in that he integrated Spanish folk music in his compositions and he was a full-blooded romantic. Catalan by birth and raised in Barcelona, he was tutored by 'the' piano teacher in Barcelona, Joan Pupil, who also had Albéniz and De Falla under his charge. As a composer Granados was factually an autodidact. Starting in 1890 he gained more and more renown as a pianist and, due to his frequent programming of his own compositions, also as a composer. He gave many concerts and played chamber music with the great names of the period such as Jacques Thibaud, Camille Saint-Saëns and Pablo Casals.

Not only could one consider the Goyescas / Los Majos Enamorados as Granados' life work ( the title stands for many more compositions besides the suite for piano), but according to many it is also his masterpiece. The musical material that went into the pieces for piano that were issued under the name "Goyescas" (in the manner of Goya) , Granados also used in the writing of an opera by the same title. Fascinated as he was by the paintings of Francesco de Goya (1746-1828) Granados wrote many pieces inspired by these works. The first part of the suite for piano originated in the years 1909-1910 and the second part in 1914. Each part was dedicated to one of the great pianists of the time. Together with Isaac Albeniz' Iberia the Goyescas are considered the most important Spanish music for the piano. Contrasting with the Iberia, the Goyescas are a cyclic suite, meaning that the melodies used by Granados are often repeated in the course of the work. As the titles of the individual parts of the suite indicate the music is very expressive; it is also unmistakably influenced by the composers Schumann and Chopin.

Margaret Krill

Click here to listen to parts of this new cd.

Arielle Vernède recorded 4 solo cd's. Please select the cd you want to listen to.