French-American Piano Society

presents

Lise de la Salle’s

“Surprise !”

Thursday November 10, 2022 at 7:30 PM

Consulate of FrancE

in New York

Four years after her boundary-breaking album Bach Unlimited, pianist Lise de la Salle presents an extremely personal odyssey inspired by her love of the dance and her fascination with the period 1850 to 1950.

More than just a question, Lise de la Salle’s ‘when do we dance?’ is an invitation to a voyage, ‘one that explores the different ways in which dance takes possession of the body’. A voyage in time, through a whole century (1850 – 1950) with the accent on modernity; a voyage over the oceans, from North America to Eastern Europe, criss-crossing Argentina, Spain, France, Hungary and Russia; a voyage to the very core of rhythm, that essential anchor point for the dance as for music in general, that enlivens the ragtimes of Gershwin and Bolcom, Bartók’s folk dances, a waltz by Saint-Saëns and a Tango by Stravinsky.

Pursuing her synchronic route with radiant versatility, this French pianist moves freely around the globe, encompassing diverse cultures with as much poetry as virtuosity, by turns setting the piano aflame with sensuality in Ginastera’s Argentine Dances, making it sound impishly seductive in 1930s swing, exquisitely refined in Ravel’s Valses nobles et sentimentales, or powerfully romantic in a Valse by Scriabin. There are evergreens, such as Art Tatum’s take on Tea for Two, Gershwin’s When Do We Dance? and the Ritual Fire Dance by de Falla. There are also several less familiar pieces to discover: Stravinsky’s Tango, Rachmaninov’s Polka italienne, and the Étude en forme de valse by Saint-Saëns.

As a luminous pendant to this amazing multi-journey to the four corners of the globe, we can read a declaration of love: Lise de la Salle’s own tribute to the art of the dance that has forever fascinated her. To her own wonderment, at the piano she finds dance simply flowing through her, and she is constantly learning from it. This pianist for whom ‘dance is a pleasure to be shared with others’ here divulges its secrets.

FRANCE

Maurice Ravel 1875 – 1937
Valses Nobles et Sentimentales 1911
Modéré, très franc
Assez lent, avec une expression intense
Modéré
Assez animé
Presque lent, dans un sentiment intime
Vif
Moins vif
Épilogue, lent

Camille Saint-Saëns 1835 – 1921
Étude en Forme de Valse, from six études op.52 no.6 1877

HUNGARY

RUSSIA

Alexander Scriabin 1872 – 1915
Waltz in A Flat Major op.38 1903

Sergei Rachmaninoff 1873 – 1943
Transcription vyacheslav gryaznov b.1982
Polka Italienne 1906

SOUTH AMERICA

Astor Piazzolla 1921 – 92
Libertango 1974

Alberto Evaristo Ginastera 1916 – 83
Danzas argentinas | argentine dances op.2 1937
Danza del viejo boyero | Dance of the Old Cowherd
Danza de la moza donosa | Dance of the Delightful Young Girl
Danza del gaucho matrero | Dance of the Cunning Gaucho

NORTH AMERICA

Fats Waller 1904 – 43
Viper’s Drag 1934

Art Tatum 1909 – 56
Tea for Two 1933

THE JAMES J. SHEERAN STEINWAY PIANO

At its inaugural recital on January 16th 2018, S.E. Anne Claire Legendre, Consul General of France in New York, in the company of S.E. Bertrand Lortholary, Ambassador of France in Vietam, Former Consul General of France in New York, and S.E. Francois Delattre, Ambassador of France to the United Nation, former Ambassador of France to the USA, and former Consul General of France in New York, dedicated our Steinway concert piano to

JAMES J. SHEERAN

(1923 - 2007)

A GREAT AMERICAN PATRIOT, WWII VETERAN, SON OF FRANCE, AND CHEVALIER DE LA LEGION D'HONNEUR (2006) OF THE REPUBLIC OF FRANCE

2023-2028 YOUNG PIANISTS SCHOLARSHIPS

A post-COVID expansion of our successful scholarship program to sponsor (2023 to 2028) 10 talented young French pianists to attend U.S. based piano festivals, competitions and present their Debut Recitals in New York City and Washington D.C.

CONTRIBUTE TO OUR SCHOLARHIP GRANTS HERE

We are deeply thankful to the generous patrons

who helped us fund our Steinway piano

CREDIT AGRICOLE CIB

NJ CURE

JCDECAUX

ALICE ROSNER FOUNDATION

COLAS, INC

COMMITTEE OF FRENCH SPEAKING SOCIETIES

CONNECTHINGS

CONSEILLERS DU COMMERCE EXTERIEUR DE LA FRANCE

MEDNEST

RATP DEV

VERONIQUE TRAVEL

and

The “88 Keys” Society Members and Patrons:

Helene Buchen (C1#, D1#, F1&#, G1#, A1&#, F2#, G2#, A2#)

Gilles Rousseau (G2,A2,B2,C3,D3,E3,F3,G3)

Veronique and Pascal Carpentier (C6#, D6#, F6#, G6#, A6#)

Ariane Daguin (B6, A6, G6, C7)

Anne-Julia Audray (D5, F5, A4)

Jean-Pierre Bizzari, MD (A5, B5)

Laurence Chertoff (D2#, D3#)

Thomas and Albane Duplan (C8, B1)

Valerie and Gerard Duval (G7#, F7#)

Lily Hsia (D5#, D7#)

Susan Mackenzie (E6, C7#)

Martha and Rick Olson (E4, G4)

Daniel and Teresa Petitjean (F7, G7)

Helene and Mathieu Petitjean (A0#,A4#)

Dr. Ellie Abdi (B0)

Catherine Munera and Alfredo Basurto (E5)

Carey and Brett August (C6)

Veronique et Serge Banzet (A5)

Arnaud Boyer (E7)

Nigel Brown (G1)

Florence and Eric Brun (G5)

Eric and Isabelle Chaboureau (F2)

Vésine de La Rue (D2)

Philippe Dreano (G3#)

Yoni Elmalem (A7#)

Sylvie Epelbaum,MD (D4#)

John F. Bennet, Paris-American Club (G4#)

Bernard Frelat (F6)

French-American Choir of New York (A4)

Simone Galton (B3)

Guy Geslin (D7)

Anthony Gilroy (A3)

Robert Gorman (D1)

Odile Gorse (C1)

Herve Houdre (C2)

Laurent Kleitman (C5#)

Remy Lumbroso (D6)

Pierre Martin (F3#)

Andrea Mayes (C5)

Hanyi Meng (A7)

Jean-Hugues Monier (E2)

Mark Morris (A3#)

Rick and Mary O'Connell (E1)

Elizabeth Olson (C4)

Claudine and Bernard Parisot (C4#)

Joseph Patrych (G5)

Michel and Judith Pautrat (F4)

Jean Perrette (B7)

Dmitry Rachmanov (F4#)

Jerome Rose (A0)

Sophie Schyler - Chateau Kirwan (F5#)

Guy Sorman (D4)

Annaliese Soros (C2#)

Marie-Monique Steckel (B4)

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