Program for AnnaLotte Smith – July 7, 2024
Sunday, July 7, 2024 at 4 pm
download a copy of this program here.
Songs My Mother Taught Me
AnnaLotte Smith, piano
Program
Sofia Gubaidulina (b. 1931)
Chaconne
Johannes Brahms, (1833–1897)
Intermezzi, Op. 117
Intermezzo No. 1 in E♭ major, Andante moderato
Intermezzo No. 2 in B♭ minor, Andante non troppo e con molta espressione
Intermezzo No. 3. in C# minor, Andante con moto
Reena Esmail (b. 1983)
Rang de Basant
Claude Debussy (1862–1918)
from Images, Book 1, L. 110
Reflets dans l’eau
Monica Chew (b. 1977)
Ice Calf
Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943)
Moments Musicaux No. 4 in E minor
About the music
The heart of this program centers around the Brahms Intermezzi, a set I played for the last 10 years often in the living room of my late great-grandmother Marianne in Germany. A pianist herself, she would always sit there quietly and supportively listening. At the end of her life while I was playing the first intermezzo for her, she quietly said, “I never knew there was beauty in dying.” She proceeded to tell me that her mother had played that same piece for her every night as a child and she had also played the same intermezzi her whole life. I never knew why I had such a deep connection to this piece until I realized the soul of this music was imprinted through the women in my life. The music gene skipped several generations from my great-grandmother to me, and so as a young adult I tried to soak up all of the musical spirit I could from my Uroma. As I eventually began playing each of these composers for my Uroma, we would discuss the heart and soul of each piece but her advice would remain the same, “keep it simple.”
The program begins through the continuing spirit of female strength and creativity with the Chaconne by Gubaidulina who drew her inspiration from Bach’s legacy. Growing up listening to my Uroma hum her way through so much Bach at the piano inspired me to present Bach’s legacy in a reimagined format celebrating the future of music through a female perspective. Drawing inspiration from the many life lessons my Uroma shared, the Intermezzi by Brahms traces the winding paths of our own lives. Leading through the opening lullaby of childhood in the first intermezzo, through the unexpected turbulent beauty of life in the second, to the grief of acceptance at the end of life for the final movement. While the core of the program looks inward, the second half of the program shifts our perspective to look beyond ourselves. It is a reminder of how our stories are rarely singular as the stories of life and music inevitably become a tapestry woven into our own. It draws inspiration from our blended societies from the rhythms of the classical Indian raga in Esmail’s Rang de Basant juxtaposed with the cascading French harmonies in Debussy’s Images. I have always experienced life through the lens of my tactile-auditory synesthesia which is best highlighted through the lyrical colors and textures in these two contrasted composers. In a sense, these final pieces embrace the sensory way I experience the world on a daily basis. Ice Calf by Chew continues the narrative of our shared tapestry by highlighting the reality of an uncertain future from climate change. I believe music becomes truly powerful when it connects us not just to ourselves and our own traditions, but draws our attention to the broader world and the concerns facing us all today. It was the continuous song of embracing the past and future my great grandmother taught me. Rachmanoniff’s fourth Moment Musicaux has become my own battle cry and my promise to myself to never give up. A reminder that meaningful change and growth can happen each day both in ourselves and through our connections with those around us.
About the musician
Young American pianist AnnaLotte Smith navigates the worlds of tradition and innovation, captivating audiences with her musical versatility and artistic depth. She has achieved notable success in multiple international piano competitions, including winning the Grand Prix at the Second Baden-Württemberg International Piano Competition in Germany. Her performances have taken her from an orchestral debut at age 12 to appearances on both sides of the Atlantic, including multiple solo tours and appearances at PianoTexas, the International Mozarteum Summer Academy, the Mostly Modern Festival, and the Accademia Pianistica Internazionale di Imola, among others. AnnaLotte continuously explores across genres, celebrating the traditions of the classical repertoire while highlighting the work of contemporary composers. During the 2023-2024 season, she was featured on harpsichord in the seminal Bach300 Festival, celebrating the legacy of 300 years of Bach in Leipzig, Germany. She has also performed world premieres at the 2024 Klavierhaus Salon Series in New York City and is currently performing a series of concerts in Boston and Chicago featuring the world premiere of the song cycle Sirens, exploring the impact of climate change. AnnaLotte’s performance practice research has brought her into demand as a music consultant at the historic instrument collection at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Additionally, her work in producing and composing on film and TV sets from NYC to India most recently garnered her the Best First-Time Producer at the 2023 New York International Film Festival.
AnnaLotte holds degrees from the Boston Conservatory of Music and Westminster Choir College of Rider University, with additional studies at Princeton University. AnnaLotte is deeply committed to the power of music to address pressing social issues and works to promote equality and human rights through extensive benefit concerts, fundraising initiatives, and educational outreach programs. With each performance, she continues to push the boundaries of what it means to be a pianist and a socially conscious artist in the 21st century.