Dominic Degavino (piano): "Preludes and Interludes"

This is an online event for you to enjoy at your leisure and will be available to view from Thursday 28 January at 6pm.

Programme

Bach-Siloti - Prelude in B minor

Brahms - Intermezzo in E Major, Op. 116 No. 6

Debussy - La cathédrale engloutie  (Prelude no.10, Book 1)

Preludes and Interludes programme notes:

Bach-Siloti - Prelude in B minor

This prelude uses part of the 10th Prelude and Fugue of the first book of ‘The Well Tempered Clavier’ which J.S. Bach composed in 1722.  The arrangement, by Russian pianist Alexander Ilyich Siloti, has been described as "perhaps Siloti's most tender and perfect transcription’, transposing Bach's original down from E minor to B minor.  It was dedicated to his daughter Kyriena, who was a noted pianist and teacher in the USA until her death in 1989, aged 94.

Brahms Intermezzo in E Major, Op. 116 No. 6

One of Johannes Brahms’ later works, an Intermezzo is the sixth of seven pieces of Op. 116 that he called Fantasien.  It is a richly layered work which demonstrates how Brahms utilised his mastery of piano technique to bring out the expressive qualities of the instrument with almost the soft, reflective quality of a nocturne.  Brahms sent the complete Op 116 to his publisher, Fritz Simrock, with the instruction to issue the pieces in two volumes, which was surprising given the apparent unity of the set as a whole.

Debussy La cathédrale engloutie (Prelude no. 10 from Book 1)

“The Sunken Cathedral” was published in 1910 and belongs in the first of two volumes of 12 piano preludes. It is based on an ancient Breton myth in which a cathedral, submerged underwater off the coast of the Island of Ys, rises up from the sea only on certain mornings when the water and visibility are clearest. Debussy skilfully uses harmonies, modulation and rich sounds to evoke the images and bring the legend alive.  The piece is an almost iconic example of the musical impressionism for which Debussy is so famous.

DOMINIC DEGAVINO (piano)

Pianist Dominic Degavino has performed concerts in venues across the United Kingdom and beyond, including solo performances at the Wigmore Hall and Southbank Centre, London as a Park Lane Group artist, at the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester and the Lichfield and Edinburgh festivals, among others. Concerto appearances include performances with the Manchester Camerata and RNCM Symphony Orchestra.

 Having completed both school and undergraduate studies in Manchester with Helen Krizos, at Chetham's School of Music and the Royal Northern College of Music, he recently graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he studied with Charles Owen and Noriko Ogawa.

Dominic has achieved considerable competition success, including winning the RNCM Gold Medal Competition, 3rdPrize at the Concours International de Piano d'Epinal in France, and keyboard section prizes of both the Tunbridge Wells International Young Concert Artists Competition and the 2017 Royal Over-Seas League Arts Competition. In 2020 he was accepted onto the Tillett Trust DEBUT recital scheme. He has taken part in masterclasses with eminent pianists such as Lang Lang, Richard Goode, Imogen Cooper, Peter Frankl and John O'Conor.

Alongside work as a soloist, he is a passionate chamber musician, accompanist, and jazz player, performing extensively and winning prizes with a wide array of ensembles, including the Mithras Piano Trio and with flautist Meera Maharaj.

He is grateful for the generous support of the Countess of Munster Musical Trust, Help Musicians UK and the South Square Trust.