Liam Wooding: Reflections and Connections

LILBURN Sonata for Piano in F# minor

Lilburn began composing his Sonata in F# Minor in 1939 while he was in London, being tutored in composition by Ralph Vaughan-Williams. When World War 2 broke out Lilburn returned home to Whanganui and finished off the sonata there.

In Liam Wooding’s programme notes for this concert he says, “Since Whanganui is my hometown, I’m interested in learning about its musical history, of which this sonata is an important part. According to public records the piece has only been performed once in 2006. I hope my performance of the work convinces you of its success as a piece and prompts other pianists to perform the work more!”

GREENBAUM Remote Connection

‘Remote Connection’ by Australian composer Stuart Greenbaum was composed especially for Liam in 2021.

‘Remote Connection’ was written as the composer reflected back on his experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 – a year, where like the rest of us, he was seeing fewer people than ever.

Stuart Greenbaum says, “The phrase ‘remote connection’ has an inherent friction to it, conjuring both distance and closeness. Its common usage refers to wireless devices sharing information; but I’m interested in the phrase as an allegory of human connection. We can experience loneliness in the midst of a crowded room, yet also sense connection in extreme isolated places.”

BEETHOVEN Piano Sonata No 14 in C# minor, Moonlight

The nickname “Moonlight Sonata” for Beethoven’s Sonata in C-sharp minor, can be traced back to the 1830s where one reviewer, a poet, compared the first movement to a boat floating in the moonlight on Lake Lucerne in Switzerland.

This was many years after Beethoven had written the piece. And despite Beethoven having nothing to do with the subtitle, its fame has meant it stuck and is here to stay.

But Liam Wooding agrees with New Zealand pianist Michael Houstoun, when he said that this association with moonlight subtracts from the emotional character of Beethoven’s work. Houstoun describes the work, instead, as “relentlessly dark” and “violently black”.

So with that in mind to cast this well-known piece in a different, perhaps more murky light, let’s have a listen with fresh ears, to Beethoven’s Sonata in C sharp minor performed by Liam Wooding.

ELLINGTON Reflections in D

Performed by Liam Wooding, piano, at his concert Reflections and Connections. St. Andrew's on The Terrace. 25 July 2021.

DEBUSSY Images, Book 1

Performed by Liam Wooding, piano, at his concert Reflections and Connections. St. Andrew's on The Terrace. 25 July 2021.

ADAMS Phrygian Gates

In his programme notes, Liam says:

"Together with the companion piece China Gates, John Adams regards Phrygian Gates as his 'opus 1' and first exploration into minimalism. According to Adams, the 1970s was a time of 'enormous ideological conflict in new music' and minimalism as a style seemed to be a way forward for Adams. However, his work does not fall into tedious monotony but uses principles of the style such as tonality and large structures to influence his approach. The term 'gates' is a term borrowed from electronics and refers to the moments when the harmony in the music shifts abruptly and without warning. These shifts occur throughout the work that cycles through all the keys à la Well-Tempered Clavier, but in the circle of fifths rather than chromatically."

"I believe that the performances on this tour represent the first public performance of the work in New Zealand. Some may regard Phrygian Gates as a contemporary work; now that it is over forty years old it is time to consider this work as historical rather than part of modern music culture."