Last Sunday 17th June, the pianist Lada Valesova gave a private recital hosted by Evelyn Friedlander in her flat. The music was mainly Czech, and included in the programme were many pieces by composers new to the audience. These included works by Josef Suk, Bohuslav Martinu, Leos Janacek and Pavel Haas.
What we found particularly engaging was the way that Lada introduced each piece with both a verbal sketch of the composer's life and personality, and a mental picture of the terrain being expressed by the music. This drew us into pieces that were not always neat and pretty to hear.
At the conclusion of the concert, Mrs. Friedlander gave the vote of thanks, and presented Ms. Valesova with a beautiful bouquet. We all then descended to the Friedlander Room in the synagogue for a scrumptious tea and the chance to talk to Lada.
If you missed the concert, but would like to know more about the music, Lada's CD "Intimate Studies" is on iTunes and includes most of the pieces that she played for us!
