LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770–1827):
Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109
Piano Sonata No. 31 in A Flat Major, Op. 110

JOSQUIN DES PREZ (c.1450/55–1521):
Ave Christe (arr. by Charles Wuorinen)

GEORGE BENJAMIN (b.1960):
Shadowlines, Six Canonic Preludes for Piano:
I. Cantabile
II. Wild
III. Scherzando
IV. Tempestoso
V. Very Freely – Faster but Calm – Spacious and Solemn
VI. Gently Flowing, Flexible

JOHN DOWLAND (1563–1626):
Pavane Lachrymae, P. 15/MB54 (arr. William Byrd)

Pianist Benjamin Hochman’s fourth album for AVIE, Resonance, literally resonates with music spanning six centuries. Two late Beethoven sonatas are the pillars of the program, with two Renaissance works by Josquin des Prez and John Dowland, plus a masterpiece by one of today’s most heralded living composers, George Benjamin, in between. Resonance opens with Beethoven’s Op. 109, followed by Josquin’s serene motet Ave Maria, arranged for piano by American contemporary composer Charles Wuorinen, the stylistic contrasts nevertheless resonating with a common tonal centre and rich counterpoint. Dowland’s Flow my tears, arranged for keyboard by Downland’s contemporary William Byrd, is a lamentation akin to the third movement “Arioso dolente” from Beethoven’s Op. 110. The penultimate track is George Benjamin’s 2001 Shadowlines. Subtitled “Canonic Preludes”, like Beethoven, Benjamin expands both sonic and emotional resonance to the limit.