The Characters and Their Music in The Forgetting Flower, Part 2
Last week, I wrote about the music that’s heard or played when the characters Alain and Madame Palomer are “on stage” in The Forgetting Flower. In this post, I’ll talk about the music of my main character, Renia, and her parents. Renia’s choices are about her moods and about what she sees as best for the shop’s atmosphere. Her parents, still in Kraków, listen to more classic Polish composers.
Renia’s Music
When Renia’s by herself and feeling happy, oftentimes in her apartment, she listens to Chopin. This mazurka is one of several the Polish composer wrote. Unlike the dramatic études or soulful nocturnes, the mazurkas (named for a Polish folk dance) are brighter and usually feature a repeating melody or phrase.
Here’s the famed Vladimir Horowitz playing Chopin’s Mazurka in B minor Op. 33 No. 4. Horowitz was a master. You might recognize the melody.
For a high-quality CD/MP3 of Chopin’s Mazurkas, I recommend Vladimir Ashkenazy’s recording. It’s lovely and full of heart.
For reasons I don’t want to pinpoint lest I reveal spoilers, Renia listens to Satie’s “Je Te Veux” waltz when she’s feeling a bit sad but ready to move on and overall feels content. I thought the music’s playfulness and the French title, which translates to “I want you,” was appropriate for her feelings about Paris and all else.
This video shows the Russian pianist Anatoly Sheludyakov playing Satie’s “Je Te Veux” at the University of Georgia.
For a recording, see The Magic of Satie by Jean-Yves Thibaudet. It’s lovely music for Sunday morning tea or coffee. You can hear the influence of Chopin all over the place. Link below.
CD/MP3: Satie Piano Works, The Magic of Satie
Music of Le Sanctuaire
As a plant shop owner, Renia needs to create an inviting mood for her customers. First, unlike Minh who favors pop, Renia chooses classical music, Mozart and Vivaldi, in an effort to create a sophisticated atmosphere. She chooses Classical Era composers whose uniformly rhythmic and rapid melodies sound cheery and optimistic to listeners.
Here’s the Emerson String Quartet, who I adore, playing Mozart’s String Quartet No. 14 K. 387.
They also have an album of Mozart’s string quartets, which is beautiful. It’s also a go-to CD for Sunday mornings.
CD/MP3: Mozart’s String Quartets
I don’t think there’s any composer who captures fancy joy better than Vivaldi. (Haydn may come close.) His Concerto for Two Trumpets is brassy and pronounced. It embodies the skipping delight and danceable rhythms so archetypal in the Classical Era of music.
Here’s a concert in Japan. I have no idea who the orchestra is so if you know, please tell me!
You can always rely on Decca for excellent recordings. The 2-CD set below captures all of the vibrancy and delight of Vivaldi. And the trumpet concerto is included.
CD/MP3: Vivaldi Concerto for Two Trumpets and More
Renia’s Mother’s Music
In The Forgetting Flower, there’s a short scene where Renia’s mother is knitting in the family home’s living room and ‘Chant du Voyager’ by Paderewski (pronounced Pah-dah-rev-ski) is playing on the radio. Paderewski is like the Bach of Poland, having written concertos, symphonies, sonatas, opera, and solo works. Every older Polish person knows him because he was involved in Polish politics in the early 20th Century and then heavily toured in America. He also lived in California and became a vintner! In his youth, he was a star and quite the hottie. So it wouldn’t be uncommon for his work to be often played on Polish radio.
Sang Mi Chung plays Paderewski’s ‘Chant du voyageur’ on her album of Paderewski’s works. It’s a clear, crisp recording and wonderful interpretation. You can buy it here. It doesn’t seem to be available as a CD.
MP3: Ignacy Jan Paderewski: Piano Music
Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of youtube videos of Paderewski’s music being played live but here is a precious old video of Liberace playing Paderewski’s famous Minuet. Despite the hiss, it’s awesome.
Feodor’s Music
Finally, Renia’s father, Feodor, plays Chopin at home for recreation. I refer to him playing Chopin’s Études (or “studies”) in one scene. Chopin wrote several brilliant études but Étude in A flat major Op. 25 No. 1 particularly soars so I thought I’d share it here. I’m a lucky woman because my husband often practices Chopin études at home.
Szymon Nehring plays this brilliantly at the Fryderyk Chopin institute.
Here’s a different étude but another favorite, Op. 10. No. 3, a classic, played by Evgeny Kissin. The video should be cued at 3:32 when the song begins.
Finally, Chopin’s “Revolutionary” étude, inspired by the attack on Warsaw by the Russians, is such a wild vigorous piece I have to include it. It blows a hole in your heart. Again, Evgeny Kissin plays as the wonder he is. Check out what his left hand is starting at the 17 second mark.
For a recording, check out Murray Perahia’s Chopin: Études Op. 10 and Op. 25. It’s a rapturous recording. And Perahia looks like a bad ass on the cover.