Memories of Childhood: French Piano Duets

Judith Olson and her students perform works by Gabriel Fauré, Maurice Ravel, and Florent Schmitt, French composers who captured the imagination and adventurous spirit of childhood in these colorful miniatures for piano four hands.

Fauré’s well-known “Dolly Suite” was inspired by a charming little girl, whose nickname was Dolly. Ravel’s masterpiece, “Mother Goose,” is based on French nursery tales. “A Week in the Life of Old Shut-Eye,” by Schmitt, illustrates stories by Hans Christian Anderson.

Schmitt’s five stories are revealed to a little boy, Hjalmar, by a character resembling the sandman (Old Shut-Eye), who sprinkles milk into his eyes to put him to sleep, then places a colorful umbrella over him, allowing him to dream the wonderful stories. If time permits, each of the five students could say a sentence or two about the story his piece describes.