The Art of the Étude

An Étude is a ‘study’. But what does that mean? A technical exercise; a work in progress; a meditation; or perhaps an eternal process of opening new doors, and seeing where they lead. Over three linked programmes, Tamara Stefanovich explores these questions – and more – in music ranging from Debussy to Steingrimur Rohloff.

Over an afternoon and evening, it’ll surely add up to something bigger than any of its parts – though in Stefanovich’s supremely skilled hands, pairings of Scriabin and Roslavets or Rachmaninoff and Ligeti, as well as an entire sequence of 21st-century works, add up to an intensely stimulating prospect for the emotions as well as the intellect. The possibilities of the Étude are infinite: we’ll all learn something today.