Conservatorium of Music
Thursday Concert Class
Thursday Concert Class
| Fanfare for St. Edmundsbury | Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976) |
| Karen Simons, Trumpet | |
| Oscar Mason - trumpet. Rachel Owen - trumpet. Karen Simons - Trumpet | |
| Benjamin Britten wrote this trio for an outdoor performance at the 1959 “Pageant of Magna Carta” that was held at St Edmundsbury Cathedral in England. The fanfare is scored to have each performer play in three different spaces of the setting, as far apart as possible. The piece opens with three solo performances, each in a different key and a different time signature. Although it was not specified by Britten, each part, interestingly, involves only the harmonic tones of a natural trumpet. The second half of the piece features the three solos being played again, now together, with each of the solos slotting in comfortably within each other | |
| Three Romances op. 94 | Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856) |
| 1. Nicht Schnell | |
| Stephanie Jackson, Flute | |
| Leigh Harrold, piano | |
| Composed in 1849 in the midst of a particularly prolific writing streak, Schumann’s well-loved Drei Romanzen for oboe (or violin) and piano have been transcribed for many instruments including the clarinet, cello, and flute. Hauntingly beautiful in its simplicity, the romances are essentially songs without words, highlighting the composer’s gift for melody and tasteful chamber music composition. Not only does each romance differ in mood from the next, but also, all feature distinct contrasts in character within its structure- encapsulating Schumann’s sense of duty "to tell, in music, of the motivating sorrows and joys of the times." | |
| Flute Concerto in E minor op. 57 | Saverio Mercadante (1795 - 1870) |
| III. Rondo Russo: Allegro vivace scherzando | |
| Stephanie Jackson, Flute | |
| Leigh Harrold, piano | |
| Composer of some sixty operas, Saverio Mercadante was born in Italy in 1795. Occupying the transition period between the operas of Rossini and Bellini, Mercadante’s operas enjoyed great success and acclaim at the time, despite being all but forgotten today. The composer wrote quite prolifically for flute in his youth- the second flute Concerto in E minor remaining the most popular, with it’s melodramatic themes and opportunity for great virtuosic display. The third-movement, the Rondo Russo, features a supremely catchy Russian theme, interspersed with thrilling virtuosic passages that gallop along to the piece’s conclusion. | |
| Concerto for Flute and Orchestra | Jacques Ibert (1890 - 1962) |
| I: Allegro II: Andante | |
| Kim Falconer, Flute | |
| Leigh Harrold, piano | |
| The Concerto for Flute and Orchestra was written for Marcel Moyse and is a great addition to the Flute repertoire. Ibert is a French composer whose compositional style can be described as 'electic' in regards to the myriad of styles including jazz, and other French Music (especially that of 'Les Six')that he was influenced by. | |
| Die Schöpfung | Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809) |
| "Nun beut die Flur das frische Grün" | |
| Janneke Ferwerda, Voice | |
| Stefan Cassomenos, piano | |
| Die Schöpfung (The Creation) is Haydn's most renowned oratorio. The work is often performed in English as The Creation. The libretto combines texts from Psalms, chapters from Genesis and Milton's Paradise Lost. "Nun Beut die Flur" (With Verdure Clad) is Gabriel's aria in which the soprano describes the beauty of the recent creation. | |
| Vesperae solennes de confessore, K. 339 | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791) |
| V. "Laudate Dominum" | |
| Janneke Ferwerda, Voice | |
| Stefan Cassomenos, piano | |
| The Vesperae Solennes De Confessore (Solemn Vespers) was Mozart's last composition for the Salzburg Cathedral. "Laudate Dominum" (Praise the Lord) is the fifth section of the work and the most familiar with audiences. Due to its popularity and beauty this piece is often performed in isolation of the larger work. Traditionally "Laudate Dominum" has a choral interlude, this has been abridged in the solo version of the piece for today's performance. Praise the Lord all nations, Praise Him all ye people For his merciful kindness is great towards us, and the truth of the Lord endureth forever (Translation: Richard Walters, 1994) | |
| Etudes Tableaux Op. 33 No. 3 | Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943) |
| Ben Muddyman, Piano | |
| The strange, sombre but beautiful harmonies of the first section in C minor give way to the tranquility of the second section in the major, in which the only genuine departure of the tonic is during the wonderful passage of nine bars following the Poco a Poco Agitato, subsequently quoted at the end of the 2nd movement of the 4th Piano Concerto. | |
| Etude Op. 25 No. 12 | Frederic Chopin (1810 - 1849) |
| Ben Muddyman, Piano | |
| Chopin's Op. 25 No. 12 is nicknamed "Oceans" due to its constant rising and falling arpeggio sequences in both hands, designed to symbolize the rising and falling of the waves in the ocean. This study is partly modeled on his Op. 10 No. 1 in C major where the right hand contains this similar arpeggio sequence. Op. 25 No. 12 utilizes the majority of the instrument's range in C minor before concluding in the parallel major. | |
| Scirocco | Michael Burritt (1962 - ) |
| Madi Chwasta, Marimba | |
| Scirocco was written during the Summer of 2001 and was premiered at the Leigh Howard Stevens Summer Marimba Seminar in June of that year. The piece is dedicated to the marimba virtuoso She e Wu who implored Burritt to write something "over the top". From this characterisation, Burritt drew inspiration from the virtuosic compositions of Paganini. Scirocco means "hot desert wind" and refers to the intense swirling character of the melodic lines. | |
| Étude-Tableaux Op.39 No.5 | Sergei Rachmaninov (1873 - 1943) |
| Kathy, Piano | |
| The Études-Tableaux by Rachmaninov are described by the composer "picture pieces", where the music is strongly connected to the visual senses. Rachmaninov did not reveal what inspired each piece, instead stating, "I don't believe in the artist that discloses too much of his images. Let them paint for themselves what it most suggests." At the time of composition of Op.39 Rachmaninov had been heavily inspired by the music of his contemporaries Alexander Scriabin and Sergei Prokofiev. The etude no.5 possess intricate detail to voicing, interweaving melodies, complex shifting harmonies and the heavy texture solidifies the 'Apassionato' tempo mark | |
| Sonata No.6 | Sergei Prokofiev (1891 - 1953) |
| Movement 4 - Vivace | |
| Kathy, Piano | |
| The Sixth Sonata, first of the composers three 'War Sonatas', was composed during Prokofiev's most productive period where his style had fully matured and reached its peak. Completed before the Second World War in 1941, the raging anxiety and turbulent drive of the 4th movement echoes the political tensions at the time of composition. The first performance of the Sonata was given by Prokofiev himself in a radio broadcast in Moscow, and it marked the last time the composer premiered new work himself to the public. This was followed by Sviatoslav Richter's Moscow performance which solidified the Sonata's lasting success. | |
| Danse Macabre | Camille Saint-Saëns (1835 - 1921) |
| Arranged by Ernest Guiraud | |
| Tiffany , Piano | |
| Jonothan Cannon (piano), Tiffany Tan (piano) | |
| Adapted from one of Saint-Saëns's vocal works, Danse macabre ('Dance of Death) was reworked and premiered as a symphonic tone poem in 1874. This is also effectively arranged for two pianos by Ernest Guiraud. It is based on an old French myth and poem about 'Death' who appears at midnight and summons the dead from their graves to dance. | |
| String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10 | Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918) |
| II Assez vif et bien rythmé III Andantino, doucement expressif | |
| Emma Martin, Violin | |
| Marrianne Liu, Emma Martin, Lucas Levin, Joshua Dema | |
| The quartet received its premiere on December 29, 1893 by the Ysaÿe Quartet at the Société Nationale in Paris to mixed reactions. The work seems to be influenced by the style of César Franck. The result is a cyclic structure with the four movements connected by thematic material. Other influences include Borodin and Javanese gamelan music. The quartet is considered a watershed in the history of chamber music. Its sensuality and impressionistic tonal shifts make it a piece absolutely of its time and place while, with its cyclic structure, it constitutes a final divorce from the rules of classical harmony and points the way ahead. | |
| Prodaná nevěsta (The Bartered Bride) | Bedřich Smetana (1824 - 1884) |
| Kdybych se co takoveho | |
| Alison McIntosh-Deszcz, Voice | |
| Elyanne Laussade, piano | |
| Aria: If I learned anything like that about you, with cruel spiteful anger I would come to hate you. Then tell me, Jenik, why were you so angry that you abandoned your home and banished your sweetheart? | |
| Prodaná nevěsta (The Bartered Bride) | Bedřich Smetana (1824 - 1884) |
| Och, jaky zal...Ten lasky sen. | |
| Alison McIntosh-Deszcz, Voice | |
| Elyanne Laussade, piano | |
| Recit: Oh, what grief! when a heart is deceived! Yet, I still don\'t believe it although it stands there in writing. I don\'t believe it until I speak with him. Maybe he doesn\'t even know about it! Oh, in my distress let the real truth be revealed to me! Aria: This dream of love, how beautiful it was, how hopefully it blossomed! And over my wretched heart it was shining like a silent star. How in this dream a blissful life with my beloved I imagined! Now fate blew in a tempest, and loves rose has withered. No, such deception is not possible, no! It would be a sad wound, and the earth would burst into tears over the buried love. | |