Conservatorium of Music
Thursday Concert Class
Thursday Concert Class
| Andante in C major K.315 | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791) |
| Hank Clifton-Williamson, Flute | |
| Leigh Harrold, piano | |
| The Andante in C for Flute and Orchestra, K. 315/285e was written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1778 and commissioned by Ferdinand De Jean as a possible replacement or alternative second movement for the Flute Concerto No. 1 in G major (K. 313). Supposedly, the commissioner of the K. 313 concerto, De Jean, disliked the original Adagio and had Mozart compose the shorter Andante to replace it; however, it is also speculated the Andante may have been part of the third flute concerto Mozart was commissioned to write for De Jean but never completed. [1][2] The piece is written for the same orchestral arrangement as K. 313: a standard set of orch | |
| Sonate en ut# pour saxophone alto et piano | Fernande Decruck (1896 - 1954) |
| I. Très modéré IV. Nocturne et Finale | |
| Anthony Vouliotis, Alto Saxophone | |
| Leigh Harrold, piano | |
| French composer Fernande Decruck composed over forty works for the saxophone, but her music fell into obscurity soon after her death. In recent years, the Sonate en ut# pour saxophone alto et piano has been rediscovered, performed, and recorded by many prominent concert saxophonists. The work incorporates trends of Impressionism through its harmonic vocabulary, chordal planing, and pentatonic scales. It also demonstrates a sophisticated application of polytonal techniques in several passages. Decruck dedicated her sonata to Marcel Mule, master of the French saxophone, but a version for solo viola also exists. | |
| Sonata in A flat major Opus 110 | Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827) |
| i. Moderato Cantabile e Molto Espressivo ii. Allegro Molto iii. Adagio ma non Troppo- Fuga: Allegro ma non Troppo | |
| David Soo, Piano | |
| Beethoven's sonata in A flat major was his penultimate piano sonata, composed around the same time as his Diabelli variations and the ninth symphony. Beethoven reuses ideas from the Baroque period such as the Fugue and this became a key feature in this work. There are two fugues in the final movement- the first being in its original form, and the final being in its inversion. The sonata is one of the monuments of the piano repertoire. | |
| Schwanengesang D957 | Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828) |
| 'Ständchen' | |
| Lyndon Green, Voice | |
| 'Ständchen' (serenades) is a setting of someone persuading their beloved to come and bring them joy. | |
| Es ist das Heil uns kommen her BWV9 | J.S. Bach (1685 - 1750) |
| 'Wir waren schon zu tief gesunken' (aria) | |
| Lyndon Green, Voice | |
| This aria is the 4th movement of cantata 'Es ist das Heil uns kommen her' and is an evocation of spiritual resignation -- depicting the 'sinking' of "we were already too deeply sunk" in downward motifs and irregular rhythms. Wir waren schon zu tief gesunken, Der Abgrund schluckt uns völlig ein. Die Tiefe drohte schon den Tod, Und dennoch konnt in solcher Not Uns keine Hand behilflich sein. We were already too deeply sunk, the abyss sucked us fully in. The depths already threatened death, and yet, in such distress no hand could be of help to us. | |
| Violin Concerto No. 4 in D major, K. 218 | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Composer (1756 - 1791) |
| 1st movement Allegro | |
| Emma Martin, Violin | |
| Leigh Harrold, piano | |
| Violin Concerto No. 4 in D major, K. 218, was composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1775 in Salzburg. The autograph of the score is preserved in the Biblioteka Jagiellońska, Kraków. The concerto has the usual fast-slow-fast structure and lasts around 23 minutes. The movements are: Allegro, Andante cantabile and Rondeau (Andante grazioso - Allegro ma non troppo). | |
| Trauermusik | Paul Hindemith (1895 - 1963) |
| 1. Langsam 2. Ruhig bewegt 3. Lebhaft 4. Choral \"Für deinen Thron tret ich hiermit“ – Sehr langsam | |
| Beth Condon, Viola | |
| Leigh Harrold, piano | |
| Trauermusik is a short suite composed for viola and string orchestra. It was written and dedicated to King George V of the United Kingdom after his death. Given very short notice, Hindemith composed the piece on the day of the funeral, and it was premiered that evening, with Hindemith himself as the soloist. The title means “Funeral Music.” | |
| Andante Spianato & Grande Polonaise Brillante | Frederic Chopin (1810 - 1849) |
| Kevin Suherman, Piano | |
| Andante Spianato (moving smoothly), a sensitive solo piano piece was later added as an introduction to Chopin's Grande Polonaise Brillante which was for piano and orchestra. It typifies Chopin's reputation as a poet of the piano and as a writer of songs for the piano, containing warm, but uncomplicated emotions, in the context of simple beauty of sound. The Polonaise is introduced by a fanfare-like passage, then the Polonaise begins, character of a ceremonial procession before aristocratic or royal personages, than it is a dance in the usual sense. Chopin starts very rhythmically, but yet, melodic phrases and passages do exist later. | |
| Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 36 | Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943) |
| i. Allegro agitato ii. Non allegro — Lento iii. L'istesso tempo — Allegro molto | |
| Michael Li, Piano | |
| Russian-born Sergei Rachmaninoff was not only one of the 20th century's most formidable Classical pianists, he also became - even more so after his death - one of its most popular and enduring composers. His Piano Sonata No. 2, with its intense Slavic lyricism, and impassioned virtuosic pianism, demonstrates in abundance those qualities of his music that are permanently appealing, both to performers and audiences alike. The 1931 revision of the sonata (originally composed in 1913) trimmed some of the virtuosic extravagances from the original version, and made for more transparent and nuanced textures. | |