Conservatorium of Music
Thursday Concert Class
Thursday Concert Class
| Cinco Canciones Negras | Xavier Montsalvatge (1912 - 2002) |
| I. Cuba Dentro De Un Piano II. Punto De Habanera (Siglo XVII) III. Chévere IV. Canción De Cuna Para Dormir A Un Negrito V. Canto Negro | |
| Taryn Silver, Mezzo-Soprano | |
| Amir Farid, piano | |
| Xavier Montsalvatge’s (1912-2002) song cycle Cinco Canciones de Negras for Mezzo- Soprano (1945) is arguably Montsalvatge’s most popular work. The cycle features many West Indian, Hispanic and Caribbean elements.‘Cuba dentro de un piano’ reflects the poet’s nostalgia for the old Cuba, it admits an expresssion of anti-American anger just at the end as the Spanish ‘Sí’ is displaced by ‘Yes’ The most famous song in the cycle is the lullaby, ’Canción de Cuna para Dormira a un Negrito’, which is characterised by it’s gentle habanera rhythm, syncopated seventh chords and jazz swing, which combine to create it's tender mood. | |
| Sonata No 6 in A major Opus 82 | Sergei Prokofiev (1891 - 1953) |
| iv. Vivace | |
| David Soo, piano | |
| This sonata was written during the heights of WWII. This movement is filled with fast and flourishing runs combined with an intense lyricism. | |
| Sonata in G major for Flute and Continuo, Wq. 134 | Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714 - 1788) |
| i. Adagio ii. Allegro iii. Vivace | |
| Alyse Faith, Flute | |
| Amir Farid, piano | |
| Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach was the second surviving son of J.S. and Maria Barbara Bach and was a leading composer in the early Classical period. His style reflects the transitional period between the baroque style of his father's and that of the classical period. In 1740, he was appointed the harpsichordist to Frederick II of Prussia. This led to the writing of numerous compositions for flute. | |
| Three Concert Études | Franz Liszt (1811 - 1886) |
| III, 'Un Sospiro' | |
| Louis Nicoll, Pianoforte | |
| The third of Liszt’s Three Concert Études has been subtitled Un Sospiro (a sigh)- the pieces’ principal melody, against a backdrop of flowing arpeggios, has such a serene swell and subside that it is little wonder it evokes the inhalation and exhalation of breath to many listeners. Having created this warmly lyrical yet serene soundscape, Liszt’s composition continues on to evoke not only the ebb and flow of breath but of rolling waves and a dynamic landscape- the influence of the visual arts of Delacroix or Aivazovsky is quite apparent in this miniature tone poem, which remains one of the most performed pieces in the solo piano repertoire. | |
| Images: Deuxieme Serie | Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918) |
| "Cloches a travers les feuilles" | |
| Ben Muddyman, Piano | |
| Debussy composed two volumes of Images. The second of which was longer in the making than the first. The second volume was dedicated to three of his friends; the first of which was to a painter named Alexandre Charpentier. | |
| Sonata op. 31 no. 3 | Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770 - 1827) |
| II: (Scherzo) Allegretto Vivace III: Menuetto | |
| Ben Muddyman, Piano | |
| This Sonata is also known as the "hunt" and was the last of which to include a Menuet movement. The second movement is described as fast-paced and optimistic. The material develops into through humor as it utilizes glissando-like passages before closing with a short Coda. The Menuetto movement is a representation of traditional sonata composition in comparison to the first two movements which were a representation of modern composition at the time. | |
| Twenty-four Preludes, Op. 11 | Alexander Scriabin (1872 - 1915) |
| No. 7 in A major - No. 8 in F# minor - No. 10 in C# minor - No. 21 in B-flat major | |
| Paul Ton, Piano | |
| This set, which covers a period of eight years (1888 - 1896) and comprises Scriabin's largest collection of keyboard works, contains as wide a sampling of his art from his early years as any. The Preludes covers each of the 24 keys, following the model of Chopin's Op. 28. | |
| Gargoyles, Op. 29 | Lowell Liebermann (1961 - ) |
| I. Presto - II. Adagio semplice, ma con molto rubato - III. Allegro moderato - IV. Presto feroce | |
| Paul Ton, Piano | |
| The first, with its febrile rhythms, shock-cut dynamics and tempestuous figurations, suggests a haunted midnight ride. The second, ethereal, obsessively repetitive, ghost-like, mystical. The third exudes a watery luminescence, perhaps an Impressionistic reference to the gargoyle's original function. The fourth, a wild tarantella, Mephistophelian in character. | |
| Mysterious Morning III pour saxophonne soprano | Fuminori Tanada (1961 - -) |
| Michellina Chan, Saxophone | |
| The work Mysterious Morning III was commissioned by the French saxophonist, Claude Delangle who requested a "Japanese-inspired" work from the composer, Fuminori Tanada. Tanada composed the piece with wishes to "create a state of sonic instability by means of extremely virtuoso writing" - in which he incorporated extended techniques such as mircro-tones, flutter and slap tongue, singing while playing, irregular trills, bisbigliato, multiphonics and glissandi. This instability represents a "man quivering with madness that he attempts to conceal within himself". Tanada also wished for the piece to sound like an improvisation. | |
| Morning Music | David Sampson (1951 - ) |
| Adrian King, Trombone | |
| Christopher Grace and Joel Walmsley, tpts; Melanie Simpson, hn; Adrian King, tbn; Lai Tak Chun, tba. | |
| Written for the American Brass Quintet, it is a sequel to a previous work of mine titled In Memoriam: W.E.S. for woodwind quintet (1981), the subject of which was the murder of my brother, William, by the Ku Klux Klan and American Nazis in 1979. Morning Music deals with my thoughts and feelings seven years later. As you will hear, the anguish over the death is as intense as ever, but strength and hope will gradually emerge from the despair. The work is one movement with clearly delineated sections ending with a fast-paced coda. I have dedicated Morning Music to my mother, Betty, whose optimism and resiliency have been an inspiation to me. | |