Conservatorium of Music
Thursday Concert Class
Thursday Concert Class
| Andante et Rondo, Op.25 | Albert Franz Doppler (1821 - 1883) |
| I. Andante II. Rondo | |
| Adam Richardson, Flute | |
| Leigh Harrold, piano | |
| Adam Richardson (Flute), Alyse Faith (Flute) | |
| Composed to showcase the talents of the Doppler brothers during one of their many tours, Andante and Rondo is a flashy showpiece for 2 flutes. The long melody of the Andante sweeps and soars in a dramatic fashion with rich harmonies in the two flutes. The Rondo features complex rhythmic layers, and has the cheek and drive of a Hungarian gypsy dance. | |
| Une barque sur l'océan from Miroirs | Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937) |
| Christopher Wong, Piano | |
| Miroirs was composed during 1904-05 and given its premiere in 1906. Defined as "Reflections", the work demonstrates the development of Ravel’s technique as a composer of piano music. Ravel’s treatment of the vast possibilities of the piano was simultaneously inspired by the florid style of Franz Liszt and the most profound advancement in piano technique since that great virtuoso’s time. 'Une barque sur l'océan' (A boat on the ocean) is the third piece of Miroirs and was dedicated to the painter Paul Sordes. This piece depicts a boat as it sails upon the waves of the ocean from the arpeggiated sections that imitate the flow of ocean currents. | |
| Abegg Variations, Op. 1 | Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856) |
| Christopher Wong, Piano | |
| The name 'Abegg', is believed to refer to Meta Abegg, whom Robert Schumann had fictitiously met at a ball in Mannheim, Germany. Additionally, it was believed that he had used Abegg's surname as a musical cryptogram as the motivic basis for the piece. Another assumption that has been made is when he was twenty years old, he had met Countess Pauline von Abegg and dedicated his work to her, as witnessed in Clara Schumann's edition of her husband's piano works. The theme of A-B-E-G-G of the opening measures was also used in Schumann's other compositions, such as Carnaval, Op. 9. | |
| Estampes | Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918) |
| III. Jardins sous la pluie | |
| Chris Yuen, Piano | |
| Jardins sous la pluie (Gardens in the rain) illustrates a garden in a fierce rainstorm in France. The use of water imagery is a typical feature of French Impressionism in both music and fine arts. Sections of chromatic, whole tone, major and minor scales are used to portray the sounds of a thunderstorm, wind blowing, raindrops and water. | |
| Sonata for Viola and Piano | Rebecca Clarke (1886 - 1979) |
| 1. Impetuoso | |
| Beth Condon, Viola | |
| Leigh Harrold, piano | |
| Rebecca Clarke's Sonata for Viola and Piano is first known of in 1919, when the composer was 33 years old. Clarke had moved to the United States in 1916, after being disowned by her father. She had been supporting herself with some success as a soloist. The sonata is cast in three movements. The first movement, marked Impetuoso, begins with a vibrant fanfare from the viola, before moving on into a melodic and harmonic language reminiscent of Debussy and Ralph Vaughan Williams, two important influences on Clarke's music. Her language often chromatic, and shows the invention of Debussy in the use of modes and the whole-tone scale. ;) | |
| Berceuse Op. 57 | Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849) |
| Ivana Gonzales, Piano | |
| The Berceuse, literally means 'cradle song', is a lullaby played on piano. Originally, Chopin called the piece 'Variants' or 'Variations' because it consists of variations of a theme from his childhood (a song Chopin's mother sang to him). Its bass line has a repeated figure, which known as basso ostinato, and the melody runs above them. | |
| Caprice en forme de Valse | Paul Bonneau (1918 - 1995) |
| Michellina Chan, Alto Saxophone | |
| Paul Bonneau is a French composer and conductor who studied at the Paris Superior National Conservatoire of Music between 1932 and 1945. Whilst studying at the conservatoire, he won several awards including the first prize in composition in 1945. He has also had a career in directing operattas and comedies at the Chatelet Theatre (Paris) and many others. Through his life, Bonneau composed 4 works for solo saxophone including a concerto. Caprice en forme de valse is the most recorded piece of all his works. It is light, playful, lyrical and entertaining all at the same time! | |
| Piano Sonata in C Major, Opus 53 | Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827) |
| II: Introduzione. Adagio molto III: Rondo. Allegretto moderato – Prestissimo | |
| Timothy Liu, Piano | |
| The "Waldstein" piano sonata of 1803 is one of Beethoven’s greatest and most technically challenging works. The second movement, bearing the marking Introduzione, is short, serious, and introspective: in the style of a funeral march. Originally, Beethoven wrote what is now known as the Andante favori as the second movement, but decided not to include a movement that was too long. Without pause, the music emerges from the philosophical Adagio, and blossoms into the brilliant main theme of the third movement, marked Rondo. While at first presented in a tranquil state, this theme is developed and triumphantly celebrated in an exhilarating coda. | |
| Spanish Rhapsody S.254 | Franz Liszt (1811 - 1886) |
| Margaret Kong, Piano | |
| The foundations of Spanish Rhapsody was derived by Liszt's tour in Spain and Portugal in 1845. This made the piece very suggestive of traditional Spanish music. The piece is based on two traditional Spanish folk melodies, 'La Folia' and 'Jota Aragonesa'. Spanish Rhapsody is one of Liszt's most well known works. | |