Conservatorium of Music
Thursday Concert Class
Thursday Concert Class
| Treacherous Tango | Andy Firth (1966 - ) |
| Adam Richardson, Flute | |
| Konrad Olszewski, piano | |
| The Treacherous Tango is in essence a cross-over piece in that it is never fully Latin, jazz or classical for any significant amount of time. The first section is a kind of “Bach goes Latin”. This then heats up a bit and changes in to an improvised solo section. The piano gradually drops out and leaves the soloist merrily grooving away over the feel. Both then launch into a fiery Latin pattern that re-energizes the Latin feel once more. The romantic section that follows brings a little of “Spain” to the feel. The first and second themes return with vengeance and lead to a musical frenzy finish. | |
| Piano Sonata No. 7 in B♭ major, Op. 83 | Sergei Prokofiev (1891 - 1953) |
| I. Allegro inquieto II. Andante caloroso III. Precipitato | |
| Christopher Wong, Piano | |
| Sergei Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata No. 7, Op. 83 (occasionally named as the ‘Stalingrad’), has been historically designated alongside the sixth and eighth sonatas as the ‘War Sonatas’. Prokofiev began sketching his three sonatas in 1939 by the time he was commissioned by General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin to compose Zdravitsa, Op. 85 for his sixtieth birthday. His true feelings are conveyed within the ’War Sonatas’ despite his dissimulation of joy and admiration for him and the Soviet government. Ironically, Prokofiev’s 7th and 8th sonatas received a Stalin prize each. | |
| Etude in C# Minor (Op.2 No.1) | Alexander Scriabin (1872 - 1871) |
| Nicole Ng, Piano | |
| Throughout this Etude, it has a sorrow and heartfelt melody, showing many characteristics of Russian Gypsy music. It is accompanied by repeated chords in both hands, featuring rich harmonies, inner voices, and larger spreads in the left hand. The dynamics of the piece varies constantly to display emotions and passion. The piece features many key changes, but finally concludes in the original key (C# minor). | |
| Piano Quartet no. 1, opus 15 | Gabriel Urbain Fauré (1845 - 1924) |
| I. Allegro Molto Moderato III. Adagio | |
| Jin Long, Viola | |
| Rennata Morrison- Violin, Oscar Woinarski- Cello, Louis Nicoll- Piano | |
| Fauré’s first piano quartet was written in the summer of ‘76. 1876, not the other ’76. It was written after an engagement was ended between the composer and Marianne Viardot, a girl he liked. The turmoil and trouble of Fauré’s personal life may have led him to write this Brahmsian quartet, in which Fauré’s craftsmanship is blended with a highly expressive language, particularly in the slow third movement. | |
| Piano Concerto in a minor | Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856) |
| I. Allegro affettuoso | |
| William Soo, Piano | |
| Konrad Olszewski, piano | |
| From the age of 17, Schumann wrote several works for piano and orchestra; all of which were promptly abandoned. His reviews for the Neue Zeitschrift demonstrate his distaste for concerti in which the solo instrument dominated the orchestra. In this concerto, he attempted to achieve greater orchestral clarity. The concerto actually began as a fantasy for piano and orchestra, however he struggled to find a publisher willing to publish the work. When Schumann moved to Dresden in response to his declining condition, he worked on a Rondo in A major and the second movement, which would eventually complement the fantasy. | |
| Clarinet Sonata | Francis Poulenc (1899 - 1963) |
| Movement No.2; Romanza | |
| Chang Dae Yoo, Clarinet | |
| Konrad Olszewski, piano | |
| The Sonata for Clarinet and Piano was among Poulenc’s final works it dates from the summer of 1962. He dedicated the Clarinet Sonata to the memory of Arthur Honegger, a fellow member of "Les Six," who had passed away in 1955. | |
| Piano Concerto in Bb Major, K. 456 | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791) |
| 1.- Allegro Vivace 2.- Andante un poco sostenuto | |
| Quetzal Pulwaiya Rodriguez Burge, Piano | |
| Konrad Olszewski, piano | |
| It is perhaps through Mozart's piano concerti that we can best appreciate the composer's capability as a virtuoso performer and, through his cadenzas, as a marvellous improviser of considerable invention and ingenuity. The Piano Concerto in Bb Major, K. 456, unlike the rest of the vast number of concerti, wasn't actually written for Mozart's own public concerts. Instead, it was written for Maria Theresia von Paradis, an Austrian pianist, composer, and singer who had been blind from early childhood. | |