Conservatorium of Music
Thursday Concert Class
Thursday Concert Class
| Grand Polonaise for Flute and Piano, op. 16 | Theobald Boehm (1794 - 1881) |
| Alyse Faith, Flute | |
| Konrad Olszewski, piano | |
| Theobald Böhm (or Boehm) (April 9, 1794 – November 25, 1881) was a German flute player and inventor, who perfected the modern flute as we know it today and improved its fingering system (now known as the Boehm system). He was also a composer for the flute and a Bavarian court musician. Boehm's technical expertise of the flute is evident in his Grand Polonaise for Flute and Piano. The Grand Polonaise displays virtuosic and expressive writing typical of Romanticism. | |
| Toccata | Aram Khachaturian (1903 - 1978) |
| Jungwoo Kim, Piano | |
| Toccata by Aram Khachaturian is in E-flat minor and it was composed in 1932. The mood for the first section is very lively, contrasting to the next section which is calm and relaxing. Then the lively mood comes back in the last section. | |
| Fantaisie pour Flûte et Piano | Philippe Gaubert (1879 - 1941) |
| Moderato, quasi Fantasia | |
| Jackie Hu, Flute | |
| Konrad Olszewski, piano | |
| Jackie Hu, Flute and Konrad Olsezewski, Piano | |
| Philippe Gaubert was asked to compose this piece for the Concur de Prix run by the Paris Conservatoire. This piece is influenced by the composer Debussy and hints of Schoenberg is evidently heard with the use of the whole-tone runs. The structure of the piece is a very lyrical first part showing the expressive qualities of the flute and gradations in tone colours, followed by a rapid second part. | |
| 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). | |
| Andante et Allegro | Joseph Guy Marie Ropartz (1864 - 1955) |
| William Crowther, Trumpet | |
| Konrad Olszewski, piano | |
| This piece is a popular piece for trumpet players at the university level. While it is not technically demanding, the two distinct sections allows the player to show off the sweet lyrical side and the broad and majestic sound that is unique to the trumpet. | |
| Paganini etude no2 | Franz Liszt (1811 - 1886) |
| Kane Chang, piano | |
| The Grandes études de Paganini, S.141, are a series of six études for the piano by Franz Liszt, revised in 1851 from an earlier version (published as Études d'exécution transcendante d'après Paganini, S.140, in 1838). It is almost exclusively in the final version that these pieces are played today. The pieces are all based on the compositions of Niccolò Paganini for violin, and are among the most technically demanding pieces in the piano literature (especially the original versions, before Liszt revised them, thinning the textures and removing some of the more outrageous technical difficulties). The pieces run the gamut of technical hurdles, | |
| Etude Tableau Op. 33 No. 2 in C major | Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943) |
| Timothy Kan, Piano | |
| This piece is a combination of a blurry oscillating left hand harmony soundscape with a soaring melodic line in the right hand. | |
| Etude Tableau Op. 33 no. 3 in C minor | Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943) |
| Timothy Kan, Piano | |
| This piece starts off with a more ominous and brooding character in C minor, but later, it moves to C major where it contains many luscious and warm harmonies. | |
| Piano Concerto op.16 | Edvard Grieg (1843 - 1907) |
| I. Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso | |
| Anna Gao, Piano | |
| Hannah Shin, piano | |
| Composed in 1868, Grieg's piano concerto reflects his love for folks dances and traditions. The concerto opens with a rumbling drum roll leading to a dramatic descending pattern played by the piano. The main theme is introduced by the orchestra, the melody reminiscent of a folk dance step. Following a short development section and reprise, the soloist continues into an extended cadenza derived from the main theme. The movement closes with a fierce return of the opening descending pattern,leading to the second movement. | |
| Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra in E flat Major, S49 | Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778 - 1837) |
| First movement: Allegro con spirito | |
| Eric Beale, Trumpet | |
| Konrad Olszewski, piano | |
| Hummel was born in Pressburg, Kingdom of Hungary, then a part of the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy (now Bratislava in Slovakia). He was named after St John of Nepomuk, and – unusually for that period – an only child. His father, Johannes Hummel, was the director of the Imperial School of Military Music in Vienna. Hummel wrote his Concerto a Trombe Principale for Viennese trumpet virtuoso and inventor of the keyed trumpet, Anton Weidinger. It was written in December 1803 and performed on New Year's Day 1804 to mark Hummel's entrance into the court orchestra of Nikolaus II, Prince Esterházy as Haydn's successor. | |