Conservatorium of Music
Thursday Concert Class
Thursday Concert Class
| Greisengesang D778 | Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828) |
| Alexander Owens, Voice | |
| Jacob Abela, piano | |
| Franz Schubert is arguably the most well-regarded composer of Lied in all Western history, having composed over 300 in his short life. What made his songs truly special was the way he always captured the emotion and mood of the text through his music. Greisengesang is Schubert’s setting of Friedrich Rückert’s poem from the collection Oestliche Rosen, and contrasts the bleak reality of old age in the minor phrases with rosy memories of youth and love in the following major passages. | |
| Fish in the Unruffled Lakes | Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976) |
| I. To lie flat on the back II. Night covers up the rigid land IV. Fish in the unruffled lakes VI. Underneath the abject willow | |
| Alexander Owens, Voice | |
| Jacob Abela, piano | |
| Benjamin Britten and poet W. H. Auden (poet of the texts of this cycle) collaborated many times during Britten’s life. The selection “Fish in the unruffled lakes”, first published in complete posthumously in 1997, is a collection of Auden settings which is speculated to have been intended as a second volume to “On this Island”. Britten’s composition through the cycle reflects the quirky character of the text, moving from playful in To lie flat on the back, to sombre and reflective in Night covers up the rigid land, to mysterious in Fish in the unruffled lakes, and finally celebratory in Underneath the abject willow. | |
| Der Gärtner | Hugo Wolf (1860 - 1903) |
| Isabelle Mazzarella, Voice | |
| Jacob Abela, piano | |
| This piece describes a youthful gardener momentarily resting from his work in the palace garden to observe the princess ride by on a white horse. The scarlet plumes in her hat nod as the garden's paths shine as if gold in the sunlight. The gardener thinks to himself, "For a single plume, I'd give up all my flowers". And the princess rides on. The accompaniment begins applying brush to canvass with springing figures, notes short in value to represent the light step of the horse. | |
| Con Que La Lavare | Joaquin Rodrigo (1901 - 1999) |
| Isabelle Mazzarella, Voice | |
| Jacob Abela, piano | |
| Born in Sagunto, Valenicia, the well-known Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo tragically lost his sight at the age of three. However, this did not prove to be a hindrance, as Rodrigo went on to be a successful pianist, composer, and musicologist. t. Cuatro madrigales amatorios, or Four Madrigals of Love, was written in 1947, of which 'Con que la Lavare'is apart of. All four songs are set to the sixteenth-century poetry of Juan Vasquez’s collection entitled Recopilacion de sonetos y sonetos y villancicos a quatro y a cinco.This short cyclc examines different facets of love, including despair, deceit, and delight. | |
| Etude S.141 “La Campanella” | Franz Liszt (1811 - 1886) |
| Matthew Serelis, Piano | |
| “La Campanella” is the third of Liszt’s Six Grandes Études de Paganini, which as the title suggests, all use melodies from Paganini’s works. La Campanella is a very challenging étude, with large jumps played quickly, and a chromatic scale cadenza in the middle. This work reflects on Liszt as a virtuoso. | |
| Etude op.25 no.7 | Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849) |
| Arranged by Anna Gao | |
| Anna Gao, Piano | |
| Widely known as the cello etude for its beautiful opening melody, this etude is one of Chopin's supreme examples of the unlikely combination of Baroque counterpoint and Italian opera. Inspired by Bellini's opera, Norma, this etude features the cello melody from the introduction of act two in Bellini's opera. | |
| 'Episodes' op. 36 no.5 | Pancho Vladigerov (1899 - 1978) |
| Arranged by Anna Gao | |
| Toccata | |
| Anna Gao, Piano | |
| Composer Pantcho Vladigerov came into the world after the major nationalist movement in music, and so his status as Bulgaria's leading composer of the 20th century was perhaps neglected. The Toccata is in the style of Schumann and Prokofiev in technique and form, the melodies depicting a strong, folk-like character. | |
| An die Musik | Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828) |
| Nick Sheppard, Voice | |
| Jacob Abela, piano | |
| An die Musik (German for \"To Music) is a lied written by Franz Schubert, with the text from a poem written by his friend Franz Von Schober. A hymn to the art of music, it is a well known song by Schubert, due to its harmonic simplicity and sweeping melody. | |
| Bright is the Ring of Words | Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 - 1958) |
| Nick Sheppard, Voice | |
| Jacob Abela, piano | |
| Bright is the Ring of Words is from the song cycle \"Songs of Travel\", Vaughan Williams\' first major foray into song-writing. The cycle offers a quintessentially British take on the story of a world-weary yet resolute individual. | |
| Les Berceaux Op. 23 no. 1 | Gabriel Fauré (1845 - 1924) |
| Text: Sully Prudhomme | |
| Grace Gallur, Voice | |
| Jacob Abela, piano | |
| Prudhomme's poem "Les Berceaux" (The Cradles) describes the day young men leave their mothers' home. The poem evokes melancholy by drawing contrast between the mothers' cradles and the ships their sons board to head to their futures. In Faure's piano writing, both hands play a motif which depicts the motion of the mothers rocking their empty cradles, and the waves that rock the ships. Faure's intimate treatment of the text reveals the poignancy of the mothers' emotion as they watch the ships disappear on the horizon. The conclusion suggests as the men board the ships, their journey forward is tinged by the soul of their childhood cradle. | |
| Vier Duette, Op. 61 | Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897) |
| 1. Die Schwestern 2. Klosterfräulein 3. Phänomen 4. Die Boten der Liebe | |
| Chloe Toh , Voice | |
| Chloe Toh (Soprano), Hannah Kostros (Mezzo-soprano), Jesslyn Po (Piano) | |
| The first duet tells the story of two sisters who are very similar and enjoy doing everything together. The twist in the last verse however, indicate that the sisters have fallen in love with the same man. The second duet communicates the story of a young nun who has been sent to the nunnery and how she longs for freedom. The third duet is set to poetry by Goethe, who although more well-known for his poetry, was a scientist immersed in the study of colors and rainbows. The final duet is a traditional Czech folk song text where a woman awaits messengers from the forest bringing her letters and kisses from her lover. | |
| The Marriage of Figaro | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791) |
| 1. Aprite Presto Aprite 2. Sull'aria | |
| Chloe Toh , Voice | |
| Chloe Toh (Soprano), Hannah Kostros (Mezzo-soprano), Jesslyn Po (Piano) | |
| The first duet occurs when Suzanna attempts to find an escape for Cherubino before the Count finds him. When all exits seem locked, Cherubino decides to jump out the window in order to escape from the suspicious Count. The second duet is the famous letter duet sung by Suzanna and the Countess where they set up a meeting place for the Count in an attempt to catch him in the act of infidelity. | |
| Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104 | Antonin Dvorak (1841 - 1904) |
| Movement 1 | |
| Clare Juan, Cello | |
| Jacob Abela, piano | |
| Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104 was the last cello concerto to be written by Antonin Dvorak and it is greatly considered as one of the most popular amongst the cello concerti repertoire. It has reported that Brahms has said “Why on earth didn’t I know that one could write a cello concerto like this? Had I known, I would have written one long ago.” This concerto has been recorded by nearly all the greatest well-known cellists, and artists such as Mstivlav Rostropovich and Yo-Yo Ma having recorded them more than once. | |
| Concerto for Tuba | John Williams (1932 - ) |
| I Allegro Moderato | II Andante | III Allegro Molto | | |
| Kiran Andrew Samuel, Bass Trombone | |
| Jacob Abela, piano | |
| John Williams (best known for his movie soundtracks) was chief conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra when he wrote this work for the tubist in the BPO's 50th year anniversary. Where the tuba normally plays a much less virtuosic role within the orchestra, this work see's it moving with a briskness closer to that of smaller more nimble instruments. The whole speedy thing is made even more challenging when played on a slide. This work is extremely unidiomatic for the trombone yet the vocal nature of both the instrument and the work make them an excellent match, aside from the simply unreasonable technical demands put on trombonists. | |