Conservatorium of Music
Thursday Concert Class
Thursday Concert Class
| New Orleans | Eugene Bozza (1905 - 1991) |
| Kiran Samuel, Bass Trombone | |
| Jacob Abela, piano | |
| New Orleans for Bass Trombone and Piano is a solo work written for bass saxhorn. Since that instrument has fallen to obscurity, this solo is now frequently played on bass trombone or tuba. Influenced heavily by the jazz culture of New Orleans, this piece explores many styles that might be heard walking around the city such as ragtime and dixieland.[14] This piece is a major element of the bass trombone solo repertoire and is often called upon for auditions. | |
| Hungarian Dance No. 1 in G minor | Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897) |
| Ivy Tsang, Piano | |
| Eve Zhuang, piano(piano duet) | |
| The 21 Hungarian Dances by Brahms are composed for piano, four hands, most of the the dances are rapid and energetic which also applied to the first one in G minor. Although this is not as well known as No.5, it is undeniably one of the dances that reflects Brahms' familiarity with piano four-hands music and the authentic Hungarian-style that he had been exposed to . | |
| Tornami a vagheggiar | Georg Friedrich Handel (1685 - 1759) |
| Emilia Bertolini, Voice | |
| Jacob Abela, piano | |
| Tornami a vagheggiar comes from one of Handel's most famous operas, Alaina. The aria is sung by Morgana who is beckoning to her beloved, Ruggiero, to free himself from Alcina\'a curse and return to her instead. | |
| Deh vieni, non tardar | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791) |
| Emilia Bertolini, Voice | |
| Jacob Abela, piano | |
| This aria from Le nozze di Figaro and is sung by Susanna, the maid to Countess Almaviva. At this moment, Susanna is dressed in the countess' clothes as part of a plan to trick the countess' unfaithful husband, Count Almaviva. Susanna's fiance, Figaro, is also spying on Susanna and he fears that she intends to submit to the desires of the Count. Susanna, aware that Figaro is nearby but pretending not to see him, adopts a coquettish eloquence of language and poise that is sure to make him jealous. Susanna wants to punish Figaro for ever doubting her fidelity. But, despite her mischievousness, this aria is Susanna's love song to Figaro. | |
| Piano Sonata in E-flat major, D 568 | Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828) |
| I. Allegro moderato | |
| Xiao-Xiao Kingham, Piano | |
| This Piano Sonata was composed in 1817, during the early stages of Schubert's career. This was a period that found him in an experimental frame of mind, and happily exploiting such unusual keys as B major and D flat major. It was a sonata in the latter of these keys, D. 567, that became the parent of this more familiar Sonata in E flat, D. 568. It is an early example of the Schubert sonata and is marked more by a succession of 'phrases' than by personal interpretative developments. The opening movement, Allegro moderato, is nonetheless easy-going in the best and purest "Classical" manner. | |
| Humoreske, Opus 15 No. 3 | Pancho Vladigerov (1899 - 1978) |
| Xiao-Xiao Kingham, Piano | |
| Humoresque is one of three pieces for Piano of Opus 15, written by Pancho Vladigerov during 1922. These pieces display the romantic influence of nineteenth-century keyboard music and are each dedicated to a different Bulgarian friend of his. “Humoresque” is lively and bright in character, an expression perhaps of Vladigerov’s keen sense of humor. The beginning introduces the main theme that features quick and brilliant arpeggios that create an effect similar to a burst of laughter. This is followed by a slower and more lyrical section that portrays a sentimental character and slow waltz, before concluding the piece with a cheerful coda. | |
| Op. 40 No. 8 Finale | Nikolai Kapustin (1937 - ) |
| Timothy Kan, Piano | |
| The Kapustin etudes bridges the realm of the concert etude with jazz. Frequent use of jazz harmonies and runs are composed in a virtuosic fashion. The last etude, Finale, explores the melody through syncopation and back beats and sophisticated harmonies with the rate of harmonic change | |
| El Amor La Muerte | Enrique Granados (1867 - 1916) |
| Timothy Kan, Piano | |
| As the title suggests, this piece is a ballade of love and death. Granados often uses the same motif and transforms them into representing the different themes. The piece is often filled with heavy dissonances and the dissonance usually represents the theme of pain and death, however, it is often juxtaposed with sweeter themes of Love and nostalgia. The different themes and motivic elements continue to alternate in an episodic structure until the end, where the sweet melody occurs one last time, slowly dying away. The distant funeral bells ring and the journey comes to a halt. | |
| Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58 | Fryderyk Chopin (1810 - 1849) |
| I. Allegro maestoso II. Scherzo: Molto vivace III. Largo IV. Finale: Presto non tanto | |
| Hannah Shin, Piano | |
| Chopin's third sonata shows the essence of Romantic music. The opening movement begins with an exceptionally strong and resolute theme. The lyrical counter-theme is a manifestation of beauty, expressed with simplicity, but also with poetical elation. The development adopts the tone and character of a ballade. The second movement brings a breath from another world, with a trio section like a nostalgic echo from a world that has passed. The third movement has the shape and character of a nocturne, an aria of the night. The frenzied, electrifying finale has the tone and spirit of a ballade. | |