Conservatorium of Music
Thursday Concert Class
Thursday Concert Class
| Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47 | Jean Sibelius (1865 - 1957) |
| 1st Movement | |
| Anna Sing, Violin | |
| Rhodri Clarke, piano | |
| Brooding yet ethereal, the introduction of Sibelius' only concerto evokes images of bitter snow and cold waves crashing down on the Finnish coast. It builds to a stormy first cadenza, after which the orchestra joins in music that slowly subsides from furious to idyllic, then dark and searing. The extended second cadenza erupts from this darkness, followed by a yearning yet wistful recapitulation involving several opening motifs in different keys. The coda is a relentless blizzard, building to a dramatic finish with an unwavering rhythmic pulse and unforgiving octave runs. | |
| Etude Op.39 No.2 | Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943) |
| Yunyin Ou, Piano | |
| Etude No2 in A minor is also known as "The Sea and the Seagulls". The work contains many musical textures that make it a difficult study in touch. It requires performers to restrain themselves and at the same time not sound monotonous. The technical workings of the étude is the 2 over 3 timing, the crossing hands, and large span of the arpeggiated figures for the left hand. Rachmaninov indulges his love of the "Dies Irae" chant, embedding it in the accompaniment of this tragic and powerful piece. | |
| Etude Op.10 No.5 | Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849) |
| Yunyin Ou, Piano | |
| The so-called "Black Key Étude" is one of the composer's most popular and Chopin himself did not believe the study to be his most interesting one. It was composed in 1830 and first published in 1833 in France, Germany, and England as the fifth piece of his Études Op. 10. This work is characterized by the rapid triplet figuration played by the right hand exclusively on black keys. This melodic figuration is accompanied by the left hand in staccato chords and octaves. | |
| Concerto for flute and strings | Gordon Jacob (1895 - 1984) |
| III. Poco adagio et espressivo IV. Finale: Allegro molto quasi presto | |
| Jirene Beh, Flute | |
| Rhodri Clarke, piano | |
| Jacob's concerto for flute and strings is a pretty and sparkling work that take on the full advantage of the flute's pastoral qualities in mood and range from gently musing to lithe and acrobatic. The 3rd movement of this work is a slow, calm movement where the beautiful melody is in a mood of a nocturne. The 4th movement which is marked as the Finale is a sprightly dance with a whirlwind of activity. It slightly resembles a tarantella from its rhythmic components, however without the specific Italian flavour. | |
| Wedding Day at Troldhaugen Op.65 No.6 | Edvard Grieg (1843 - 1907) |
| Yiing Yiing Chuah, Piano | |
| As the title indicates, this was written to celebrate the 25th wedding anniversary of Grieg and his wife. It has two contrasting sections: a joyous and march-like first section symbolising best wishes given by guests, and a melancholic and emotional second section, where wedding bells are heard throughout. | |
| Nocturno Op.7 | Franz Strauss (1822 - 1905) |
| James Coomans, French Horn | |
| Rhodri Clarke, piano | |
| Franz Strauss (1822-1905), the father of the notable composer Richard Strauss, was an equally capable composer in his own right. The Nocturno, Op. 7, for horn and piano was published in 1904. In his youth Franz Strauss was an exceptional Horn player. This piece is a beautiful lyrical work and has become a standard in Horn repertoire. | |
| Sergei Rachmaninoff-Etudes tableaux Op33 no7 | Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943) |
| Anji Dang, piano | |
| This is an elegiac piece that gradually builds to a dramatic and declamatory central cadenza. The shortened reprise builds to another climactic cadenza before the hushed final chords. Rachmaninoff composed his Opus 33 Études-Tableaux between August and September of 1911.The pieces are intended as “picture studies''. | |
| Voi, che sapete | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791) |
| Act II | |
| Kristin Astouroghlian, voice | |
| Rhodri Clarke, piano | |
| ‘Voi, che sapete’ is sung by Cherubino during Act II of Mozart’s opera Le Nozze di Figaro. Cherubino who is an aristocratic page to Count Almaviva, visits his godmother, the Countess, and her maid Susanna. Knowing his adolescent infatuation with all women, Susanna encourages him to sing a love song he has written, while she accompanies him on the guitar. | |
| Am See | Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828) |
| D.746 | |
| Kristin Astouroghlian, voice | |
| Rhodri Clarke, piano | |
| Am See, D746 was composed by Franz Schubert. The lied portrays the feeling of a barcarole played in the lagoon of an upside-down world. The introduction depicts an oar cleaving the water; the phrasing and the crescendi to the middle point of the bar suggest that the pianist is rowing. The singer has a harder time, for this must be one of Schubert's most technically daunting songs from the point of view of its span – there is no chink in the vocal line, and she must take time to draw breath in one of various places, none of them ideal. | |
| Eight Etudes Op.42 No. 4 | Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin (1871 - 1915) |
| Andante | |
| Mina Furukawa, Piano | |
| Scriabin was a Russian composer and pianist, who was influenced early in his life by the works of Frederic Chopin.Later in his career, Scriabin developed a substantially atonal and much more dissonant musical system, which accorded with his personal brand of mysticism. His Etudes, Op. 42, are among his most rewarding piano works. The music here is still post-Romantic, but approaches new horizons, harmonically, rhythmically, and thematically. The Etude No. 4 in F sharp major features a lovely theme. The piece is typical of Scriabin, reaching out beyond an expressive language. | |
| Etudes-Tableaux Op. 33 No. 2 | Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943) |
| Allegro | |
| Mina Furukawa, Piano | |
| Rachmaninoff was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist and conductor of the late Romantic period. His Etudes-Tableaux, Op. 33, is the first of two sets of piano etudes composed by him. They were intended to be "picture pieces" but Rachmaninoff was never specific about what inspired each piece. He preferred to leave such interpretations to listener and performer. The Etude No. 2 is characterised by a marked lyricism and a very expressive melody. There is the similarity to his Prelude, Op. 32 No. 12 in G-sharp minor, which was composed the year before. | |
| Le Petite Suzanne | Arthur Pryor (1869 - 1942) |
| Michael Lo, Trombone | |
| Rhodri Clarke, piano | |
| Arthur Pryor was an American trombone virtuoso, band leader and solo trombone of the famed Sousa Band. Whilst taking his band on tour in Europe, some German audiences took apart his trombone to make sure there weren\'t any tricks. They simply did not believe he could play so well! . Finally one German said: \"No one can play so well. It is a Yankee trick.\" This short work is filled with great little melodies and trombone tricks. It my hope that this piece will bring audiences a sense of enjoyment, amazement and some childish nostolgia. | |
| Ballade No.3 Op.47 | Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849) |
| Kathy Wang, piano | |
| Chopin wrote the Ballade in A flat major during the summer of 1840-41. This piece was assumed to be inspired by Adam Mickewicz’s poetry，which a girl who got decepted turned into water sprite after death and made revenge. It has tragic and dramatic character and closely resemble sonata-form, with an elegant and charming main theme that captures joy and happiness every time it reappears. The second subject begins with the flowing of notes through A flat major and E flat major，and goes through expressive modulations and trills. A series of intense octaves and chords lead to the climax of the ballade. | |
| L’isle joyeuse | Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918) |
| Kathy Wang, piano | |
| L’isle joyeuse translates to “The island of joyâ€. It is said that Debussy took his inspiration from a painting where a bunch of people departing for/from the island of the birthplace of Venus，the goddess of love. Debussy typically applied unconventional materials like whole toneã€chromatic and lydian mode scales as well as triplets. The subtle dynamics layer and the glorious coda also added the sense of mystery and agitation. | |