Conservatorium of Music
Thursday Concert Class
Thursday Concert Class
| Prelude and Fugue No.10, BWV 855. | J.S Bach (1685 - 1750) |
| I. No tempo indication. II. No tempo indication. | |
| Abraham Naim, Piano | |
| The tenth Prelude and Fugue from Book one of J.S Bach's Well tempered Clavier embodies a varied musical character along with intricate harmonic and contrapuntal craftsmanship. The Prelude opens with a sentimental melody accompanied by the left hand and then ends in a presto based on the aforementioned accompaniment. The Fugue is unique in that it is only in two voices, something that sets it apart from other Fugues to be found in either Books of the Well tempered Clavier. Another point to be made about the Fugue is that of its liberating use of tonal harmony, while still maintaining a sense of musical direction. | |
| Nocturne Op.48 No.2 | Frederic Chopin (1810 - 1849) |
| I. Andante. | |
| Abraham Naim, Piano | |
| The second of two Nocturnes composed by Chopin in 1841, it equally embodies a unique melodic gift as well as a strong sense of musical craftsmanship. According to Chopin himself, the middle section can be compared to a recitative where "a tyrant commands, and the other asks for mercy" which is indicative of the operatic qualities to be found in Chopin's compositional output. | |
| Abendempfindung K.523 | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791) |
| Jade Biezen, Voice | |
| Gina Gataveckaite, piano | |
| Abendempfindung was written by Mozart in the year after his father's death, and the text is attributed to Joachim Heinrich Campe. In the piece, the narrator reflects on life's inevitable end, and that he will soon leave this earth to find the land of rest. He calls upon his loved ones to not be afraid to shed tears over him, and tells them that he will look down upon them from heaven. | |
| Piano Sonata in C major, Hob.XVI:50 | Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809) |
| I. Allegro II. Adagio III. Allegro Molto | |
| Richard Liang, Piano | |
| "A Grand Sonata for the Pianoforte" was the title given by Haydn's close friend and publisher for this beautiful and sweet work. While it is one of his latest sonata works with a distinct Haydn-esque flavour, it is yet undoubtedly full of originality and inspiration. | |
| Ballade No. 3 in Ab Major, Op.47 | Frederic Chopin (1810 - 1849) |
| Richard Liang, Piano | |
| The 4 Chopin ballades are considered a milestone in romantic piano literature, each as beautiful, lyrical and compositionally outstanding as the last. The third, although not as famous as perhaps Ballade 1 or 4, still remains a stupendous work with too many great moments to count. | |
| Nocturne in C minor, Op. 48, No. 1 | Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849) |
| stefan christie, piano | |
| The Nocturne in C minor, Op. 48, No. 1 is initially marked lento and is in 4/4 meter. In general, the scheme of the music is ternary form and follows A-B-A. The piece becomes poco più lento at measure 25 and enters its middle section, which is a chorale in C major. Later, it moves to doppio movimento agitato at measure 49 and features fortissimo octave passages and double octave arpeggi. Finally, the piece ends with a reprise of the initial melody with extremely fast chordal accompaniment. The Nocturne in C minor has been categorized as one of Chopin's greatest emotional achievements. | |
| Sunset in a Studio | Chelsea Jones (2000 - ) |
| Bethany Clarkson, Piano | |
| Timothy O'Malley (trumpet), Liam Carrol (clarinet), Michael Stokol and Bethany Clarkson (piano) | |
| Sunset in a Studio is a light-hearted and short piece written for clarinet, trumpet and 4-hand piano. The simple melody is passed between the instruments creating an equal ensemble feel, as if improvised by a group of friends. ‘Sunset in a Studio’ was, funnily enough, written both at sunset and in a studio as it is so named. The atmosphere and space created an environment to draw upon the simple, small and free nature for this composition. ‘Sunset in a Studio’ passes its melodic idea through the ensemble, beginning with clarinet, trumpet and then piano and finally the ensemble plays the last melodic line together. | |
| Beethoven Sonata No. 24, Op. 78 | Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - ) |
| I. Adagio cantabile — Allegro ma non troppo II. Allegro vivace | |
| Mina Furukawa, piano | |
| The Piano Sonata No. 24 in F♯ major, Op. 78, nicknamed "à Thérèse" (because it was written for Countess Thérèse von Brunswick) was written by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1809. It consists of two movements.The second phrase of the opening of the second movement is an extract from Rule, Britannia, which Beethoven had written a set of variations on (WoO 79) in 1803, six years before composing the sonata.[1][2] He also used it in Wellington's Victory, Op. 91. | |
| Bruyères, Prelude No.5, Book II | Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918) |
| Arranged by Xiao-Xiao | |
| Xiao-Xiao Kingham, Piano | |
| Today Debussy is renowned for being the composer who freed Western music from the claustrophobic confines of “functional†harmony. What mattered to Debussy was the colour of each chord and the fleeting impressions that harmonic hues and shading could evoke in the mind of the imaginative listener. Few works sum up Debussy’s practice in this regard more than his two sets of preludes composed between 1909 and 1913. Bruyères (Heather) evokes images of the Scottish countryside. Light touches of the pentatonic scale give this prelude its rustic feel, along with the evocative calls of a distant shepherd’s flute. | |
| Concert Etude | Nikolai Kapustin (1937 - ) |
| Xiao-Xiao Kingham, Piano | |
| Kapustin's Eight Concert Etudes encompass a range of styles while highlighting technical virtuosity. They balance established piano repertoire tradition with heightened excitement, highlighting Kapustin at the fore of jazz/classical crossover music. Concert Etude No. 8 is a compact work which makes for a fast-paced finale to Kapustin\'s etude collection. | |
| Sonata in C Major HobXVI:50 | Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809) |
| I. Allegro II. Adagio | |
| Joyce yang, Piano | |
| This sonata was dedicated to the pianist Jansen Bartolozzi, written c.1794. The first movement can be said to be influenced by the lightness of Mozart’s keyboard style and exhibits the richness in musical character to be found in much of Haydn’s musical output. The second movement is an Adagio in F major which while simple in its musical conviction contains moments which can be compared to the slow movements of Haydn’s symphonies. | |
| 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. | |