Conservatorium of Music
Thursday Concert Class
Thursday Concert Class
| Glisten | Katy Abbott (1971 - ) |
| Matty Serelis, Piano | |
| Katy Abbott is one of the composition teachers here at MCM. This work was composed for another member of the Conservatorium staff, Professor Ian Holtham, and dedicated to her childhood piano teacher Mavis Shannon for her 100th birthday. | |
| Haydn Sonata hob.23 | Franz Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809) |
| Second Mvt | |
| Anji Dang, Piano | |
| The characteristically lively first and last movements of this wonderful sonata, composed by Haydn in 1773, frame a middle movement of searching poetry and lyricism. | |
| Estampes | Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918) |
| III. "Jardins sous la pluie | |
| Anji Dang, Piano | |
| "Jardins sous la pluie" describes a garden in the Normandy town of Orbec during an extremely violent rainstorm. Throughout the piece, there are sections that evoke the sounds of the wind blowing, a thunderstorm raging, and raindrops dropping. | |
| Concerto in D major for Oboe and Small Orchestra | Richard Strauss (1864 - 1949) |
| I. Allegro Moderato | |
| Annie Yu, Oboe | |
| Gina Gataveckaite, piano | |
| Inspired by a meeting towards the end of World War II between the composer and the oboist John de Lancie, this Oboe Concerto is part of Strauss's final creative flowering. In contrast to works like Salome, where the composer was expanding the limits of his tonal style, this piece marks a return to a simpler harmonic style closer to that of his earlier works such as Don Juan. Following a seamless flow of the opening melodies, the concerto transits into a more playful manner with passages of the soloist being echoed throughout the woodwind section. The concerto concludes with a return of the opening theme. | |
| Piano Sonata No. 24 in F# major, Op. 78 | Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827) |
| 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: I. Adagio cantabile — Allegro ma non troppo, II. Allegro vivace. A typical performance takes about 10 minutes. The common practice of leaving out long repeated sections, such as the development and recapitulation in the first movement, would make two or three minutes' difference to the total duration. | |
| Nocturne No. 20 in C sharp minor | Frederic Chopin (1810 - 1849) |
| Mina Furukawa, Piano | |
| This nocturne is published in 1870, 21 years after the composer's death. Chopin dedicated this work to his older sister Ludwika Chopin, with the statement: "To my sister Ludwika as an exercise before beginning the study of my second Concerto". The piece is usually referred to as Lento con gran espressione, from its tempo marking. It is sometimes also called Reminiscence. | |
| St François de Paule marchant sur les flots, S 175 | Franz Liszt (1811 - 1866) |
| Sam Liu, Piano | |
| This legend by Liszt celebrated the story of St Frances of Paulo who, not having any money, was denied passage on a ferry across the Straits of Messina. Mocked by the ferryman, he throws his cloak in the water and stands on it. Using his staff to guide his way across the Straits, St. Frances still managed to arrive ahead of the ferry and its passengers. | |
| Toccatissimo | Carl Vine (1954 - ) |
| Anna Gao, Piano | |
| A piece commissioned for the 2012 Sydney International Piano Competition. Carl vine writes on the score, 'This is an extreme toccata, not for the faint-hearted.' | |
| Etudes Op. 10 No. 2, Op. 25 No. 6 | Fryderyk Chopin (1810 - 1849) |
| Hannah Shin, Piano | |
| Chopin's Etudes are the known as the first concert etudes to be composed for the piano. Op. 10 No. 2 ("Chromatic") explores the playing of chromatic scales with fingers 3-4-5, and Op. 25 No. 6 ("Thirds") is a study for developing double thirds. These two etudes are often considered to be a pair, as the fingering patterns are very similar for the playing of chromatic scales with 3-4-5. | |
| Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise, Op. 22 | Fryderyk Chopin (1810 - 1849) |
| Hannah Shin, Piano | |
| The Grande Polonaise is originally a work for piano and orchestra, although more frequently performed in the solo version. The Andante Spianato was added to the work after a few years the completion of the polonaise, joined by a fanfare-like sequence, and the complete work was arranged for the solo version four years after its completion. | |
| Gaspard de la nuit | Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937) |
| I. Ondine | |
| Ian Mercado, Piano | |
| Based on the poem "Ondine" by Aloysius Bertrand, it depicts the tale of a water nymph attempting to seduce the observer through song into visiting her underwater kingdom. Ravel utilises many sounds of water shimmering and flowing and is reminiscent of his earlier water piano piece, 'Jeux D'eau'. | |
| The Garden of Eden | William Bolcom (1938 - ) |
| III. Serpent's Kiss | |
| Ian Mercado, Piano | |
| The Garden of Eden is a cycle of four Ragtime-inspired piano pieces telling the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. In The Serpent's Kiss, Bolcom incorporates the sounds of early Rock 'n Roll, Broadway, Ragtime, tap dancing music and incorporates various techniques such as tapping, tongue-clicking, and whistling. | |
| Etude Op. 10 No. 1 in C major | Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849) |
| Luoping Liao, Piano | |
| This is the first etude of Chopin etudes op.10, which was dedicated to his friend Franz Liszt. The piece is in ternary form (ABA), which is commonly used in other Chopin etudes as well. | |
| Etude-Tableaux Op.33 No.7 in E-flat Major | Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943) |
| Luoping Liao, Piano | |
| This is a festive and exuberant piece that is one of the five chosen etudes orchestrated by Respighi after the piano solo version published. It is said that Rachmaninoff composed this piece under his inspiration of a scene at a fair. | |
| Preludes Op. 32 | Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943) |
| No. 5 in G Major | |
| Brendan Gan, Piano | |
| The fifth work in the second set of preludes composed by Rachmaninoff in 1910, the simple melody and accompaniment demands great attention to detail in terms of pedaling, touch and dynamic nuance. | |