Conservatorium of Music
Thursday Concert Class
Thursday Concert Class
| Distant Places Op. 2 | Natan Mikołaj Fidelis Fiedorowicz (1989 - ) |
| I. Poor guardian friend II. Traveling home III. Rake IV. Fantastic branch | |
| Natan Fidelis, Piano | |
| Written in 2019. Dedicated to my uncle Adam. Hopefully you’ll enjoy it. | |
| Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor, Op. 18 | Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943) |
| 1. Moderato | |
| James He, Piano | |
| Gina Gataveckaite, piano | |
| ‘Rach 2’ is arguably one of the most popular concertos in the piano literature. The piece was composed after Rachmaninoff recovered from depression due to the disastrous premiere of his First Symphony. The first movement starts with dark and brooding chords that erupt into the main theme which is driven by the orchestra. The pianist takes an accompanying role full of arpeggiated figures and supports the dark yet luscious melodies of the orchestra. Then follows the beautiful melody of the 2nd subject in Eb major. The piece builds up in tension before finally erupting in the climax and finishes off with a build-up into its final 3 chords. | |
| Concertino | Alphonse Duvernoy (1842 - 1907) |
| Lindsay Hicks, flute | |
| Gina Gataveckaite, piano | |
| Concertino for flute and piano was composed as a test piece for the Paris Conservatoire in 1899. Duvernoy was a French composer, virtuoso pianist and professor at the Conservatoire. This short yet dramatic work includes contrasting moments of technical brilliance and expressive lyricism in both the flute and piano parts. | |
| Rachmaninoff Piano Sonata 2, Op. 36 (1931) | Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943) |
| 1. Allegro agitato (B flat minor) 2. Non allegro—Lento (E minor—E major) 3. Allegro molto (B flat major) | |
| Brian Luo, Piano | |
| Rachmaninoff Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 36, is a piano sonata in B-flat minor composed in 1913. Rachmaninoff revised it in 1931 stating, "The new version, revised and reduced by author." The Sonata is a three-movement piece, despite giving the impression of a single movement due to the Non-allegro bridges joining the movements. | |
| Piano Concerto No. 1 (Op. 1) | Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943) |
| I. Vivace II. Andante Cantabile | |
| Timothy Kan, Piano | |
| Gina Gataveckaite, piano | |
| Rachmaninoff's first concerto is often eclipsed by the overwhelming popularity of his second and third concertos. However, the first concerto is a masterpiece in its own right. This was the first work of the young Rachmaninoff at age 18 in 1891. Filled with the hot-bloodedness and energy of a young teenager, the loud and vibrant starting chords of the first movement could be compared with the boisterous starts of both the Grieg and Schumann concertos. Later in 1917, Rachmaninoff had thoroughly revised the concerto. Hence the beautiful lyricism and orchestration of this piece gained a deeper level of maturity. | |
| St François de Paula marchant sur les flots | Franz Liszt (1811 - 1886) |
| Sam Liu, Piano | |
| This piece was based on a legend of St. Francis of Paola, according to which he was refused passage by a boatman while trying to cross the Strait of Messina to Sicily. He reportedly laid his cloak on the water, tied one end to his staff as a sail, and sailed across the strait with his companions following in the boat. | |