Conservatorium of Music
Thursday Concert Class
Thursday Concert Class
| Una voce poco fa | Gioachino Rossini (1792 - 1868) |
| from \'Il Barbiere di Siviglia\' | |
| Kristin Astouroghlian, Voice | |
| Rhodri Clarke, piano | |
| ‘Una voce poco fa’, is a Cavatina sung by Rosina during Act I of Rossini’s opera Il Barbiere di Siviglia. After having read a letter from Lindoro, who is really Count Almaviva. Rosina is completely lovestruck and determined to outsmart her guardian Dr. Bartolo. | |
| Hence, Iris hence away | George Frideric Handel (1685 - 1759) |
| from \'Semele\' | |
| Kristin Astouroghlian, Voice | |
| Rhodri Clarke, piano | |
| ‘Hence, Iris Hence Away,’ a highly dramatic aria is sung by Queen Juno in Act II of Handel’s opera Semele. Just after receiving news from Iris, messenger of the gods, that her husband Jupiter, king of the gods has abducted a young lady named Semele. In her jealous rage, she sings this aria as she schemes on how to gain revenge on Jupiter. She swears to destroy her rival, Semele, who is being guarded by a dragon in a palace, given to her by Jupiter. To do this she plans to enlist Somnus the god of sleep to help her. | |
| Deh, per questo istante solo | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791) |
| from \'La Clemenza di Tito\' | |
| Kristin Astouroghlian, Voice | |
| Rhodri Clarke, piano | |
| How precious can friendship be? How deep a wound can be if caused by the betrayal of such friendship? After Sesto tries to kill Tito- the emperor. Tito decides to listen to Sesto before signing his death warrant. The emperor questions him to find some reason that he can pardon him. Sesto will not tell him the name of his accomplice, Vitellia, for the emperor has agreed to marry her. Instead, in this aria, Sesto reminds Tito of how he used to love him, and Sesto feels tortured that he betrayed Tito and caused him all this pain. | |
| Exsultate Jubilate (K165) | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791) |
| 1. Exsultate jubilate 2. Fulget amica dies 3. Tu virginum corona 4. Alleluja | |
| Grace Gallur, Voice | |
| Rhodri Clarke, piano | |
| Mozart's Exsultate Jubilate was composed in 1773, then for the castrate sopranist Venanzio Rauzzini. At the time of composition, Razzini was performing the leading role of Cecilio in Mozart's opera Lucio Silla. Rauzzini first performed this motet towards the end of the run of the opera in Milan. Today, this motet is considered standard concert repertoire for soprano and has been performed and recorded by many sopranos I have admiration for and listen to regularly - including Renee Fleming, Katherine Battle, Barbara Bonney, Cecilia Bartoli (mezzo), and Julia Lezhneva. Emma Kirkby has recorded the 1779 Salzburg revision. | |
| Grieg Concerto in Aminor op. 16 | Edvard Grieg (1843 - 1907) |
| I., II. | |
| Anna Gao, Piano | |
| Rhodri Clarke, piano | |
| Program Notes Composed in 1868, it was the only Concerto completed by Grieg. It was greatly influenced by Schumann's style. | |
| Humoreske Op.20 | Schumann (1810 - 1856) |
| 1. Einfach 2. Hastig 3. Einfach und zart 4. Innig | |
| Yuhao Yan, Piano | |
| Schumann wrote in a letter to his beloved Clara Wieck from Vienna in March 1839, “All week I’ve been sitting at the piano and composing and writing and laughing and crying, all at the same time. You will find this beautifully illustrated in my Opus 20, the great Humoreske.†| |
| Rondo in D Minor, Wq. 61/4, H. 290 | Bach, C.P.E. (1714 - 1788) |
| Samuel Hill, Piano | |
| C.P.E. Bach\\\'s work is fascinating from a stylistic standpoint, as he stood between the baroque and classical periods. He is closely associated with the empfindsamkeit, or sentimental style; and this piece in particular highlights how the rondo form is a powerful vehicle for the stark contrasts in mood this style entails.\r\n | |
| Vignt Regard Sur L\\\\\\\'Enfant Jésus | Messiaen, Olivier (1908 - 1992) |
| XI: Premiere Communion de la Vierge | |
| Samuel Hill, Piano | |
| One of \\\"twenty gazes on the infant Jesus\\\", this one focuses on Mary\\\'s joy after learning that she will be the mother of Jesus. Her closeness with God is powerfully represented through the recurrence of the \\\'Dieu\\\' theme from Regard du Père; and the same theme is eventually worked into Mary\\\'s Magnificat, a joyful song of praise recorded in the Gospels.\r\n\r\nMessiaen writes:\r\n\\\"After the Annunciation, the Virgin Mary worships Jesus within herself... my God, my Son, my Magnificat! — my love without voice.\\\" (trans. Dennis Vannier) | |