Thursday, February 15, :00 p.m. Konrad Kowal. Junior Recital. DePaul Recital Hall 804 West Belden Avenue Chicago

Transcription

1 Thursday, February 15, :00 p.m Konrad Kowal Junior Recital DePaul Recital Hall 804 West Belden Avenue Chicago

2

3 Thursday, February 15, :00 p.m. DePaul Recital Hall PROGRAM Konrad Kowal, violin Junior Recital Beilin Han, piano Johann Sebastian Bach ( ) Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Minor (1720) I. Adagio II. Fugue Sergei Prokofiev ( ) Violin Sonata No. 2 in D Major, Op. 94bis (1944) Beilin Han, piano Intermission

4 Konrad Kowal February 15, 2018 Program Mieczysław Karłowicz ( ) Violin Concerto in A Major, Op. 8 (1902) I. Allegro moderato Beilin Han, piano Niccolo Paganini ( ) 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1 ( ) Caprice No. 22 Caprice No. 23 Konrad Kowal is from the studio of Olga Dubossarskaya Kaler.This recital is presented in partial fulfillment of the Bachelor of Music. As a courtesy to those around you, please silence all cell phones and other electronic devices. Flash photography is not permitted. Thank you.

5 Konrad Kowal February 15, 2018 PROGRAM NOTES Johann Sebastian Bach ( ) Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Minor (1720) Duration: 11 minutes The six sonatas and partitas are arguably some of Bach s greatest works. The set was completed in 1720, when Bach was conductor of the court orchestra in Anhalt-Cöthen. The sonatas have more of a fugal structure when compared to the dance-like partitas. His first sonata specifically starts with a beautiful, slow, and grand Adagio, which contains multiple-note chords, inventive embellishments and harmonies, all while following a simple ABA form. This movement is followed by a fugue, which is reminiscent of organ music and is a great example of Bach s mastery in counterpoint and voicing. The theme of the fugue is introduced at the very beginning; as the movement develops, not only are more voices (multiple notes at the same time) added to the theme, but also, the theme alternates between voices and creates a masterful intertwining of different voices, creating a feeling as if more than one instrument is playing. Sergei Prokofiev ( ) Violin Sonata No. 2 in D Major, Op. 94bis (1944) Duration: 24 minutes Sergei Prokofiev was on the set of the movie Ivan The Terrible when he wanted to take his mind off of film scoring and compose something else. The result was a sonata for flute and violin in He completed the piece when he returned to Russia, but discovered that it didn t attract as much interest from performers as Prokofiev would have hoped. With the suggestion and help of David Oistrakh, Prokofiev soon reworked it for violin and piano. The work is composed of 4 movements. The first movement is Classical in style, with a flowing melody intertwined with a few passionate interjections; the second movement is an energetic movement containing pizzicato, harmonics, and other exuberant violin techniques. This movement is followed by a very different third movement, which is slithery and mysterious, with a dream-like character.

6 Konrad Kowal February 15, 2018 Program Notes The piece concludes with a dramatic and heroic fourth movement which alternates between melancholy and dynamic, passionate sounds. Mieczys ł aw Kar ł owicz ( ) Violin Concerto in A Major, Op. 8 (1902) Duration: 12 minutes Mieczys ł aw Kar ł owicz was a very talented Polish composer whose life was unfortunately cut short. His passion for skiing led to an unexpected and early death in an avalanche in the Polish Tatra Mountains in 1909 at the age of 33. As a composer, he is most known for his tone poems, songs, and his violin concerto. This concerto was written in 1902 and is identified as a late-romantic composition with Slavic influences; what undoubtedly influenced the composition of this piece was Kar ł owicz s background in violin. He started studying the instrument at the age of 7 with Jan Jankowski, and later continued with Stanis ł aw Barcewicz, who was the most renowned Polish virtuoso of the time. Kar ł owicz dedicated his concerto to Barcewicz, who premiered it with the Berlin Philharmonic in Niccolo Paganini ( ) 24 Caprices for Solo Violin ( ) Duration: 7 minutes The 24 Caprices by Niccolo Paganini are one of his greatest compositions. The caprices are written in the form of etudes, which means that each caprice explores a different technique of the violin. Despite the technique exercise nature of the compositions, the pieces do contain musical elegance and passion. The 22 nd caprice focuses on double and triple stops, staccato, and string crossings. The 23 rd caprice focuses on octaves with a melody in the beginning, and later continues with fast notes and string crossings in the following section. Notes by Konrad Kowal.

7

8 804 West Belden Avenue Chicago, IL music.depaul.edu