Saturday, June 2, :00 p.m. Emily Kerski. Graduate Recital. DePaul Concert Hall 800 West Belden Avenue Chicago

Transcription

1 Saturday, June 2, :00 p.m. Emily Kerski Graduate Recital DePaul Concert Hall 800 West Belden Avenue Chicago

2 Saturday, June 2, :00 p.m. DePaul Concert Hall PROGRAM Emily Kerski, clarinet Graduate Recital Rachael Dobosz, flute Ashley Ertz, oboe Julia Janda, E-flat clarinet Louis Kim, B-flat clarinet Michael Tran, bass clarinet Cameron Keenan, bassoon Abby Black, horn Emily Whittaker, horn Adam Shohet, trumpet Riley Lindsey, tuba Nora Mello, piano Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ( ) Quintet in E-flat Major for Piano and Winds, K. 452 (1784) I. Largo - Allegro moderato II. Larghetto III. Allegretto Ashley Ertz, oboe Cameron Keenan, bassoon Emily Whittaker, horn Nora Mello, piano Intermission William O. Smith (b. 1926) Five Pieces for Clarinet Alone (1959)

3 Program Marco P ü tz (b. 1958) Quatour Pour Clarinettes (1987) I. Calme, molto legato II. Lento, poco misterioso III. Vivo, giocoso Julia Janda, E-flat clarinet Louis Kim, B-flat clarinet Michael Tran, bass clarinet Anne McGinty (b. 1945) Feels Like Far (2007) I. Slow Dancing II. Memories of a Lost Love III. Distractions Rachael Dobosz, flute Abby Black, horn Adam Shohet, trumpet Riley Lindsey, tuba Emily Kerski is from the studios of Julie DeRoche and Larry Combs. This recital is presented in partial fulfillment of the degree Master 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.

4 PROGRAM NOTES Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ( ) Quintet for Piano and Wind Instruments in E-flat Major, K. 452 (1784) Duration: 25 minutes Mozart was doing well in 1784: he was as wealthy as he ever would be and his career and family life were flourishing. He was in the midst of a concentrated period of focus on the piano concerto, having written six in 1784 alone. Four horn concertos were also completed around this time, fragments of which can arguably heard in the quintet. Large-scale orchestral writing had certainly been on Mozart s mind around this period, but he decided to challenge himself by exploring the colors of winds and piano in a chamber setting. Hence, the quintet was born and premiered in Vienna with the composer at the piano on a program which also featured two recently completed piano concertos. Mozart referred to the piece in a famous letter to his father as the best work he had written to date. The piece would be given a second performance soon afterward, and the greatest stamp of approval was the tribute written by Beethoven twelve years later. Mozart s quintet reportedly inspired Beethoven to write his Opus 16 piano quintet for the same instrumentation, in the same key, and following the same general structure. The use of single winds, as opposed to the more typical paired winds of the era, poses interesting questions of balance and blend. Mozart addresses these by constantly exploring different groupings within the quintet and making use of short motivic structures to add variety. The piece embodies the essence of chamber playing as no one player is ever dominant, although the piano does carry a large weight in the introduction of themes and momentum of the ensemble. The pianist improvises a cadenza in the first movement, but the closing finale cadenza is written out and played by all of the instrumentalists layered together. Each wind instrument is given occasional flourishes and brief aria-like statements, but the dialogue is created together, not individually. The subtle shifting of melody between the instruments and delicate weaving of lyrical lines exude Classical elegance and charm; the purity, playfulness, and refinement in each moment represent Mozart s writing at its finest.

5 Program Notes William O. Smith (b. 1926) Five Pieces for Clarinet Alone (1959) Duration: 12 minutes Smith lives a dual life as an equal and adept contributor to both classical and jazz music in the United States. Known as Bill Smith in jazz circles, he has performed extensively with Dave Brubeck, while also composing concert music for clarinet under his full name, William O. Smith. In his youth, Smith performed simultaneously in his native southern California in his own dance bands as well as in professional symphonies as a clarinetist. He eventually channeled his talents into a thirty-year tenure of teaching and directing at the University of Washington in Seattle, where he is currently based. His compositional influences are widely varied and include loose experiments with twelve-tone harmonic language. Smith is also credited with the beginning of extended technique writing for the clarinet, as from Five Pieces onward he began to explore and write unprecedented effects and sounds for the clarinet in solo and chamber settings. His most apparent contributions are the implementation of multiphonics for the instrument and double clarinet writing, the technique of essentially playing two clarinets at the same time. Since Five Pieces was written before more of this extended exploration took place, it does not feature extended techniques, with the exception of some quarter tone fingerings in the middle of the piece. However, Smith is rumored to have performed this piece with a multiphonic at the end, although it was not published this way. Regardless, the composition of this work signaled Smith s exploration of new tonal and technical options for clarinet. This exploration has made a dramatic impact on the clarinet repertoire that still reverberates today. Five Pieces exploits the clarinet s three distinct voices, or registers, and the idea of registral space is apparent throughout: a high voice, middle, and low, which combine to create implied polyphony in a melodic line. The clarinet is the ideal wind instrument by which to convey three distinct voices because of its large range, and Smith uses this capacity to the fullest extent, drawing on his keen firsthand experimentation with the instrument. Smith writes about his attempt to create the impression of a three or four-voiced fugue by having one note in each register, but eventually would use multiphonics in order to achieve the impression of having more than one note sound at the same time. Smith s background as a jazz performer is also evident throughout the

6 Program Notes piece, as each movement is characterized by a spirited energy and elements of jazz and ragtime style. In reference to its innovation and virtuosity, critic Eric Salzman commented on one performance by Smith of his own music that it was completely impossible except that it happened Marco P ü tz (b. 1958) Quatour pour Clarinettes (1987) Duration: 8 minutes Luxembourg composer Marco P ü tz is dedicated to writing works for wind instruments, drawing on his professional experience as a saxophonist and studies in counterpoint to craft intricate and dynamic works exploring the potential of wind players and wind bands. The composition of this quartet marked the beginning of an inventive and still growing catalogue of chamber music, as well as a growing affinity for clarinet writing. In addition to this piece and a clarinet trio, P ü tz s output includes a clarinet concerto dedicated to DePaul s own Julie DeRoche. The clarinet quartet was awarded first prize in the 1995 International Clarinet Association Composition Contest, allowing his music to gain exposure to American audiences. The first movement is a carefully balanced counterpoint of two duo voices, shifting pairs within the quartet. An ominous second movement features extended techniques for clarinet which create a foreboding color. The third movement is a lively rhythmic game of constantly changing meter, eventually disappearing as mysteriously as the piece began. Anne McGinty (b. 1945) Feels Like Far (2007) Duration: 13 minutes Primarily known for her significant contribution to educational concert band literature, American composer Anne McGinty has recently shifted focus toward writing intricate chamber music for brass and woodwinds. McGinty brings her own expertise as a professional flutist and the experience gained from writing over 225 pieces for band to her chamber works. In this venture into chamber writing, she utilizes diverse instrumentation to portray new textural possibilities within tonal music. This quintet was born of collaborations between McGinty and tubist Doug Tornquist. The instrumentation of the piece explores the unique character

7 Program Notes of each wind instrument as well as the new sonorities of the ensemble, disassociating with preconceived notions about each instrument s role or typical sound. The tuba in particular is called to a newfound role of prominence, in equal balance and virtuosity as the other instruments. Tornquist refers to the roles played by each musician as collaborative soloists. The three movements depict three distinct ambiences, all surrounding subjects of memory and imagination. Notes by Emily Kerski.

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