Sunday, May 21, :00 p.m. Anne-Sophie Paquet. Certificate Recital. DePaul Recital Hall 804 West Belden Avenue Chicago

Transcription

1 Sunday, May 21, :00 p.m Anne-Sophie Paquet Certificate Recital DePaul Recital Hall 804 West Belden Avenue Chicago

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3 Sunday, May 21, :00 p.m. DePaul Recital Hall PROGRAM Anne-Sophie Paquet, violin Certificate Recital Beilin Han, piano Ludwig van Beethoven ( ) Sonata for piano and violin No. 5 in F Major, Op. 24 (1800/1801) Allegro Adagio molto espressivo Scherzo: Allegro molto Rondo: Allegro ma non troppo Igor Stravinsky ( ) Suite italienne for violin and piano (1932) Introduzione: Allegro moderato Serenata: Larghetto Tarantella: Vivace Gavotta con due Variazioni Scherzino: Presto alla breve Minuetto e Finale: Moderato-Molto vivace Richard Strauss ( ) Sonata for violin and piano in E-flat major, Op. 18 (1887/1888) Allegro ma non troppo Improvisation: Andante cantabile Finale: Andante-Allegro Anne-Sophie Paquet is from the studio of Ilya Kaler. This recital is presented in partial fulfillment of the degree Certificate in Performance. As a courtesy to those around you, please silence all cell phones and other electronic devices. Flash photography is not permitted. Thank you.

4 Anne-Sophie Paquet May 21, 2017 PROGRAM NOTES Ludwig van Beethoven ( ) Sonata No. 5 for piano and violin in F Major, Op. 24, Spring (1800/1801) Duration: 24 minutes German Classical composer Ludwig van Beethoven is often considered to be a bridge in the evolution of the Classical to Romantic periods. This Fifth Sonata for Piano and Violin was composed in the transitional time between his early and middle periods, and is the first sonata to break away from the Classical three-movement sonata format. This composition clearly consists of the Mozart style as well as new components created by Beethoven himself, which makes this piece very representative of this transitional period. Dedicated to the Count Moritz von Fries, a patron to whom Beethoven also dedicated two other works that the same year, this sonata depicts the beauty of nature and countryside, which is why it was given the name Spring Sonata after Beethoven s death. His 6 th Symphony, the Pastoral, has a lot of similarities with this sonata, and both of them are written in F major, a key that Beethoven used to reflect the countryside in spring time. Even though Beethoven s ten violin sonatas were written later than Mozart s, they are still designated in the manuscript scores as being for pianoforte and violin rather than the other way around. However, in contrast to most sonatas of the age, the traditional order of robust first theme and gentle second theme is reversed. Subsequently, the opening Allegro starts with a flowing lyrical theme succeeded by a busier and more clouded one. In the development section, Beethoven gives equal attention to all his themes, which is very rare. In the second movement, a nostalgic melody is presented by the piano upon which the violin meditates for a while, followed by a dialogue between the two instruments. Beethoven uses the parallel keys to change to a different mood and color in this slow movement. The quick and playful third movement creates a perfect bridge between the slow movement and the gracious lyricism of the finale. Beethoven plays around humorously with the beat by putting a sforzando

5 Anne-Sophie Paquet May 21, 2017 Program Notes accent on third beats, and by deliberately writing the violin part out of sync with the piano. The final movement is a more or less conventional rondo with a coda that Beethoven adds at the end. The main melody is in the rhythm of an elegant and graceful courtly dance called a Bourrée. Once more, a similar reference to French dance styles appears in his Pastoral symphony. Throughout this entire sonata, the influence of Mozart and Haydn on the musical form, texture and key relationships are clear, but the many new ideas that Beethoven brings shows his gradual musical metamorphosis. Igor Stravinsky ( ) Suite italienne for violin and piano (1932) Duration: 16 minutes Thirsting for knowledge with a desire to learn and explore art, literature and life, Igor Stravinsky always found a way to renew his musical writing. After composing his first three great ballets, The Firebird, Petrushka and The Rite of Spring, Stravinsky took a new turn with his Paris collaborations. In May 1920, a ballet called Pulcinella was produced by Serge Diaghilev, the impresario of the Ballet Russes, with choreography by Massine, décor and costumes by Picasso, and music supplied by Stravinsky. Based on an Italian commedia dell arte libretto containing a number of comedies portraying the traditional character of the popular Neapolitan stage, Stravinsky rewrites the music of Pergolesi by cutting, altering and transforming it into his own style. As a result, Pulcinella is the gateway to Stravinsky's second phase as a composer, the neoclassical. He wrote this about his ballet: Pulcinella was my discovery of the past, the epiphany through which the whole of my late work became possible. It was a backward look, of course the first of many love affairs in that direction but it was a look in the mirror, too. Later in the 1920s, the composer found that he could supplement his earnings from his compositions by developing a second career as a pianist and conductor performing his own works. Therefore, in 1925, Stravinsky arranged several movements from his ballet Pulcinella into a suite for violin and piano

6 Anne-Sophie Paquet May 21, 2017 Program Notes with the subtitle, After themes, fragments, and pieces by Pergolesi. In 1932, the composer rewrote it with the help of cellist Gregor Piatigorsky and called it Suite italienne for cello and piano. Moreover, in the same year, the violinist Samuel Dushkin and Stravinsky himself arranged it into a violin and piano suite. Consequently, the composer was able to tour in Europe as a pianist, from 1932 to 1934, with these two musicians performing many of his works, including the Suite italienne. The first movement of this suite is based on the overture of the ballet Pulcinella. On the other hand, the second movement is derived from an air sung with guitar in Pergolesi s last opera, Flaminio. For the next movement, the original of the Tarentella, is from Pergolesi s 1732 opera in Neapolitan dialect, Lo frate innamorato. Throughout the entire suite, it is clear that instead of simply transcribing his ballet and themes, Stravinsky adapted them with his own flair, throwing in surprising harmonies, unique instrumental colors, and playful twists and turns, making it very charming and witty. Richard Strauss ( ) Sonata for violin and piano in E-flat major, op.18 (1887/1888) Duration: 28 minutes Best known for his orchestral works, Richard Strauss, needs no introduction. In his later life, Strauss didn t devote a lot of time on chamber music, but in his earlier years, he tried his hand at different types of chamber works (string quartet, piano trios ). Following the completion of his cello sonata and piano sonata, Strauss started working on his violin sonata barely after turning 23 years old. Under the romantic spell of Pauline de Ahna, a soprano who later became his wife, the sonata abounds with amorous feelings. The composition of this sonata more or less overlapped with his symphonic fantasy Aus Italien and the tone poem Don Juan. His unique musical language can be heard and anticipates the heroic style of his orchestral writing in the tone poems. The violin sonata follows the standard classical form, but is considered his last work to do so, as well as being his last original chamber piece.

7 Anne-Sophie Paquet May 21, 2017 Program Notes The writing of this piece stands at a juncture in Strauss s composing life. Indeed, Brahms and Beethoven were two composers who influenced Strauss in his early works, but at that point, he was starting to move towards Liszt and Wagner, who would be compositional models the rest of his life. The first movement, written in the typical sonata-allegro form, opens with a heroic idea announced by the piano and is followed by a lyrical answer from the violin. The second movement gives the impression that the violin is improvising and is also a disguised homage to Beethoven by using form, motifs, melodies, key structure derived from that master. The final movement is very virtuosic for both instruments. A sense of urgency is present throughout this last movement, but a lyrical beauty still recalls the tone of the previous movements. Notes by Anne-Sophie Paquet.

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