Friday, May 5, 2017 9:00 p.m Aleksa Kuzma Graduate Recital DePaul Recital Hall 804 West Belden Avenue Chicago
Friday, May 5, 2017 9:00 p.m. DePaul Recital Hall PROGRAM Aleksa Kuzma, viola Graduate Recital Beilin Han, piano Arthur Masyuk, violin Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Suite No. 5 in C minor Prelude Allemande Courante Sarabande Gavottes I, II Gigue Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) Viola Sonata (1919) Fantasie Thema mit Variationen Finale (mit Variationen) Intermission Beilin Han, piano Robert Schumann (1810-1856) Marchenbilder, Op. 113 (1851) Nicht Schnell Lebhaft Rasch Langsam, mit melancholischen Ausdruck Beilin Han, piano
Aleksa Kuzma May 5, 2017 Program Johan Halvorsen (1864-1935) Passacaglia for Violin and Viola based on Handel s Passacaille from Suite No. 7 in G minor, HWV 432 (1894) Arthur Masyuk, violin Aleksa Kuzma is from the studio of Rami Solomonow. 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.
PROGRAM NOTES Aleksa Kuzma May 5, 2017 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Suite No. 5 in C minor (1720) Duration: 28 minutes Bach wrote the cello suites during his tenure in Cöthen working for Prince Leopold. The Prince played the violin and was very passionate about music, and it was at his court that Bach wrote many of his greatest instrumental works. The six cello suites were especially important because the "modern" cello was a new instrument being crafted by Stradivari; therefore the suites were one of the earliest known compositions for unaccompanied cello. The cello serves as the melody instrument, but also accompanies itself with double stops, creating a very polyphonic, two-voiced texture. Each of the cello suites have a similar construction based on 18th-century courtly norms: a prelude followed by dance movements. Interestingly, the Suite No. 5 in C-minor is unique amongst the other cello suites. Bach writes in scordatura, asking the player to tune the top string (A) down to a G. In doing this, the player is able to play new quadruple stops that wouldn't be possible with normal tuning. The resonance of the cello is also affected, giving it a warmer, richer sound. Each of its movements are analogous with French models of court music. The Prelude begins in the style of a French-overture and is characterized by dotted rhythms and double stops. It transitions into a fugue in which the different voices can be heard entering, despite any double stops being used. Following the Prelude are the dance suites, all in binary (two part) form. The Allemande is serious in character, while still leaving room for resolution in the scalar harmonies. The Courante is especially unique as it is the only French-style courante in any of Bach s cello or violin suites. Musical phrases occur at five bars rather than the usual four, and the harmony shifts between major and minor unexpectedly. The Sarabande is written, and to be played, without any chords. The simplicity of this movement gives it a very pure and thoughtful essence. It is the soul of the suite. The Gavottes are influenced by country dances and their rustic character can be heard in the use of drones. They are very upbeat despite being in C-minor. The Gigue is rhythmically unstable and the beat is displace by a hemiola. The dotted rhythms suggest a lively mood but the key of C-minor hints at complexity and austerity.
Aleksa Kuzma May 5, 2017 Program Notes Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) Viola Sonata, Op. 11 No. 4 (1919) Duration: 17 minutes In examining his compositional career, Paul Hindemith's works span a collection of many genres. His early works reflect the late Romantic sounds of Brahms and his late neoclassical works are reminiscent of the contrapuntal language of Bach. However, it is his works from 1919 onwards that really reveal a new style of composition marked by his own form of expressionism inspired by his fondness for contemporary and expressionist poetry. Hindemith's self expression often juxtaposes two very different ideas and can be summed up using contradictions: simplicity and complexity, the grotesque and the beautiful, clear passages and ambiguous phrases. In his life, he contributed a larger body of solo works to the viola repertoire than any other composer. Throughout the sonata we hear a mixture of traditional Classical form, folk melodies and contemporary harmonies. The first movement of the sonata is very lyrical. It is reminiscent of Romantic composers with its beautiful flowing melody. The viola melody rests on top of piano chords and builds to the climax, where the A-sharp enharmonically becomes B-flat and acts as an elision into movement two. The same thing happens from movement two to three; the viola climaxes to C-sharp minor, which is the first note of movement three. In this way, all three movements are continuous and sound like one tone poem. Movements two and three are built as themes with variations in which the theme is altered in rhythm, meter, key and character. The theme from movement two even makes an appearance in movement three. The sonata is tonal but not diatonic, meaning that it uses conventional keys and harmonies but it explores chromaticism and is not constructed from a specific scale. This provides validation for the wandering mood and the interaction between the piano and viola. The viola line is characterized by many improvisatory gestures, reminiscent of Debussy. Robert Schumann (1810-1856) Märchenbilder, Op. 113 (1851) Duration: 16 minutes Schumann wrote Marchenbilder near the end of his life and three years before he entered the mental asylum where he would spend the rest of his days. Schumann
Aleksa Kuzma May 5, 2017 Program Notes lived a life of hardships beginning with his lack of success as a virtuosic pianist and physical limitations caused by music-related injuries. Due to this, he began composing more heavily. Schumann also suffered with depression and syphilis, but despite this, he was an extraordinary father of eight children, whom he played games with, read to, and took walks with. His love for his children inspired many of his works, especially Marchenbilder, in which each movement depicts a fairy tale. Based on Schumann's journal illustrations, the first two movements of this romantic sweeping fairy tale paint scenes from Rapunzel. Movement one, Nicht Schnell (not fast), is a glum yet sweeping melody in D-minor, as the viola line appears to be searching for something. This question is answered in the piano line, which is more rhythmic in nature. Movement 2, Lebhaft (lively), is a spirited rondo characterized by double stops in the viola line and dotted rhythms in both piano and viola line. The piano and viola joust in friendly competition as each takes the spotlight in the sixteenth note material of the second episode. The thematic material is heard three full times throughout the piece. The third movement illustrates pictures from Rumplestiltskin. Marked Rasch (rapidly), the viola line is a swift moto perpetuo accompanied by mostly chords in the piano. In this movement, Rumpelstiltskin is dancing outside with attendant fairies when suddenly there is a storm at sea. The metronome marking is quarter note=120, which is quite furious for the rhythmic figure per bar. The fourth movement, Langsam, mit melancholischem Ausdruck, depicts scenes from Sleeping Beauty. Slowly and with melancholic expression, the four-movement work ends lyrically in D-Major, bringing the piece to a quintessential fairy tale ending in which all lived happily ever after. Johan Halvorsen (1864-1935) Passacaglia for Violin and Viola, based on Handel s Passacaille from Suite No. 7 in G minor, HWV 432 (1894) Duration: 6 minutes Johan Halvorsen was a Norwegian violinist, conductor and composer. His compositions reflect nationalistic Romantic textures similar Grieg s. The Passacaglia, arranged by Halvorsen, was originally written for harpsichord by G.F.
Aleksa Kuzma May 5, 2017 Program Notes Handel. Handel was a brilliant harpsichordist and organist who wrote many suites for harpsichord. The Passacaglia from his 7th harpsichord suite was derived from Spanish street dances. These unsophisticated folk dances such as the Passacaglia and Chaconne became elevated to the highest level of musical artistry in the Baroque period. The Passacaglia features a recurring theme in many variations. Halvorsen uses eight chords and repeats them to create variations on the harmonic pattern. While the harmonies stay the same, the thematic material is altered rhythmically and melodically. Each variation is unique in character and employs many technical nuances such as saltando (bouncing bow), sul ponticello (playing on the bridge), double stops. Notes by Aleksa Kuzma.
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