Saturday, April 22, 2017 2:00 p.m. Lucas Brown Graduate Recital DePaul Recital Hall 804 West Belden Avenue Chicago
Saturday, April 22, 2017 2:00 p.m. DePaul Recital Hall Lucas Brown, violin Graduate Recital Mary Drews, piano PROGRAM George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) Violin Sonata in F Major, HWV 370 (1732) Adagio Allegro Largo Allegro Mary Drews, piano Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Chaconne from Partita No. 2 in D Minor for Solo Violin (1717-1720) Intermission Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 78 (1879) Vivace ma non troppo Adagio - Piu andante - Adagio Allegro molto moderato Mary Drews, piano
Lucas Brown April 22, 2017 Program Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) Havanaise, Op. 83 (1887) Mary Drews, piano Lucas Brown is from the studio of Janet Sung. 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 Lucas Brown April 22, 2017 George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)) Violin Sonata in F Major, HWV 370 (1732) Duration: 12 minutes 1685 was a good year for music; three of history s most treasured composers were born that year Domenico Scarlatti, Johann Sebastian Bach, and George Frideric Handel. Although he was born in Germany, Handel spent most of his life in England. His father did not approve of a musician s life, and actually forbade music in his household (Handel was supposed to become a lawyer). But Handel eventually found himself a teacher, Friedrich W. Zachow, and studied theory, composition, and learned to play many instruments, including violin. By 1706 Handel was exploring Italy and the incredible music found there. He spent years studying Italian compositional techniques, especially within opera, something for which he became internationally known. Handel loved his time in Italy, which can be heard in many of his works, but in 1710 he secured a job in England as Kapellmeister, which is where he would spend the rest of his life. The F major violin sonata is fairly well known, but there is somewhat of a question mark surrounding it. It is not completely clear who actually wrote the sonata. Of course it is credited to Handel, but this could be for any number of reasons. Perhaps the publisher wanted to include some of their own works and knew they would get performed more if Handel s golden name were attached to it. Unfortunately, this sort of thing happened quite often, which muddies the water significantly. Regardless, the sonata is a beautiful work full of lyricism, depth, and buoyancy. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Chaconne from Partita No. 2 in D Minor for Solo Violin (1717-1720) Duration: 15 minutes The fifth and final movement of Bach s D minor Partita, the Chaconne, stands alone as a titan in the violin repertoire. The opening four measures
Lucas Brown April 22, 2017 Program Notes of this work provide the foundation for the entire movement - the chord progression is established and then varied upon sixty-four times! From 1717-1723, Bach resided in Anhalt-Köthen where he composed some of his greatest works. All six of his Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin (as well as the Brandenburg Concerti and the Well-Tempered Clavier) were composed here under the patronage of Prince Leopold. Bach is revered as a spiritually enlightened composer, the likes of which have yet to be seen again. In a letter to Clara Schumann about Bach s Chaconne, Johannes Brahms said: On one stave, for a small instrument, the man writes a whole world of the deepest thoughts and most powerful feelings. If I imagined that I could have created, even conceived the piece, I am quite certain that the excess of excitement and earth-shattering experience would have driven me out of my mind. It is believed that Bach wrote the Chaconne after learning of his wife s death. Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 78 (1879) Duration: 25 minutes Brahms published three violin sonatas in his lifetime, all of which were composed while on summer vacation. The first sonata, sometimes referred to as the Rain sonata, was published in 1879, only one year after his powerful violin concerto. The entire piece is driven by a simple rhythmic motive, a dotted-quarter note tied to an eighth note. This motive can be traced through all three movements. Brahms borrowed this musical idea from one of his previous works, Regenlied, which can be heard almost verbatim in the final movement of the sonata. While Brahms was enjoying a peaceful vacation on the lake, one of his dear friends, Clara Schumann, was dealing with the unimaginable. Clara s son, Felix, was gravely ill. In its original conception, this sonata was more of a sonatina that Brahms was writing for Felix. However, when word of Felix s health reached Brahms, he decided to compose the sonata in full.
Lucas Brown April 22, 2017 Program Notes Of the three sonatas, the G major is the most introspective. The first movement is pure joy, beginning with a delicate melody floating above the piano. This melody is passed between the two instruments in a charming dialogue, each winding their way back to the other. The second movement is full of pain, but has moments of shining hope. After the piano sets the stage, the violin creeps in as if searching for something within. The third and final movement is where the nickname Rain comes from. Brahms borrowed this theme straight from his Opus 59, Regenlied (which means rain song ), a favorite of Clara Schumann s. Of the final movement, Clara had this to say: I wish the last movement could accompany me to the next world. Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) Havanaise, Op. 83 (1887) Duration: 10 minutes Camille Saint-Saëns is well known for many works, including his Violin Concerto No. 3, Cello Concerto No. 2, Symphony No. 3 (Organ), and Le Carnaval des animaux (The Carnival of the Animals). In addition to composing, Saint-Saens loved to travel. Throughout his life, he ventured around Europe, the United States, South America, and the Middle East - he even wrote the Uruguayan national anthem. Therefore, it s no surprise that this Frenchman wrote a Havanaise (also known as a Habañera). The easily recognizable Habañera rhythm that we all know so well, most likely thanks to George Bizet, consists of three triplet eighth notes with two duple eighth notes. The piano introduction sets up the simple motoric rhythm that drives the entire piece through lyricism and virtuosity. Saint-Saëns gives the violin a chance to shine and show what fireworks the instrument is truly capable of. Notes by Lucas Brown.
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