Notes for the December 1 concert "Shall We Dance?"
Randall E. Faust is a Professor of Music at Western Illinois University and Hornist of the Camerata Woodwind Quintet and LaMoine Brass Quintet. In addition, he has served on the Summer Horn Faculty, Interlochen Center for the Arts for over two decades. The compositions of Randall Faust have been performed at many international venues—including the Symposia of The International Horn Society, The International Trumpet Guild, The International Trombone, Association, The National Gallery of Art, and the Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall. His compositions have been discussed in several doctoral dissertations—most prominently in The Horn in Mixed Media Compositions Through 1991 by James Alan Criswell--Doctor of Musical Arts Dissertation, The University of Maryland, 1995; and A Performance Guide to the Horn Works of Randall Edward Faust by Alan Franklin Mattingly--Doctor of Music Treatise, The Florida State University, 1998. His music has been recorded on MSR CLASSICS, Crystal Records, Summit Records, and ACA Digital Recordings.As a hornist, Randall Faust has established a reputation as a performer of the work of contemporary composers—most recently on the Camerata Woodwind Quintet Recording of the works of Hétu, Iannaccone, and Steinmentz (Crystal Records), and his recent recording of horn music of William Presser and Randall Faust (Faust Music). Past performance credits include many broadcasts over Peach State Public Radio during twelve years as Principal Hornist of the Columbus, Georgia, Symphony Orchestra and the recording as a member of the Clarion Wind Symphony: Sea Drift—the Wind Music of Anthony Iannaccone(Albany Records Troy 280.)
His articles and reviews have appeared in The Horn Call since 1980. He has chronicled the work of legendary Interlochen horn teacher Marvin Howe in his 1996 Horn Call article “Marvin Howe Singer of Smooth Melodies” and in his edition of Marvin Howe’s The Singing Hornist(2001).
Dr. Faust's professional and academic studies began at The Interlochen Arts Academy (Interlochen Honors Musicianship Scholarship, 1966), and continued at Eastern Michigan University (Bachelor of Science, summa cum laude, 1972), Minnesota State University, Mankato (Master of Music in Composition, 1973), and The University of Iowa (Doctor of Musical Arts, 1980). He has served on the Faculty of Shenandoah Conservatory of Music of Shenandoah University (1973-1982), Auburn University (1982-1997), and has served as President of the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors, (1992-1994), and The International Horn Society (1987-1990). During the 2004-2005 Academic year, he served as Interim Chair of the Western Illinois Department of Music.
Art of Motion, Inc. - a non-profit and cultural organizationLynn Lesniak Needle, former soloist with the Nikolais Dance Theatre, has toured internationally, traveling to six out of seven continents and more than 40 United Sates. She began dancing at age four with Annette McKenna, where her weekly training in ballet expanded to include jazz, tap, and, eventually, her lifelong love—modern dance. Lynn has been influenced by many, but studied intensely with her mentors Alwin Nikolais and Murray Louis at the Nikolais/Louis Dance Lab in New York City. Lynn earned her B.A. in Dance cum laude from Connecticut College. Lynn was the recipient of the ACDFA Dance Magazine National Award for her choreography, adjudicated by Murray Louis, Pauline Koner and Clay Taliafero. Her work COOL WAVE, featured in Dance Magazine was performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Murray Louis invited Lynn to study at the Dance Lab, where she met Nik and was invited to join the Nikolais Dance Theatre. Nik created seminal works on Lynn during her tenure with the company and she began teaching while on tour. She was later asked to direct the Nikolais and Louis Dance Lab, a professional studio school of dance in Soho where she arranged for dancers from around the world to study with Nik and Murray. During this time, Lynn pioneered classes in Pilates-based exercises, training with thera-bands, trampolines, and fitness balls. Her students included Jane Pauley, Meredith Brokaw, Anna Murdoch, many print and fashion models, and dancers who have gone on to perform with professional companies. Over the years, Lynn has choreographed pieces for MTV, corporate videos for Verizon, and premiered her work at the Boston Conservatory, Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C, the Westbeth Theater Center in the West Village, and the JOYCE SOHO, as well as Hunter College, Rutgers University, Montclair State University, Ramapo College, Bergen Community College, Ridgewood’s annual First Night Celebration of the Arts, and for local community theatre groups. In many of these venues, Lynn has choreographed for the Art of Motion Ensemble, a company established after she founded the non-profit studio, Art of Motion, Inc. Lynn has also worked for the N.J. State Department of Education as an artist in residence in the public schools and was a regional coordinator for the N.J. School of the Arts, a performing arts high school without walls. She became a staff developer, assisting public school districts in developing dance programs and infusing creativity in the classroom. Lynn has served as President of the Ridgewood Arts Council and is a passionate visual and performing arts advocate.
Olivia Galgano directs the classical ballet program at Art of Motion and choreographs excerpts from classical repertory as well as original work. Olivia began her ballet training with the Boston School of Ballet at the age of seven under the direction of E. Virginia Williams. At the age of 16, she became a member of the New England Civic Ballet Company, presently known as the Boston Ballet Company. As a soloist, her performances included Rustic Wedding, which was created specifically for her by Leon Danielian. The work was premiered at the Boston Arts Festival and also performed at the Gloucester Arts Festival. She was then invited to join and became one of the youngest members of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, touring throughout the United States and Canada. Olivia's repertoire included over 50 ballets, and she performed solo roles in such ballets as Coppelia, Swan Lake, Gaite Parisienne, Le Beau Danube, and Sombreros. Her coaches included such renowned artists as Fredrick Franklin, Anton Vilzak, Leon Danielian, and Irina Barovska, all of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Now a resident of Paramus, Olivia has been teaching in Bergen County and has choreographed a number of original pieces that have been performed at the New Jersey Dance Festival and the Bergen Community Dance Festival. Along with her dedication to teaching and choreographing, she has served as chairperson of the Cultural Committee for the Paramus Schools and has assisted the music department in creating and developing movement into their curriculum. Olivia was co-owner and artistic director of the Classic Ballet School for over 20 years. The Classic Ballet Ensemble has performed throughout the New Jersey school system and other community facilities. Currently, she is co-director of Art of Motion and has continued her artistic dedication and choreographic efforts through the Art of Motion Ensemble. She strives to keep the classics alive by restaging some of the great ballets, such as those by Petipa and Fokine, as well as creating original works. She has been influenced by choreographers such as Balanchine and Robbins, who maintained the classics, but were the innovators of the contemporary dance world.
As Artistic Directors of Art of Motion, Lynn and Olivia focus on developing the range of movement of each student to his or her fullest capacity and emphasize the history and artistry of dance as an art form and discipline. They hope to provide an artistic atmosphere that is conducive to learning about the body as an expressive instrument by offering classes in classical ballet, modern, tap, classical jazz, theatre dance, Pilates-based exercise, yoga, improvisation, choreography, repertory, and dance conditioning. Art of Motion is located in The Performing Arts Building 17 Chestnut Street, 2nd floor Ridgewood, NJ 07450T: 201-652-5800 F: 201-652-3347 E: artofmotion@earthlink.net, www.artofmotion.org.
Sunday - November 18 - 5:30pm
Yamaha Piano Salon - 689 Fifth Avenue - NYCNew American Masters
Palisades Virtuosi presents five recently commissioned works
for The New York Flute Club
Aaron Grad [b. 1980] is a young American composer and guitarist, whose music embraces both his roots in popular culture and his training in the Western tradition. Born in Alexandria, Virginia, he was a student of piano and violin from age five. At ten he began studies on guitar, and was soon writing songs, forming bands, and playing his first jazz gigs. Grad came to New York in 1998 to study jazz guitar at NYU, but he was quickly seduced by New York’s “downtown” new music scene. While completing his B.M. in three years, he performed with his own groups at The Knitting Factory and Cornelia St. Café, and founded and directed a concert series at Judson Memorial Church. In the past five years Grad’s emphasis has shifted to composing, and his catalog has grown to include over 80 works. His music has been commissioned and performed by the Manchester Music Festival (VT), Fairfax Choral Society (VA), Palisades Virtuosi (NJ), the Brooklyn Philharmonic, and the New York Chamber Ensemble. Aaron has studied with Carlos Carrillo and Randall Woolf, and has worked for American Composers Orchestra, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra."Lep·i·dop·ter·ol·o·gy" [2003] is a study of butterflies. The piece is a tribute to pianist Ron Levy (a great champion of new music and a butterfly enthusiast) and was commissioned by the Palisades Virtuosi in 2003. The piano opens the work with two declamatory phrases. In between the piano phrases, and continuing into a gentle duet for the flute and clarinet, certain notes of the piano sustain a soft haze of consonant sound. This gossamer texture is contrasted at other times by the brilliance of the piccolo, austere counterpoint in the piano, and swooping arpeggios passed from clarinet to flute. The piece ends with a tranquil and stately elaboration of the opening duet melody. -A.G.
From symphonies to big band jazz, from chamber works to Latin American music and film scores – Carlos Franzetti has no limits. He is a 2007 Latin Grammy® Nominee in the category of Best Instrumental Album, a 2006 Grammy® Nominee in the category of Best Classical Contemporary Composition for his opera, “Corpus Evita,” a double 2003 Grammy Nominee for “Poeta de Arrabal,” in the categories of Best Classical Crossover Album and Best Instrumental Arrangement, and the winner of the 2001 Latin Grammy Award for Best Tango Album, “Tango Fatal.” Carlos Franzetti has received many outstanding grants and awards, including the 2002 New Jersey Council on the Arts Composers’ Fellowship, The Yamaha Composers Award, The Trofeu Laus from Spain, a Clio Award, The Prensario Award, ACE Award and Premio Konex from Argentina, The Foundation for New American Music, The Penfield Music Commission Project, several grants from Meet The Composer, and two gold records. Mr. Franzetti adjudicates for SGAE and the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation. Carlos Franzetti’s compositions and arrangements have most recently been performed by the New World Symphony, the Youth Orchestra of the Americas and at the Moab Music Festival. Collaborations with major orchestras include the opening concert of the VI International Music Festival in Buenos Aires at the Teatro Colon with the Orquesta de la Plata, the Boston Pops, the National Symphony (Washington, D.C.), the St. Louis Symphony, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, the Buffalo Philharmonic, the National Symphony of Mexico, the National Symphony of Argentina, the Orquesta Filarmonica de Buenos Aires, the Czech National Symphony, the City of Prague Philharmonic, the Modus Chamber Orchestra, the Janacek Philharmonic, the Bratislava Radio Orchestra, and orchestras in Mexico, Venezuela, Spain, Sweden, Norway and France. A citizen of the United States for many years, Carlos Franzetti was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1948. Biographies of Carlos Franzetti are listed in Latin American Classical Composers Second Edition by Michel Ficher and Furman Schleifer, published by Scarecrow Press, Maryland 2002, The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, published by MacMillan Press Ltd., London 1988, Diccionario de Compositores, published by La Nacion/Corregidor, Buenos Aires 1998, and Chronology of Western Classical Music Volume 2 by Charles J. Hall, published by Rutledge Great Britain Taylor & Francis Books, Inc.
Four Movements for VirtuosiAs the title connotes, this music was commissioned by and dedicated to the Palisade Virtuosi in 2005. The four movements are based on popular music styles from the United States and from Argentina, where I was born and raised. These styles range from Argentine tango, milonga and the folk idiom “chacarera� to some American ragtime in the last movement. My intention with this music was to feature each member of the Palisades Virtuosi, both individually and as an ensemble. When I attended the concert at which they premiered it, I was delighted with the results of their performance. --C.F.
Brian Schober has pursued an active career as a composer and performer throughout the United States and abroad. A native of New Jersey, Schober pursued his musical studies at the Eastman School of Music where his teachers included Samuel Adler and Joseph Schwantner in composition and Sue Seid and Russell Saunders in organ. He furthered his studies in Paris, studying composition with Olivier Messiaen and Betsy Jolas at the Paris Conservatory of Music while studying organ privately with Jean Guillou and André Isoir. Schober’s music spans all instrumental and vocal media. His music has been performed by the Gregg Smith Singers, The New York Treble Singers, Voces Novae et Antiquae, the Kitos Singers, nexus Arts, the percussion ensembles of The Juilliard School, Mannes School of Music and the University of Buffalo, and the New York Percussion Quartet. As a performer of organ music of all styles and periods, he has toured both the U.S. and Europe, particularly presenting concerts of new organ music. He has also performed with the new music group Speculum Musicae. He is the recipient of many prizes and awards including those from BMI, Editions Salabert, the French Cultural Ministry, the National Endowment of the Arts, The American Music Center and twice from the Aaron Copland Fund for Music. In 1984-5, he was composer-in-residence at the Center for Computer Music and Research at Stanford University under a Rockefeller Foundation Grant. A CD of works for chorus and organ recorded by the Gregg Smith Singers and the New York Treble Singers is issued by Ethereal Recordings, Manhattan Impromptus for piano, performed by Stephen Gosling, has been released by Capstone Records. He is presently Music Director of the First Congregational Church in Park Ridge, New Jersey.
"Wind-space" [2007] for alto flute, bass clarinet and piano was composed for the group Palisades Virtuosi in response for a piece in memory of the events of 9-11. Although, the piece does not relate in any specific way to those events, it evokes the idea of empty and open spaces and the wind which passes through, as indicated by the title. The writing was greatly influenced by the Japanese bamboo flute or shakuhachi. The alto flute acts as a catalyst for the work in that the other instruments as commentators to it. The three performers are treated very independently of each other and rarely play together except in a few dramatic moments.
Robert Manno [b. 1944] is an acclaimed composer, conductor, singer and pianist. His compositions include over 30 chamber works, a Concerto for Horn and Orchestra, 2 song cycles, pieces for chorus, solo piano pieces, art songs and arrangements. Composer Ned Rorem has described his music as "maximally personal and expressive" and Fanfare Magazine has said: "his instrumental compositions are shot through with powerful lyrical impulses. Manno's music, in whatever guise, always sings...displaying an expansive, well-rounded sense of architecture and shape.” A full-time member of the Metropolitan Opera Chorus from 1977 to 2001, he was previously a member of the New York City Opera Chorus. Following his retirement from the MET Chorus, Manno served as an assistant conductor on the Metropolitan Opera Music Staff. The recipient of numerous compositional honors, he has been awareded the Ernest Bloch Award, First Prize at the Delius Festival, and many Meet the Composer Grants and ASCAP Awards. His music has been performed and broadcast throughout the United States and in Wales, U.K.
‘Three Scenes from the Mountains’ was inspired by views from my home overlooking a mountain range in the Northern Catskills. The first movement, “The Wind on the Water” depicts the visual movement of the rippling of wind-driven water on our pond, sometimes still, sometimes flowing and suddenly rushing, and always with a sense of change and calm. The second movement, “The Meadow at Dawn” is a song-like description of a gentle summer morning in our meadow when the mist is just beginning to clear. The third movement, “The Forest at Night” attempts to elicit the sense of loneliness that one experiences when walking in the woods by moonlight. -R.M.
After attending Harvard College, John Lampkin [b. 1946] studied music privately, with acclaimed composer Donald Waxman as his principal composition and piano teacher. His hundreds of works for piano solo include a three-book recital series, Portraits. In review, Piano Quarterly wrote: “Mr. Lampkin is extremely gifted with a wonderful sense of humor.” Piano & Keyboard magazine cited Portraits in its millennium issue as being one of the most significant 20th century educational collections. During the 1990's he turned to musical theater, and wrote scores for eleven musicals. In 1998 he composed his Piano Concerto, which garnered First Prize in the Orchestral Division of the 1999 Composers Guild's competition, an annual event which attracts entries from around the world. His "Insects: a Musical Entomology in Six Legs" for woodwind quintet was "simultaneously" premiered in 2000 in five states (the Austin premiere was nominated for the Austin Critics Table Award for the Best Chamber Concert of the Season); and subsequently won the Grand Prize in the 2001 Composers Guild competition. Mr. Lampkin has served as composer-in-residence for the Minnesota Music Teachers Association, the Equinox Chamber Players in St. Louis, Dolce Wind Quintet in Minneapolis, and The Austin Chamber Players in Austin, Texas. His "Migrations" for Symphonic Wind Ensemble was commissioned by the University of Oklahoma, and premiered at the national convention of the Society of Composers. He has received dozens of grants from funding agencies and foundations, including Meet the Composer and the Mid-America Arts Alliance."George Washington Slept Here!" is a set of variations on "Soldier's Joy," which was a popular tune 250 years ago. It appeared in published collections of sheet music on both sides of the Atlantic, and as a fiddle tune was played for barn dances and square dances in colonial America. The melody with its simple harmonic structure is typical of fiddle tunes and hornpipes of the period. My set of variations is written in the historic tradition, but with modern conventions. The set closes with a pair of fughettas where at several points we hear the melody being played 5 different ways simultaneously. The title captures the good humor of the set, and celebrates the Hudson Valley, home to the Palisades Virtuosi and to me." - J.C.
Saturday - October 6, 2007
"Anniversaries"
World Premiere –“Wind-space” (a 9-11 Commemorative)Brian Schober has pursued an active career as a composer and performer throughout the United States and abroad. A native of New Jersey, Schober pursued his musical studies at the Eastman School of Music where his teachers included Samuel Adler and Joseph Schwantner in composition and Sue Seid and Russell Saunders in organ. He furthered his studies in Paris, studying composition with Olivier Messiaen and Betsy Jolas at the Paris Conservatory of Music while studying organ privately with Jean Guillou and André Isoir. Schober’s music spans all instrumental and vocal media. His music has been performed by the Gregg Smith Singers, The New York Treble Singers, Voces Novae et Antiquae, the Kitos Singers, nexus Arts, the percussion ensembles of The Juilliard School, Mannes School of Music and the University of Buffalo, and the New York Percussion Quartet. As a performer of organ music of all styles and periods, he has toured both the U.S. and Europe, particularly presenting concerts of new organ music. He has also performed with the new music group Speculum Musicae. He is the recipient of many prizes and awards including those from BMI, Editions Salabert, the French Cultural Ministry, the National Endowment of the Arts, The American Music Center and twice from the Aaron Copland Fund for Music. In 1984-5, he was composer-in-residence at the Center for Computer Music and Research at Stanford University under a Rockefeller Foundation Grant. A CD of works for chorus and organ recorded by the Gregg Smith Singers and the New York Treble Singers is issued by Ethereal Recordings, Manhattan Impromptus for piano, performed by Stephen Gosling, has been released by Capstone Records. He is presently Music Director of the First Congregational Church in Park Ridge, New Jersey.
Wind-space – commissioned by the Palisades Virtuosi
Wind-space for alto flute, bass clarinet and piano was composed for the group Palisades Virtuosi in response for a piece in memory of the events of 9-11. Although, the piece does not relate in any specific way to those events, it evokes the idea of empty and open spaces and the wind which passes through, as indicated by the title. The writing was greatly influenced by the Japanese bamboo flute or shakuhachi. The alto flute acts as a catalyst for the work in that the other instruments as commentators to it. The three performers are treated very independently of each other and rarely play together except in a few dramatic moments.
Edward Elgar – Chanson de Nuit – clarinet & pianoSir Edward William Elgar (1857 – 1934) was an English Romantic composer. He was self-taught in music. His love of nature is reflected in this quote - "There is music in the air, music all around us, the world is full of it and you simply take as much as you require." He spent his early years as a violinist in local orchestras in Worcester & Birmingham and began composing seriously when he was about 29. His first major orchestral work, the Enigma Variations, was premiered in 1899 and established him as the pre-eminent British composer of his generation. One of the best examples of English choral music is his choral setting of Cardinal Newman's poem The Dream of Gerontius. Elgar is probably best known for the march Pomp and Circumstance, which has become synonymous with graduation ceremonies everywhere for decades. Between 1902 and 1914 Elgar enjoyed great success, earning the most fees from the performance of his music and making several visits to the USA including a conducting tour. He was Professor of Music at the University of Birmingham from 1905 - 1908. Shortly before the death of his wife in 1920 he composed the elegiac Cello Concerto, often described as his last masterpiece. He was the first composer to make extensive recordings of his own compositions. He also composed oratorios, chamber music, symphonies and instrumental concertos and was appointed Master of the King's Musick in 1924.
Chanson De Nuit – originally written for violin and piano – was composed in 1897 and marks its 110th birthday this year.
More information on the composer can be found at these links:
http://www.elgar.org/
http://www.naxos.com/composerinfo/302.htm
Igor Stravinsky - Piano-Rag-Music [1919] & Pastorale (Trio) [2007]At this concert we mark the 125th anniversary of the birth of Igor Stravinsky (1882 –1971), Russian composer, pianist & conductor. Stravinsky is often considered to be the most influential composer of 20th century music. He was named by Time magazine as one of the most influential people of the century. His compositional style was diverse, ranging from the famous ballets that were commissioned by Serge Diaghilev (“The Firebird” & “The Rite of Spring”) to the neoclassicism in the 1920s (Symphonies, fugues and concerti that were reflective of the styles of Bach, Tchaikovsky & Verdi) to the serial techniques of the 1950s. Throughout his career his music is marked by clarity of form and expression, energetic rhythms and a distinct expressivity. The Pastorale on this program is celebrating its 100th birthday this year.
More information on the composer can be found at these links:
http://www.classical.net/music/comp.lst/stravinsky.html
http://w3.rz-berlin.mpg.de/cmp/stravinsky.html
Claude Debussy – Children’s Corner [1907] (Centenary of the work)Claude Achille Debussy (1862 -1918), composer of impressionistic music, studied at the Paris Conservatoire, won the 1884 Prix de Rome. He was heavily influenced in his earlier works by his visits to Bayreuth and then later by hearing Javanese gamelan music in Paris. His famous Prélude à 'L'après-midi d'un faune and his opera Pelléas et Mélisande showed fluid colors and rhythms new to Western music. His main works were orchestral pieces, piano sets, and songs. Among his major orchestral works are the three Nocturnes (1899), La mer (1905) The three Images (1912), Ibéria. and the ballet Jeux (1913) the ballets Khamma (1912) and La boîte à joujoux (1913). Debussy wrote much piano music Suite bergamasque, 1890; Pour le piano, 1901, Images pour piano 1904 – 1905. In his famous Children's Corner Suite for piano, which he wrote for his beloved daughter whom he called Chou-chou also suggests influences from the Orient as well as a new wave of jazz influence although Debussy references Richard Wagner in the piece Golliwogg's Cake-walk. Claude Debussy died in Paris in 1918 during World War I. Debussy's death as well as the World War I coincided with the sad end of the Belle Epoque era in which Paris bloomed with sophistication and modernity as never seen before in Europe.
For this performance we are doing our own special version of "Children's Corner"!
more information on the composer is available at:
http://www.carolinaclassical.com/articles/debussy.html
http://www.naxos.com/composerinfo/259.htm
Percy Grainger – Molly on the Shore – flute & pianoPercy Aldridge Grainger (8 July 1882 – 20 February 1961) was an Australian-born pianist, composer who became a naturalized US citizen in 1918. Grainger was influenced by composer Edvard Grieg as is evident in his love of folk music and his use of it throughout his works. He enjoyed his greatest popularity during the first and second world wars – his music is often stirring and dramatic. He played the oboe & saxophone and wrote many works for concert band in addition to many piano works. He was incredibly fit physically - he was known as "the jogging pianist" for his habit of racing through the streets to a concert where he would bound onto stage at the last minute. When travelling by ship on tour he would spend his free time shovelling coal in the boiler room! He was a great innovator – he employed the use of hitting the strings of the piano to produce tone – “string-piano” technique and later in life developed the “Free Music Machine” – a precursor to the modern day synthesizer. His wedding in 1928 was one of the most remarkable on record. It was held on the stage of the Hollywood Bowl, following a concert before an audience of 20,000, with an orchestra of 126 musicians and an a cappella choir, which sang his new composition, To a Nordic Princess, dedicated to Ella. Many of his instruments and scores are located at the Grainger house in White Plains, New York, now the headquarters of the International Percy Grainger Society. He had many eccentricities which included never ironing his shirts and wearing the same clothes for days. He was a vegetarian who hated vegetables. He lived chiefly on boiled rice, milk, cereals, nuts and oranges. Throughout the 1920s Grainger recorded numerous live-recording player piano music rolls for the Aeolian Company's "Duo Art" system all of which survive and can be heard. Amongst these is a complete rendition of Grieg's Piano Concerto and a recently unearthed performance of music from "The Warriors." Grainger's own Duo-Art grand pianola can still be seen at the Grainger Museum replete with Grainger's music machine experimental modifications.
Molly On the Shore is a popular folk song that many musicians have played over the years on many different instruments. Grainger arranged it for Violin & Piano and once again, Margaret has taken over a fiddle part and made it her own!
More information on the composer can be found at:
http://www.percygrainger.org/
http://www.naxos.com/composerinfo/425.htm
Joseph Schwantner – (65th) Black Anemones – Flute & Piano
Joseph Schwantner (b. 1943) is an American composer and educator. His first musical instrument was the guitar. His first serious attempt at composition, the jazz-influenced Offbeat, won the 1959 National Band Camp Award. Offbeat was a byproduct of Schwantner’s interest in experimental (sometimes known as “free”) jazz. It was a twelve-tone work for jazz ensemble, written in 5/4. His first orchestral piece, Sinfonia Brevis, was written while a student at the American Conservatory in Chicago. His early works were highly atonal and written with strict serial methods, later he moved toward a more flexible technique. In 1977 he was a Resident Fellow at one of the oldest arts colonies in the United States, the MacDowell Colony where he composed Wild Angels of the Open Hills, a song cycle for soprano, flute, and harp, with texts by science fiction author Ursula K. LeGuin. In addition to numerous awards, Schwantner has received CAP (Composer Assistance Program) Grants, a Martha Baird Rockefeller Foundation Grant, the Fairchild Award, the Alfred I. Dupont award for outstanding composers, and numerous honorary doctorates. in 2007 the American Symphony Orchestra League and “Meet the Composer” announced that Schwantner was selected as the second Ford “Made in America” composer. Joseph Schwantner was elected into the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2002. His orchestral work Aftertones of Infinity received the 1979 Pulitzer Prize for Music. Schwantner is prolific, with many works to his credit. His style is accessible, coloristic and eclectic, drawing on such diverse elements as French impressionism, African drumming, and minimalism.
Black Anemones is a transcription for flute and piano of a song originally published in
"Two Poems of Agueda Pizarro.For more information you may visit:
http://www.schwantner.net/index.html
Richard Faith – (80th B’day) - Fantasy Trio No. 1
Richard Faith, Professor Emeritus of the University of Arizona, is a native of Evansville, Indiana. A graduate of Chicago Musical College and Indiana University, he received a Fulbright Grant to study piano and composition at the Academia de Santa Cecilia in Rome. Winner of numerous awards and competitions, Faith has performed in recitals throughout the United States and Europe and has appeared as soloist with a variety of orchestras including the Chicago Symphony. He is the composer of four operas, a number of symphonic works, three piano concerti, an oboe concerto, a mass, a cantata, chamber music, more than one hundred songs, and many piano works.
Maurice Hinson, in his book Music for Piano and Orchestra, describes the work of this distinguished American composer as "freely tonal and neo-romantic [in] style. His broad, beautiful melodies naturally unfold into stunning, textured sonorities. All of his music deserves performance." The Washington Post critic, Judy Gruber, writes that his music is "full of drama and tension, with beautifully etched phrases and sweeping lines."
Some works recently commissioned include Sextet for Winds and Piano, Suite 'Trouveres' for Harpsichord, an opera, Beauty and the Beast, 'Creation' for Six Singers and Piano, and 'Incantation' for Soprano, Viola or Alto Flute and Piano.The Fantasy Trio No. 1 was originally written for Violin, Clarinet & Piano. For this concert, Margaret transcribed the flute part with Richard's blessing and ended up using both the piccolo & the alto flute to cover the registral demands of the part.
More information on the composer can be found at www.richardfaith.com .
JUNE 9. 2007 - 8:00PM
"The Jazz Age"
Our Featured Composer - DICK HYMAN
Throughout a busy musical career that got underway in the early '50s, Dick Hyman has functioned as pianist, organist, arranger, music director, and composer. His versatility in all of these areas has resulted in film scores, orchestral compositions, concert appearances and well over 100 albums recorded under his own name. While developing a masterful facility for improvisation in his own piano style, Mr. Hyman has also investigated ragtime and the earliest periods of jazz and has researched and recorded the piano music of Scott Joplin, Jelly Roll Morton, James P. Johnson, Zez Confrey, Eubie Blake and Fats Waller, which he often features in his frequent recitals. Other solo recordings include the music of Irving Berlin, Harold Arlen, Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Richard Rodgers and Duke Ellington. In a different vein, Mr. Hyman was one of the first to record on the Moog sythesizer, and his early explorations have now been reissued. Mr. Hyman's concert compositions for orchestra include his Piano Concerto, Ragtime Fantasy, The Longest Blues in the World, and From Chama to Cumbres by Steam, a work for orchestra, jazz combo, and prerecorded railroad sounds. A cantata based on the autobiography of Mark Twain was premiered with the choral group, Gloria Musicae, in Sarasota. In a growing catalogue of chamber music compositions, his most recent pieces are Dances and Diversions for the Kinor String Quartet, and Parable a trio for the Palisades Virtuosi. Earlier compositions include a violin/piano sonata, a quintet for piano and strings, and a sextet for clarinet, piano and strings. Mr. Hyman has often been heard in duo-piano performances with Derek Smith, in Three-Piano Crossover with Marian McPartland and the late Ruth Laredo, and in various pops concerts under the direction of Doc Severinsen. In 2004, after serving as artistic director for the acclaimed Jazz in July series at New York's 92nd Street Y for twenty years, and holding a similar role at the Oregon Festival of American Music, he stepped down from both venues but continues his Jazz Piano at the Y series in New York. There is much more about him on his website www.dickhyman.com and literally dozens of recordings of his compositions are available everywhere.He says of Parable for a Parrot (the piece he has written for us) "The title is merely a euphonious play on words, the composition is abstract. The structure is based on the working out of a four-note phrase among the trio, who greatly modify and develop it in one brisk movement lasting about 4 minutes."
We are also delighted that he has agreed to perform a selection for our audience at this concert. This will be a thrill for all of us I'm sure.
Robert Russell Bennett [1894-1981] was a phenomenally prolific composer, arranger and musician. Talented on many instruments at an early age he came to New York in 1919. There he got a job as a copyist at G. Schirmer and began to build a vast network of musical contacts. He studied with Nadia Boulanger in Paris from 1926-1929 and then returned to New York where he began his storied Broadway career. Bennett worked as an arranger for several of the greatest composers on Broadway including George Gershwin, Kurt Weill and Cole Porter, but his later collaborations with Jerome Kern and Richard Rodgers gave birth to his most well-known works. He was known to produce scores at the alarming rate of 20 or more a year for these composers! The most famous scores are still revived on Broadway and remain among the great shows of all time - Oklahoma, Show Boat, Annie Get Your Gun, My Fair Lady, The King and I, South Pacific, The Sound of Music just to name a few. He also did a lot of his own composing is famous for writing the score to the epic television series Victory at Sea.
Among his first friends in New York, were the members of the New York Flute Club. The piece we will perform on June 9, Six Souvenirs for Two Flutes and One Piano, is in six movements, each one dedicated to a flutist friend of his, including William Kincaid, Verne & Edward Powell, and Georges Barrere. The score has been lovingly transcribed from manuscript to printed form by Jan and Paul Somers and it is truly a joy to perform!http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Russell_Bennett
http://www.naxos.com/composerinfo/90.htm
Pierre Max Dubois (1930 – 1995) was a student of Darius Milhaud. There are rhythmic and harmonic similarities between his music and the music of Milhaud, but Dubois added a rakish twist to his harmonies and a more lighthearted touch to his works in general. He wrote a great deal of music for saxophone including the well-known “Quartet for Saxophones” in 1962, and utilized the saxophone as both a soloist and with other winds. He won the Prix de Rome in 1955. There's not much information on him but some of his recordings are available on amazon.com and there is a list of his works at the Wikipedia site.
“Les Treteaux” is a trio for flute, alto saxophone & piano in three movements. The first is joyous and sassy, the second, longing and romantic and the third is an overblown waltz. The piece is a fun-loving romp and from the very first bars of reading it we were hooked! “Les Treteaux” in French, is literally “the trestles or tables” but is commonly used in France to mean “the stage”.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Max_Dubois
Already a recognized jazz musician and composer of music of over a hundred films, Claude Bolling (b. 1930) gained international recognition in the "classical" world with his Suite for Flute & Jazz Piano, a piece designed to make any classically-trained flutist sound like an accomplished jazz player. The piece was such a hit that he created similar works for other instruments, guitar & flute, violin and cello. The Suite can be performed with just flute and piano, or with the addition of bass and drums. We're putting out own twist on it - for this concert, Don has taken the bass part and put it on the bass clarinet! We will perform the first movement of the Suite to open our program.
For more on the composer please visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Bolling or http://www.naxos.com/composerinfo/5497.htm His recordings are also widely available.
On this program, Ron will perform a set of three short piano works by George Gershwin, Aaron Copland and ... himself!
The first of these, Piano Prelude No. 1 in B Flat Major [1926], is by George Gershwin.
George Gershwin [1898-1937] is probably one of the most recognizable names in American music. His music centers on the jazzier side of classical music with emphasis on the use of folk tunes and idioms for his inspiration. He started out writing ragtime music and then incorporated those syncopations and rhythyms into his own brand of jazz. His first big hit, Swanee River in 1919 became the signature tune of vaudeville entertainer, Al Jolson. He was a prolific creator of piano rolls, making several dozen of them under his own name and dozens more under several pseudonyms. In 1924 he collaborated with his brother Ira on the musical comedy, Lady Be Good. It was the beginning of a very successful partnership that resulted in some of America's favorite musicals, including Funny Face, Girl Crazy and Strike Up the Band. In 1924 he also wrote his famous Rhapsody in Blue for piano and orchestra. Other well known works include his folk opera, Porgy & Bess and American in Paris. Sadly, he died at the age of 39 from a brain tumor. He was truly a cross-over artist, bringing jazz related elements into the traditional symphonic orchestration of his day. With all the popular and well loved works that he wrote, it's no wonder that the royalty earnings from performances of his works that his estate has taken in has earned him the title of the wealthiest composer ever.For more on George Gershwin please visit: http://www.gershwinfan.com/ or http://www.maurice-abravanel.com/gershwin_george_english.html
Recordings of works by Gershwin are widely available.
Next in his set of short piano pieces Ron will perform movement 2, Soft & languid from Four Piano Blues [1926-48] by Aaron Copland.
Aaron Copland [1900-1990] is probably the other most recognizable name in American music. His influences were more in the traditional vein of classical compostition, but he often drew his inspirations from American folk music and popular culture; he also used jazz elements in his works. A student of Nadia Boulanger in the 1920's he retuned to the states in 1925 with his Concerto for Organ and Orchestra which premiered in Carnegie Hall that year. He was a prolific composer of music for ballet (Billy The Kid, Rodeo, Appalachian Spring), film (The Heiress, Of Mice and Men) and orchestral works (three symphonies, Fanfare for the Common Man, Lincoln Portrait). He went through several phases in his creative life, from the early jazz-influenced works, through the Stravinsky-inspired "Piano Variations", through the popular culture era (the western themed music that has become so associated with his music), to the later phases of his writing that seemed to be influenced more by Schoenberg than by the Shakers. By all accounts his legacy to American music is immense.To learn more about him please visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Copland or
http://www.aaroncopland.com/
His recordings are widely available.
Lastly, Ron will perform Anderson St. Rag. He writes of this piece, "Every once in a while I have the urge (fortunately or unfortunately) to compose something. Over time, this urge has spawned many compositions for piano, voice and piano, and chamber ensembles. A considerably younger version of myself, fresh out of college, had to supplement his income with a ten-year stint in banking. During one particularly trying day at the Anderson Street, Hackensack branch of United Jersey Bank, I excused myself and went into the kitchen, where I started to pen this rag, which I later dedicated to my friend, neighbor and inspiration Max Morath, a famous ragtime pianist and advocate. Similar musical "epiphanies" have helped me remain sane [sic] over the years. Piano mavens will recognize a quote from Beethoven's Sonata Op. 109 in the rag's third section."Biographical information on Ron is available on this website and most of his recordings are available at Amazon.com and at our concerts.
No program about jazz would be complete without a tribute to Scott Joplin. The title of "Father of American Jazz" might be a little more than is called for, but he is recognized by all as the greatest promotor and creator of ragtime music, and as such, Joplin's work carried American music from 19th century romanticism to the doorstep of American Jazz. Born in 1868 (or 1867- no one is sure) he started piano at an early age, practicing in houses of the wealthy as his mother cleaned their homes. His "Maple Leaf Rag" in 1899, pushed him to the top of the list of ragtime performers and his career took off. As a pianist, he rarely performed anything other than his own works. Although he never made a sound recording, he did create several piano rolls. By studying his performance on these it is possible to better interpret his musical style. Ragtime music is not supposed to be played fast, as so many performers do. It is supposed to be a little slower, the syncopations and "pre-jazz" elements stand out even more when performed in this way. On this program we are doing our own arrangement of "Ragtime Dance - A Stop-Time Two Step" [1906].
There is much more information on him at http://www.scottjoplin.org/biography.htm
Felix Mendelssohn
!! What's he doing on a "Jazz Age" program?? Well, in their search for works to perform for this concert Don & Lou came across this arrangement of the Concert Piece No. 2 which was originally written for clarinet, basset horn & piano. I was in the other room when they read through it and I couldn't believe the opening movement. There is a constant syncopated riff that repeats throughout the movement - it's very jazzy! So we just had to include it on this program! Enjoy!
For biographical information about Mendelssohn please visit http://www.felixmendelssohn.com/ or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_Mendelssohn
PROGRAM NOTES for OUR MARCH CONCERT
Saturday - March 31, 2007
"South (and North!) of the Border"
8:00pm
Our featured composer is ERIC EWAZEN. "Eric Ewazen's music has been performed by soloists, chamber ensembles, choruses, wind ensembles and orchestras around the world. His music can be heard on some 50 commercially released CDs, including 6 solo CDs. A member of the faculty of the Juilliard School since 1980, where he received his Doctorate Degree, he also attended the Eastman School of Music, receiving his BM in 1976. He has been Vice President of the League of Compoers-International Society of Contemporary Music, and Composer-in-Residence with the St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble in NYC and the Kalamazoo (MI) Symphony. During the current season, he is a guest with the Calgary Symphony, the Orquesta Sinfonica Valladolid (in Spain), the Zagreb brass festival in Croatia, the National Trumpet Contest at George Mason U., Youngstown State U., Truman State U., Brevard College (NC), Mars Hill College (NC) and Western Michigan University. Evelyn Glennie will be giving her first performance of his Marimba Concerto with the Istanbul Philharmonic on March 28th and the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia will be featuring two evenings devoted to performances of his chamber music.
Ron & Margaret have known Eric for years. He is a charming and jovial personality, always a joy to be around. Some of you have Margaret's CD, "From the Hudson Valley" On it is his "Ballade, Pastoral & Dance" for Flute, Horn & Piano recorded with Ron and one of our past guest artists, Scott Brubaker from the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Eric has said about his neo-impressionistic style that although for several years he wrote 12-tone works, he ultimately decided "to write music that people want to listen to". His music is lyrical, lush and evocative; filled with the exuberance and warmth that is evident when you meet him. We were delighted that he managed to fit a commission for us into his busy schedule. We know you'll enjoy his new work"Palisades Suite".
For more information on the composer and recordings please visit: - www.ericewazen.com
From"South of the Border" we will present works by Alberto Ginastera, Hector Villa-Lobos and Michael Colina, a New York-based composer of Cuban-American heritage.
The Argentinian composer Alberto Ginastera (1916-1983) is generally regarded as one of the most original and important South American composers of the 20th century. His works for piano blend Argentine folk rhythms and colors with modern compositional techniques. His musical style incorporates rhythmic energy, enchanting lyricism and cerebral atmosphere."To compose, in my opinion, is to create an architecture... In music, this architecture unfolds in time... When time has past, when the work has unfolded, a sense of inner perfection survives in the spirit. Only then can one say that the composer has succeeded in creating that architecture." — Alberto Ginastera
Ron will be performing "Suite de Danzas Criollas", a five movement suite for solo piano.
For more information on the composer please visit:
http://www.answers.com/topic/alberto-ginastera or
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberto_Ginastera
Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959), in his lifetime considered the greatest composer of the Americas, wrote about 1,000 pieces. His importance resides in one particular fact, among others: he reformulated the concept of musical nationalism, and became its greatest exponent. It was because of Villa-Lobos that Brazilian music became known in other countries, eventually becoming universal in appeal.In Brazilian life, a choros was an ad hoc group of musicians who played on street corners, at weddings and parties and at restaurants and cafes. Villa-Lobos spent several years playing in various choros groups and travelling around Brazil. He became facile in a variety of Brazilian musical styles and began to incorporate these into his music. Between 1921 and 1929 he created a series of Choros (fourteen works for varying ensembles). The Choros No. 2 for flute & clarinet was written in 1924. It is filled with spiky dissonances and syncopated melodies and is reminiscent of the improvisatory style of Rio's street musicians. It can also be seen as a two-part invention and as such, a precursor to Villa-Lobos' later Bachianas Brasilerias series.
For more information on the composer please visit:
http://www.museuvillalobos.org.br/mvl11.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heitor_Villa-Lobos
After 25 years of helping others create their music as a multiple Grammy® winning jazz composer and producer, Michael Colina is focusing today on the music that he has always dreamed of creating for himself. His most recent works reflect a new, classical direction, one that pulls threads from jazz, classical, and his Cuban-American heritage. Examples of this new classical direction include The Isles of Shoals, a concerto for flute and orchestra; The Idoru Piano Trio for piano, violin and cello; The People, an orchestral work for Richard Kuch commissioned by the Boston Ballet; and a modern dance score, A Time of Crickets, commissioned by Pauline Koner and supported by The National Endowment for the Arts. Colina, born of Cuban-American heritage, studied composition at the North Carolina School of the Arts with Vittorio Giannini, Louis Mennini (father of composer Peter Mennin) and Robert Ward. He continued studies at the Chigiana in Sienna, Italy with Thomas Pasatieri and Roman Vlad. He was the first recipient of the Vittorio Giannini Memorial Scholarship award.Habanera for flute, clarinet & piano. This piece was originally written for violin, clarinet and piano. Don heard the piece and asked Mr. Colina to arrange it for us so that we could bring this piece to you!
The musical descendant of the contradanza, the habanera or contradanza habanera (Havana-style contradanza), the habanera's distinguishing musical feature is its short, repeating 2/4 rhythmic figure in the bass line. Cuban musicologist Emilio Grenet calls the habanera "Perhaps the most universal of our genres" because of its far-reaching influence on the development of many Latin American song forms such as the Argentine tango and its frequently Europeanized treatment in classical music, such as in Georges Bizet's 1875 opera Carmen, in which the title character sings the now-famous habanera aria.
In 1884 Sebastian Yradier's "La Paloma" became the first exported habanera to gain popularity in Mexico. Already a decade before, any music in Mexico with the habanera rhythm was called danza. In 1890, Eduardo Sanchex de Fuentes' habanera "Tu" became so popular, both within and outside of Cuba, that it epitomized the form. Its absorption in Buenos Aires was such that early 20th-century French publishers mistook its origin and printed the sheet music as an example of "tango habanera." According to preeminent Cuban music historian Alejo Carpentier, the habanera was never called such by the people of Havana (for them it was just the local style of contradanza). It only adopted its present name when it became popular outside of Cuba.
For more information on the composer and sound samples please visit: http://www.michaelcolina.com
Donald Draganski (b. 1936) is a life-long resident of the metropolitan Chicago area. He received his BMEd degree in 1958 from De Paul University in Chicago where he studied bassoon under Wilbur Simpson of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He also studied composition for one year with Alexander Tcherepnin. Since 1998 he as been composer-in-residence of the Pilgrim Chamber Players.As a bassoonist to the Seventh Army Symphony Orchestra during his tour of active duty in the Army, he toured throughout western Europe – Germany, France, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands – giving concerts for the most part to civilian audiences, and functioning as one of Uncle Sam’s most effective cultural ambassadors.
He was a founding member of the The North Winds woodwind quintet. (His involvement with woodwind quintets over the years explains the preponderance of music for that combination in his list of compositions.) At present he holds first chair in the Evanston Sympony Orchestra. In addition to composing and performing, he also writes program notes for the Pigrim Chamber Players and the North Shore Choral Society.
The "Trio From Rio" incorporates two folk borrowings: the opening of the second movement is based on "Vamo abri terrero" while the 5/8 section in the same movement uses the metrical pattern (but not the melody) of "Viva a fe." Otherwise all the of the material is original and based on the style of Brazilian dances and songs rather than on literal quotes. The Trio was written for the Pilgrim Chamber Players for their January 1999 recital featuring music of Latin America.
For more information on the composer please visit: http://www.draganskimusic.com