carthage music department presents
Graduate Piano Recital by Linlin Chen
Thursday, June 2, 2022 | 7:30 p.m. | Recital Hall
program Arabeske, Op. 18 Piano Sonata No. 49 in C-Sharp Minor Moderato Scherzando Menuet and Trio
Robert Schumann (1810 – 1856) Franz Joseph Haydn (1732 –1809)
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 5 “Héroïde-élégiaque” Impromptu No. 3, Op. 90
Franz Liszt (1811 -- 1886)
Franz Peter Schubert (1797 – 1828)
program notes Arabeske The word “ arabesque “ has been used in the West since the Middle Ages to describe any ornamentation consisting of flowing traceries of sinuous, undulating, or geometrical designs. The term was inspired by the Arab tradition, which forbade the representation of living creatures and so instead developed intricate artwork around elaborate geometrical and botanical patterns that carefully interlaced scrolls and curves and spirals with dazzling virtuosity. Schumann borrowed the word as the title for one of his most ingratiating short piano pieces, the Arabeske, composed in Vienna early in 1839. The work is arranged in a rondo form, in which the elegant, whispering principal theme is twice interrupted by wistful minor episodes. Added as a coda is a thoughtful paragraph in slow tempo, “ a final message for the listener to turn over in his mind “ according to the British critic Kathleen Dale, that reflects the dreamy and romantic side of Schumann ‘ s personality. A tiny wisp of the principal theme rises form the closing measure. Piano Sonata No. 49 in C-Sharp Minor Hob.XVI:36 There are two periods, broadly speaking, in Haydn’s creative life––before the late 1760s and after. Haydn is remembered mostly for the works he composed in the second, mature period of his life. From the late 1760s to the 1770s his compositions went through a fundamental transformation: he found his craft, his originality and an integrated style of expression that was universal and adaptable to any musical idiom. After the 1770s Haydn’s approach to composing certainly evolved, but the basic principles of his musical thinking remained intact. Haydn composed his symphonies, operas and oratorios for the enjoyment of the public and his sonatas primarily for the enjoyment of the performer. Many of his sonatas are custom-made for those to whom they are dedicated, mostly ladies. The eight “mature” piano sonatas included in this recording were written between 1771 and 1790. Haydn’s earlier keyboard works, intended for harpsichord or clavichord, often resemble suites or partitas (collections of movements in a conventional post-baroque manner). His mature sonatas, which after 1780 were composed mostly for fortepiano, are coherent works stylistically and thematically and the relationships between movements are tight and organic. The chronological distance between his earlier and mature sonatas is slight, but the differences in style, form and impact are very tangible. The earlier sonatas were written mostly for amateurs and the later ones for connoisseurs. Piano Sonata No. 49 in C-Sharp Minor Hob.XVI:36, composed in 1770–75, Published in 1780 in Vienna by Artaria as one of a set of 6 sonatas dedicated to Katherina & Marianna Auenbrugger. This piano sonata has a second subject derived from the first, as well as a surprising, interesting recapitulation. Hungarian Rhapsody No. 5 Liszt composed twenty Rhapsodies, but the first fifteen are heard the most. These fifteen were published in final form between 1851 and 1854; he later added five more to the series. Although not equal to his finest works, the Rhapsodies are convincing in their coloristic effects. In many passages Liszt successfully recreates impressions of instruments like the violin and cimbalom. The Hungarian Rhapsodies partake
program notes of both transcription and fantasy. They have been more widely played—and overplayed—than anything else he wrote, especially the second Rhapsody. It has been subjected to every conceivable transcription from harmonica to jazz band. There is little support for the theory that the Rhapsodies are in any way epics of Hungarian nationalism. Too often Liszt is primarily interested in matters of technique; otherwise, they emerge as an unrelated mixture of gypsy music and obvious Italianisms. Schubert: Impromptu in G flat major Franz Schubert wrote two sets of Impromptus (Opus 90 and Opus 142) in 1828, the year of his death; at that time such a title was a recent invention. The model for them had appeared in 1822 in the Impromptus Opus 7 by Jan Worzischek (1791–1825), a Bohemian pianist and composer. As a musical type, Schubert’s Impromptus also had antecedents in the Eclogues, Rhapsodies, and Dithyrambs by another Bohemian, Jan Tomaschek (1774– 1850). Schubert’s Impromptus have excellent musical qualities: they are short, the ideas are succinct and lucid, and the texture is free of any superabundance of notes. Above all, they show the composer’s melodic genius. The very title Impromptu suggests spontaneous improvisation, and Schubert gives this impression in these pieces; yet the Impromptus are polished art forms. Only the first two of Opus 90 (there are four altogether) were published during his lifetime; the others did not appear until 1857. The third Impromptu is an introspective, lyrical poem. Originally written in the key of G-flat major (six flats), it was transposed to the key of G major when published in 1857.
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