Joyce Yang Program Book - 4/19/22

JOYCE YANG, PIANO APRIL 19, 2022 PIANO CIRCLE SPONSORS

MARY-ANN K. CLINTON ANABETH H. COX MARYSUE HARRIS KEITH HECKMAN & JANET DANIELSON

CHARLOTTE HEERMAN MRS. LARRY H. LUSK JOAN M. REIST DIANA WARNER

This performance is supported by the Anabeth Hormel Cox Lied Center Performance Fund and the Joe W. & Ruth K. Seacrest Fund.

2021–2022 SEASON SPONSORS

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Program I French Suite No. 5 in G Major, BWV 816 Allemande Courante Sarabande Gavotte Bourrée Louré Gigue

J.S. BACH

Ten Preludes, Opus 23 No. 1 in F-sharp minor No. 2 in B-flat Major No. 3 in d minor No. 4 in D Major No. 5 in g minor No. 6 in E-flat Major No. 7 in c minor No. 8 in A-flat Major No. 9 in e-flat minor No. 10 in G-flat Major

RACHMANINOFF

Intermission II Barcarolle in g minor “June” from Seasons, Op. 37 Carnaval, Op. 9 Préambule Pierrot Arlequin Valse noble Eusebius Florestan Coquette Réplique-Sphinxes Papillons Lettres dansantes Chiarina Chopin Estrella Reconnaissance Pantalon et Colombine Valse allemande Paganini (Intermezzo) Aveu Promenade Pause Marche des “Davidsbündler” contre les Philistins

TCHAIKOVSKY SCHUMANN

STEINWAY PIANO DISCOGRAPHY: Albany, Avie, and Bridge Records, Foghorn Classics, and Reference Recordings Exclusive Management: ARTS MANAGEMENT GROUP, INC., 130 West 57th St., New York, NY 10019

PROGRAM NOTES French Suite No. 5 in G major, BWV 816 J. S. Bach (1685–1750) Johann Sebastian Bach wrote three sets of dance suites for keyboard: the English Suites, Partitas, and French Suites. Each set contains six suites, all with movements inspired by the dances from which they drew their names, though by Bach’s time these suites were no longer meant to accompany actual dances and were instead intended purely for listening. The six French Suites were composed over a period of several years while Bach was employed as music director in the court at Köthen between 1717–23. Bach himself did not call these suites “French” and it was only after the composer’s death that the moniker was added. Musicologists have attempted to unveil what, exactly, might make the suites distinctly French, but the answer seems to be: very little, if anything (this is the case for the not particularly English English Suites as well). Today the names are kept primarily to help differentiate between the three sets.

The standard Baroque dance suite was comprised of four dances: Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, and Gigue (respectively German, French, Spanish, and English/Irish in origin). This basic structure could then be expanded with other common dances of the era, usually inserted between the Sarabande and Gigue.

Bach’s French Suite No. 5 follows this formula exactly with the addition of a Gavotte, Bourrée, and Louré. All of the suite’s seven movements are in binary form and the key of G major.

The suite’s opening Allemande is moderately paced and features a gentle yet constant flow of sixteenth notes with delicate ornamentation. The following Courante (from the French courir, meaning “to run”) also uses continuous motion, but in a lively triple meter and at a much quicker tempo than the first movement.

The slow and stately Sarabande contains highly decorated lines and accents on the second beat of each bar.

A brief, bright Gavotte follows, then gives way to the Bourrée (from the French bourrir, “to flap wings”), a quick duple meter folk dance filled with skipping figures.

The measured Louré, also known as a “slow jig,” is characterized by its lilting dotted rhythms. The suite ends on a high note with a brilliant whirlwind of a Gigue, which Bach presents as a lively 3-voice fugue.

Ten Preludes, Op. 23 Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943) Sergei Rachmaninoff was just one of several composers who wrote 24 preludes for solo piano covering each of the major and minor keys. J.S. Bach and Frédéric Chopin are among the most notable figures who completed similar sets, but unlike them, Rachmaninoff does not appear to have specifically set out to do so; his 24 preludes were written and published at different times rather than as one unified work. However, Rachmaninoff’s preludes do share one important trait with Chopin’s: while the traditional meaning of “prelude” is a short introductory piece meant to establish the key and mood of a larger piece to follow (Bach’s were each followed by a fugue), Chopin redefined what a prelude could be by making them standalone works, and Rachmaninoff followed his lead.

Rachmaninoff’s preludes stand separate both from each other and any other work, brief musical worlds unto themselves.

The 24 preludes span three separate works, but the ten you will hear on tonight’s program comprise just one of the collections: Ten Preludes, Op. 23 written between 1901–03. Each of these ten preludes explores a wide range of musicality, some dense and brooding, others meltingly lyrical, though all feature the complex textures, rich harmonies, and intriguing Russian rhythms characteristic of the composer’s style. These preludes are considered some of Rachmaninoff’s best compositions for solo piano and true mastery of the works requires not only expert technical control, but also highly sensitive interpretive skill.

Though each of the Op. 23 preludes can arguably be labeled a miniature masterwork, concertgoers can key in on a few significant musical features. Listen for the bell-like tones in Preludes No. 4 and 10; these widely spaced chords that produce sonorities resembling the ringing of bells are one of Rachmaninoff’s most recognizable musical signatures. Also of note is the sharp contrast between Nos. 5 and 6 that shows off the breadth of the composer’s range. The march-like, vigorous No. 5 is the best-known prelude of the set and makes effective use of striking counterpoint and tightly controlled heroic energy. No. 6, on the other hand, features a serenely flowing melody suffused with contented emotion (Rachmaninoff wrote this particular prelude on the day his daughter, Irina, was born).

Barcarolle in G minor “June” from The Seasons, Op. 37a Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893) “June” (Barcarolle) is just one entry in a set of twelve short character pieces for solo piano that make up Tchaikovsky’s well-loved work The Seasons. Composed in 1875–76, Seasons was written on a commission from Nikolay Matveyevich Bernard, editor of the St. Petersburg music publication Nouvellist. Bernard asked specifically for twelve short piano pieces, each named after one month of the year, with a plan to publish them in the corresponding month’s edition of his magazine throughout 1876. Tchaikovsky readily agreed. Though not especially known for his solo piano work— the composer was to make his name primarily through ballets and large-scale orchestral compositions ­— Tchaikovsky was well aware that short, accessible piano pieces were popular at the time and would provide him with a decent source of income.

In addition to the set’s subject matter, Bernard also suggested evocative subtitles for each piece (such as At the Fireside for “January,” Song of the Lark for “March,” and Autumn Song for “October”). For “June” Bernard chose the subtitle Barcarolle, the name for a traditional folk song sung by Venetian gondoliers with a rhythm meant to evoke the rower’s stroke as they propelled their boat through the water. Upon the set’s publication Bernard included poetic epigraphs before every piece; the excerpt prior to “June” reads: “Let us go to the shore; There the waves will kiss our feet.

With mysterious sadness the stars will shine down on us.”

Brimming with Tchaikovsky’s characteristic melodic brilliance, “June” quickly became the most popular of the set’s twelve pieces. At just about five minutes in length and simply structured in ABA form, the music gently ebbs and flows with a delicate fluidity reminiscent of the lapping water its title and epigraph suggest.

Carnaval, Op. 9 Robert Schumann (1810–1856) Robert Schumann took the genre of short-form piano pieces to new heights, infusing the small-scale works with unprecedented expressivity and injecting ever-changing moods and personalities directly into the music. He often wrote such works as parts of large suites within an overarching programmatic context, as is the case with the 21 short pieces that make up Carnaval (1835). The set presents a sort of mini-drama featuring a varied cast of masked revelers at Carnival, the lively festival that occurs prior to Lent. Schumann drew his colorful personas from both real and imaginary sources, including stock characters from the commedia dell’arte tradition (Pierrot, Arlequin, Pantalon et Colombine), famous fellow composers (Chopin and Paganini), his real-life romantic partners (Ernestine von Fricken as Estrella and Clara Wieck as Chiarina), and even the opposing sides of his own personality (sensitive Eusebius and fiery Florestan).

The music which depicts Carnaval’s imaginative scenes and fanciful figures is fittingly elaborate, even resplendent – as well as immensely difficult. Préambule opens the work with a rousing fanfare, the masked revelers entering the ballroom in an excited rush. The sad clown Pierrot, melancholy as always, is the first character to make his appearance, followed quickly by the contrasting Arlequin who delights the room with a dazzling display of leaps and tumbles. The first dance, a stately and sweeping Valse noble, begins. Reflective Eusebius calmly observes the whirlwind of activity while passionate and extroverted Florestan inserts himself squarely into the action. Meanwhile, a flirtatious young Coquette makes eyes at the handsome youths in the room before one such suitor approaches, his ardent Réplique (reply) to her amorous glances interspersed with her coy giggles.

The Papillons (butterflies, i.e. revelers) continue to dance through the ballroom in a breathless frenzy until Chiarina appears and steadies the mood with an elegant waltz. Chopin then takes to the keyboard, playing a characteristic expressive melody over florid arpeggios before Estrella makes her grand entrance, whipping up the crowd once more. A likely suitor – perhaps Schumann himself – gains her Reconnaissance (recognition) and the two dance. A comic scene involving Pantalon et Columbine plays out nearby, the lewd old man chasing after the lovely heroine.

An alluring Valse allemande (German waltz) plays for the merry-makers but is interrupted by Paganini, who interjects with a spontaneous exhibition of brilliant pizzicato before the waltz picks up once more. Under the cover of this noise and bustle, a young woman and her chosen suitor make an intimate Aveu (confession) of love to one another. The revelers begin to make their way in ones and twos from the heated press of the ballroom to Promenade out in the gardens. This brief Pause in the dancing, however, is but the calm before the storm. The hectic finale, Marche des “Davidsbündler” contre les Philistins, bursts forth, depicting the young and upcoming artists of Schumann’s own League of David marching against the artistic “Philistines” (the older generation clinging to outdated ideals) in a triumphant musical display.

--Notes by Laney Boyd

ABOUT Blessed with “poetic and sensitive pianism” (Washington Post) and a “wondrous sense of color” (San Francisco Classical Voice), GRAMMY™-nominated pianist Joyce Yang captivates audiences with her virtuosity, lyricism, and interpretive sensitivity.

She first came to international attention in 2005 when she won the silver medal at the 12th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. The youngest contestant at 19 years old, she took home two additional awards: Best Performance of Chamber Music (with the Takàcs Quartet), and Best Performance of a New Work.

In 2006 Yang made her celebrated New York Philharmonic debut alongside Lorin Maazel at Avery Fisher Hall along with the orchestra’s tour of Asia, making a triumphant return to her hometown of Seoul, South Korea. Yang’s subsequent appearances with the New York

Philharmonic have included opening night of the 2008 Leonard Bernstein Festival— an appearance made at the request of Maazel in his final season as music director. The New York Times pronounced her performance in Bernstein’s The Age of Anxiety a “knockout.”

LIED CENTER FOR PERFORMING ARTS

In the last decade, Yang has blossomed into an “astonishing artist” (Neue Zürcher Zeitung), showcasing her colorful musical personality in solo recitals and collaborations with the world’s top orchestras and chamber musicians through more than 1,000 debuts and re-engagements. She received the 2010 Avery Fisher Career Grant and earned her first GRAMMY™ nomination (Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance) for her recording of Franck, Kurtág, Previn & Schumann with violinist Augustin Hadelich. (“One can only sit in misty-eyed amazement at their insightful flair and spontaneity.” – The Strad) Other notable orchestral engagements have included the Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Hong Kong Philharmonic, the BBC Philharmonic, as well as the Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney, Melbourne, and New Zealand symphony orchestras. She was also featured in a five-year Rachmaninoff concerto cycle with Edo de Waart and the Milwaukee Symphony, to which she brought “an enormous palette of colors, and tremendous emotional depth” (Milwaukee Sentinel Journal).

In solo recitals, Yang’s innovative program has been praised as “extraordinary” and “kaleidoscopic” (Los Angeles Times).

She has performed at New York City’s Lincoln Center and Metropolitan Museum, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Chicago’s Symphony Hall, Zurich’s Tonhalle, and all throughout Australia on a recital tour presented by Musica Viva.

JOYCE YANG, PIANO

As an avid chamber musician, Yang has collaborated with the Takács Quartet for Dvořák—part of Lincoln Center’s Great Performers series—and Schubert’s “Trout” Quintet with members of the Emerson String Quartet at the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center. Yang has fostered an enduring partnership with the Alexander String Quartet and together released three celebrated recordings under Foghorn Classics.

In 2020, Yang released her tenth album performing Jonathan Leshnoff’s Piano Concerto with the Kansas City Symphony (Reference Recordings) that was written for her. Textura magazine wrote “Joyce Yang delivers a riveting performance others would be hard pressed to better...

The opening movement dazzles from the start, with Yang expertly voicing chiming figures over insistent strings and the syncopated rhythms restlessly churning”.

As a champion of new music, Yang has also premiered and recorded a World Premier discography of Michael Torke’s Piano Concerto with Albany Symphony and David Alan Miller (Albany Records).

Yang’s wide-ranging discography also includes two celebrated solo discs (Collage and Wild Dreams, Avie Records), where she “demonstrated impressive gifts” (The New York Times). Yang also released a live-performance recording of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with Denmark’s Odense Symphony Orchestra (Bridge Records), which International Record Review called “hugely enjoyable, beautifully shaped...a performance that marks her out as an enormous talent.”

In recent years, Yang has focused on promoting creative ways to introduce classical music to new audiences. She served as the Guest Artistic Director for the Laguna Beach Music Festival in California, curating concerts that explore the “art-inspires-art” concept— highlighting the relationship between music and dance while simultaneously curating outreach activities to young students. Yang’s collaboration with the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet of Half/Cut/Split—a “witty, brilliant exploration of Robert Schumann’s Carnaval” (The Santa Fe New Mexican) choreographed by Jorma Elo— was a marriage between music and dance to illuminate the ingenuity of Schumann’s musical language. The group toured nationwide, including five performances at the Joyce Theater in New York.

In the 2021/2022 season, Yang will share her versatile repertoire in over 40 cities in the US and Europe. After returning to the stage in summer performances at Wolf Trap (with the National Symphony Orchestra), Grant Park Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Sun Valley Music Festival, Yang will appear with the New World Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Utah Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Nashville Symphony, Pacific Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Tucson Symphony, and Rhode Island Philharmonic, among many others.

Furthermore, Yang will give a World Premier performance of Reinaldo Moya’s Piano Concerto with Bangor Symphony, which draws inspiration from Venezuelen artist Carlos Cruz-Diez. In recital, Yang will present daring programs of Bach, Rachmaninoff, Stravinsky and Kernis as well as collaborate with the Takacs Quartet.

Born in 1986 in Seoul, South Korea, Yang received her first piano lesson from her aunt at the age of four.

She quickly took to the instrument, which she received as a birthday present. Over the next few years won several national piano competitions in her native country.

By the age of ten, she had entered the School of Music at the Korea National University of Arts, and went on to make a number of concerto and recital appearances in Seoul and Daejeon. In 1997, Yang moved to the United States to begin studies at the pre-college division of the Juilliard School with Dr. Yoheved Kaplinsky. During her first year at Juilliard, Yang won the pre-college division Concerto Competition, resulting in a performance of Haydn’s Keyboard Concerto in D with the Juilliard PreCollege Chamber Orchestra. After winning the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Greenfield Student Competition, she performed Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto with that orchestra at just twelve years old.

She graduated from Juilliard with special honor as the recipient of the school’s 2010 Arthur Rubinstein Prize, and in 2011 she won its 30th Annual William A. Petschek Piano Recital Award.

Yang appears in the film In the Heart of Music, a documentary about the 2005 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.

She is a Steinway artist.

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PIANO CIRCLE SPONSOR STORIES MARY-ANN K. CLINTON My late husband (John) and I have loved music all our lives. However, our passion for classical piano started in 1967 when we learned that our four-year-old son Mark had extraordinary musical talent. From that time, we dedicated our efforts to help him develop his God-given talents.

We recently discovered that Mark’s paternal grandmother was such an accomplished pianist that she had been awarded a music scholarship to attend Boston University in the 1930’s. Due to family reasons, she never fulfilled that dream. This made us realize that although God works in wonderful and mysterious ways, family genes may also have been involved.

Following our move to Lincoln, John and I soon found a home for all things musical and cultural at the Lied Center. The growth of the Lied Piano Circle allowed us to contribute to having some of the best piano music in the world on the Lied stage.

Our musical journey has been wonderful one, and my continued participation in the Piano Circle is an honor and privilege. I look forward to this year’s Piano Circle artists as they provide another season of exciting performances for our Nebraska audiences.

ANABETH H. COX As the only member of the Piano Circle without a history on the piano, I must admit that my love of piano performance comes as a result of my sister, MarySue Harris. Her love of the piano, her 40+ years of teaching piano, and her joy in the performance on the piano, have sealed my commitment to perpetuating that love for the children, and the children at heart, in the beauty of the music written for the piano. I’m grateful to be a part of bringing that beauty to the Lincoln community. I can’t play the piano, but I can love it!

JOYCE YANG, PIANO

MARYSUE HARRIS The Piano Series, offered by the Lied Center, is truly an opportunity to hear first-rate piano performances throughout the year! Before the Piano Series, we had some poor attendance at piano concerts, but there is so much interest now, both in the Series and in the active response to the pianists, it is most gratifying and fulfilling! There is an increased awareness of the excellent pianism and an expectation from the audience of a higher standard of performance overall!

As a life-long, performing pianist who taught piano for over 40 years, and had many students win top honors in competitions, I am so thrilled with the resounding success of the Piano Series; and I look forward to another outstanding year with the powerful pianistic performances the series offers.

MarySue has moved to the West Coast to be close to her son and daughter.

KEITH HECKMAN & JANET DANIELSON We are grateful for the opportunity to be members of the Piano Circle. Both of us have spent our entire lives associated with pianos. Janet as a performer and Keith as a piano dealer. It gives us great satisfaction to help bring world class musicians to Lincoln and also provide music outreach support for the many fine young pianists in the area.

CHARLOTTE HEERMAN The Piano Series initially featured in the 2013–14 season of the Lied Center has enhanced the season program and promises to continue to do so in the 2021–22 season. Our community has had the special opportunity to experience piano performances of the highest quality presented by internationally acclaimed pianists. The response has been enthusiastic and has raised awareness and expectations of even more outstanding performances.

As a performing pianist and teacher for many years, I am particularly excited by the opportunity for students to hear some of the best pianists and performances in the world. What an inspiration! I look forward to another outstanding season with exceptional pianists and performances offered by the Piano Series.

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MRS. LARRY H. LUSK The piano and music have played an important part in my life. From my early childhood piano lessons, through high school, college and beyond, there has always been music and especially the piano. Once again, the Lied Piano Series brings beautiful music and outstanding artists to the Lied stage, showcasing the endless variety, creativity and beauty of this grand and glorious instrument.

We welcome these artists to the Lied stage for all to enjoy.

JOAN M. REIST It’s wonderful that the Piano Series has received such a positive and enthusiastic response, and I’m delighted that is has become a permanent fixture in Lied Center programming. It’s especially gratifying that this program continues to reach out to young people, giving them a unique opportunity to hear great music and observe great artists interact with the instrument.

In the end, all who enjoy these concerts will walk away with something new and exciting that can enhance their personal—and positive—relationship with the piano. I really appreciate continuing efforts to engage interested and enthusiastic piano students beyond the concert hall.

The initial Piano Academy was a success in 2018 the 2019 and 2020 events followed suit. What a great opportunity for piano students to engage with talented and experienced mentors and with peers who have similar passion for making music at the piano!

DIANA WARNER I’m so pleased to be a part of the Piano Circle. It’s great to help bring excellent performers and fine piano music to the Lied Center. It is our hope that this project will continue for many years to come.

JOYCE YANG, PIANO