Frank Wiens
Friday, February 7, 2025
7:30 pm
Faye Spanos Concert Hall
Capriccio in F-sharp minor, op. 76, no. 1 (1871)
Intermezzo in E major, op. 116, no. 4 (1892)
Capriccio in C-sharp minor, op. 76, no. 5 (1878)
Sonata no. 28 in A major, op. 101 (1816)
Allegretto ma non troppo
Vivace alla marcia
Adagio, ma non, troppo, con affetto Allegro
El Salón México (1932-1936/1941)
Pause
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Aaron Copland (1900-1990)
Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)
Prelude in B major, op. 11, no. 1 (1886) 3′
Variations on a Theme of Corelli, op. 42 (1931)
Anatoly Liadov (1855-1914)
Sergei Rachmanioff (1873-1943)
19′
Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Brilliante, op.22 (1830-1834)
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
13′
PROGRAM NOTES
Brahms: Capriccio in F-sharp minor, Intermezzo in E major, Capriccio in C-sharp minor
Brahms wrote many character pieces for the piano. Some were entitled Intermezzo and are among the most beautiful and expressive short works of the nineteenth century. Capriccio was a term he often used for a livelier piece. The op. 76 set, from which the two capricccios are taken, were written mainly in 1878. The Intermezzo, op. 116, no. 4, was written in 1892 and is part of a collection of seven Capriccios and Intermezzi. Evidently Brahms considered calling this particular piece Notturno rather than Intermezzo, and it is one of my favorites of all of the Brahms character pieces.
Beethoven: Sonata in A Major, op. 101
This work was composed in 1816 and published one year later, and is considered the first of the later piano sonatas. Composed in the town of Baden just south of Vienna, the composer described it as a series of impressions and reveries. In these later sonatas his style became more introspective and intimate, and incorporates more polyphonic characteristics. The first movement is a sonata form of sorts, originally carrying the instruction “somewhat lively and with the warmest feeling.” The second movement is a march with sharp dotted rhythms and has a trio section in the form of a canon. The third movement is short, slow, and somber, and ends with a reminiscence of the first movement before connecting to the last movement. This movement is the most technically challenging and includes a considerable fugal section in the middle of the movement.
Copland/Bernstein: El Salón México
This piece is a symphonic composition in one movement by Aaron Copland, who began the work in 1932 and completed it in 1936. The work portrays a dance hall in Mexico City called El Salón México, which he visited and where various types of music were played. The subtitle was "A Popular Type Dance Hall in Mexico City.” The four melodies of the piece are based on sheet music he purchased during his visits. This version is a transcription for solo piano by Copland’s friend and champion Leonard Bernstein.
PROGRAM NOTES
Liadov: Prelude in B minor, op. 11, no. 1
A professor at the Moscow Conservatory and a teacher of some prominent Russian composers, including Prokofiev, Liadov wrote many works for piano and is best known for his work entitled Musical Snuff Box. I played this piece as an encore a few years ago and it seemed like the audience liked this more than any other piece on the program! It is truly lovely, and evidence of a talent that might not have been fully realized, which might explain why few know his name today.
Rachmaninoff: Variations on a Theme of Corelli, op. 42
This was Rachmaninoff’s only solo piano piece after he left Russia. It also is the last work that he wrote in his favorite key of D minor, which was the basis of his first symphony, first piano sonata, and third concerto. The theme, La folia, was actually a traditional Portuguese dance melody and not written by Corelli at all. Many have used it as a basis for other works, and Corelli used it in his violin sonata, op. 5, no. 12. Rachmaninoff premiered it in the 1931–32 season. He had mixed feelings about the work, and a few years later he stopped playing it altogether and never did record it.
Chopin: Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Brillante, op. 22
This work was composed between 1830 and 1834. Its first version was written for piano and orchestra, but the solo version played on this program was published simultaneously in 1836. The first section is a lovely, calm and flowing section, followed by the polonaise with its typical rhythm and considerable decoration. Those who have seen the 2002 film The Pianist might recognize this work, which concludes the film as the pianist, who has been in hiding throughout the Nazi occupation of Poland, returns after the country is liberated to perform this work in its version for piano and orchestra.
—Frank Wiens
Frank Wiens is a professor emeritus at University of the Pacific where he taught piano 1976–2019.
Wiens performing career has taken him to Eastern and Western Europe, Asia, and throughout the United States. Possessing a concerto repertoire of over 35 works, he has been a frequent soloist with symphony orchestras in th U.S. and abroad. His recitals have taken him to major cities like London, Warsaw, Vienna, Seoul, New York and Los Angeles.
Wiens gave his New York debut at Carnegie Recital Hall. His London recital debut took place in May of 1986. He made his European continental debut in Vienna at the Brahms-Saal of the Musikverein. He has also performed a concert tour of the Soviet Union, Romania, Poland, and two tours in South Korea. He returned to New York to give a recital for the 100th birth anniversary of Prokofiev. He was invited to tour the Soviet Union in April of 1991 in numerous solo and orchestral engagements as part of the 100th anniversary celebrations in Prokofiev’s native land.
In the fall of 1994 Wiens traveled to Bratislava, Slovakia, to record an album including the Rachmaninoff Third Concerto with the Slovakia National Orchestra and the Rachmaninoff Sonata No. 1. The album was released internationally in 1995 on the Fanfare-Intersound label. Late in 2006, Frank Wiens appeared as soloist with the Orchestra “Dinu Lipatti” in Romania, and gave solo recitals devoted to the music of Chopin at the Chopin Academy and at the Lazienki Palace on Water in Warsaw, Poland.
In 2009 Wiens was the recipient of the Stockton Arts Commission’s award for Outstanding Achievement in Music, and University of the Pacific's ResearchLecturer Award and the Distinguished Faculty Award. He was awarded the Order of Pacific upon his official retirement in 2020.
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