FACULT Y RECITAL
Trio 180 Ann Miller, violin Vicky Wang, cello Sonia Leong, piano
Thursday, November 30, 2023 7:30 pm Recital Hall
38TH PERFORMANCE OF 2023–24 ACADEMIC YEAR
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2023, 7:30 PM Lera Auerbach (B. 1973)
Piano Trio No. 1 (1992; 1994) Prelude: Allegro moderato Andante lamentoso Presto
Elgin Movements for Piano Trio (2022) (World Premiere) Adagio Larghetto Allegro
Eric Wood (b. 1960)
Intermission
Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor, op. 67 (1944) Andante—Moderato Allegro non troppo Largo Allegretto
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975)
PROGRAM NOTES Wood: Elgin Movements Eric Wood is associate professor of practice in theory and composition at University of the Pacific’s Conservatory of Music. He teaches a variety of courses in both music history and music theory as well as applied composition lessons. Wood has also taught at Evergreen Valley College, California State University, Stanislaus, and Boston University. Wood holds Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees in composition from the University of Oregon where his primary teachers were Derek Healey, Harold Owen, and Monte Tubb. He earned a Doctoral of Musical Arts degree in composition from Boston University, studying with Charles Fussell and Lukas Foss. Wood’s compositions have been performed at the Warebrook Festival in Vermont and the Cabrillo Festival in Aptos, California. Focusing primarily on vocal music, he has written song cycles on poems by Shakespeare, Kenneth Patchen, e. e. cummings, and Pablo Neruda. His larger vocal works include a one-act opera, Movieland Chatroom, and a cantata for Christmas, O Golden Child. His work The Wedding Procession of the Rag Doll and the Broom Handle and Who Was in It is composed for a symphonic wind ensemble and narrator using a children’s story by Carl Sandburg. His recent works include Quartet for clarinet, piano, cello, and percussion; Invective, a soprano/violin duo based on critical reviews of well-known composers; and Planting Trees, a setting of a poem by Wendall Berry for string quartet and tenor. Note by the composer Elgin Movements was written in the summer and fall of 2022. The title comes from Robert Johnson’s version of “Walkin’ Blues” from the 1930s. In it, he describes a woman as having Elgin movements, a reference that has confused many a listener as a quick Google search will show. As it turns out, Elgin was a quality watch brand of the era—the Rolex of its day—known for its accuracy and precision. Since the trio uses several metrical and rhythmic devices such as metric modulation, overlapping ostinatos of different lengths, and unusual meters—and since there are three movements—I felt the obscure reference would make an apt title.
TRIO 180 Trio 180, the faculty piano trio-in-residence at University of the Pacific’s Conservatory of Music, is dedicated to its roles as performer, proponent of new music, and educator. In addition to giving concerts and masterclasses throughout the United States, the Trio has been featured on concert series in Mexico and Canada. This talented ensemble includes violinist Ann Miller, cellist Vicky Wang, and pianist Sonia Leong. Trio 180 performs a wide range of music from the Classic era to the present and is an active advocate of new music. The Trio was awarded a Barlow Grant in 2006 to commission eminent composer Chen Yi’s first piano trio, Tibetan Tunes (Theodore Presser). The Trio also premiered Robert Coburn’s a depth of silence (2018); Robert Greenberg’s 180 Shift (2013); Reinaldo Moya’s Gothic Sea (2011, in honor of Trio 180’s tenth anniversary); François Rose’s Gently, Wild Rose Petals (2008); Derek Jacoby’s Trio No. 2 (2008); and Allan Crossman’s Icarus (2005). The Trio has also recorded works by Jorge Liderman (Suite del sur; Sidewalk, recorded on Albany Records); and Cindy Cox (Wave). The Trio mentors young musicians and chamber music groups at University of the Pacific’s Conservatory of Music, where all three members are on faculty. In addition, Trio 180 frequently performs at elementary and high schools throughout California, presenting varied and interactive programs designed to challenge and engage young students.
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