FACULTY RECITAL Ralph Sorrentino, percussion
MONDAY, MARCH 1, 2021 WARE FAMILY RECITAL HALL SWOPE MUSIC BUILDING 8:00 PM
PROGRAM
SIX IDEAS FOR SNARE, BASS AND CYMBAL .................................................. Dave Hollinden I. (b. 1958) II. III. IV. V. VI.
FIVE STRUCTURES FOR FOUR TIMPANI .............................................................David Corkhill I. Flint (b. 1946) II. Basalt III. Quartz IV. Granite V. Slate
PORTRAITS OF A WALTZ ............................................................................. Robert McCormick I. Waltz Tempo (b. 1947) II. Dirge – Very Fast – Bolero Tempo III. Waltz in 1 – Allegro/Coda
LO AND BEHOLD........................................................................................................ Molly Joyce I. Lo (b. 1992) II. Behold * Tonight marks the world premiere performance of Lo and Behold
A MINUTE OF NEWS.......................................................................................Eugene Novotney (b. 1960)
Please silence all cell phones and electronic devices.
PROGRAM NOTES The five pieces on tonight’s program represent some of my favorite repertoire from my commercially released percussion albums, multiplicity (October 2014) and Lo & Behold (due to be released in April 2021 by Ravello Records). Six Ideas for Snare, Bass and Cymbal and A Minute of News both appear on multiplicity. Five Structures for Four Timpani, Portraits of a Waltz, and Lo and Behold appear on Lo & Behold.
Six Ideas for Snare, Bass and Cymbal was premiered by Andrew Spencer at the 1991 PAS Day of Percussion in
Seattle, WA. The six short movements explore a variety of musical styles. Throughout the piece the performer plays the snare drum with and without snares and utilizes various playing spots on the cymbals. A dialogue often exists between the snare drum and bass drum, creating a variety of melodic and rhythmic motives. Hollinden has composed numerous works for percussion, and he holds composition degrees from Indiana University and the University of Michigan. The five movements of David Corkhill’s Five Structures for Four Timpani portray unique musical characters and styles. The movements are named for rocks and minerals that Corkhill associated with the musical characteristics of the piece. Corkhill has distinguished himself as a chamber and orchestral musician, conductor, and composer. Corkhill has held principal positions in the Philharmonia and the English Chamber Orchestra, he won a Grammy Award for his recording of Bartok’s Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion, and he has collaborated extensively with Benjamin Britten.
Portraits of a Waltz is dedicated to composer Robert McCormick’s teacher, Anthony Cirone (former percussionist with
the San Francisco Symphony). McCormick states “in terms of pitch, harmony, and melody, a work for solo snare drum can be quite limited. On the other hand, the snare drum offers room for broad exploration to the composer, in terms of dynamic contrasts, rhythmic execution, timbre, and color. The first waltz, at least, plays with the idea that a drum could suggest a melody. This is accomplished by moving one stick across the head while striking with the other, similar to a rim shot… The second waltz opens with a dirge-like finger roll and develops into a bolero rhythm. Unlike Ravel’s Bolero, with its extremely soft opening and moderate tempo, I start the rhythm loud and fast, gradually getting softer and slower, and slightly altering the original beat. The third waltz, written for timpani mallet and brush, suggests the stylistic influence of the French courante. This waltz shifts melody between mallet and brush with subtle use of hemiola.” Portraits of a Waltz won first place in the 2006 Keystone Percussion Composition Contest. McCormick taught percussion at the University of South Florida for 45 years, and he served as principal percussionist/assistant timpanist of the Florida Orchestra for 20 seasons.
Lo and Behold is a two-movement composition for solo concert bass drum. Composer Molly Joyce states “Lo and
Behold explores what it means to be soft, loud, and seemingly everything in-between on one of my favorite instruments, the bass drum. As a composer I have always had an obsession with the bass drum due to its incredible depth and versatility. However I have often found that the bass drum typically serves a supporting and perhaps even background role in most music. Therefore by bringing it into the spotlight, I hope to feature the instrument in all of its glory, but also at the same time explore a very fundamental yet subjective feature of music – what is soft and what is loud? Therefore since the instrument sounds so radically different when played at extreme dynamic levels, the work is structured in a two-tiered fashion that demonstrates the severe contrast in sonic quality when played at such different dynamic levels. Lo and Behold was commissioned by West Chester University for Ralph Sorrentino, and written in the fall of 2016 in New Haven, CT.” Joyce is an adjunct faculty member at New York University, and her critically acclaimed compositions have been commissioned and performed by major symphony orchestras and prominent chamber ensembles. Scored for solo snare drum, A Minute of News creates a diverse tonal palette through the use of various timbres and implements. The performer plays on the drum head and the rim of the snare drum with sticks, a wire brush, a timpani mallet, and his/her hand. The snare strainer is also used as a percussive device, as the performer turns the snares on and off in the context of the clave rhythm that pervades much of the piece. Novotney is professor of music and Director of Percussion Studies at California State University-Humboldt. - Ralph Sorrentino
UPCOMING WELLS SCHOOL OF MUSIC EVENTS For full event details visit wcupa.edu/music or call (610) 436-2739
COVID-19 STATEMENT In Person Audiences Are Not Permitted for Fall 2020 Events Thursday, March 4, 2021, 12:00 PM Madeleine Wing Adler Concert Series Ware Family Recital Hall Swope Music Building
Thursday, March 4, 2021, 8:15 PM Winter Choral Festival David P. DeVenney & Ryan Kelly, directors Virtual livestream.com/wcupa
Monday, March 8, 2021, 8:00 PM Faculty Recital: Ovidiu Marinescu, cello Philips Autograph Library Philips Memorial Building
Wednesday, March 10, 2021, 8:15 PM Vocal Honors Recital Emily Bullock, director Ware Family Recital Hall Swope Music Building
Thursday, March 11, 2021, 8:15 PM Tom Smith Cello Scholarship Benefit Concert Ovidiu Marinescu, director Virtual livestream.com/wcupa
Friday, March 12, 2021, 7:30 PM Symphony Orchestra Concert Joseph Caminiti, director WCU Foundation West Chester, PA
Sunday, March 21, 2021, 3:00 PM Mastersingers Concert Ryan Kelly, director Emilie K. Asplundh Concert Hall Swope Music Building
Sunday, March 21, 2021, 7:30 PM Concert Choir Concert David P. DeVenney, director Emilie K. Asplundh Concert Hall Philips Memorial Building
*Tickets required for this event.
Events at the Wells School of Music are often supported by individual donors and organizations. Contributions to the Wells School of Music may be made out to: WCU Foundation, 202 Carter Drive, West Chester, PA 19382 Please include “School of Music Deans Fund” in the memo line. For further information, please call (610) 436-2868 or visit wcufoundation.org A majority of performances are available to watch via live stream at Facebook.com/ArtsAtWCUPA and LiveStream.com/wcupa. Mr. Robert Rust, Audio & Visual Technician Steinway & Sons Piano Technical, Tuning and Concert Preparations by Gerald P. Cousins, RPT If you do not intend to save your program, please recycle it in the baskets at the exit doors.
The Wells School of Music | West Chester University of Pennsylvania Dr. Christopher Hanning, Dean