Caijiali La M.M. '24 Graduate Recital

Program Sonata No.17 in D minor, Op.31 No.2 Largo-Allegro Adagio Allegretto Nocturne No.1 in B Flat minor, Op.9, No.1

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Frédéric François Chopin (1810 - 1849)

–Intermission–

French suite No.2 in C minor, BWV 813 Allemande Courante Sarabande Air Menuet Gigue Sonatine Modéré Mouvement de menuet Animé

Jonann Sebastian Bach (1689-1750)

Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937)

Program note Sonata No.17 in D minor, Op.31 No.2 Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), one of the exponents of Classicism, a composer during the European Classical period. This sonata was composed by Beethoven in 1802, when Beethoven's ear problems were worsening and he was experiencing many difficulties in his life. The piece was inspired by Shakespeare's last complete work, The Tempest, in which the Tempest's character has a difficult fate, which resonated with Beethoven and led to the composition of this sonata. This sonata is one of Beethoven's most dramatic works.

The sonata is divided into three movements, the first and third movements being faster while the second movement is slow. The contrast is created by the exchange of movements of widely differing styles. It will give the listener a different experience.

For me, the first movement describes lightning, thunder, and a storm coming. The second movement expresses the peace and quiet after the storm. People are breathing fresh air after the rain to enjoy the sunshine in the week of the storm. The third movement changes from a slow movement to a fast movement, which is slower than the first movement, but very flowing. Although it is not as strong as the first movement, it still gives a feeling of fear. As the music ends, the storm gradually ends and everything comes back to peace.

Nocturne No.1 in B Flat minor, Op.9, No.1 Frédéric François Chopin (1810 - 1849) was a 19th-century Polish composer and pianist.

Different from the classical period music, the music of the romantic period pays more attention to the subjective feelings of the individual psychology, usually giving an indescribable emotional expression. Chopin is considered one of the representatives of the golden period of Romanticism. His music style is distinctive and not easily confused with that of other composers. That's why his nocturnes usually come to mind when Chopin is mentioned.

Nocturne was created by the English composer Felder, and in 1830 Chopin expanded the scale of the work on the basis of Felder's creation to make the nocturne more dramatic.

The Nocturne op.9 no.1 is a soft and soothing piece. Dedicated to Mrs. Camille Pleyel, Chopin fell in love with another woman while composing it. So in this piece there is an expression of love as well as an outpouring of hidden feelings, giving the piece a multi-layered emotional expression. The melody is singable, and there are many identical parts in the piece, which expresses the fascination of love and the desire for gentleness.

French suite No.2 in C minor, BWV 813 Jonann Sebastian Bach (1689-1750) was born in Germany. Before the 17th century instrumental music appeared mainly as accompaniment music. Pre-Baroque keyboard music developed in France, Italy and Germany. Bach's keyboard suites were most influenced by French and Italian styles. The Suite developed over time German composers recognized the forms of the Suite: Allemande, Courant, Sarabande and Gigue. Between Sarabande and Gigue other types of dance music would be added.

The French Suite BWV813 has six dance songs, all in the key of c minor. In addition to the basic four dances, there are also Menuet and Air, of which Allemande is a German dance in 4/4 beat with coherent phrases and beautiful music, Courant is an Italian dance in 3/4 beat with a faster tempo, and the left and right hand melodies correspond to each other. Sarabande is also a Spanish dance in 3/4 beat with a solemn atmosphere, Air is a piece in 4/4 beat with a light and joyful atmosphere, Menuet is a noble and elegant piece with a gentle tempo, and Gigue is a dance in 3/8 beat with dots and eighths. Gigue is a three-eighths beat dance piece, mainly with dots and eighth note rhythms, and the dance style is joyful.

Bach used rich polyphonic techniques, combined with the musical elements of various countries and made the French Suite beautiful and exquisite, highlighting the interest of French aristocratic music.

Sonatine Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937) was a famous French composer and one of the representatives of the Impressionists.

The Sinfonia is a work composed by Ravel in 1905. The piece uses the Church modes, and the whole piece uses the classical style structure. The whole piece pursues the feeling of smoothness and lightness. Ravel perfectly demonstrated the combination of classical and modern, which is a representative work of his gradual maturity.

The first movement is a sonata structure in the middle movement, with the theme melody being reserved, which makes the music full of singing. In the second movement, Ravel uses the ancient theme of the minuet. The whole piece has a dancing character. The third movement is the sharp movement, in which the intensity changes are the most abundant, and there are many crescendo and decrescendo markings in it, stressing the style characteristics of each part.

In this piece Ravel combines the traditional sonata style drinking with present day harmony and uses Church modes for such a mix. This piece is a good demonstration of his highly specialized style of musical expression.