Across the Pond

carthage music department presents

Across the Pond Student Recital by Zachary Ward Featuring Melissa Cardamone, piano Lexy Klawonn, clarinet

Sunday, April 24, 2022 | 2 p.m. | Recital Hall

program Five Bagatelles for Clarinet and Piano, Op.23 I Prelude II Romance III Carol IV Forlana V Fughetta

Gerald Finzi (1901-1956)

Four Characteristic Pieces for Clarinet and Piano I Ballade II Croon Song III Intermezzo IV Scherzo

William Hurlstone (1876-1906)

Three Romances, Op.22 (Arranged for Clarinet) I Andante Molto II Allegretto III Leidenschaftlich schnell

Clara Schumann (1819-1896) Transcription by Mark Thiel

Concert Piece No. 2 Felix Mendelssohn I Presto (1809-1847) II Andante III Allegretto grazioso Lexy Klawonn, clarinet Concerto for Clarinet in E-Flat Major I Allegro

Franz Krommer (1759-1831)

program notes Five Bagatelles for Clarinet and Piano Composed shortly before he was drafted into the war effort in 1941, Gerald Finzi laid the groundwork for what would become one of his most recognizable works, the Five Bagatelles for Clarinet and Piano. The work originally started out as a set of three pieces made up of “bits and pieces” Finzi had collected over his years of composing. A fourth movement was added during his time in the army, and they premiered in 1943. The work would not reach its final, fivemovement form until it was published in July of 1945, shortly before the end of World War II. The work as we now know it is made up of a spirited opening “Prelude”, followed by a peaceful “Romance”, a tender and expressive “Carol”, the “Forlana”, and the fast-paced “Fughetta”. The diversity within these five movements showcase the versatility of the clarinet, and demonstrate why this work remains one of Finzi’s most recognizable and important to this day.

Four Characteristic Pieces William Hurlstone was a late-Romantic Era British composer born on January 7th, 1876.

From an early age, he showed incredible musical talent. At the age of eighteen, Hurlstone was awarded a scholarship to the Royal College of Music, where he studied composition under Sir Charles Villiers Stanford. Stanford considered Hurlstone to be the most talented of the many brilliant students he taught, including Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gustav Holst, and John Ireland, among others. Hurlstone’s career was short-lived, however, as he soon passed away from bronchial asthma in 1906, leaving behind an exquisite, albeit small, body of works. The Four Characteristic Pieces for Clarinet and Piano has become one of his most recognizable and important compositions. Originally composed in 1899, only seven years

program notes before Hurlstone’s death, this work is one of his latest and most evocative works. It opens with a dramatic “Ballade” that explores the tonal range of the instrument and pushes the performer to various technical and musical extremes. The second movement, “Croon Song”, makes great use of the dynamic range of the clarinet and specifically the clarinet’s ability to play softly. The penultimate “Intermezzo” opens in a much more cheerful and playful manner and incorporates several tempo changes in order to create and maintain interest throughout. The “Scherzo” closes out the work and is best described as a fast, exciting finale to this magnificent piece.

Three Romances Clara Schumann was one of the most celebrated pianists, composers, and piano teachers of the Romantic era. Born in 1819, Schumann had a sixty-one-year concert career, and she was responsible for changing the format and repertoire of the piano recital from displays of virtuosity to programs of serious works. She also composed solo piano pieces, a piano concerto, chamber music, choral pieces, and songs. She was also responsible, along with her husband, Robert Schumann, for encouraging Johannes Brahms, with whom they maintained a close relationship. She would go on to premiere several works by her husband and Brahms.

The romance was one of Clara’s favorite genres and this work, originally written for violin and piano, perfectly encapsulates her appreciation and understanding of the genre. Schumann places chamber music at the forefront of this work, treating the solo instrument and piano as equals, rather than the piano taking a supplementary accompaniment role. This can be seen from the start of the lyrically beautiful “Andante molto”, to the lively “Allegretto” and the lyrical and airy “Leidenschaftlich schnell” which closes out the work.

Concert Piece No. 2 Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy was one of the most gifted and versatile prodigies of his time. He stood out as a conductor, pianist, and composer in German music during the Romantic era and would continue to inspire for many generations to come. Mendelssohn’s relatively short life did not limit his output as a composer, leaving behind a number of Concertos (3 for Piano, 2 for two Pianos, 1 for Violin & Piano, and 2 for Violin), several Overtures, and 5 Symphonies.

The Concert Piece No. 2, Op. 114 has come to be known as one of Mendelssohn’s most recognizable and celebrated works for the clarinet. The first and third movements of the piece are similar in style and tempo, while the middle movement is in a contrasting legato style.

The opening “Presto” begins with an agitated, fiery run from all performers. Towards the middle of this section, the mood lightens momentarily leading to short cadenzas for each of the solo instruments before the movement ends with a brilliant unison flourish in the minor key. The piano ushers in the second movement in a quieter and more somber mood, featuring the lower solo instrument accompanying the upper in glowing arpeggios. The two solo voices occasionally trade off with one another in points of imitation. The finale is light-hearted and exciting, testing the technical limits of the solo instruments, and ending with a brilliant duocadenza from the soloists.

Concerto in E-Flat Major Franz Krommer was born in the late Classical era in 1759 and lived a relatively long life until 1831. His long life yielded a significant output and despite this, he has fallen out of the ranks of the great composers of the Classical era and his music is often overlooked for similar works by Mozart or Haydn. Krommer was a prolific and highly respected composer during his lifetime, with a significant, popular and substantial addition to the string quartet repertoire. His concertos include several works for his own instrument, the violin, and for wind instruments, including a solo concerto and two double-concertos for clarinet. This concerto, his Op. 36 appeared in print for the first time in 1803. The opening Allegro movement is serious, with an exposition in the piano part which eventually grows into the first entrance of the soloist.

The first movement continues to develop into a more mysterious and intense middle section,

program notes building tension through dissonance and moments of unease between the piano and clarinet parts. The music weaves its way to a closure with a series of virtuosic runs from the soloist to round out the movement. The concerto is not purely a virtuoso work. Krommer’s intent seemed to be to showcase the clarinet’s strengths as a lyrical instrument, and the piece does not disappoint. Even if Krommer no longer ranks with the giants of the Classical era, this concerto is nevertheless well worth hearing as a strong representative of the wind concerto in the age of Beethoven.

biography Zachary Ward is a clarinetist currently based at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin earning his bachelor’s degree in Instrumental Music Performance. He is a member of both the Carthage Wind Orchestra and Carthage Philharmonic, occasionally serving as the principal clarinetist of both groups. He has also played in the pit orchestra for the Kenosha Opera Festival’s production of Donizetti’s La Fille du regiment, as well as several high school musical theater productions. He has performed as a member of the Illinois Music Education Association’s District-level Honors Band, The Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras, as well as served as Principal clarinet for 2 years at Maine West High School in Des Plaines, Illinois.

Zachary has studied with Janice L. Minor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, freelance artist Anna Najoom, and most recently, Barbara Drapcho at Carthage College. After his undergraduate studies, Zachary plans to continue into graduate studies and earn his master’s degree in clarinet performance.

upcoming events Student Recital: Rogelio Castro Sunday, April 24 • 7:30 p.m.

Recital Hall • Tickets required Graduate Recital: Seyi Ajibade Wednesday, April 27 • 7:30 p.m.

A. F. Siebert Chapel • Tickets required

Fine Arts at Carthage acknowledges that the land on which our building stands is part of the traditional Potawatomi, Sioux, Peoria, Kickapoo, and Miami peoples past, present, and future. These homelands reside along the southwest shores of Michigami, North America’s largest system of freshwater lakes. We honor with gratitude the land itself, and the people who have stewarded it throughout the generations. Many Indigenous peoples thrive in this place—alive and strong, and this calls us to commit to continuing to learn how to be better stewards of the land we inhabit as well.

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