Student Recital Series 2024 – 2025 Season
Sara M. Snell Music Theater Sunday,April 6th at 1:15 PM
Dr. Keilor Kastella, piano
Romance for violin and piano, Op. 23 (1893)
F-A-E Sonata (1853)
III. Scherzo
Violin Concerto in C Major, Op. 48 (1948)
II.Andante cantabile
III. Vivace giocoso
Amy Marcy Cheney Beach (1867–1944)
Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
Dmitri Kabalevsky (1904–1987)
Alyssa Spina is from the studio of Liesl Schoenberger Doty
Romance for violin and piano, Op. 23 (1893) Amy Marcy Cheney Beach
Amy Beach is widely regarded as the first successfulAmerican woman composer and is often celebrated as the “dean of women composers” (158).1 Aprodigious talent, she excelled in both piano and composition from an early age. At fifteen, she launched her professional piano career in Boston, quickly earning a stellar reputation as a virtuoso, including a solo performance with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.2 Later in life, Beach shifted her focus to composition, producing over 150 works and solidifying her legacy in art music (160).1 Among her compositions, Romance for violin and piano stands out as one of the most beautiful works in the violin repertoire. The piece is characterized by sweet yet yearning modulations, weaving together dynamic contrasts that soar to the highest notes of the violin and then suddenly shift to its lowest register. These dramatic changes, enhanced by modal mixture, create a melody rich with contrasting emotions, showcasing Beach’s lyrical writing.
Sonata, III. Scherzo (1853) Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms, a renowned German composer, is celebrated for upholding Classical traditions at a time when many composers were embracing new musical directions.3 Although his early life has been widely researched, some aspects remain debated, such as unverified claims that he performed in brothels as a child (276).4 What is widely agreed upon is Brahms’s early infatuation with music, influenced by his father, Jakob Brahms, a professional horn player. Over his lifetime, Brahms composed hundreds of works that blend Classical structures with innovative rhythmic and harmonic techniques.
1 Briscoe, James R. Historical Anthology of Music by Women. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1986. https://muse.jhu.edu/book/84778
2 Block,Adrienne Fried, and E. Douglas Bomberger. "Beach [Cheney],Amy Marcy." Grove Music Online. 16 Oct. 2013; Accessed 21 Dec. 2024 https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e1002248268.
3 Geiringer, K. and Simpson, Robert. "Johannes Brahms." Encyclopedia Britannica, November 7, 2024. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Johannes-Brahms
4 Avins, Styra. “The Young Brahms: Biographical Data Reexamined.” 19th-Century Music 24, no. 3 (2001): 276–89. https://doi.org/10.1525/ncm.2001.24.3.276.
The F-A-E Sonata, a collaborative work byAlbert Dietrich, Robert Schumann, and Johannes Brahms, holds a distinctive place in music history.5 Dedicated to the Hungarian violinist Joseph Joachim, the sonata embodies his personal motto, Frei, aber einsam (“Free, butAlone”). Brahms’s contribution, the third movement Scherzo, showcases his characteristic style. It opens with bold rhythmic and harmonic dissonances within a clear tonal framework. The primary theme alternates between minor and major keys, building and resolving tension. Contrasting sections introduce shifts in meter and chromaticism, interwoven with Classical phrasing, adding dramatic variety. Despite these changes, the movement consistently returns to its original dissonant theme, transitioning through steady, quiet passages in the piano’s left hand. The movement concludes with an unexpected harmonic shift, where grand chords lead to an imperfect yet resonant cadence.
Dmitri Kabalevsky
While Dmitri Kabalevsky is often recognized for his accessible compositions for students and amateur musicians, he also received significant acclaim for more advanced works, including his only violin concerto, which earned him the prestigious Stalin Prize.6 This award, granted annually during the Soviet regime, honored works that exemplified “the best in Soviet culture” (178).7 Beyond his compositional achievements, Kabalevsky was an influential administrator who shaped Soviet cultural life, overseeing music programming on Soviet radio and performances at institutions such as the Institute ofArt History and theAcademy of Sciences.6
One of the lesser-known violin concertos, Kabalevsky’s Violin Concerto in C Major captivates me both as a performer and musicologist. Dedicated to the Soviet youth, the concerto balances technical brilliance with emotional depth. The second movement, Andante cantabile, opens with a luscious, yearning melody in a particularly challenging key for the violin. Its key choice adds both compositional and technical challenges, heightening the movement’s expressive intensity. The piece then abruptly shifts to a playful, upbeat theme, subtly echoing the original melody’s moments of despair.Along chromatic and rhythmically intricate passage
5 Buman, Carl. "Brahms+: FAE Sonata." American Record Guide, July-August 1999, 106. Gale Academic OneFile (accessed December 25, 2024). https://link-gale-com.potsdam.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/A55412462/AONE?u=potsdam_main&sid=bookmarkAONE&xid=f5db40cc
6 "Dmitri Kabalevsky." In Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed., 400-401. Vol. 8. Detroit, MI: Gale, 2004. Gale eBooks (accessed December 21, 2024). https://link-gale-com.potsdam.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/CX3404703423/GVRL?u=potsdam_main&sid=bookmarkGVRL&xid=a3853884.
7 Medić, Ivana. "Stalin’s Music Prize: Soviet Culture and Politics." Muzikološki Zbornik 54, no. 1 (2018): 177–182. https://doi.org/10.4312/mz.54.1.177-182
builds tension before the return of the opening theme, bringing the movement to a poignant close.
The third movement, Vivace giocoso, is fast-paced and buoyant, driven by a chromatic and energy-building main theme that constantly modulates.Adynamic interplay of playfulness, sweetness, dissonance, and boldness defines the movement, highlighting the violin’s expressive and technical capabilities. Its commanding yet tonal conclusion aligns with the aesthetic expectations of Soviet musical works, in contrast to Western trends such as atonality and experimentalism. This concerto masterfully blends playfulness and power, showcasing Kabalevsky’s ability to craft technically demanding yet emotionally resonant music that aligns with Soviet artistic ideals.
Program Notes by Alyssa Spina
Avins, Styra. “The Young Brahms: Biographical Data Reexamined.” 19th-Century Music 24, no. 3 (2001): 276–89. https://doi.org/10.1525/ncm.2001.24.3.276.
Block,Adrienne Fried, and E. Douglas Bomberger. "Beach [Cheney],Amy Marcy." Grove Music Online. 16 Oct. 2013; Accessed 21 Dec. 2024. https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo9781561592630-e-1002248268.
Briscoe, James R. Historical Anthology of Music by Women. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1986. https://muse.jhu.edu/book/84778.
Buman, Carl. "Brahms+: FAE Sonata." American Record Guide, July-August 1999, 106. Gale Academic OneFile (accessed December 25, 2024). https://link-galecom.potsdam.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/A55412462/AONE?u=potsdam_main&sid=bookmarkAONE&xid=f5db40cc
"Dmitri Kabalevsky." In Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed., 400-401. Vol. 8. Detroit, MI: Gale, 2004. Gale eBooks (accessed December 21, 2024). https://link-galecom.potsdam.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/CX3404703423/GVRL?u=potsdam_main&sid=bookmarkGVRL&xid=a3853884
Geiringer, K. and Simpson, . Robert. "Johannes Brahms." Encyclopedia Britannica, November 7, 2024. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Johannes-Brahms.
Medić, Ivana. "Stalin’s Music Prize: Soviet Culture and Politics." Muzikološki Zbornik 54, no. 1 (2018): 177–182. https://doi.org/10.4312/mz.54.1.177-182.