11.12.23 Gianna Magrino, Clarinet

Student Recital Series Sara M. Snell Music Theater

2023 – 2024 Season Sunday November 12th at 12pm

Gianna Magrino, clarinet Keilor Kastella, piano Clarinet Concerto (2017) I. Saans (Breath)

Reena Esmail (b. 1983)

Premèire Rhapsodie (1910)

Claude Debussy (1862– 1918) Brief Pause

Konzertstück à la Feidman (2015) I. Freilach II. Hora III. Presto Ashley Colucci, clarinet

István Kohán (b. 1990)

The Solitude of Stars (2018)

Stacy Garrop (b. 1969)

La Vie en Rose (1945)

Edith Piaf (arr. Gianna Magrino) (1915-1963) (b. 2002)

Superstition (1972)

Stevie Wonder (arr. Layne Sullivan) (b. 1953) (b. 2002) Heather Murphy, trumpet Nicholas Derderian, Kayla Sumberg, saxophones John Natale, guitar Chris Gilbert, bass Luke Coyne Connoly, piano Quinn Kinney, drum set

Gianna Magrino is from the studio of Christine Hoerning.

This is an hour recital for the completion of the Performance Certificate.

Clarinet Concerto - Reena Esmail I. Saans (Breath) The first time I saw one of Shankar Tucker’s videos on YouTube, almost five years ago, I knew I wanted to write him this concerto. I didn’t know him back then: I was just one of his millions of fans from around the world, who was so deeply moved to see a musician who blended these two traditions with such incredible imagination.

Five years after I first saw that video, this project finally found a home with Albany Symphony.

Shankar is a unique performer: he has trained extensively in both Western and Hindustani classical music – both at New England Conservatory in Boston, and with a great master of Hindustani music, Hariprasad Chaurasia in India. In writing this piece, I found that so many doors were open to me that had never been open at the same time: I could notate a simple melody that he could then ornament or vary. I could ask him to improvise in a raag. I could ask him to read notation off a page, in changing time signatures. I could write in a complex western form because he could easily follow what was on the page. There are very few musicians in the world who are able to do all of these things, and even fewer who are able to do them with the grace, fluidity and soul of Shankar Tucker.

Hindustani music is an aural tradition: the nuance of a phrase is picked up through call and response, by hearing and repeating. In both movements of this concerto, the melodies that start in the clarinet eventually find their way into the orchestra. Many of these melodies came from Shankar’s own improvisations — we worked together on this piece at the conceptual level and found material we both loved. The aural transfer of these melodies to the western musicians is embedded in the piece itself, and the exchange of musical cultures is taking place in real time, before your ears.

- Program Note by Reena Esmail

Premiere Rhapsodie - Claude Debussy Claude Debussy was one of the most influential composers in the post-Romantic era. Much to his chagrin, his music is viewed as the pioneer of Impressionism, a genre known for its use of harmony to convey color and texture, rather than a refined musical syntax. His music is often compared to the impressionist paintings of Claude Monet, who was known for paintings that could be distinguished by its use of color to portray an abstract image.

In the later part of his life, Debussy spent his time working for the Paris Conservatoire, for whom this piece was commissioned. The piece was commissioned in 1910, to be used as a “Solo De Concours”, or competition solo, for the annual performance exam. Needless to say, Debussy did not hold back on the technical demands for this piece. At the same time, students from the Conservatoire were asked to sight read what came to be known as his Petite Piece.

The opening of this piece paints a pastel sunrise with a delicate balance between the clarinet and piano. The piano has a descending triplet ostinato, while the clarinet holds a sustained floating

line that soars through the range of the clarinet. As the piece continues, the clarinet’s part becomes increasingly technically demanding with arpeggiated passages that span from the chalumeau to altissimo ranges. The color shifts from a warm pastel sunrise to a more intense dusk, still maintaining its warmth but becoming more intense in saturation. When the first theme recapitulates, the color shifts to a much more intense version of its previous pastel portrayal. This builds into a fiery closer, showcasing a bold color with a showstopping finish.

- Program Note by Gianna Magrino

Konzertstuck A La Fiedman - István Kohan I. Freilach II. Hora III. Presto Istvan Kohan is a Hungarian clarinetist currently based in Japan. Currently teaching at the Tokyo College of Music, he is an avid composer and performing clarinetist. Channeling his Hungarian roots, Kohan’s compositions are heavily influenced by klezmer music, Hungarian folk songs, and Romani music. His musical roots come from his father, a renowned Hungarian klezmer musician.

Klezmer music is rooted in Ashkenazi Jewish tradition from Eastern and Central Europe. The word klezmer is derived from the Yiddish root words "kley" (vessel) and "zemer" (melody) that referred to musical instruments in ancient times. Many klezmer traditions are derived from Romani, Balkan, and Yiddish folk music.

This piece pays hommage to the great klezmer clarinetist Giora Feidman, known as the “King of Klezmer”. The first movement, Freilach, means “cheerful” in Yiddish. This movement is reminiscent of music that is performed at weddings and other celebrations. It opens with two contrasting cadenzas, followed by syncopated melodies that showcase klezmer articulations and extended techniques. The second movement, Hora, is much softer. The two clarinets play soft harmonies along with pulsing piano accompaniment. Hora is a type of dance performed at weddings in which the newlywed couple is lifted in chairs while their loved ones dance around them in a circle. The third movement, Presto, is a bright dance in a call-and-response style. This movement includes passages referencing some popular clarinet works and is a delightful musical conversation between the two clarinets, filled with technical runs spanning the clarinet’s range.

- Program note by Gianna Magrino

The Solitude of Stars - Stacy Garrop In 2014, I enjoyed a wonderful residence at the Ucross Foundation in Clearmont, Wyoming.

Ucross is an artist colony that gives writers, composers, and visual artists the gift of time, space,

and support to follow their artistic pursuits; we are provided with studio space, housing, and meals so that we can work almost continuously on our projects. I have been in residence at numerous artist colonies; however, nothing in my previous experiences prepared me for living in such isolated, wild country. Ucross is situated on a 20,000-acre cattle ranch at nearly 4,000 feet in elevation with fewer than 150 people living within the town. But what Clearmont lacks in population, it makes up for abundantly and spectacularly in wilderness and wildlife. I composed the sextet Postcards from Wyoming to portray three glimpses of what I found to be the most striking aspects of my residence.

The Solitude of Stars, the third and final movement of the original sextet, was inspired by the stunning nightly display of the heavens above. Without city lights dimming the night sky, countless stars shone brightly over the vast expanse of the prairie. In 2020, I arranged the solo piano edition for my husband, Joseph Francavilla.

- Program note by Stacy Garrop

La Vie En Rose - Edith Piaf Edith Piaf was one of the most well-regarded performers of the 20th Century. Her performance career began at just age 14, though her career picked up during the German occupation of France during World War II. Her most popular song, La Vie En Rose, was published in 1945.

The lyrics, traditionally performed in French, are about seeing the world of romance through rose colored glasses. The song became very popular in the postwar era due to its message about finding true love.This song has deep meaning to me for multiple reasons. Rose is my middle name, and therefore has always been my favorite flower. Pink has always been my favorite color, though I prefer my red roses. The flower of Sigma Alpha Iota, my beloved sisterhood, is the red rose. Finally, this song is performed in dedication to my late grandmother, Marie Magrino. She always played a mix of classical music, vintage opera, and jazz. I always had a special love for her that I never held for anyone else. It made her passing that much harder. In her last weeks, I would listen to this song constantly. For three minutes, I didn’t have to think about how hard life would be without her. Every time I hear this song, I will always think of her.

- Program note by Gianna Magrino

Superstition - Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder is an American singer-songwriter and producer. Known for his use of synthesizers, his music has influenced many modern music genres such as jazz, soul, and R&B. His single Fingertips made him the youngest artist to hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100 charts at age 13. During his classic albums era, he released his album Talking Book, featuring his number 1 hit Superstition. It was known for featuring a new keyboard instrument, the Clavinet.

Stevie Wonder became blind shortly after being born prematurely. He never saw his blindness as a disadvantage because it was all he ever knew. He always had a natural curiosity for his surroundings, and viewed his blindness as opening up opportunities for him to experience sound in ways that others don’t. Even the chairs in a room affect the way it sounds.

Growing up, I never understood why I was different. I thought being pulled out of class three times a week to play “Pick Up Sticks”, practice “th” sounds, and learn to organize my desk was normal. It hit me when I emerged as a young adult that everyone knew I was different but me. I had to learn to accept the parts of me that are different. It shaped me into the person I am, an empathetic and understanding educator and expressive performer. Music always came to me easily because there was no wrong answer. Music has never been good or bad to me, just different. If we can embrace different people the way we embrace different music, we can create a much more accepting and accessible world.

- Program note by Gianna Magrino

This recital is dedicated to my friends, family, teachers, and professors. Thank you for being there for me and supporting my musical journey. I wouldn’t have made it this far without your support.

Peace, Love, and Roses.

Gianna Magrino