11.18.23 Ushuaia Diaz, Clarinet

Student Recital Series Sara M. Snell Music Theater

2023 – 2024 Season Saturday, November 18th at 5:00 PM

Ushuaia Diaz, Clarinet Fideliz Sta. Brigida, piano Three Preludes (1926) Allegro ben ritmato e deciso arr. Ushuaia Diaz Andante con moto e poco rubato arr. Charles Neidich Allegro ben ritmato e deciso arr. James Cohn Urban Interludes 5 Sketches for Clarinet and Piano op. 32 (2022) Monday Morning Shuffle Torch Song A New York Minute Glitter & Glamour Metropolitan Midnight World Premiere Duo Concertante for Clarinet and Piano Op. 351 (1956)

George Gershwin (1898-1937)

Ian Eballe (b.1965)

Darius Milhaud (1892-1974)

Intermission Deux Morceaux (1914) Nocturne Cortege

Lili Boulanger (1893-1918)

Histoire du Tango (1985) Bordel 1900 Café 1930 Nightclub 1960

Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992)

Concert d’Aujourd hui Duo for Clarinet and Piano Op. 15 (1834)

Norbert Burgmuller (1810-1936)

Ushuaia Diaz is from the studio of Dr. Julianne Kirk-Doyle This program is presented to fulfill the recital requirement for the Master of Music degree in Performance.

Program Notes: 1. George Gershwin is no stranger when it comes to jazz; his Three Preludes are no exception. During the time Gershwin wrote this piece, originally for piano, while he was also working with his brother writing for Broadway shows. Just a few years before, he premiered Rhapsody in Blue. The Three Preludes have been arranged for several instruments and chamber ensembles and are a great example of 20th century classical and jazz music. The first prelude, Allegro ben ritmato e deciso is a combination of two arrangements by American clarinetist, Charles Neidich and American composer, James Cohn. These two arrangements together follow the simplicity of Cohn whilst adding some flourishes by Neidich. Overall, the first prelude showcases a Latin rhythm from Brazil called baiao. The piano keeps the repeating chords while the clarinet takes over the main melody. The second prelude, also titled Blue Lullaby, has a very different feel unlike the first and third preludes. As the title suggests, it is a very slow relaxing blues. The piano continues on with another ostinato while the clarinet has the main melody. In the Niedich arrangement, the B section has the piano and clarinet trading the melody back and forth. Picking up the pace again with the third prelude, it’s also referred to as the Spanish prelude. The two melodies are divided between the piano and clarinet parts acting as question and answers between major and minor chords.

2. These five short sketches describe what someone living in the big city might experience in a day or a week.

Each sketch is written with a completely different character, with the hope that they might showcase the ability of the player to adapt to different musical styles.

1. Monday Morning Shuffle Imagine having partied hard the whole weekend, waking up dreaming it was still your day-off, then realizing its Monday and you’re actually late for work. The Clarinet introduces the main theme which is then taken over by the piano. The Clarinet meanwhile introduces a secondary theme, a melody which creates tension with the main theme. A third theme appears in the B section.

2. Torch Song (Workplace Romance) A few of us have been in that situation, having a crush or even falling in love with a colleague, and it doesn’t always end well, or it doesn’t even get started at all, leaving one a mess, just like the main theme completely in a jumble in section B. This was composed to sound like a jazz ballad with the ad libs and back phrasing written in.

While the clarinet is pouring its heart out, the piano, the object of its affection, remains unwavering and indifferent.

3. A New York Minute The proverbial “New York Minute” probably lasts even less than a second in real time. This piece lasts just a little over a minute and tries to show how much can actually happen in a real minute.

4.Glitter & Glamour (The Theatre Marquee) Perhaps a Friday date night at the theatre. The figurations on the piano part should evoke the flashing billboard of a theatre marquee, and the piece should be treated like a broadway number.

5. Metropolitan Midnight The mind at rest tries to make sense of all it has experienced. While the piano provides an undulating base, not unlike a rocking crib upon which a child is sleeping, the clarinet, representing the mind, goes through all the themes, reconfiguring them at times.

3. France native Darius Milhaud was a composer and a violinist that studied at the Paris Conservatory in the early 1900’s. Following his studies, he worked during World War I to help Belgian Refugees and later on moved to Brazil to work on propaganda. During the middle of World War II, he emigrated to the United States, where he was offered a teaching job at Mills College. The Duo Concertante for clarinet and piano is full of influences from France, South America and jazz which is also evident in a lot of his other works. This piece is in C major for both the clarinet and piano which also comes from the influence of other 20th century composers

and the use of polytonality. Since this is a duo, it is written in ABA form with the entire piece lacking a key signature for both the clarinet and piano.

4. Lili Boulnager was a French child prodigy who grew up in a very musical family. Both her parents and her sister were all very involved in composing and performing. During her short life, she continued to battle her weakened immune system due to her diagnosis of bronchial pneumonia. Due to her need for constant care, she received private tutoring in composition lessons as well as instrumental. Deux Morceaux was originally written for violin and also very commonly played on flute. Her piece clearly demonstrates the use of French impressionism which was very appropriate during that time. Nocturne is filled with long sustained notes with gentle color changes conveyed through harmony and dynamics. This movement clearly resembles a calm night.

In contrast, Corètege is very upbeat with short phrases and syncopation. Despite the title, it is not reminiscent of a funeral procession but rather a parade that the listeners could essentially march to.

5. Known for his tango music, Astor Piazzolla hails from Argentina, the birthplace of the tango. He started playing the bandoneón at a very young age. His tangos are a little different from what people can dance to which caused a lot of uproar within the tango community. However, France was quick to accept this new style, referred to as “nuevo tango” or new tango. Later on, they started to accept Piazzolla’s music and it was said that he saved the tango due to its popularity increasing again. Histoire du Tango is in four movements, originally written for flute and guitar. This very popular Piazzolla piece takes the listeners on a journey of the evolution of the tango, each movement containing a year in the title except for the last one. With original program notes from the composer himself written in French and Spanish, here is the English translation: Bordello, 1900: The tango originated in Buenos Aires in 1882. It was first played on the guitar and flute.

Arrangements then came to include the piano, and later, the concertina. This music is full of grace and liveliness. It paints a picture of the good-natured chatter of the French, Italian, and Spanish women who peopled those bordellos as they teased the policemen, thieves, sailors, and riffraff who came to see them. This is a highspirited tango.

Cafe, 1930: This is another age of the tango. People stopped dancing it as they did in 1900, preferring instead simply to listen to it. It became more musical and more romantic. This tango has undergone total transformation: the movements are slower, with new and often melancholy harmonies. Tango orchestras came to consist of two violins, two concertinas, a piano, and a bass. The tango is sometimes sung as well.

Night Club, 1960: This is a time of rapidly expanding international exchange, and the tango evolves again as Brazil and Argentina come together in Buenos Aires. The bossa nova and the new tango are moving to the same beat. Audiences rush to the nightclubs to listen earnestly to the new tango. This marks a revolution and a profound alteration in some of the original tango forms.

Modern-Day Concert: Certain concepts in tango music become intertwined with modern music. Bartók, Stravinsky, and other composers reminisce to the tune of tango music. This is today’s tango, and the tango of the future as well.

6. German composer and pianist Norbert Burgmuller lived until he was only 26 years old. During his short life, he studied under renowned composer Louis Spohr and composed works mainly for piano, vocals, strings, and orchestras. His Duo for Clarinet and Piano is said to be his only major work for clarinet. This piece is written in a simple ABA form with the A sections being in 4/4 and in Eb major whilst the B section is in 6/8 and C major.

Throughout this piece, the clarinet and piano are constantly having a conversation with the lyrical melodic lines.