UTRGV Saxophone Chamber Recital UTRGV Performing Arts Complex- Edinburg Sunday, November 17, 2024, 3 pm
From the studios of Daniel Soto and Cynthia Cripps
Two Ukrainian Songs Nikolai Leontovich (1877–1921) I. From beyond the Stone Mountain arr. Voxman and Block II. Song
Genaro Benitez, Luis Villarreal II – alto, Karl Schmidt – tenor, Arnulfo Amaya - baritone
Portales de Madrugada Arturo Marquez (b.1950)
My Funny Valentine Richard Rodgers (1902-1979) & Lorenz Hart (1895-1943) arr. Keith Young
Quatuor Faustin Jeanjean(1900-1979)
Gaiete Villageoise & Maurice Jeanjean (1897-1968) Papillons
Liam Lozano – soprano, Rolando Roman – alto Vanessa Martinez – tenor, Saul Ivan Azaira Jr – baritone
March from the love of Three Oranges Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) arr.Schmidt
Flight of the Bumblebee
Nikolai Rimsky Korsakoff (1844-1908) arr.Schmidt
Ulla in Africa Heiner Wiberny (b. 1944)
Jay Rodriguez – soprano, Matthew Ayala, Oswaldo Vazquez – Ruiz – alto Nahomi Gandarilla – tenor, Hector Cabrera – baritone
Suite Hellenique Pedro Iturralde (1929-2020)
Kalamatians
Funky
Valse Kritis
Ciudades
Leonardo Duenes – soprano, Jorge Garcia – alto Cullen Douglas – tenor, Nicolas Torres – baritone
Guillermo Lago (b 1960)
Córdoba
David White Jr. – soprano, Jonathan Guzman– alto Juan Zamarripa – tenor, Roman Valenciano - baritone
**** Brief Intermission ****
Selections from Carmen Suite No 1 Georges Bizet (1838-1875)
Aragonaise arr. John Nichol
Intermezzo
Seguedille Les Toreadors
Sopranino: David White Jr.
Soprano: Leonardo Duenes, Liam Lozano, Jay Rodriguez
Alto: Arnulfo Amaya, Matthew Ayala, Genaro Benitez, Diego Dominguez, Jorge Garcia, Lee Monrreal, Rolando Roman, Oswaldo Vazquez – Ruiz, Luis Villarreal II
Tenor: Nahomi Gandarilla, Vanessa Martinez, Karl Schmidt, Christian Tijerina, Juan Zamarripa
Baritone: Saul Ivan Azaira Jr, Hector Cabrera, Nicolas Torres, Roman Valenciano
Bass: Jonathan Guzman
PROGRAM NOTES
Nikolai Leontovitch was a Ukrainian composer, choral conductor, and teacher. He is best known for his choral work “Shchedryk,” which became internationally famous as the Christmas coral “Coral of the Bells.” Leontovitch’s compositions often drew on Ukrainian folk music traditions, and he made significant contributions to the development of Ukrainian choral music. His work remains influential in choral music circles around the world. Two Ukrainian Songs showcase’s Leontovitch’s talent for choral arrangements and his ability to incorporate Ukrainian folk elements into his music. This piece is an excellent example of how his music can be adapted for different instrumental ensembles.
"My Funny Valentine" (SATB) written by Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart and arranged by Keith Young is one of the most enduring and beloved standards in the American Songbook, composed by Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Lorenz Hart. Originally introduced in the 1937 Broadway musical Babes in Arms, the song quickly became a jazz and pop classic, celebrated for its poignant lyrics and emotive melody. Over the years, it has been performed by countless artists, including Chet Baker, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Miles Davis, among many others.
The song’s lyrics evoke a bittersweet, almost melancholic affection, as the singer lovingly describes a partner’s imperfections while expressing deep admiration and emotional attachment. The title, "My Funny Valentine," suggests a playful, yet tender tone, balancing a sense of endearing charm with an underlying vulnerability. In this arrangement for saxophone quartet by Keith Young emphasizes the unique timbral qualities of each instrument. The smooth, lyrical phrasing of the original melody is preserved, while Young’s arrangement allows each part to shine individually, weaving together harmonies that showcase the saxophone ensemble’s versatility.
The arrangement begins with a rich, warm introduction that sets a reflective mood, before flowing into the familiar melody. The expressive dynamics and phrasing are designed to bring out the emotional depth of the piece, and Young’s orchestration provides a delicate balance between the harmony and the melodic voice of the lead line. The interplay between the saxophones particularly in the middle section, where the tenor and baritone create a strong, resonant foundation for the soprano and alto further enhances the piece’s evocative character.
"My Funny Valentine" in this saxophone quartet version retains its core charm and melancholic beauty while offering a fresh perspective through the unique color palette of the saxophone family. The arrangement invites the listener to rediscover the song in a new light, through the rich harmonies and expressive nuances that are the hallmark of a well-crafted quartet performance
First staged in Chicago in 1921, Prokofiev’s opera The Love for Three Oranges was set to a satiric tale by the 18th-century Italian writer Carlo Gozzi. The plot, in an orange skin, concerns a Prince, the son of the King of Trifles, who, having been cured of melancholia by the unintentionally clumsy, thus side-splitting, antics of the witch Fata Morgana, is cursed by the offended creature: He will roam the earth searching for the three oranges with which she has caused him to be in love. (The March accompanies the Prince from his melancholic sickbed to the Court.) After considerable travel and travail, the Prince discovers three enormous oranges, each of which, when peeled, discloses a beautiful Princess inside. Upon emerging from their citrus sanctums, the first two ladies die instantly, but the third and most beautiful, Princess Ninetta, is saved, and she and the Prince live happily ever after.
Heiner Wiberny is a German Saxophonist and Composer. Wiberny first studied Romance literature, geography and school music in Cologne, and music composition. As a composer, Wiberny wrote works such as "Cloud Dance", "Two Scorpions in Love" and of course, "Ulla in Africa". He also worked as an honorary professor at the Cologne University of Music. “Ulla in Africa” is a composition by Heiner Wiberny for his wife, Ulla, who enjoys African music. The piece is known for its “African Highlife” and “Latin Funk” sounds.
Pedro Iturralde's Suite Hellenique for saxophone quartet is a piece that combines elements of jazz and traditional Greek music. The suite consists of four movements: "Kalamatianos," "Funky," "Valse," and "Kritis." Each movement brings a unique feeling, which blends different musical styles and rhythms.
Guillermo Lago (1960) is musician Willem van Merwijk’s composing alter ego. At the age of 46 in the midst of a career as a performing musician and arranger he discovered this new way of expressing his musical ideas and step by step composing has become his mainstay.
Lago’s work is being performed all over the world, to be found on numerous cd’s and on streaming platforms. He receives commissions from a wide array of (chamber music) ensembles, orchestras, choirs etc. from both within the Netherlands and abroad. Yet he does not only compose on commission but also devotes time to compositions of his own wish, and – being self-taught – develop ideas in complete freedom. His compositions started at the age of 25 when he started arranging, first mainly for amateurs and the Aurelia Saxophone Quartet (his own chamber music ensemble) and then more and more for other professionals.
Ciudades’ (Cities) is a series of musical sketches of cities that have a special meaning to Lago. It is a work in progress and Lago adds new sketches now and then. The various city portraits can be performed as a suite or as
stand-alone pieces: when played as a suite the order of the movements can be decided freely by the performing quartet. Started in 2011 and is still being updated.
‘Córdoba’ (Spain) depicts the town in Andalucia where Lago and his musical friends busked in front of the famous ‘Mezquita’ in their student years, wandering through the south of Europe and traveling from one adventure to the other. Lago lost his heart to Córdoba.(2011)
These four pieces are movements from Georges Bizet’s Carmen Suite No. 1. Upon Bizet’s death, Ernest Guiraud compiled the music from Bizet’s 1875 opera Carmen, and organized into two suites, each with six movements.
Aragonaise is an energetic triple meter dance, whose rhythms in the saxophone accompaniment depict the strums of guitars, clicking of castanets, and clapping of hands.
The original Intermezzo melody is ‘sung’ by the flute and other instruments of the orchestra with a smooth arpeggiated figure in the harp. This Melody is represented in the saxophone ensemble beginning with the sopranino as the initial soloist and passed around the ensemble, all of which are accompanied by the baritone saxophones.
Seguidille is a type of dance, usually for two people and it is a folksong usually in a major key and starting on an offbeat. As with the Aragonaise, the accompanying rhythms represent the footwork and depict guitars and percussion
Les Toreadors (Song and/or March) is the name for the popular aria “I return your toast to you.” It is sung by the bullfighter as he enters the ring and describes the scene, including cheering crowds and fame that comes with it.