Ettore Causa & Wei-Yi Yang, Feb 12

Ettore Causa, viola Wei-Yi Yang, piano with

Julie Eskar, violin

faculty artist series February 12, 2016 • Morse Recital Hall

Robert Blocker, Dean

Faculty Artist Series

Ettore Causa, viola • Wei-Yi Yang, piano with Julie Eskar, violin Friday, February 12, 2016 • 7:30 pm • Morse Recital Hall Carl Nielsen 1865–1931

Violin Sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 35 I. Allegro con tiepidezza II. Molto adagio III. Allegro piacevole Julie Eskar, violin Wei-Yi Yang, piano

Felix Mendelssohn 1809–1847

Sonata in C minor for viola and piano, MWV Q 14 I. Adagio — Allegro II. Menuetto. Allegro molto III. Andante con variazioni Ettore Causa, viola Wei-Yi Yang, piano intermission

Krzysztof Penderecki b. 1933

Chaconne in memory of Pope Saint John Paul II (2009) Julie Eskar, violin Ettore Causa, viola

Faculty Artist Series

Gabriel Fauré 1845–1924

Élégie, Op. 24 arr. Ettore Causa Ettore Causa, viola Wei-Yi Yang, piano

Max Bruch 1838–1920

Acht Stücke, Op. 83 VI. Nachtgesang: Andante con moto II. Allegro con moto V. Rumänische Melodie: Andante VII. Allegro vivace, ma non troppo Julie Eskar, violin Ettore Causa, viola Wei-Yi Yang, piano

As a courtesy to the performers and audience, please silence all electronic devices.

Please do not leave the hall during selections. Photography or recording of any kind is prohibited.

Artist Profiles

Ettore Causa · viola Italian-born violist Ettore Causa is praised for his exceptional artistry, passionate intelligence, and complete musicianship.

He was awarded both the Peter Schidlof Prize and the John Barbirolli Prize for the most beautiful sound at the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition. Causa has made solo and recital appearances in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Zurich Tonhalle, Madrid National Auditorium, Salle Cortot (Paris), Tokyo Symphony Hall, and Teatro Colon, and has performed at festivals such as the Menuhin (Gstaad), Salzburg, Tivoli (Copenhagen), Prussia Cove (England), Savonlinna (Finland), Launadire (Canada), and Norfolk (CT) Festivals. Mr. Causa is a former member of the Aria Quartet and a current member of the Poseidon Quartet, and has collaborated with such renowned musicians as the Tokyo, Artis, and Elias String Quartets, Pascal Rogé, Boris Berman, Peter Frankl, Thomas Adès, Natalie Clein, Ana Chumachenco, Ani Kavafian, Alberto and Antonio Lysy, Liviu Prunaru, Thomas Demenga, Anthony Marwood, Ulf Wallin, William Bennett, and others.

Ettore Causa studied at the International Menuhin Music Academy with Alberto Lysy and Johannes Eskar, and later at the Manhattan School of Music with Michael Tree. After teaching for many years at the International Menuhin Music Academy, Mr. Causa joined the faculty of the Yale School of Music in 2009. His recordings include two CDs on the Claves label: one of the Brahms viola sonata and the other his transcriptions of Romantic pieces, which was awarded 5 Diapasons. Mr. Causa performs on a viola made for him

by Frederic Chaudière in 2003.

Artist Profiles

Wei-Yi Yang · piano Pianist Wei-Yi Yang has earned worldwide acclaim for his captivating performances and imaginative programming.

Most recently, he was praised by the New York Times as the soloist in a “sensational” performance of Messiaen’s Turangalîla-Symphonie at Carnegie Hall. Gold Medal winner of the San Antonio International Piano Competition, Mr. Yang has also performed at the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, and across Europe, Australia, and Asia. A dynamic chamber musician with a diverse repertoire, Mr. Yang has collaborated with the Alexander, Brentano, Cassatt, Pacifica, and Tokyo String Quartets, as well as Clive Greensmith, Frederica von Stade, and Richard Stoltzman, among numerous others.

Mr. Yang has curated inventive interdisciplinary projects, including a collaboration with actress Miriam Margolyes as part of the “Dickens’ Women” world tour; lecture-recitals on the confluence of Czech music and literature; and multimedia performances of Granados’ Goyescas with projections of Goya’s etchings. He has given world premieres of new works by contemporary composers, including Howard Boatwright, Jonathan Cole, Daniel Godfrey, and Ezra Laderman. Mr. Yang studied first in the United Kingdom and then with Arkady Aronov in New York. Under the guidance of Boris Berman, he received his D.M.A. from Yale in 2004.

Mr. Yang frequently presents master classes and performances in Italy, Spain, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Korea, and at Princeton University, Ithaca College, and the Hartt School. He has adjudicated the Isidor Bajic Piano Memorial and the San Antonio International Piano competitions, and the Concert Artists Guild auditions. He regularly appears at festivals across the United States, from Napa Valley to Norfolk and abroad, including Germany, Serbia, Montenegro, Scotland, and Mexico. In 2005 he joined the faculty of the Yale School of Music.

Artist Profiles

Julie Eskar · violin Julie Eskar is currently concertmaster of the Danish National Chamber Orchestra and has performed as a soloist with several orchestras in Denmark and abroad.

An avid chamber musician, Ms. Eskar has played at major festivals around the world such as Prussia Cove (England), Horten (Norway), Incontri in Terra di Siena, BIMF (Italy), Tivoli (Denmark), Norfolk, and others, performing alongside musicians such as Boris Berman, Jeremy Denk, Clive Greensmith, Thomas Demenga, Ralph Kirshbaum, Michael Kannen, Antonio Lysy, Alberto Lysy, Vilde Frang, Ani Kavafian, and Ettore Causa.

Julie is a founding member of the award-winning Eskar Trio, which has established a reputation as one of the leading ensembles on the Danish chamber music stage.

The trio has enjoyed great success in Sweden, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Portugal, Japan, and the Netherlands.

The Eskar Trio has released several critically acclaimed CDs, including the complete Brahms piano trios and works by Ravel and Chausson. The Trio’s second CD, featuring never-before recorded Danish Romantic piano trios, was awarded Best Chamber Music Recording and Best Classical Recording of the Year by the Danish Radio Music Awards.

Ms. Eskar studied under Professor Milan Vitek at the Danish Royal Academy of Music in Copenhagen and with Professor Gerhard Schultz at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna. She has also worked under the guidance of Alberto Lysy, Ana Chumachenco, Christian Tetzlaff, and Ivry Gitlis.

Upcoming Events

Bonet & Weiss

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

february 14 Collection of Musical Instruments 15 Hillhouse Ave | Sunday | 3 pm Lina Tur Bonet, baroque violin • Kenneth Weiss, harpsichord • Works by Elizabeth Jacquet de la Guerre, Domenico Scarlatti, Vivaldi, Boccherini, Handel, and J.S. Bach Tickets $25 • Seniors & Yale staff $20 Students $10

february 19, 20 & 21 Yale Opera Shubert Theatre | Fri & Sat, 8 pm | Sun, 2 pm Mischief, magic, and melodies intertwine in this new production of Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, conducted by Rune Bergmann and directed by Claudia Solti Tickets $19–$50, available at www.shubert.com or 203-562-5666

Yale Percussion Group

Guitar Extravaganza

february 14 YSM Student Ensembles Morse Recital Hall | Sunday | 7:30 pm Robert van Sice, director • Music by Ligeti, Xenakis, Ethan Braun, and James Wood With Janna Baty, soprano Tickets start at $10, Students $5

february 20 Special Events Sprague Hall | Saturday | All Day Concerts, talks, master classes, and more Benjamin Verdery, director Featuring performances by Marc Teicholz, Duo Ditirambo, Z.o.o. guitar duo, and more » music.yale.edu/guitar-extravaganza

Dénes Várjon, piano february 17 Horowitz Piano Series Morse Recital Hall | Wednesday | 7:30 pm Haydn: Sonata in E minor, Hob. XVI:34; Janácek: On an Overgrown Path; and music by Schumann and Chopin Tickets start at $18, Students $11

Tetzlaff Trio february 23 Oneppo Chamber Music Series Morse Recital Hall | Tuesday | 7:30 pm Brahms: Piano Trio No. 2 in C major and Trio No. 1 in B major; Dvořák: Piano Trio in E minor, Op. 90, “Dumky” Tickets start at $26 • Students $13

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Robert Blocker, Dean