yale in new york David Shifrin, artistic director
Music for Guitars
Thursday, March 28, 2019 | 4:30 pm Morse Recital Hall in Sprague Memorial Hall Friday, March 29, 2019 | 7:30 pm Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Robert Blocker, Dean
Program Johann Sebastian Bach 1685–1750 arr. Pu, Granados, Henneman
Paul Hindemith 1895–1963
Organ Sonata No. 5, BWV 529 I. Allegro Xiaobo Pu, guitar S Roberto Granados, guitar S Satchel Henneman, guitar S
Rondo for Three Guitars (1930) Xiaobo Pu, guitar S Roberto Granados, guitar S Satchel Henneman, guitar S
Alonso Mudarra 1510–1580
Two Fantasias for Vihuela, from Tres libros de musica en cifra para vihuela (1546) Fantasia de pasos largos para desenbouler las manos Fantasia que contrahaza la harpa en la manera de Ludovico Nathan Huvard, vihuela S
Franz Schubert 1797–1828 arr. Konrad Ragossnig & John Duarte
Three songs from Die schöne Müllerin, D. 795 I. Das Wandern II. Wohin? XVIII. Trockne Blumen Harrison Hintzsche, baritone S Aaron Cardenas, guitar S
Tanner Porter Brendon Randall-Myers Martin Bresnick Ezra Laderman
Four short pieces written for or chosen as the Yale School of Music Guitar Audition Pieces These Nights Roberto Granados, guitar S Grace and Decay Nathan Huvard, guitar S Joaquin forsees the future Xiaobo Pu, guitar S With rhythmic drive and Nicoletta Todesco, guitar S propulsion, from On Vineyard Sound
Leonard Bernstein 1918–1990 arr. Benjamin Verdery
Sonata for Guitar and String Quartet (1942) (originally for Clarinet and Piano) World premiere I. Grazioso II. Andantino, Vivace e Leggiero Benjamin Verdery, guitar F statera quartet Kate Arndt, violin S Gregory Lewis, violin S Márta Hortobágyi Lambert, viola S Guilherme Nardelli Monegatto, cello S
intermission
Kathryn Alexander Bryce Dessner Jack Vees Christopher Theofanidis
Four short pieces written for or chosen as the Yale School of Music Guitar Audition Pieces The curve as it turns Aaron Cardenas, guitar S Portbou Drake Duffer, guitar S Auditorio Tyler Rhodes, guitar S January Echo Satchel Henneman, guitar S
James Moore b. 1979
Turning (Yale School of Music 2019 Guitar Audition Piece) World premiere René Izquierdo, guitar A
Domenico Scarlatti 1685–1757 arr. René Izquierdo
Four Sonatas Sonata in A major, K. 208 Sonata in G major, K. 14 Sonata in D minor, K. 1 Sonata in G major, K. 146 René Izquierdo, guitar A
Program, cont. Terry Riley b. 1935
Y Bolanzero (2001) Roberto Granados, classical guitar S Xiaobo Pu, classical guitar S Tyler Rhodes, classical guitar S Aaron Cardenas, classical guitar S Nate Huvard, steel string guitar S Drake Duffer, steel and classical guitar S Nicoletta Todesco, electric bass S Satchel Henneman: electric bass S Thomas C. Duffy, conductor F
Yale School of Music faculty Yale School of Music alumnus S Yale School of Music student F
A
As a courtesy to others, please silence all devices. Photography and recording of any kind is strictly prohibited. Please do not leave the hall during musical selections. Thank you.
Artist Profiles Described as “iconoclastic” and “inventive” by The New York Times, guitarist Benjamin Verdery enjoys an innovative and eclectic musical career. Verdery has given concerts at the International Guitar Festival (Singapore), the Festival International de Agosto (Caracas), the Schubert Festival (Germany), the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Opera, and elsewhere. Among the composers who have written works for him are Ingram Marshall, Jack Vees, Martin Bresnick, Ezra Laderman, Christopher Theofanidis, and Roberto Sierra. Verdery’s own works have been performed by such artists as John Williams, Sergio and Odair Assad, David Russell, and the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet. As a recording artist, Verdery has released more than fifteen albums, all available on Amazon. His recording Start Now (Mushkatweek) won the 2005 Classical Recording Foundation Award. Verdery is Artistic Director of 92nd Street Y’s Art of the Guitar series and is an honorary board member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas. He is Associate Professor (adjunct) of Guitar at the Yale School of Music and is Artistic Director of the School’s Guitar Extravaganza. Each summer Benjamin holds his Annual International Master Class on the Island of Maui (Hawaii). » benjaminverdery.com René Izquierdo ’99MM ’01AD is a professor of classical guitar at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He has performed throughout Europe, Asia, Russia, North, Central, and South America, Cuba, and the Caribbean as a solo recitalist, chamber musician, and soloist with orchestra. His
performances have received wide critical acclaim, and he is recognized as one of America’s classical guitar virtuosos. René has shared the stage with Eliot Fisk, Benjamin Verdery, Jorge Morel, Ransom Wilson, Lucy Shelton, Carlo Aonzo, the Quintet of the Americas, Susanna Phillips, Todd Leavy, and David Jolley, and has recorded with Paquito D’Rivera, among others. Composers such as Jorge Morel and Carlos R. Rivera have dedicated works to him. A native of Cuba, René studied at the Amadeo Roldan Conservatory and Superior Institute of Art in Havana, and earned a Master of Music degree and an Artist Diploma from Yale School of Music. He is a winner of the JoAnn Falletta International Guitar Competition, the Extremadura International Guitar Competition, and the Stotsenberg International Guitar Competition. » reneizquierdoguitar.com Composer and conductor Thomas C. Duffy, Director of Yale University Bands, oversees the Yale School of Music’s jazz initiative and is Director of the School’s Ellington Jazz Series. The Yale Bands have performed at national conferences, for club audiences at New York City’s Village Vanguard, Birdland, and Iridium, at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London and Scullers Jazz Club in Boston, and in nineteen countries over the course of twenty international tours. Duffy has received the Yale Tercentennial Medal for Composition, the Elm/ Ivy Award, the Yale School of Music’s Cultural Leadership Citation, certificates of appreciation from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for his Yale 4/Peace: Rap for Justice
Artist Profiles, cont. concerts — music programs designed for social impact — and the 2014 Robert Wood Johnson Innovations in Nursing Award (for his program using music to train students in stethoscope use). He has served as president of the New England College Band Directors Association, Connecticut Composers Inc., and College Band Directors National Association, and as Associate, Deputy, and Acting Dean of the Yale School of Music. In 2017, he was appointed clinical professor at the Yale School of Nursing. Duffy earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Composition from Cornell University and completed the Harvard University Management and Leadership in Education program. Violinist Kate Arndt ’19MM from Boston, Massachusetts is a student at Yale School of Music, where she studies with Ani Kavafian. She recently graduated from New England Conservatory under teacher Miriam Fried. An avid chamber musician, Kate has attended several intensive chamber music programs including Music@Menlo, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Taos School of Music, and others. Her former group, the Isolde Quartet, was featured on NPR’s From the Top for the 15th anniversary taping in Jordan Hall, and the group also received an honorable mention at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. In addition to her performances in the United States, Kate is active in Europe, where she participated in the IMS Prussia Cove Masterclasses in Cornwall, UK, last April. In spring of 2017, she was chosen to be an active participant in the Kronberg Master Classes and Concerts in Kronberg, Germany.
Aaron Cardenas ’19MMA is a classical guitarist born and raised in Kaneohe on the island of Oahu. Son of a violinist and a water color artist, Aaron started playing the violin at the age of 3 under the tutelage of his father. Aaron ended up quitting the violin to pursue classical guitar at the University of Hawaii under Ian O’Sullivan. He then went on to pursue a Master of Music and Master of Musical Arts at the Yale School of Music, where he currently studies under Benjamin Verdery. Aaron plans to move back to the islands after graduation, where he will continue to perform, record, and contribute to Hawaiian classical guitar. Drake Duffer ’19MM hails from North Carolina, and was influenced by the state’s various musical spheres. He is a passionate and active performer, composer, and arranger, and holds the first Seconda Prattica Pujol Award for arranging. Drake is also a founding member of Early Gray, a modern music duo consisting of himself and Owen Dodds, pianist. Drake holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and is now continuing his studies at the Yale School of Music in pursuit of his Master of Music degree. Roberto Granados ’20MM is a classical, flamenco, and electric guitarist from Hayward, California. Roberto began studying guitar at the age of six with Hungarian classical guitarist Gyorgy Vass, and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from California State University East Bay, where he studied with Marc Teicholz. He is currently pursuing his Master of Music
degree at Yale School of Music with Benjamin Verdery. Roberto has performed across the country, including on NPR’s From the Top, for President Barack Obama at an event sponsored by the Democratic National Committee, and with numerous musical groups including the San Francisco Guitar Quartet and the California Symphony. Satchel Henneman ’20MM is a skilled classical and improvising guitarist, performance artist, and composer. He is a recent graduate of Cornish College of the Arts’ music department, where he cultivated a strong relationship and foundation with the world of choreography and movement. Satchel is committed to performing music of living composers, particularly works by his fellow colleagues and fellow artists. he has performed in many masterclasses and concerts around Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. Satchel is pursuing his Master of Music degree at Yale School of Music with Benjamin Verdery. “Sonorous” (Opera News) baritone, Harrison Hintzsche ’20MM, is a rising recitalist, concert singer, and ensemble musician, and has been praised for his warm lyric tone, musical subtlety, and dedication to text. He made his international debut at London’s Wigmore Hall in 2018 with pianist and Schubert-scholar Graham Johnson, and placed first in the Edvard Grieg Society of Minnesota’s 2018 Voice Competition, the first ever recipient of the William H. Halverson Award in recognition of his interpretation and performance of Grieg’s music. A native of DeKalb, Illinois, Harrison is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree in Early Music Voice at
Yale School of Music and holds a Bachelor of Music from St. Olaf College. Nate Huvard ’19MM is a guitarist, lutenist, theorbist, and educator based in New Haven, CT. A versatile performer, Nate is comfortable in a wide range of genres including jazz, classical, early music, rock, pop, contemporary, and American folk. Nate studied previously with Jason Vieaux, Christopher Ladd, and Laudon Schuett. He is currently pursuing his Master of Music degree at Yale School of Music under the tutelage of Benjamin Verdery. Márta Hortobágyi Lambert ’19MM began her musical studies on piano and violin, later developing a love for viola. A passionate educator, Márta has held teaching positions at The Juilliard School as a teaching assistant for ear training, and is currently on faculty at Queens Pre-College. Márta’s devotion to chamber music has created opportunities to perform with esteemed mentors from the Alban Berg, Brentano, Enso and Orion String Quartets. Márta has also performed at music festivals including Prussia Cove and Kneisel Hall, where she was a founding member of the Blue Hill String Quartet. Márta studied at East Carolina University and The Juilliard School, and will receive a Master of Music degree from the Yale School of Music in May 2019. Named one of CBC’s “30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians Under 30”, violinist Gregory Lewis ’19MM has appeared with the Winnipeg, Kitchener-Waterloo, Thunder Bay, University of Manitoba, and Consortium Aurora Borealis symphony orchestras.
Artist Profiles, cont. Upcoming Spring 2019 engagements include a recital at Lincoln Center with the United Nations Chamber Music Society, a tour of British Columbia with pianist Carter Johnson, performances in Scandinavia with Juilliard415, and fellowships at the Norfolk New Music Workshop and Toronto Summer Music Chamber Music Institute. Gregory currently studies at the Yale School of Music with Ani Kavafian as a George W. Miles fellow. A native of São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil, Guilherme Nardelli Monegatto ’20MMA was awarded third prize in the distinguished 19th Annual Sphinx Competition. In 2018, he served as co-principal of both the Verbier Festival Orchestra and Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra, where he had the opportunity to work with Valery Gergiev, Sir Simon Rattle, and Gábor Takács-Nagy. Guilherme is now a student at Yale School of Music, where he is honored to be coprincipal of the Yale Philharmonia and the Grammy-nominated Yale Cellos. Guitarist Xiaobo Pu ’20MM has performed as a soloist and chamber musician at top international venues around the world such as Carnegie Hall, National Centre for Performing Arts in China, and Beijing Music Hall, among others, and earned first prize in numerous guitar competitions. Mr. Pu won first prize in the senior division of the Guitar Foundation of America’s International Competition, and the American String Teachers Association National Guitar Competition. He received second prize in both the Philadelphia Guitar Competition and Enkor competition string division. He has also collaborated with the China
Philharmonic Orchestra, Beijing Wind Orchestra, and Curtis Symphony Orchestra. Tyler Rhodes ’19MMA is a classical guitarist from Austin, Texas. He holds a degree in music performance from the University of Texas at Austin. At the age of 12, Tyler won his first competition at Eastfield College in Dallas. Tyler has performed solo guitar concerts all over the US and abroad. He has received multiple honors in the MidAmerica Guitar Competition in St. Louis, Musical Minds Festival in Houston TX, and the Yamaha Young Performing Artist Competition. At age 18 he appeared on From the Top in Carmel, Indiana (2012) and received From the Top’s Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award. Tyler was awarded the UT System Regents’ Outstanding Student Awards in the Arts & Humanities in 2015. Tyler currently is pursuing a Master of Music degree at Yale School of Music under the guidance of Benjamin Verdery. Nicoletta Todesco ’19MMA is an Italian guitarist and student at the Yale School of Music studying with Benjamin Verdery. She plays both classical and electric guitar, with a focus on contemporary music. She earned her diploma at the Conservatory of Trento and her Master of Music degree in guitar performance in Bologna. She also studied at the Regondi Guitar Academy of Milan and the Segovia Guitar Academy of Pordenone, studying with Andrea Dieci, Bruno Giuffredi, and Paolo Pegoraro. Beside her guitar studies, Nicoletta obtained a Masters degree in Musicology with a specialization on Musical Iconography at the University of Bologna.
Program Notes Welcome Friends, I often think of the guitar as a chameleon-like instrument. Beethoven himself considered the guitar to be “a miniature orchestra in itself,” while the legendary Andres Ségovia famously compared the instrument to “a small orchestra— an orchestra seen through the wrong end of a pair of binoculars.” With its plethora of timbres and techniques, the guitar provides an integral voice across a variety of musical settings. Tonight is a celebration of the guitar; an observance of its unique personality through solo, ensemble, and chamber music works. The Classical guitar and Bach have been connected ever since Andres Ségovia premiered his arrangement of Bach’s ineffable Violin Partita No. 2 in Paris in 1930. It is a well-kept secret that Bach’s Trio Sonatas are exquisite when played by guitars. In turn, the joyful and exuberant Allegro of Bach’s Trio Sonata in C seemed most fitting to open the concert. “Nothing is more beautiful than one guitar,” wrote Frederick Chopin, “save perhaps two.” Almost one hundred years later, Paul Hindemith decided to raise the standard to three when he composed his Rondo (Triosatz) in 1930. Given Hindemith’s tenure at the Yale School of Music between 1940 and 1953, I felt it necessary to program this iconic jewel of guitar repertoire. One of the most extraordinary aspects of being a guitarist is the direct relationship between the guitar and its predecessors: the vihuela and lute. To understand our present, we must also understand our past. Tonight
you will hear two Fantasias composed by the renowned Spanish vihuelist Alonso Mudarra. Fantasia No. 10, “Fantasia que contrahaza la harpa en la manera de Ludovico,” remains one of the most progressive and innovative works of 16th century plucked string repertoire. Nathan Huvard ’19MM is playing a vihuela built by David Rubio, from the Yale Collection of Musical Instruments. In 1822, Schubert composed his only piece with guitar accompaniment, the Frühlingsgesang for male chorus and guitar, as a birthday gift for his father. Despite this, many of his Lieder were published with guitar accompaniment, albeit without his approval. I myself performed Schubert’s extraordinary Die schöne Müllerin with Herman Prey many years ago, and found it to be a life-altering experience. I hope that Aaron Cardenas ’19MMA and Harrison Hintzsche ’20MM experience a similar thrill as they work through Schubert’s seminal song cycle. In a concert of this magnitude, there is always the dilemma of who will be featured as a soloist. This problem is easily solved by having each member of the guitar studio play one of the (now) thirteen Yale School of Music guitar audition pieces. You can read more about the genesis of these commissions in the program notes. When artistic director David Shifrin suggested that we invite an alumnus to participate in our concert, René Izquierdo ’99MM ’01 AD came immediately to mind. In the past 15 years, René has established himself as one of the foremost classical
Program Notes, cont. guitarists of his generation. He is not only an extraordinary musician but a masterful teacher, as well as a marvelous human being. René will premiere James Moore’s piece Turning, alongside a selection of Scarlatti sonatas. When deciding on the repertoire for tonight’s concert, I knew immediately that we had to conclude with Terry Riley’s vibrantly colorful Y Bolanzero. A few years ago, the Yale School of Music’s guitar studio was asked to perform this work as part of a Terry Riley retrospective at the National Sawdust in Brooklyn. Riley’s enthusiasm for our interpretation inspired me to include it in tonight’s concert, where it will be conducted by the YSM’s own Professor Thomas C. Duffy. – Benjamin Verdery
Allegro, from Organ Sonata No. 5 johann sebastian bach Bel Ben Mamoun Originally composed for organ in 1730, Johann Sebastian Bach’s rapturous and elegant trio sonatas are widely considered to be some of the most important organ masterpieces still performed today. Composed seven years after his arrival in Leipzig, Bach’s book of organ sonatas contain six works in the trio sonata form (BWV 525–530). These pieces fall in line with his earlier pedagogical works, composed for the sole purpose of teaching organ technique to his son, Friedemann Bach. In turn, the majority of Bach’s trio sonatas incorporate musical material from prior compositions.
BWV 529 is one of only two trio sonatas that don’t borrow from his earlier works. Despite the popularity of the trio sonata throughout the Baroque era, Bach composed very few pieces in the form. Typically, the trio sonata was orchestrated for basso continuo and two melodic instruments, which allowed for bright ornamentation between upper voices against a low, improvisatory bass line. The Allegro in C is a jubilant sonata introduction in da capo A-B-A form, with a direct reprise of the A section at the end of a developmental B. With light melodic counterpoint between upper voices, Bach’s organ sonata emulates the clear, vibrant textures of typical trio sonata instrumentation, taking on a more transparent texture to evoke an almost galant style. Rondo for Three Guitars (Triosatz) paul hindemith Bel Ben Mamoun Hindemith’s Rondo for Three Guitars was originally written during a particularly tumultuous period of European history. Composed in 1930, just three years before the National Socialist Party came to power in Germany, Hindemith soon found himself situated in a complex sociopolitical position: despite being publicly denounced as an “atonal noisemaker” in a speech by Germany’s Minister of Propaganda in 1934, many other cultural politicians of the Third Reich considered Hindemith as a potential spear-head for the next generation of German music. In 1938, Hindemith finally left behind Germany, as well as his original manuscripts, to emigrate to Switzerland. It was in Switzerland that he was finally able to
revisit and revise his earlier compositions, including his Rondo for Three Guitars, before moving to the United States in 1940. Two Fantasias for Vihuela Alonso Mudarra Nate Huvard & Bel Ben Mamoun Alonso Mudarra (1510–1580) was a Renaissance composer, vihuelist, and priest from Guadalajara, Spain. Shortly after taking over musical direction at the Seville Cathedral in 1546, Mudarra composed his best known work, Tres libros de musica en cifras para vihuela. Published during Spain’s Golden Age; an era of musical and artistic prolificacy in the aftermath of the reconquista, Mudarra’s groundbreaking collection contained 44 works for vihuela, 26 pieces for four-course guitar and voice, 6 works for solo guitar, and 1 piece for guitar or organ. Mudarra’s “Fantasia que contrahaza la harpa en la manera de Luduvico” is particularly noteworthy in that it was written to emulate the style of Ludovico, an Italian harp virtuoso about whom little else is known. The first of half of the fantasia features lush, quasiimprovisational arpeggiations and scalar embellishments, concluding with the iconic syncopated bass figure that established Mudarra as a pioneering composer of vihuela and guitar music. The rise of nationalism throughout Spain’s Golden Age allowed for the incorporation of vernacular ballad traditions and folk musics into the Spanish art-song repertoire. One particularly important development was the transformation of the vihuela from a feminine instrument of the lower class into an essential feature of the Spanish musical
tradition. Often considered to be a direct predecessor to the modern guitar, the vihuela was a plucked stringed instrument of vernacular popularity, with six pairs of double strings, a flat back, and tuning identical to that of the lute. Nathan Huvard ’19MM will perform on a vihuela built by David Rubio, from the Yale Collection of Musical Instruments. Three songs from Die schöne Müllerin franz schubert Bel Ben Mamoun In 1822, Austrian composer Franz Schubert came across the schöne Müllerin poems, written two years earlier by librarian and amateur musician Johann Müller. In what has since become one of the seminal art-song compositions of the 19th century, Schubert published musical settings for 20 of Müller’s original 25 poems in a song cycle for voice and piano. Die schöne Müllerin tells the tragic story of a young man who wanders through the forest by a brook until he encounters and falls in love with the daughter of a miller. Unfortunately, her romantic interests shift towards a dashing, green-clad hunter, and the protagonist falls into madness, fantasizing about his death, crying to the brook, and obsessing over the color green, before finally drowning himself. “Das Wandern” (Wandering) and “Wohin?” (Where to?) introduce the song-cycle through the untroubled, blissful musings of the protagonist as he wanders through the forest. Along his journey, the carefree miller is accompanied by the brook, who is represented in the ceaseless, cyclical arpeggiations of the piano accompaniment.
Program Notes, cont. In stark contrast, “Trockne Blumen” (Withered Flowers) is the pinnacle of the protagonist’s despair: a morbid fantasy of his lover coming to see the withered flowers she’d given him now planted over his grave. This eighteenth song begins with the quality of a funeral dirge through its heavy, E-minor tonality, and rhythmically somber piano accompanment. Surprisingly, the protagonist soon acquires an air of false hope: the increasingly lyrical piano countermelodies flourish into a major tonality, as once-withered flowers begin to bloom over his grave in his macabre fantasy. Guitar audition pieces ysm composers Benjamin Verdery Tonight you will hear eight short pieces by Yale School of Music composition faculty members, students, and guitar alumni who are now active as performers/composers. These pieces have served as the YSM guitar audition pieces in various years. The Yale School of Music went tuition-free in the same year that my son began his studies at the Rhode Island School of Design. Part of the admission requirement for RISD was to submit an extensive portfolio alongside three drawings with a specific type of paper and pencil: one was a drawing of an interior, the second was free choice, and the final one, which could be literal or abstract, had to in some way relate to a bicycle. On the day the parents came to drop off their children, RISD held a revelatory exhibition of all the drawings, which ranged from exquisitely detailed bike spokes, to a horseshoe crab with tire tracks in the sand beside it.
This bicycle-drawing requirement inspired me to rethink my audition process. Upon reflection, I decided to ask a Yale faculty composer to write a short piece that contained no dynamic markings, no tempo markings, and no articulation: just the pitches and rhythms. Each year, the piece, which is usually no longer than 4 to 6 minutes, is sent to the invited auditionees one month prior to the audition. At the audition, applicants are required to play selected movements of three contrasting concert works in addition to the set audition piece. I have found that the YSM guitar composition brings to light compelling aspects of an applicant’s abilities: in their interpretation, one can observe an applicant’s creativity in a way that may not be as evident in their self-selected repertoire. More than once it has been the deciding factor for accepting a student into the program. In each half of the program, you will hear four of the past audition pieces performed attacca: in this setting, we hope to shape the works into two suites. The students and I had a wonderful experience in our seminar class deciding on the sequence of each set. This year’s audition piece was composed by James Moore, and will be premiered tonight by René Izquierdo. I am deeply, deeply grateful to all of the composers who have so generously contributed a piece throughout the years. A special thanks to Jack Vees, Ingram Marshall, Martin Bresnick, Ezra Laderman, Bryce Dessner, Paul Kerekes, Hannah Lash, Christopher Theofanidis, Brendon Randall-Myers, Katherine Cochran, Van Stiefel, and Tanner Porter.
Sonata for Guitar and String Quartet bernstein Benjamin Verdery I first heard Derek Bermel perform Leonard Bernstein’s Clarinet Sonata with the American Composer’s Orchestra in Zankel Hall in November of 2017. The frequent passages of short articulation seemed like a natural fit for the guitar, and I remember turning to my wife Rie to say, “this would make a terrific guitar piece.” Thus began an artistic journey. The act of arranging invites the classical guitar into a literature of concert repertoire that might otherwise not exist. In doing so, we expand our audiences and open new artistic possibilities for the guitarists who arrange and perform these works. When working with Robert Levin to arrange Mozart’s Adagio K. 540, I was reminded that in arranging a work we are, in essence, creating a new piece. I have always loved the creative endeavor of arranging music across a variety of genres for the classical guitar, and Bernstein’s clarinet sonata was no exception: this arrangement is but a new incarnation of a masterful work. It became evident from the outset that performing the clarinet part on guitar as a direct transcription was not musically satisfying. Instead, I needed to make new artistic decisions in order to accomodate the clarinet’s dynamic range and ability to sustain notes. Different solutions became clear as I worked through the piece: in double forte passages, the violinists could play in unison with the guitar, while low, sustained notes were easily performed by the cello or
viola. To my absolute delight, several of the ostinato piano passages were easily transcribed for classical guitar. In turn, each member of the string quartet are featured in at least one melodic passage. One of my favorites musical moments is the 8-measure duet between the guitar and viola before the return of the A section in the final movement. In the original score, the right-hand piano part is in E minor: tailor-made for the guitar. In closing, I would like to thank the Leonard Bernstein Foundation for approving the arrangement, and Boosey & Hawkes for giving us permission to perform it. Thank you to the Rolston Quartet for helping me with its first reading, and a huge thanks to the Statera Quartet for their artistic input and beautiful playing. I am thrilled to present this “premiere” of Bernstein’s clarinet sonata for guitar and string quartet for you tonight. Turning james moore James Moore The title Turning draws from three literary works: Tournant, a short poem by the surrealist writer Paul Éluard in which he “illustrated” a line drawing by Man Ray; Tournez, the central piece in a game-like diagram of poems assembled by a group of Belgian writers from an art exhibition in the 1920s, and the W.B. Yeats poem “Turning and turning in the widening gyre,” quoted at the beginning of Joan Didion’s Slouching Towards Bethlehem. I encountered these works in quick succession while writing this piece, and, although their individual characters are very different,
Program Notes, cont. their meanings came together for me at a time when I was feeling at once melancholy, hopeful, and reflective about changes in my life, and those of people close to me. Four Sonatas scarlatti Bel Ben Mamoun Dazzling, colorful, and concise, Domenico Scarlatti’s keyboard sonatas are as clear as they are exhilarating. Born in Naples in 1685, the same year as Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel, Scarlatti spent the majority of his career working in the Spanish and Portuguese courts, leaving behind a spectacular legacy of harpsichord works, including over 555 keyboard sonatas composed in the early 18th century during his time in Madrid. Despite Scarlatti’s sheer prolificacy, very few of his keyboard works were published throughout his lifetime. Through brilliant melodic counterpoint and idiomatic ostinato bass lines, Scarlatti has established himself as a vital constituent of harpsichord repertoire, as well as a highly influential composer in the transition from the Galant into the early Classical era. On closer examination, many influences of his Iberian workplace become clear in his sonatas, including unconventional modulations and dissonances, dissolved by Scarlatti’s distinctive acciaccatura ornaments. In turn, Scarlatti’s idiosyncratic yet elegant sonatas involve numerous compositional techniques that are more conventionally suited for the dark resonance of the guitar, rather than the clear precision of the harpsichord.
Y Bolanzero terry riley Terry Riley In 1964, Terry Riley, whom the London Sunday Times has listed as one of the 1000 most important people of the 20th century, wrote the score In C. Its first performance in San Francisco during the same year is of almost legendary importance – it is considered the birthplace of musical minimalism. With this piece, Riley created the foundation for a new, meditative concept of music, which radically challenged perspectives on tonality and repetition. Important composers of Minimal Music such as Steve Reich, Philip Glass, and John Adams, and rock bands such as The Who, Soft Machine, and Tangerine Dream have all been influenced by Riley. Y Bolanzero for guitar ensemble is the latest composition in the Book of Abbeyozzud, a large-scale cycle of pieces for classical guitar containing solo works, duos, and various chamber music arrangements. Y Bolanzero is nearly entirely composed in a repetitive sequence of 6 + 5 beats; only at the end does it change to a kind of stretto in 7 beats. Innumerable musical ideas such as imitative motifs, rhythmic superimpositions, repetitive patterns, mixed triad melodies, and free improvisations by the soloist are reined in by a constantly repeated theme. The use of electricallyamplified bass-guitars and the additional, rhythmical accompanying patterns, partly minimalistically included in the framework of the measures and in each other, introduce clear elements of rock music into the piece.
Yale School of Music Established in 1894, the Yale School of Music continues a position of international leadership in the training of performers, composers, and teachers. A professional graduate school and the only school of music in the Ivy League, the Yale School of Music maintains a highly selective admissions process, admitting approximately 200 students from the finest American and international conservatories and universities to study with a distinguished faculty. The School has one of the highest international profiles at Yale, engaging globally in cooperative partnerships with leading conservatories, schools, orchestras, and opera companies. Alumni of the Yale School of Music hold major positions throughout the music world. In addition to performing with and conducting preeminent American and international orchestras, many graduates have founded or joined prominent chamber music ensembles. Voice alumni earn renown in professional opera companies, with over a dozen Yale graduates on the artist roster of the Metropolitan Opera. Yale composition alumni enjoy noted success with continual premieres of new music. Along with artistic accomplishment, Yale School of Music graduates provide strong leadership in guiding the course of numerous academic and cultural institutions. The Yale School of Music awards the doctor of musical arts, master of musical arts, and master of music degrees, as well as the artist diploma and the certificate in performance. music.yale.edu
yale school of music staff Robert Blocker, Dean Melvin Chen, Deputy Dean Michael Yaffe, Associate Dean Krista Johnson, Manager of Concert Programs Kate Gonzales, Concert Office Coordinator Winona van Alstyne, Assistant Concert Office Coordinator Matthew LeFevre, Recording Engineer Katie Kelley, Acting Director of Communications and Design Manager David Brensilver, Communications Officer Travis Wurges, Video Producer Tara Deming, Operations Manager Chris Melillo, Operations Associate Manager Patty Torello, Business Manager Charles Stupekevich, Financial Analyst Elizabeth Wilford, Business Office Assistant Nicoletta Todesco, Student Assistant Bel Ben Mamoun, Student Assistant
Upcoming Events Yale in New York
Upcoming Events Yale School of Music
In the 2019–2020 season, the Yale School of Music returns to Weill Recital Hall with three concerts featuring the School’s faculty, students, and alumni. Join us as we celebrate the 125th anniversary of the founding of the Yale School of Music.
apr 5 Carolyn Kuan, guest conductor Yale Philharmonia Carolyn Kuan conducts the Yale Philharmonia in Copland’s suite from Appalachian Spring and more. 7:30 pm | Woolsey Hall Tickets start at $12, Yale faculty/ staff $8, students $5
Thursday, October 31, 2019 | 7:30 pm Wednesday, January 29, 2020 | 7:30 pm Thursday, April 2, 2020 | 7:30 pm
apr 17 Yale Cellos YSM Ensembles Directed by YSM faculty cellist Ole Akahoshi. 7:30 pm | Morse Recital Hall Tickets start at $12, students $5 may 7 Competition Winners Oneppo Chamber Music Series Performances by the winners of the Yale School of Music’s annual Chamber Music Competition. 7:30 pm | Morse Recital Hall Tickets start at $12, Students $6 may 8 Guitar Chamber Music YSM Ensembles 7:30 pm | Morse Recital Hall Free
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If you do not intend to save your program, please recycle it in the baskets at the exit doors.