Saturday, April 25, 2015

Exploring the Wild Sonata with Cindy Moyer and Friends

 Violinist Cindy Moyer is joined by pianist Daniela Mineva and other musical friends to explore the dynamic and varied form of the violin sonata through works by Handel, Beethoven, Brahms and Prokofiev on Saturday April 25 in Fulkerson Recital Hall.

 The sonata as an expressive combination of themes and rhythms in multiple movements has its roots in the Baroque period. Moyer is accompanied by Kira Weiss on cello and Greg Granoff on harpsichord for a sonata by Handel, a premiere and popular composer of that era, praised by Beethoven for achieving great effects by simple means.

 Pianist Daniela Mineva joins Moyer for a work by Beethoven, credited as the most important composer of violin sonatas. They play his second sonata, noted for its robust humor. Moyer and Mineva combine again on Johannes Brahms’ first sonata, praised as a magical work of graceful tenderness and intensity. 

 Moyer ends the evening with the seldom performed sonata for solo violin by 20th century Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev. One of his last works, it has been called lyrical, sonorous, melodic and mysterious. 

 Moyer sees these four sonatas as an opportunity to highlight changing aspects of the form. “What is a sonata, and how did this form of music evolve over time?” she said. “We’ll be exploring these questions through these sonatas from four periods in its history.”

Cindy Moyer and friends perform on Saturday April 25 at 8 p.m. in Fulkerson Recital Hall at HSU. Tickets are $10/$5 students and seniors, from the HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. A Faculty Artist Series concert produced by HSU Music Department.

Media: Mad River Union, Humboldt State Now, Eureka Times-Standard Urge.

Cindy Moyer and Friends: Program

                   Daniela Mineva and Cindy Moyer

Cindy Moyer, violin
with Daniela Mineva, piano;  Greg Granoff, harpsichord;  Kira Weiss, cello.

 Sonata in F Major for Violin and Continuo , HWV 370 by Georg Frederick Handel

 Adagio
 Allegro
 Largo
 Allegro

 Sonata in A Major for Piano and Violin, Op. 12, No. 2 by Ludwig van Beethoven

 Allegro vivace
Andante più tosto allegretto
 Allegro piacevole

 Sonata in G Major for Piano and Violin, Op. 78 by Johannes Brahms
 Vivace non troppo
 Adagio
 Allegro molto moderato

 Sonata in D Major for Solo Violin, Op. 115  by Sergei Prokofiev 
Moderato
Theme and Variations
 Con brio

Additional Notes

Beethoven Sonata for Piano and Violin No. 2

"There is no doubt that the ten Beethoven sonatas represent the most important body of work for violin and piano. Only Mozart comes close in terms of a large-scale ‘cycle’, although there are later masterpieces by Schumann, Brahms, Franck, Bartók and others. As with so many of the genres that he touched, Beethoven set the standard to which all other composes aspired for many years afterwards. For a violin and piano duo, these works are central to everything we do.

The first sonata could almost be a particularly grandiose work of Mozart, but the robust humour in the second is far more Haydnesque. One of the only times Beethoven evokes the traditional ‘roles’ of the two instruments is to cock a snook and turn them on their head in op. 12 no 2."
pianist Daniel Tong (Feb. 2014)


Brahms Sonata for Piano and Violin No. 1

 "Brahms’ three violin sonatas are all extraordinary masterpieces that occupy their own rarefied world of elegant construction, romantic sweep and exquisite beauty. The designation of “Sonata for Piano and Violin” significantly expresses the equal partnership of both instruments in this chamber music for two. While the violin often sings first and foremost, Brahms frequently switches the parts giving theme and accompaniment a deeper sounding through new sonorities and “inverted” textures. The two parts generally imitate, echo and intertwine for a balanced chamber unity with ample lyricism and virtuosity for both players.

Brahms published his first sonata for piano and violin in 1879 at the relatively advanced age of 46, though, typical of his history, it seems that he may have consigned at least three previous sonatas to the fire of unremitting self-criticism. The Sonata in G Major, Op. 78 thus emerges as an astonishing “first” sonata by any standard; it is a magical work full of graceful tenderness, nobility, bursting intensity and sacred repose with a wealth of cyclic interconnections. It is a romantic sonata in the truest sense: there are literary and musical allusions to rain throughout and the prevailing serenity often gives rise to poignant reflection and nostalgia. It is revealing to touch upon each of its movements backwards, starting with the finale."
 Kai Christiansen, Earsense

"Composed in the high summer of his creative career after the completion of the Symphony No. 1 and the Violin Concerto, Brahms' Violin Sonata in G major is a gloriously lyrical work with long-breathed melodies rather than terse themes, and expansive extrapolations rather than concise developments. It is also one of Brahms' most tightly structured and cogently argued works, with a degree of formal integration rare in his works. The dotted rhythm of the opening movement's first theme dominates the second theme of the central movement and all of the closing movement, and the second theme of the central movement returns in the central section of the closing movement.

The sonata is in three movements: Vivace ma non troppo, Adagio, and Allegro molto moderato. The opening Vivace, significantly slowed by its modifying ma non troppo, is a sweet-tempered movement in sonata form with two lyrical themes. The central Adagio is in ternary form, with a heartfelt main theme full of double and triple stops in the violin. The closing Allegro molto moderato starts with a direct quotation from the opening of Brahms' Regenlied, Op. 59/3 (Rain Song), a melancholy minor-keyed song recalling the long-lost days of youth. In the Violin Sonata, Brahms likewise starts it in the minor, but with the return of the theme of the Adagio, he returns the music to the consoling tonic major of the sonata. The work ends with a warm, sunset coda of great beauty."
 James Leonard, AllMusic

Prokofiev Sonata for Solo Violin

“It was significant that he should return, after so many years, to writing for the solo violin; seemingly unconvinced of the utter futility of formalist experimentation, he renewed his youthful striving to express genuine human emotions, choosing for this effort one of the most singing of all musical instruments.”
Israel V. Nestyev, author and biographer

"Sergei
 Prokofiev
 composed 
his 
last 
work 
for
 violin 
in
 1947, 
the
 Sonata 
for 
Solo 
or
 Unison
Violins,
Op.
115.

..

This 
work 
was 
written 
exactly 
at 
the 
point 
in 
Soviet
 history
 when
 its 
government
 launched
 official 
attacks 
on 
many
 composers 
including
 Prokofiev,
and
 was
 never
 performed
 during
 Prokofiev’s
 lifetime.

 

The 
Solo 
Sonata 
proves 
to 
be 
an
 excellent
 example 
of
 Prokofiev’s 
late compositional 
style,
which
 strove 
for 
a 
more
 direct
 and 
simple
 musical 
language.
..  Because he was a pianist, Prokofiev’s writing for the violin often imitates pianistic percussive and rhythmic qualities, yet it also exploits and highlights the lyrical, singing qualities of the violin.

 The Solo Sonata is musically charming, sonorous, and challenging, yet remains the least recorded or performed of all of Prokofiev’s violin works... The Sonata, nevertheless, offers great musical satisfaction and pedagogical value, clearly reflecting Prokofiev’s late compositional style in its form, melody and harmony. As seen in the Solo Sonata and throughout the Soviet period, melody and lyricism became the most important aspects of his music. In any scenario, the Solo Sonata is an intriguing and mysterious piece of music, musically and historically unique, and a valuable example of Prokofiev’s late compositional style for the violin."  Joanna Steinhauser, doctoral thesis.

Sunday, April 19, 2015

HSU Percussion: Toccata, Canticle and A Woman’s Right to Drum

 HSU Percussion Ensemble breaks out all the instruments for classic works by Carlos Chavez, Lou Harrison and John Cage, and the World Percussion Group plays a traditional piece from Ghana that celebrates a woman’s right to drum, on Sunday April 19.

 Mexican composer Carlos Chavez combined Central American, Asian and European instruments in his 1942 Toccata for Percussion. “Musically, he combines exciting rhythmic passages and sudden dynamic changes with slower passages that employ exotic scales and timbres,” said Percussion Ensemble director Eugene Novotney. 

John Cage, who asked Chavez to compose the Toccata, is on the program with Second Construction  from 1940. Lou Harrison’s Canticle #3 adds flute and guitar to an array of percussion instruments. The HSU Marimba Band ends the set with folkloric music from Mexico, Guatemala and Africa. 

 Directed by Howard Kaufman, the World Percussion Group follows with a set that features “Takada,” Ghana’s traditional celebration of a woman’s right to drum. HSU student teacher Joe Bishop leads a suite of Mandeng drumming from West Africa. 

Percussion Ensemble and World Percussion Group perform on Sunday April 19 at 8 p.m. in Fulkerson Recital Hall. Tickets from HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door: $8 general, $5 seniors and children, HSU students with ID admitted free. Directed by Eugene Novotney and Howard Kaufman, produced by HSU Music Department.

Media: Eureka Times-Standard Urge, Mad River Union, North Coast Journal, Humboldt State Now.

Percussion Concert: Director's Notes

The HSU Percussion Ensemble will feature an exciting and diverse program of material presenting the listener with contemporary percussion compositions and soundscapes, as well as traditional drumming styles based in the music of Africa and Cuba.

The featured work on the program is Toccata for Percussion, composed in 1942 by the Pan-American composer, Carlos Chavez. Chavez was born and died in Mexico City, and at the age of 29, he was named the director of Mexico’s National Conservatory and the director of Orchesta Sinfonia de Mexico.

 In Toccata, Chavez mixes Central American percussion instruments (claves, maracas, bongos) with standard European percussion instruments (timpani, snare drums, field drums) and Asian instruments (gongs) to create a true “mixed-world” instrumentation. Musically, he combines exciting rhythmic passages and sudden dynamic changes with slower passages that employ exotic scales and timbres. The result is a piece that is both fascinating and profound.

 The Percussion Ensemble will also be presenting one of John Cage’s most famous and innovative works from the 1940’s entitled, Second Construction. This highly experimental work calls for percussionists playing traditional Western percussion instruments combined with exotic instruments from around the world, including Balinese Gongs, Indian Oxen Bells, African Pod-Rattles, and Chinese Temple Bells.

One of the more unusual instruments employed is Cage’s infamous “water gong,” where the percussionist submerges a Chinese gong in water to alter and manipulate its pitch. Also featured in this work is Cage’s famous “Prepared-Piano,” an instrument created by taking a classical grand piano and adding nuts, bolts, washers, rubber, and other objects to the piano strings and sound-board. The effect creates an instrument that sounds more like an electronic synthesizer than an acoustic piano, and the effect is both stunning and surprising.

 Also on the program will be a beautiful soundscape by Cage’s contemporary, Lou Harrison, entitled Canticle # 3. It features the addition of flute and guitar to the percussion ensemble, and also features many “found objects” used as percussion instruments, as well as exotic percussion instruments such as Nigerian log drums, Indian elephant bells, sistrums, anvils, and a cajon.

Rounding out the Percussion Ensemble set will be a performance by the HSU Marimba Band of folkloric music from Guatamala, Mexico, and Africa.

 The HSU World Percussion Group will be presenting, "Takada", a traditional Ghanaian piece celebrating a woman's right to drum, and "Lucumî", an Afro-Cuban suite of rhythms and songs of Yoruba origin, originally from Nigeria. The show will end with a West African Drumming Ensemble, led by HSU student teacher, Joe Bishop. This group will be performing a suite of traditional Mandeng Drumming from West Africa using all indigenous instruments, featuring driving rhythms and a dynamic rhythmic interplay.

--Eugene Novotney

Friday, April 17, 2015

Jazz Combos: Eclectic and Electric

Four Jazz Combos perform an eclectic assortment of tunes on Friday April 17 at HSU.

 Cuttin’ Block (pictured above), a trio comprised of Leo Plummer (guitar), Eric Simpson (bass) and Jacob Partida (drums) play “Flim,” by the contemporary electronic composer and performer known as Aphex Twin. They also play “Red Clay” by jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, and the 1959 Santo and Johnny hit “Sleepwalk”—one the most popular instrumentals of the rock and roll era.

 Another trio, Bright Lights Big Kitty (Trevor Kumec on guitar, Ian Taylor on bass and Aaron Katz on drums) performs “Afro Blue,” the jazz classic by Afro-Cuban percussionist Mongo Santamaria. Their set also includes tunes by jazz singer Gretchen Parlato and by bassist Jaco Pastorius, famous for his work with the 1970s jazz fusion band Weather Report. 

 The Noon Quintet performs two tunes by contemporary jazz trumpeter and writer Nicholas Payton, and “Peri’s Scope” by legendary pianist Bill Evans. They are: Andrew Henderson (trumpet), Max Marlowe (piano),Tyler Martin (baritone sax), Thatcher Holvick-Norton (bass) and Forrest Smith (drums.)

 The largest ensemble of the evening is Business Casual: Erin Laetz (flute), Kyle McInnis (sax), Nick Durant (tenor sax), Kenneth Bozanich (guitar), Ryan Woempner (bass), Kevin Amos (drums) and Tyler Burkhart (percussion.) They play band member Bozanich’s composition, “Moonstone” and “Well, You Needn’t” by classic jazz pianist Thelonious Monk.

 Jazz Combos, directed by Dan Aldag, also perform on Saturday afternoon April 18 at the Morris Graves Museum in Eureka.

Jazz Combos perform at HSU on Friday April 17 at 8 p.m. in Fulkerson Recital Hall. Tickets from HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door: $8 general, $5 seniors and children, HSU students with ID admitted free. Directed by Dan Aldag, produced by HSU Music Department.

Media: cover of Eureka-Times Standard Urge, Mad River Union, North Coast Journal, HSU Now.

Jazz Combos: The Program

Business Casual
Business Casual
Erin Laetz, flute
 Kyle McInnis, soprano and alto saxes
 Nick Durant, tenor sax
Kenneth Bozanich, guitar
 Ryan Woempner, bass
 Kevin Amos, drums
 Tyler Burkhart, percussion

"Moonstone" by Kenneth Bozanich
"Well, You Needn't" by Thelonious Monk

Nicholas Payton
The Noon Quintet
 Andrew Henderson, trumpet
Tyler Martin, bari sax
Max Marlowe, piano
Thatcher Holvick-Norton, bass
 Forrest Smith, drums

"Let It Ride" and "2" by Nicholas Payton
"Peri's Scope" by Bill Evans

Bright Lights, Big Kitty
 Trevor Kumec, guitar
 Ian Taylor, bass
 Aaron Katz, drums

Gretchen Parlato by Jaylah Burrell 
"Nardis" by Miles Davis
 "Afro Blue" by Mongo Santamaria
 "In A Dream" by Gretchen Parlato
 "Trillium" by Aaron Katz
 "Continuum" by Jaco Pastorius












Aphex Twin

Cuttin' Block 
Leo Plummer, guitar
 Eric Simpson, bass
 Jacob Partida, drums

"Red Clay" by Freddie Hubbard
 "Flim" by Aphex Twin
"Sleepwalk" by Santo and Johnny Farina

Thursday, April 16, 2015

AM Jazz Band: Polkadots and Moonbeams 

 AM Jazz Band performs tunes by contemporary and classic jazz composers on Thursday April 16 in Fulkerson Recital Hall. 

 The classic tunes include “Polkadots and Moonbeams” by the multiple Oscar-winning team of Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke. Among the 100 most recorded jazz standards, it was Frank Sinatra’s first hit with the Tommy Dorsey Band in 1940. 

 Dizzy Gillespie’s “Dizzy Atmosphere” and Duke Ellington’s “The Mooche” are also featured. “The Mooche” was arranged by contemporary jazz trumpeter David Berger. The band also plays his composition, “Pots and Pans.”

 Trumpeter Kenny Dorham from the 1960s bebop era composed “Una Mas.” “Second Line” is by saxophonist Victor Goines, who has played with everyone from Wynton Marsalis and Amad Jamal to Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson. He is director of jazz studies at Northwestern University. 

 The AM Jazz Band performs on Thursday April 16 at at 8 p.m. in Fulkerson Recital Hall at HSU. Tickets from HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door: $8 general, $5 seniors and children, HSU students with ID admitted free. Directed by Paul Cummings, produced by HSU Music Department.

Media: Eureka Times-Standard Urge, Mad River Union, North Coast Journal, HSU Now.

Saturday, April 04, 2015

Guitar Ensemble: From Mambo to Tango 

 HSU Guitar Ensemble continues its year-long exploration of Latin American music on Saturday April 4 in Fulkerson Recital Hall. 

 The program includes “a wide range of pieces from folk to modern, representing Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Paraguay, and Peru,” said Guitar Ensemble director Nicholas Lambson. “We will be performing with voice, flute, bass, and percussion on this program including the Argentinian tango music of Piazzolla, several bossa nova pieces, and a piece by Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos. The program will also feature a student composition, Moonstone, by Ensemble member, Kenneth Bozanich.” 

Singer Olivia Bright and flutist Erin Laetz perform with the Ensemble on several works. Other performers include Tyler Burkhart, Angel Castaneda, Sandee Castaneda, Nick Hart, Andrew Heavelin, Bryant Kellison, Jason Keyes, Sean Laughlin, Leo Plummer, Leonardo Simmons and Ryan Woempner. 

The concert includes two compositions by Manuel Ponce, called Mexico’s first internationally successful classical music composer, and two by Agustín Barrios Mangoré of Paraguay, whose innovative 20th century compositions have recently been recorded by John Williams, among others. 

 The concert begins with “Mambo Inn” from Cuba, accompanied by conga drums and bass. It ends with a lively section of the influential “History of the Tango” by Argentinean Ástor Piazzolla, featuring the classic combination of guitar (Andrew Heavelin) and flute (Erin Laetz) associated with the first flowering of the form in the late 19th century.

HSU Guitar Ensemble performs on Saturday April 4 at 8 p.m. in Fulkerson Recital Hall at HSU. Tickets from HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door: $8 general, $5 seniors and children, HSU students with ID admitted free.  Directed by Nicholas Lambson, produced by HSU Music Department.

Media: Times-Standard Urge, Mad River Union, North Coast Journal, Humboldt State Now.

Guitar Ensemble: The Program

Mambo Inn  by Mario Bauza, Grace Sampson, Bobby Woodlen
Moonstone by Kenneth Bozanich
Mas que Nada by Jorge Ben Jor

Performers:
Olivia Bright, voice
Erin Laetz, flute
Kenneth Bozanich and Leo Plummer, guitars
Ryan Woempner, bass
Tyler Burkhart, congas

 Agua y Vinho by Egberto Gismonti
Performers: Angel Castaneda and Bryant Kellison

 Micropiezas I by Leo Brouwer
 Bryant Kellison and Andrew Heavelin

 Two Andean Folk Songs Arranged by Jeremy Sparks
Performers: Leo Plummer, Sandee Castaneda, Kenneth Bozanich, Nick Hart

 South American Folk Songs Arranged by Eythor Thorlaksson :
 Cançao
 Faz Hoje Um Ano
Performers: Jason Keyes, Sean Laughlin, Leo Plummer, Leonardo Simmons

Zapateado Caribe by Agustín Barrios Mangoré
 Nick Hart, Sandee Castaneda, Andrew Heavelin

Danza Paraguaya Agustín Barrios Mangoré
 Jason Keyes and Andrew Heavelin

 --- Intermission ---

 Arrulladora Mexicana by Manuel Ponce
 Leo Plummer and Jason Keyes

 Scherzino Mexicano by Manuel Ponce
 Bryant Kellison and Jason Keyes

Modinha by Heitor Villa-Lobos
Performers: Olivia Bright, voice
Leo Plummer, guitar

Suite all’Antica by Guido Santorsola
I - Preludio
 II – Tempo di Minuetto and Trio
 III - Piccola Arietta
 IV - Finale
Performers: Kenneth Bozanich, Angel Castaneda, Sandee Castaneda, Bryant Kellison, Nick Hart

 History of the Tango by Ástor Piazzolla:
 Bordel 1900
Performers: Erin Laetz, flute Andrew Heavelin, guitar