PROGRAM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Sonata for Cello and Piano (1915)
Dedicated to Emma Debussy
1. Prologue: Lent, sostenuto e molto risoluto
2. Sérénade: Modérément animé
3. Finale: Animé, léger et nerveux
Notes: Initially subtitled "Pierrot is angry at the moon," the Sonata for Cello and Piano does have in it some of the modern-day commedia dell'arte sensibility - a raw, heart-on-the-sleeve, dark humor. The Cello Sonata is the most unrefined, emotionally exposed of the three sonatas - maybe even of all Debussy's works. The opening movement lays out a singing theme in the cello, by turns churning up ecstatic outbursts and quiescent moans. The middle movement is almost jazz-like in its counterpoint among three voices - piano in a dual role of melodic partner with the cello and as plucky, bluesy accompaniment, bowed cello in its upper register sharing the melody with piano, and the cello's lowest notes, played pizzicato in an elastic syncopation that takes on the role of an upright jazz bass. There is indeed a lunar quality about this movement: Time stops and starts; melodic and harmonic themes shift between sultry darkness and starlit dances. From the final quiet statement of the serenade spills an exultant duet between cello and piano. The cello's opening ascending sequence introduces a dancing theme which is folded into the mix for the rondo-like re-examination of the work's previous themes.
- Meg Ryan, LA Philharmonic
Reena Esmail (b. 1983)
Jhula Jhule (2013) for Cello and Piano
Notes: “Jhula Jhule (2013) by Reena Esmail was next and this piece was described as a “fantasia on two Indian folk songs.” Opening with a quiet, ethereal trill in the piano, the violin soon joined with slower phrases that invoked a warm and wistful feeling. An Indian lullaby was clearly one of the inspirations for this piece; the violin supplied the singing voice and the piano line gave a sense of nostalgic distance. The contrast between the piano and the sweetly light melody in the violin was especially effective – Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending came briefly to mind. The playing, especially in the violin, was strongly expressive resulting in a beautifully peaceful sensibility. Jhula Jhule is restful and tranquil – music that sits comfortably in the listener’s ear.“
– Reena Esmail website: https://www.reenaesmail.com/
Shirish Korde (b. 1945)
Anusvara (Second Prism) (2008) for solo cello
Notes: Shirish Korde is a composer of Indian descent who spent his early years in East Africa. He arrived in the United States in 1965, already well versed in the traditions of Indian and African music. He studied Jazz at Berklee College of Music, composition and analysis with Robert Cogan at New England Conservatory, and Ethnomusicology, especially Asian Music (including Indian drumming with Sharda Sahai), at Brown University. Currently, he is Professor of Music at the College of the Holy Cross.
– Shirish Korde website: https://www.shirishkorde.com/
INTERMISSION
“Ethel Smyth: A Passionate and Prolific Life”
Rhiannon Baasch, VU Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow
(The presentation will be preceded by a performance of Ethel Smyth’s song,
“Possession” performed by Rhiannon Baasch and Judy Stafslien.)
Ethel Smyth (1858-1944)
Sonata in A Minor for Cello and Piano, Op. 5
I. Allegro moderato
II. Adagio non troppo
III. Finale. Allegro vivace e grazioso
Notes: Ethel Smyth (1858-1944) overcame the constraints of her middle-class English background by open rebellion. Taught piano and theory as ladylike accomplishments, she became so concentrated in her studies that her family deemed them unsuitably intense and stopped her lessons. The teenaged Ethel went on a protracted and progressively more severe strike, finally confining herself to her room and refusing to attend meals, church, or social functions unless her father would send her to Leipzig to study composition. After two years the embattled Mr. Smyth gave in, and Ethel went to Leipzig where she studied with Heinrich von Herzogenberg and got to know Brahms, whom she admired greatly, Tchaikovsky, Grieg, Reinecke and many other important musicians.
Her Cello Sonata dates from 1887 and was dedicated to the famous German cellist, Julius Klengel. Under the influence of Brahms and Herzogenberg, Smyth eschewed writing a work to show off the performer's technique. Instead she produced a profound work which is about tonal color. The big opening movement, Allegro moderato, is tonally dark but not brooding. There is much exploring of the cello's various registers. The main theme has a Brahmsian cast. The middle movement, Adagio non troppo, begins quietly in a somber mood. The cello melody is sad and reflective. The finale, Allegro vivace, begins as a tarantella but Smyth cleverly plays with the rhythm. The second theme is lyrical and slower. - Edition Silvertrust
MAGDALENA SAS BIOGRAPHY
Prize winner of international competitions, Magda performs across Europe, Asia and the Americas, and appeared in renowned concert halls such as Musikverein and Konzerthaus in Vienna, BOZAR in Brussels, Witold Lutoslawski Studio in Warsaw, NCPA in Mumbai. She is a recipient of the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship and Paul Collins Wisconsin Distinguished Fellowship, and a graduate of music conservatories in Poland, Belgium, and Austria. In 2011-12 she was a member of the acclaimed European Chamber Music Academy (ECMA) in Vienna, she is also a recent graduate of the prestigious Global Leaders Program, an Ivy League curated Executive Education program for impact-focused Art Entrepreneurs.
Magda presented masterclasses and workshops across the globe in collaboration with MusAid Organization, El Sistema, Global Leaders Program, International Cello Institute, Mehli Mehta Music Foundation and Antigua & Barbuda Youth Symphony Orchestras, to mention a few. Currently, she is an Adjunct Professor of Music at the University of Minnesota in Duluth, MN. Magdalena is the founder and director of the Third Coast Chamber Collective, a group focused on promoting the transformative power of chamber music through educational, collaborative and commissioning outreach projects.