Artistry in Action: Chamber Series
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Artistry in Action: Chamber Series presents Philippe Gaubert's "Soir Païen," Jennifer Higdon's "Trumpet Songs," “Madrigals, Book I,” by George Crumb, and Brahms’s B Major piano trio, Op. 8. Performers include renowned Boston Conservatory at Berklee faculty members Saul Bitran (violin), Joseph Holt (double bass), Richard Kelley (trumpet), Emily Siar (soprano), Grace Spicuzza (piano), Linda Toote (flute), Carlos Vargas (piano), Owen Young (cello) and graduate students Kyoka Minami (piano) and Eric Puente (percussion).
This event is part of Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s Artistry in Action series.
Program Information
Repertoire
PHILLIPE GAUBERT: Soir Païen
Emily Siar, soprano
Linda Toote, flute
Grace Spicuzza, piano
JENNIFER HIGDON: Trumpet Songs
I. Morning Opens
II. To Home
III. In Our Quiet
IV. Hop and Toe
V. Threaded
VI. Breaking
Richard Kelley, trumpet
Kyoka Minami (G.P.D. '24), piano
GEORGE CRUMB: Madrigals, Book I
I. Verte desnuda es recorder la tierra
II. No piensan en la lluvia, y se han dormido
III. Los Muertos llevan alas de musgo
Emily Siar, soprano
Eric Puente (M.M. '23), vibraphone
Joseph Holt, bass
JOHANNES BRAHMS: Trio No. 1 in B Major, op. 8
I. Allegro con brio
II. Scherzo: Allegro molto - Meno Allegro
III. Adagio
IV. Allegro
Saul Bitran, violin
Owen Young, cello
Carlos Vargas, piano
Program Notes, Texts, and Translations
PHILIPPE GAUBERT: Soir Païen
Philippe Gaubert was a flute player, conductor, and composer well known for his grasp of French impressionist harmonic language and his idiomatic writing for the flute. His works are graceful, beautiful, and never simplistic. Soir Païen (Pagan Dusk), for soprano, flute, and piano, sets Albert Samain's poem about a moonstruck meeting between Greek goddess Diana and her immortal lover.
—Anne Howarth
C'est un beau soir, couleur de rose et d'ambre clair
Le temple d'Adonis, en haut du promontoire
Découpe sur fond d'or sa colonnade noire
Et la première étoile a brillé sur la mer
Pendant qu'un roseau pur module un lent accord
Là-bas, Pan, accoudé sur les monts se soulève
Pour voir danser pieds nus les nymphes sur la grève
Et des vaisseaux d'Asie embaument le vieux port
Des femmes, épuisant tout bas l'heure incertaine
Causent, l'urne appuyée au bord de la fontaine
Et des bœufs accouplés délaissent les sillons
La nuit vient parfumée aux roses de Syrie
Et Diane au croissant clair, ce soir en rêverie
Au fond des grands bois noirs qu'argente un long rayon
Baise ineffablement les yeux d'Endymion
JENNIFER HIGDON: Trumpet Songs (2004)
Indicative of its title, Jennifer Higdon's "Trumpet Songs" is a collection of original art songs arranged in 2004 for solo trumpet and accompanying piano. The subsequent singing texture of the trumpet derives from the lyrical quality of the rhythmic line and intuitive melodic contour. While neither element is necessarily complex, the sense that the music is larger or more difficult than itself arises from the juxtaposition of the aria-like trumpet and harmonically driven accompaniment. Higdon's command of these techniques in a manner that compliments her experiences in both Western art and popular music is what manifests the ease-of-listening, yet emotionally profound environment of her compositions. Likewise, her attraction towards nature as an inspiration can be perceived in each song title: an overarching narrative that takes one from morning through evening—or perhaps symbolically, from a sense of home through adventure.
—Ryan Chao
GEORGE CRUMB: Madrigals, Book I (1965)
The musical language of George Crumb is very different from that of other composers on tonight's program. It is highly personal, evocative, and nuanced, influenced by nonwestern traditions and creating varied atmospheres. Crumb composed his four books of Madrigals between 1965 and 1969. Each book is scored for voice and two or more instruments, and the texts utilize one to three lines of poetry by Federico Garcia Lorca. Crumb explores the themes and moods of the texts in intimate and expressive ways, utilizing the particular timbres and characteristics of each instrument/voice alone and as they interact.
—Anne Howarth
1. Verte desnuda es recorder la tierra
To see you naked is to remember the earth
2. No piensan en la lluvia, y se han dormido
They do not think of the rain, and they've fallen asleep
3. Los Muertos llevan alas de musgo
The dead wear mossy wings
JOHANNES BRAHMS: Trio No. 1 in B Major, op. 8
Brahms's first piano trio, opus 8, is closely bound up with his relationship with Robert and Clara Schumann. In October 1853, soon after meeting Brahms, Robert Schumann published a review describing Brahms as a "young eagle from the North" and praising his music. Brahms soon became close with both of the Schumanns. He was in the process of writing opus 8 when Robert Schumann attempted suicide and was hospitalized in a sanatorium. Brahms, who was elsewhere in Germany at the time, returned to the Schumanns's home to help Clara with business and household matters while she continued her career as a concert pianist. He developed romantic feelings for Clara and dedicated his opus 9 (variations on a theme by Robert Schumann) to her.
The original version of opus 8, published in 1854, may also refer to Brahms's love for Clara Schumann. He used a theme from Robert Schumann's song "Am Meer" ("By the Sea") about frustrated love, in the third movement, as well as a melody from Beethoven's song cycle, An die ferne Geliebte (To the distant beloved) in the finale. When he revised the piece for republication in 1889, Brahms omitted both of these melodies. Music historian Roger Moseley suggests two possible reasons for these omissions: first, that music-lovers of the time were obsessed with finding these types of musical references and often looked at them as evidence of plagiarism; and second, that Brahms wanted to remove references to his youthful romance, particularly since the public interest in finding allusions was likely to bring these references to light.
Tonight's performance features the 1889 revision of the trio, which Brahms updated to be more in keeping with his later works. For example, as musicologists Nicholas Cook and Roger Moseley point out, his revisions to the first movement make two modifications to typical sonata form that significantly change the impact of the movement. As is typical in sonata form, the first theme of this movement is in B major, and the second theme is in the relative minor (G-sharp minor). In Cook's 1999 article in the Dutch Journal of Music Theory, "Performing rewriting and rewriting performance: The first movement of Brahms's Piano Trio, Op. 8, he points out the way in which Brahms incorporates an unusual harmonic structure into the recapitulation. Instead of starting the recapitulation in B major, he starts it in the relative minor (G-sharp minor) and then transitions into B major. This choice of keys makes the recapitulation, in Cook's words, more "oblique" and less clearly defined. The second special feature is the coda, marked tranquillo, that follows the recapitulation. In Moseley's article "Reforming Johannes: Brahms, Kreisler Junior and the Piano Trio in B, Op. 8," published in Journal of the Royal Musical Association in 2007, he states that the coda, like other similarly marked passages in Brahms's later chamber works, "signals that the music has already reached its final resting place." He describes these tranquillo passages in the late works as a "brand of tender melancholy" that "has long been perceived as a Brahmsian hallmark."
The second movement, as Moseley reports, "survived practically unscathed" from the first edition to the revision. It is a scherzo/trio that features extended pedal points and written-out ritardandos in which bits of the theme are interspersed with full-measure rests.
In the third movement, marked adagio, the first section consists of alternating segments of piano solo and string duet, mostly in half-notes and quarter-notes. The movement continues with a cello/piano duet that moves primarily at eighth-note speed, and finally, all three instruments join in a section marked by sixteenth-note accompaniment. This second theme is also new to the revised trio and, rather than being based on Robert Schumann's theme, is, as Moseley points out, "closely related to the movement's opening," thus "bringing the music back… firmly under his [Brahms's] control." Finally, Brahms brings back the original, more slowly paced melody, but this time with triplet accompaniment in the piano, and at last slowing down again to the original long notes without the triplets.
The last movement is again in sonata form, this time with a first theme in B minor and a second theme in D major. The first theme, although technically in B minor, begins with a chromatic movement from G natural to F sharp, down to E sharp, and back up again. The melody never lands firmly on the pitch of B, nor does the harmony land on the B minor triad. In contrast, the second theme is much more clearly grounded in the key of D major. It clearly outlines a D major triad with a persistent D pedal point in the bass. Moseley suggests that this new second theme (which replaces the Beethoven theme), with its martial character, may represent "belligerent German nationalism," with the return to the first theme reflecting Brahms's loss of confidence in that nationalism. Moseley also reports that Clara Schumann called this new theme "quite ghastly," which is perhaps understandable given that it replaced the theme that Brahms may have originally included in her honor.
—Ruth Hertzman-Miller
About the Artists
Saul Bitran, violin, is an associate professor of violin at Boston Conservatory. Learn more about Bitran.
Joseph Holt, bass, is an assistant professor of double bass at Boston Conservatory. Learn more about Holt.
Richard Kelley, trumpet, performs regularly with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops, Boston Philharmonic, and Boston Classical Orchestra. Learn more about Kelley.
Kyoka Minami, piano, works not only as a classical pianist but as a collaborative artist. She has won numerous awards, including first prize in the Sakai International Piano Competition. Minami earned a bachelor's in piano performance from Kyoto University of Arts in 2020 and later completed her master's degree in piano performance at Boston Conservatory. She is currently pursuing her graduate performance diploma at the Conservatory under the tutelage of Max Levinson.
Eric Puente, vibraphone, is a graduate student studying percussion and marimba with Sam Solomon and Nancy Zeltsman. During his time at Boston Conservatory, Eric has had the opportunity to expand his repertoire and perform in many ensembles on and off campus. He holds a bachelor's degree in music studies from Texas State University, and is a candidate to receive his master's in percussion performance in May 2023.
Emily Siar, soprano, is an instructor of voice at Boston Conservatory. Learn more about Siar.
Grace Evelyn Spicuzza, piano, is a collaborative pianist working in the greater Boston area. As a staff accompanist at Boston Conservatory, she plays for musical theater and classical lessons and recitals. Spicuzza earned a master's degree in collaborative piano from Boston Conservatory in 2017 and a bachelor's in piano performance from Wheaton College Conservatory of Music in 2011. Learn more about Spicuzza.
Linda Toote, flute, is an associate professor of flute at Boston Conservatory. Learn more about Toote.
Carlos Vargas, piano, is an instructor of music at Boston Conservatory. Learn more about Vargas.
Owen Young, cello, is an associate professor at Boston Conservatory. Learn more about Young.
About the Series
Chamber Series is part of Boston Conservatory at Berklee's Artistry in Action series. The Artistry in Action series celebrates exceptional artists and initiatives that exemplify Boston Conservatory's core values of excellence, innovation, and community engagement. Hosted by the Conservatory's Music Division, Artistry in Action brings together the school's prestigious and long-standing Piano Masters Series, String Masters Series, and Chamber Series with exciting new programming for winds, faculty recitals, and ensemble-in-residences. Learn more and view upcoming Artistry in Action events.
Concert Services Staff
Senior Manager of Concert Services – Luis Herrera
Concert Production Coordinator – Matthew Carey
Concert Production Manager – Kendall Floyd
Manager of Performance Technology – Wes Fowler
Performance Technology Technicians – Sara Pagiaro, Goran Daskalov
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