In This Light without Air, Elegy for Czesława Kwoka (2021), by Paulo Guicheney
In this Light without Air, Elegy for Czesława Kwoka, by Paulo Guicheney, is a reaction to the horrors of World War II. It was commissioned for this recital and was inspired by a picture of a fourteen-year-old Polish Catholic girl, Czesława Kwoka, who was killed at Auschwitz. Her bruised lip and hastily dried tears are the result of being beaten simply for not understanding instructions in German.
In This Light without Air, Elegy for Czesława Kwoka (2021),
by Paulo Guicheney
In this Light without Air, Elegy for Czesława Kwoka, by Paulo Guicheney, is a reaction to the horrors of World War II. It was commissioned for this recital and was inspired by a picture of a fourteen-year-old Polish Catholic girl, Czesława Kwoka, who was killed at Auschwitz. Her bruised lip and hastily dried tears are the result of being beaten simply for not understanding instructions in German.
Selections from Preludes (1946-1989), by Claudio Santoro
Selections from Preludes (1946-1989), by Claudio Santoro
Post-Modern Homages, Set I (1985-87), by Stephen Hartke - Premiere of "II Retumbante"
and
Estudo-Scherzo in Bb minor(1902), by Henrique Oswald
While the first piece in Stephen Hartke’s Post-Modern Homages, Set I, “Sonatina-Fantasia,” uses the opening of George Rochberg’s first String Quartet, the second is inspired by the word “Retumbante,” from the Brazilian National Anthem, and the third uses Henrique Oswald’s Estudo-Scherzo in Bb minor as a “Template.” Hartke requests that the etude be played following the set for full effect.
Post-Modern Homages, Set I (1985-87), by Stephen Hartke,
Premiere of "II Retumbante,"
and
Estudo-Scherzo in Bb minor (1902), by Henrique Oswald
While the first piece in Stephen Hartke’s Post-Modern Homages, Set I, “Sonatina-Fantasia,” uses the opening of George Rochberg’s first String Quartet, the second is inspired by the word “Retumbante,” from the Brazilian National Anthem, and the third uses Henrique Oswald’s Estudo-Scherzo in Bb minor as a “Template.” Hartke requests that the etude be played following the set for full effect.
Six Bagatelles, Op. 126, No. 3 (1824), by Ludwig van Beethoven
Written between 1801 and 1825, few of Beethoven’s Bagatelles are ever performed in recitals. Between solemn, slow pieces and fast, virtuosistic ones, Beethoven’s Bagatelles offer a glimpse of the changes in the composer’s style throughout his career. This Andante, written towards the end of Beethoven’s life, shows an introspective, yet vibrant composer.
Six Bagatelles, Op. 126, No. 3 (1824),
by Ludwig van Beethoven
Written between 1801 and 1825, few of Beethoven’s Bagatelles are ever performed in recitals. Between solemn, slow pieces and fast, virtuosistic ones, Beethoven’s Bagatelles offer a glimpse of the changes in the composer’s style throughout his career. This Andante, written towards the end of Beethoven’s life, shows an introspective, yet vibrant composer.
Lake Charles Variations (1990), by Wieslaw Rentowski
Lake Charles Variations was commissioned by the Louisiana Music Teachers Association for the State Convention at Lake Charles – LA. Thin metal chains on the strings and a Crotalo tuned to Eb are used alongside traditional playing. Flourishing scales are alternated with static octaves and brilliant passages based on repetition and irregular accented pitches, requiring various articulation techniques.
Lake Charles Variations (1990), by Wieslaw Rentowski
Lake Charles Variations was commissioned by the Louisiana Music Teachers Association for the State Convention at Lake Charles – LA. Thin metal chains on the strings and a Crotalo tuned to Eb are used alongside traditional playing. Flourishing scales are alternated with static octaves and brilliant passages based on repetition and irregular accented pitches, requiring various articulation techniques.
Nachklänge (Reverberations),
for piano with added timbres (1967-74), by Ruth Schonthal
Nachklänge is about loss due to war, an influence of Schonthal’s persecution by the Nazi regime. Objects are added on the strings of the piano, createing “the impression of something broken that once was very beautiful, evoking the image of a bombed-out cathedral.” She evokes a Bach coral and German soldier songs, using meter markings which create an organic passage of time.
Nachklänge (Reverberations), for piano with added timbres (1967-74), by Ruth Schonthal
Polyvalence I, for piano and interactive electroacoustics (2017),
by Mikel Kuehn
Polyvalence I is an improvisation-based piece in which the performer interacts with and reacts to the computer-generated electroacoustic elements.The score consists of graphs detailing the texture, atmosphere, and pitch content desired. The result is a loop of feedback between the electronics and the performer in a constantly-changing landscape.
Polyvalence I, for piano and interactive electroacoustics (2017), by Mikel Kuehn
The Perilous Night (1944) for prepared piano, by John Cage
John Cage wrote The Perilous Night during a time of emotional turmoil due to his separation from his wife. It expresses “the dangers of erotic love, the misery of people separating, and the loneliness and terror that comes to one when love becomes unhappy.” Objects inserted between the strings alter the sounds to suit Cage’s expressive purposes.
The Perilous Night (1944) for prepared piano, by John Cage
John Cage wrote The Perilous Night during a time of emotional turmoil due to his separation from his wife. It expresses “the dangers of erotic love, the misery of people separatind, and the lonliness and terror that comes to one when love becomes unhappy.” Objects inserted between the strings alter the sounds to suit Cage’s expressive purposes.
afloat (2014), by Paulo Guicheney
afloat (2014), by Paulo Guicheney
Nostalgic Visions (2009), by Elainie Lillios
Nostalgic Visions (2009), by Elainie Lillios
Nostalgic Visions was inspired by Federico García-Lorca’s Ballad of the Little Square. In this piece there is a dialogue between reality (played on the keyboard) and memory (inside the instrument). Sections of improvisation give the performer a chance to partake not only in the music-making but in the compositional process, making the piece fresh and relevant at every performance.
Douze Notations (1945), by Pierre Boulez
Boulez composed Douze Notations during his time studying under Oliver Messiaën. every performance. True to its name, the set consists of twelve movements, each containing twelve measures and composed using twelve-tone technique.
Douze Notations, (1945),
by Pierre Boulez
Boulez composed Douze Notations during his time studying under Oliver Messiaën. every performance. True to its name, the set consists of twelve movements, each containing twelve measures and composed using twelve-tone technique.
Pó (2008), by Liduino Pitombeira
Pó (dust in English) was based on a geometric structure called Cantor Dust, developed in 1883 by the German mathematician Georg Cantor. A line is divided into three and the middle section is eliminated. This process is repeated indefinitely until the remaining sections become like dust… Pitombeira replicates this in the rhythms and intervals used, as well as in the structure of the phrases.
Pó (2008), by Liduino Pitombeira
Pó (dust in English) was based on a geometric structure called Cantor Dust, developed in 1883 by the German mathematician Georg Cantor. A line is divided into three and the middle section is eliminated. This process is repeated indefinitely until the remaining sections become like dust… Pitombeira replicates this in the rhythms and intervals used, as well as in the structure of the phrases.