A graduation recital by pianist Yekwon Sunwoo. Yekwon is a native of AnYang, Korea, and entered Curtis in 2005 for studies with Seymour Lipkin.

His program:

Haydn: Sonata in C major, Hob. XVI:48
In typically voluminous style, this busy composer created no less than 62 piano sonatas, although there is some doubt as to the provenance of a few of them. Haydn spent 28 years writing his keyboard sonatas, from 1766 to 1794.

Liszt: Liebestraum No.3
This is the last of three short pieces called "Dreams of Love" that Liszt wrote in 1850, originally conceived as songs. Each explores different aspects of love: Holy Love (#1); Erotic Love (#2); and Mature Love (#3). This third piece is easily the most famous, owing to its achingly beautiful melody, and has been adapted often in popular culture.

Liszt: Dante Sonata from "Annees de Pelerinage"
This one-movement sonata dates from 1849, but had to wait for publication until 1846, as part of the second volume of Annees de Pelerinage ("Years of Pilgrimage"). This finger-buster depicts a reading of Dante's "The Divine Comedy," moving from the terrors of Hell to the joys of Heaven.

Ravel: La Valse
So, should we believe that Ravel was depicting nothing less than the dissolution of Europe's hidebound monarchies in this wild, swirling waltz? Some have suggested it; the composer vigorously denied it. Conceived as a ballet score, Ravel wrote La Valse in 1919 and 1920 for the orchestra, but also created this separate piano version.

Liszt/Horowitz: Variations on Mendelssohn's Wedding March
Composers often transcribed orchestral works for the piano for use in the home. Liszt did this for the famous Wedding March, and the 20th century virtuoso Vladimir Horowitz added his own touches. The result: no timid pianist need apply!

Liszt: Transcendental Etude No.10
This is the tenth of Liszt's twelve studies (Etudes d'execution transcendante), which explore the sonorities of the increasingly sophisticated 19th century pianos. In fact, this third set, from 1852, revises the more difficult 1837 suite, which in turn replaced an 1826 version.

Musical Word of the Week: Etude
"Noun: a musical composition, usually instrumental, intended mainly for the practice of some point of technique." (from Dictionary.com)

A student recital featuring the music of Beethoven, Schumann, and Mendelssohn.

Beethoven: Cello Sonata No.4 in C major, Op.102
Tessa Seymour, cello and Jungeun Kim, piano
This sonata, along with its successor, was composed in 1815 and published two years later.  By this time, Beethoven's deafness was nearly total, and he was retreating more and more into a world of pure music.  All of his compositions from this period move beyond the strict classical forms of his earlier years, the more to express his deepest feelings.

Schumann: Adagio & Allegro for Cello and Piano
John-Henry Crawford, cello & Patrick Kreeger, piano
This work dates from 1849, perhaps Schumann's most productive year.  Originally written for horn, the Adagio and Allegro also features versions for violin and cello, the latter of which we hear tonight.  This is an example of what Schumann called hausmusik, shorter works created for talented amateurs.  It should be pointed out, however, that only a very talented amateur could aspire to this work's technical demands!

Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No.2 in C minor, Op.66
Eunice Kim, violin; John-Henry Crawford, cello; Patrick Kreeger, piano
Mendelssohn composed this trio in 1845, and dedicated it to the violinist and composer Louis Spohr, who assisted Mendelssohn during the writing.  A little trivia: Johannes Brahms adapted the opening theme of the finale for the Scherzo of his Piano Sonata No.3.

Musical Word of the Week: Ever wonder how to define the difference between and major and minor chords?  Find out here.

A student piano recital featuring the music of Ravel and Stravinsky.

Ravel: Sonatine
Alexander Ullman, piano
The genesis of this piano sonata was a magazine competition with a 100-franc award.  Although the magazine went out of business and never awarded the money, Ravel finished the piece in 1905, after his more famous suite "Miroirs."
It may not be a favorite of the piano literature, but the Sonatine shows Ravel at his most radiant and inventive.

Ravel: Alborada del Gracioso
Alexander Ullman, piano
This is the fourth section of the above-mentioned suite "Miroirs," composed in 1904 and 1905, and reflects Ravel's life-long fascination with Spain.  Miroirs' five sections pay tribute to the composer's fellow members of the impressionist music group "Les Apaches;" the dedicatee here is M. D. Calvocoressi.  The title translates, somewhat awkwardly as "Morning Song of the Jester."
This piano version is a recital favorite, but has been eclipsed by Ravel's own arrangement for orchestra of 1918.

Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps (for piano-four hands)
Yue Chu and Michelle Cann, pianists
Stravinsky composed this working arrangement of his revolutionary ballet score prior to the final orchestral version which took the ballet and music worlds by storm in 1913.  Stravinsky was said to play this version with none other than Claude Debussy.  Due to the disruptions of World War II, the piano arrangement was performed more frequently in its first years.  It's quite a sight to see our two pianists with fingers flying at the same keyboard, as they negotiate Stravinsky's savage and complex rhythms.

Musical Word of the Week: Impressionism
1. Fine Arts .
a. a style of painting developed in the last third of the 19th century, characterized chiefly by short brush strokes of bright colors in immediate juxtaposition to represent the effect of light on objects.
b. a manner of painting in which the forms, colors, or tones of an object are lightly and rapidly indicated.
c. a manner of sculpture in which volumes are partially modeled and surfaces roughened to reflect light unevenly.
2. a theory and practice in literature that emphasizes immediate aspects of objects or actions without attention to details.
3. a late-19th-century and early-20th-century style of musical composition in which lush harmonies, subtle rhythms, and unusual tonal colors are used to evoke moods and impressions.
(from Dictionary.com)

A graduation recital by violinist Joel A. Link. Joel hails from Americus, Georgia, and studied at Curtis with Pamela Frank and Joseph Silverstein.  His program:

Janacek: Sonata for Violin
Leos Janacek lived from 1854 to 1928, and displayed the most distinctive 20th-Century compositional voice of his native Czechoslovakia.  This Violin Sonata is one of his late works; Janacek began work on it in 1914, and added a number of revisions until the final version appeared in 1921.  The sonata's use of short, frenetic outbursts is unlike anything else heard in the violin literature.

Brahms: Violin Sonata No.1 in G major, Op.78
Dating from 1878 and 1879 following the First Symphony and the Violin Concerto, the sonata finds Brahms in full creative flower.  An air of sweet-natured classicism pervades this three-movement work.  Indeed, some of Brahms' sunniest works, like the Second Symphony and this sonata, were composed during holidays at the southern Austrian resort of Poertschach on Woerthersee Lake.  Sounds like one of those "100 Places to See Before You Die."

Elgar: Salut d'amour (arranged by Albert Markov)
(Joel Link & Bryan A, Lee, violins)
This is Elgar's first published work, an 1888 engagement present to his future wife.  Elgar submitted three versions of the work – for solo piano, violin and piano, and an orchestral arrangement.  This special arrangement profiles the talents of Joel Link and his Curtis student colleague, Bryan A. Lee.

Dvorak: Als die alte Mutter (arranged by Fritz Kreisler)
Dating from 1880, this sentimental melody, translated as "Songs My Mother Taught Me," comes from Dvorak's cycle Gypsy Songs, and certainly qualifies as the most popular of the group.  Originally written for voice and piano, this version for violin is by the legendary virtuoso Fritz Kreisler, and is certainly appropriate to his sentimental style.

(all selections are accompanied by pianist Amy JiaQi Yang)

Musical Word of the Week: Double Stop
Noun: two or more notes bowed simultaneously on a stringed instrument, as the violin. (from Dictionary.com)

A student recital featuring the music of Brahms and Dvorak.

Brahms: Horn Trio in E-flat major, Op.40
This is arguably the most beloved of all chamber pieces featuring the French Horn.  Brahms dedicated this 1865 work to his mother, Christiane, who had recently died; that may account for the elegiac feel that speaks so strongly to listeners.  The trio was the last chamber work by Brahms until 1873.

The players: Adedeji Bailes Ogunfolu, horn; Zoe Martin-Doike, violin; Xiaohui Yang, piano

Dvorak: String Quartet in F major, Op.96 ("American")
Once again, as in the "New World" Symphony, Dvorak captures the spirit of a diverse, burgeoning America in this beautiful chamber work.  Ironically, those who try to find specific folk melodies in the quartet (as well as in the New World Symphony) inevitably fail.  Dvorak traveled to a Czech immigrant community in Spillville, Iowa as he composed this work in 1893, and seems to have absorbed an indefinable "American" quality with which he imbues the quartet.

The players: Aaron Timothy Chooi & Joel Link, violins; Ren Martin-Doike, viola; Tessa Seymour, cello

Note: Zoe Martin-Doike (Brahms) and Ren Martin-Doike are sisters.

Musical Word of the Week:  Natural Horn
(Brahms originally wrote his Horn Trio for the natural horn):
The natural horn is a musical instrument that is the ancestor of the modern-day horn, and is differentiated by its lack of valves. It consists of a mouthpiece, some long coiled tubing, and a large flared bell.

A graduation recital by violinist Bryan A. Lee, a native of Radnor, PA. The program:

Mozart: Sonata in E-flat major, K.302
This short two-movement sonata dates from 1778, while the 22-year-old Mozart wandered through the capitals of Europe in search of a patron.  His inspiration was a set of six violin sonatas by the Dresden Kapellmeister Joseph Schuster.  A sense of dignified restraint pervades this 12-minute work.

Webern: Four Pieces, Op.7
Webern lived from 1887 to 1945.  He completed these Four Pieces in 1910, following studies with Arnold Schoenberg.  As epitomized by this violin suite, Webern's music was highly concentrated, with intense importance given to each note.  The result is that Webern's scores are very brief, with these Four Pieces running barely five minutes in length.  Along with Schoenberg, Webern pioneered the musical technique of "serialism."

Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat major, K.364
The title basically says it all: this delightful three-movement work is one of Mozart's experiments as a symphony/concerto hybrid.  It dates from 1779, during the same European tour mentioned above, and was inspired by the increasing sophistication of court orchestras, particularly in Mannheim. Here, Bryan is joined by violist and Curtis graduate Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt.  Along with cellist Camden Shaw and violinist Joel A. Link, Bryan and Milena comprise the Old City String Quartet.

Musical Word of the Week: Serialism
Twelve-tone technique – a modern system of tone relationships in which the 12 tones of an octave are not centered around any one tone, but are unified by a selected order of tones for a given composition. (from Dictionary.com)

A graduation recital by pianist Christina Naughton, a native of Madison, Wisconsin. The program:

Beethoven: Sonata No.30 in E major, Op.109
Dating from 1820, this work is a late entry in Beethoven's sonata canon: only two more would follow. Following the monumental Hammerklavier sonata, Beethoven returns here to a more intimate, three-movement construction. The focus of the sonata is the third movement, a "theme and variations" form.

Brahms: Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op.24
This is an early work of Brahms, written in 1861 at the age of 28. Nonetheless, this suite is considered to be one of the greatest of all "theme and variations" piano works. Brahms introduces a theme from Handel's Harpsichord Suite No.1 and weaves a set of 25 variations, all faithful to the original tune, but all rendered clearly in Brahms' own compositional voice. The concluding fugue is a brilliant finger-buster that brings down the house every time.

Mendelssohn: Allegro brillante in A major, Op.92
Christina and Michelle Naughton are identical twins who entered Curtis in 2007, and are graduating together. Michelle joins her sister for this piano-four hands showpiece. Mendelssohn composed it in 1841 for an important occasion: the first public appearance by Robert and Clara Schumann. Mendelssohn joined Clara at keyboard for the premiere.

Online Extra:
Christina Naughton's teacher at Curtis was the noted pianist and pedagogue Robert McDonald. Ed Cunningham spoke with Mr. McDonald by telephone about Christina; listen here:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Musical Word of the Week: Fugue
Music: a polyphonic composition based upon one, two, or more themes, which are enunciated by several voices or parts in turn, subjected to contrapuntal treatment, and gradually built up into a complex form having somewhat distinct divisions or stages of development and a marked climax at the end. (from Dictionary.com):

A student/faculty recital from the school's year-long project: "The Paris Project: Between the Wars." It complemented Curtis's participation in the 2011 Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts, focused on Paris in the early twentieth century. 

Airs Sunday, December 25 at 6 p.m. on WHYY-TV.

The program:

Ravel: Don Quichotte a Dulcinee
Julian Arsenault, baritone; Mikael Eliasen, piano
This set of three songs, dating from 1932 and 1933, is the last completed score from Ravel's pen.  Based on poems of Paul Morand, the music was commissioned for a film about Don Quixote; because of Ravel's tardiness, music by Jacques Ibert was used instead.  The songs are entitled: Chanson romanesque, Chanson epique and Chanson a boir. Ravel wrote two versions of the score, one with orchestral accompaniment, and this one with piano.

Ravel: Three Poems of Stephane Mallarme
Jaziminia MacNeil, mezzo-soprano; Vinay Parameswaran, conducting
Three more songs by Ravel, this time dating to 1913, and based on verses of the Symbolist poet Stephane Mallarme.  Here the singer is accompanied by a chamber ensemble. Ravel's mysterious music perfectly mirrors the enigmatic poetry of Mallarme, which does not translate well into English.  The song titles: Soupir, Placet futile and Surgi de la croupe et du bond.

Messiaen: Poemes pour Mi
Kirsten MacKinnon, soprano; Mikael Eliasen, piano
Olivier Messiaen possessed one of the most unusual compositional voices of the 20th century.  A devout Catholic, his music embraces an ecstatic and mystical religiosity and love of nature (particularly birds).
Poemes pour Mi was inspired by Messiaen's 1932 marriage to fellow composer Claire Delbos, whom he affectionately referred to as "Mi."  This cycle of nine songs celebrates the sacrament of marriage, in all its spiritual and carnal joys.

Musical Word of the Week:  Symbolist
a. an artist who seeks to symbolize or suggest ideas or emotions by the objects represented, the colors used, etc.
b. ( usually initial capital letter ) a member of a group of late 19th-century artists who rejected realism and sought to express subjective visions rather than objective reality through the use of evocative images.
(From dictionary.com)