Graduation Recital by Violinist Amalia Hall
Airs Sunday, May 19 at 6 p.m. on WHYY-TV; online Monday, May 20.
A graduation recital by Amalia Hall, violin. Amalia, from Auckland, New Zealand, was a student of Pamela Frank and Joseph Silverstein and entered Curtis in 2008. Her program:
Gareth Farr: Wakatipu
Amalia opens the recital with a nod to her native land, performing New Zealand composer Gareth Farr's Wakatipu. This virtuoso romp for solo violin is based on the ancient Maori legend which gives Lake Wakatipu its name. The lake's water level mysteriously rises and falls constantly; legend has it that the fluctuations are caused by the beating of a giant demon's heart.
Schubert: Sonata in A major, D. 574
Schubert wrote this four-movement sonata in 1817, but it was not published until 1851. The publisher appended the word "duo" to the score, properly noting the full integration of violin and piano as equal partners in this beautiful work. This was the first time Schubert displayed such confidence in his writing for the piano.
Enesco: Sonata No. 3 in A minor, Op. 25
"dans le caractere populaire roumain"
Composed in 1926 and published seven years later, this three-movement sonata is a typical example of the composer's fascination with Romanian folk music, most familiarly represented in his "Romanian Rhapsodies."
Musical Word of the Week: Sonata
a composition for one or two instruments, typically in three or four movements in contrasted forms and keys.
Origin: 1685-95;
