Graduation Recital by Flutist Patrick Williams

A graduation recital by Patrick Williams, flute. Patrick, from Steamboat Springs, Colo., was a student of Jeffrey Khaner and entered Curtis in 2010. He is accompanied tonight by Curtis staff pianist Amy J. Yang. The program:

Clara Schumann: Three Romances, Op.22
This is a transcription of music originally written for violin and piano. Clara, who had abandoned her own music career when she married Robert Schumann, wrote this music in 1854, while her husband lay in a mental hospital after a suicide attempt. The skill she displays in these short pieces makes you wonder what might have been in a more independent time for women.

Liebermann: Sonata for Flute & Piano, Op.23
The contemporary American composer Lowell Liebermann is considered one of the most sympathetic of today’s composers for this instrument. This two-movement sonata dates from 1987 with a dedication to Paula Robison. She gave the world premiere the following year at the Spoleto Festival USA with pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet. The National Flute Society named it the Best Newly-Published Flute Work in 1989.

Saint-Saens: Romance, Op.37
Ironically, this lovely 1871 short work by Camille Saint-Saens was a direct response to the disastrous Franco-Prussian War. Saint-Saens and his colleagues wanted to create a distinctive French musical voice in the wake of the nation’s humiliation on the battlefield. Paul Taffanel gave the premiere with Saint-Saens at the piano in April, 1872.

Strauss: Sonata in E-flat major, Op.18
Here’s another transcription of music originally written for violin and piano. Written in 1887/88 when Richard Strauss was in his mid-20’s, this exuberant music reflects the ardor the young composer felt for soprano Pauline de Anha, whom he later wed. The sonata’s three movements are marked: Allegro, ma non troppo; Improvisation: Andante cantabile; and Finale: Andante – Allegro.

Music Word of the Week: Tonguing
“In the playing of woodwind and brass instruments, the interruption of the flow of wind from the lungs into the instrument by means of a motion of the tongue against the mouthpiece or reed.” (from the Oxford Dictionary of Music)