Student Recital: Liszt, Jolivet, Mendelssohn

A student recital featuring:

Liszt: “Sonetto 104 del Petrarca,” from Années de pèlerinage, deuxième année: Italie
Michael Davidman, piano

Années de pèlerinage is a set of three suites for solo piano by Hungarian composer Franz Liszt. Michael Davidman plays “Sonetto 104 del Petrarca,” from the second suite deuxième année: Italie (“Second Year: Italy”). “Sonetto 104 del Petrarca” was inspired by the poem from Italian poet Francesco Petrarca. The piece is very passionate and Liszt attempts to express the poem through his music.

Liszt: Mephisto Waltz No. 1 (“Der Tanz in der Dorfschenke”)
Michael Davidman, piano

Waltz No. 1 is the best known from Liszt’s Mephisto Waltzes “Der Tanz in der Dorfschenke” (The Dance in the Village Inn). The beginning of the piece describes a dance in the village and then the slow melody takes the listener into the forest but something is lurking below the surface.

Jolivet: Concertino for Trumpet and Orchestra
Steven Franklin, trumpet; David Hughes, piano

In this piece, French Composer André Jolivet was very interested in writing music that had a primitive tribal quality. The piece is a good example of that with its edgy rhythmic and jazzy elements.

Mendelssohn: Concerto in E minor, Op. 64
Stephen Kim, violin; Michael Davidman, piano

Mendelssohn: Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 is one of the staples of the violin repertoire of classical music and is considered one of the greatest concertos for violin. The concerto consists of three movements: Allegro molto appassionato—
Andante—Allegretto non troppo— and Allegro molto vivace.