Wednesday, April 12, 2017 • 8:00 p.m ​

Mariela Shaker Graduate Recital

DePaul Concert Hall 800 West Belden Avenue • Chicago

Wednesday, April 12, 2017 • 8:00 p.m. ​ DePaul Concert Hall Mariela Shaker, violin Graduate Recital Lyudmila Lakisova, piano PROGRAM

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) ​ ​ Violin Sonata in E Minor, K. 304/300c (1778) ​ I. Allegro II. Tempo di Menuetto

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) ​ ​ ​ Violin Partita No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1004 (1720) ​ ​ I. Allemande II. Courante

Pablo de Sarasate (1844-1908) Spanish Dances Op. 22, No. 1 “Romanza Andaluza” (1879)

Intermission

César Franck (1822-1890) ​ ​ ​ Sonata in A Major for Violin and Piano (1886) ​ Allegretto ben moderato Allegro Recitativo-Fantasia: Ben moderato Allegretto poco mosso

Mariela Shaker is from the studio of Olga Kaler. This recital is presented in partial fulfillment of the degree Master of Music.

As a courtesy to those around you, please silence all cell phones and other electronic devices. Flash photography is not permitted. Thank you.

Mariela Shaker • April 12, 2017

PROGRAM NOTES

Wolfgang Amadeus, Mozart, (1756-1791) Violin Sonata in E Minor, K. 304/300c Duration: 15 minutes Mozart started to write sonatas for Keyboard and Piano when he was six years old. He composed about 35 sonatas including some that he left unfinished. The Sonata in E minor is the only one he composed in a minor key among his violin and piano sonatas. It was written in 1778 in Paris. The minor tonality reflects a feeling of dignity and grace to the piece.

Even though Mozart composed this piece when he was only 22, it is considered as one of his finest chamber works. Mozart traveled with his mother from Salzburg in 1777 for two years to Germany and France searching for a good job position as his father wanted the fame. Mozart didn't succeed as he spent a lot of money and he lost his mother who suffered illness and died in 1778. It is no wonder why his E minor sonata is so deep and sorrowful. It certainly reflects Mozart’s feelings and sadness.

Mozart wrote this sonata in two movements. The opening theme in the first movement starts in unison with the piano and dominates the whole movement, with lots of dynamic contrast. A graceful piano solo melody opens the second movement. Then it alternates between the two instruments. At the center of the movement Mozart changed the key to E major. It is the calmest and the most sensitive section in the movement. It repeats as if someone is wondering about something and would really like to get an answer - a true glorious moment in the piece. It is hard to disagree with Alfred Einstein, who said that the Sonata in E minor is "one of the miracles among Mozart's works."

Johann Sebastian, Bach (1685-1750) Violin Partita No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1004 Duration: 7 minutes Bach wrote three violin partitas. Each one is a set of four movements derived from the basic group of dances: Allemande, Courante, Sarabande and Gigue. Bach did not stay within this structure in all of his partitas, but he varied his work by extending the set and adding other dance movements. For instance, in his second violin partita in D minor he changed the proportions and he added a Chaconne to the four essential dances. An extraordinary movement in its structure and imagination, it is often performed independently from the rest of the piece by not just violinists but also pianists and symphonies.

Mariela Shaker • April 12, 2017 Program Notes

In the Allemande, Bach introduced a very complex and moving passage which leads to a rich structured harmony. The movement is in the key of D minor and follows the standard binary form A-B which is very common in dances of the baroque era. The first half is punctuated by a semi-cadence; the second continues to expand and closes with the much anticipated authentic (tonic) cadence to go to the home key. The second part elaborates in many ways and accelerates the rhythmic pace. Bach’s compositions are rich with layers and sequences and this is what makes his compositions stand out.

Pablo de, Sarasate (1844-1908) Spanish Dances Op. 22 No. 1, “Romanza Andaluza” Duration: 6 minutes Sarasate was a virtuoso violinist and a composer. He possessed a great talent for the violin from the age of 5. The story began when his father, Miguel, was practicing the violin and struggling with a particular passage. But Sarasate watched his dad and he showed a great interest in the instrument. Little Sarasate picked the violin and played the same passage very well perfectly.

Romanza Andaluza is one of his special Spanish dance compositions. It begins with a warm and lyrical folk melody while the piano plays continuous and exotic rhythms which were later used by Saint-Saëns in his composition Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso Op. 28. The piece evolves and becomes more intense in the second part by using ornamented material and double stops in thirds and sixths to enrich the harmony. It gives the impression of two duo voices singing a dramatic song. The piece also has a descending scale in sixths that was used again in Sarasate’s Zigeunerweisen Op. 20 and Fantasie Op. 25. It ends with an airy trills and a high whistle.

Sarasate compositions demand great violin techniques of left hand agility, big leaps, and fast bow movement. Sarasate used the left hand pizzicato in his own way, which created a guitar effect. He also had a unique staccato ''staccato volante'', which he used frequently in his works. The staccato was not too fast but very energetic and lively. Sarasate composed a total of sixty-one original compositions. All of them are rich and virtuosic. He was a nationalistic composer who successfully translated Spanish folk dances and the Gypsy style to Classical pieces that would become standards in the classical violin repertoire.

Mariela Shaker • April 12, 2017 Program Notes

César, Franck (1822-1890) Sonata in A Major for Violin and Piano Duration: 30 minutes Franck’s violin sonata has become one of the most familiar and well-loved of the genre. The work was written in 1886 as a wedding gift for his violinist friend, Ysayë, and it was first performed at the wedding breakfast. The first public public performance was given at a gallery by Ysayë in Brussels.

The work itself describes the happy bride and groom. The first movement is so attractive and it builds to great aspects of love. The Allegro movement contrasts greatly from the poetic first movement, and has a very agitated mood which builds quickly and gets more intense and dark.

Everything is resolved in the meditative and passionate third movement. The solemn writing evokes prayers. It has an improvisatory, almost cadenza-like beginning that greatly reflects Franck's legendary improvising skills which he developed as an organist. It is rich in colors and imagery which leads to the famous finale. This movement is very joyful and expresses the wedding ceremony where we can hear the bells at the end. The violin mirrors the piano, and the roles are reversed with lots of imitation, which refers to the wedding vow.

Notes by Mariela Shaker.

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