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Sydney Murrell, Mezzo-Soprano Jeanette Evins, Piano

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Sydney Murrell, Mezzo-Soprano Jeanette Evins, Piano proudly presents the 2020-2021 Student Artist Series Sydney Murrell, mezzo-soprano Jeanette Evins, piano This Senior Recital is given in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Bachelor of Music in Performance degree. Friday, April 23, 2021 7:30 p.m., Livestreamed from Kitt Recital Hall Program “Non so più cosa son, cosa faccio” Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart from Le nozze di Figaro (1756-1791) “Si promette facilmente” “Vorrei punirti indegno” from La finta giardiniera Selections from Liederkries, Op.39 Robert Schumann In der Fremde (1810-1856) Intermezzo Waldesgespräch Mondnacht Frülingsnacht ~Intermission~ “Werther! . Qui m’aurait di la place” Jules Massenet from Werther (1842-1912) “A Letter from Sullivan Ballou” John Kander (b.1927) “George” William Bolcom from Cabaret Songs (b.1938) Program Notes by Sydney Murrell (2021) WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791) Selections from Le nozze di Figaro and La finta giardiniera Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria, into a musical family. Mozart was considered a child prodigy. He could read and write music by the age of five and was composing by the age of six. In 1781, Mozart moved to Vienna to become a freelance musician, which was uncommon during this time. Most composers worked for aristocratic patrons during the Classical period, since the rise of amateur musicians who were frequent music-buyers didn’t occur until the late-Classical period into the early-Romantic period. Despite being relatively famous, Mozart struggled with a spending addiction which left his wife and children poor upon his death at thirty-five years old. “Non so più cosa son, cosa faccio” is sung in Le nozze di Figaro by a prepubescent boy, Cherubino, to the maid Susanna discussing his conflict of emotions about women. He states that he is unable to understand his feelings of “love,” which are often portrayed as lust. Cherubino is a character who has high self-regard and is unable to understand why women are not drawn to him. He idolizes Figaro, the Count’s valet, for his ability to speak to women successfully, while additionally idolizing the Count—even if he is utterly terrified of him. La finta giardiniera was written at the age of nineteen in 1775. The title translates to “The Pretend Garden-Girl.” The opera discusses themes of domestic abuse, balancing love versus status, and mental illness. Arminda is a sharp, intense, self- centered woman who masks her insecurities with her large personality. She is deeply in love with Ramiro, a poet with little status, but is arranged to be married to Count Belfiore by her uncle, the Podestá. “Si promette facilmente” is sung to Belfiore after meeting for the first time. Arminda states that she will be the perfect, devoted wife. However, if he hurts her in any way, she will “use [her] hands to punish” Belfiore. “Vorrei punirti indegno” occurs in Act II of the opera. In NAU Lyric Theater’s recent production of La finta giardiniera, Ramiro expresses immense rage towards Arminda due to her disloyalty and lack of commitment and honesty. Ramiro has faithfully loved Arminda, while she has never returned an expression of love to him while also leaving him for Belfiore. Immediately after this confrontation, Belfiore enters searching for Violante, his ex-lover, who is hiding her identity from him. He talks about his undying love for Violante. Arminda overhears this and is overcome with rage. Her feelings of heartbreak towards Ramiro, and her anger towards Belfiore create a mental breakdown. “Vorrei punirti indengo” is Arminda’s presentation of rage. ROBERT SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Selections from Liederkreis, op. 39 Robert Schumann was most known for his art songs, piano music, and orchestral works. In his art song writing, the piano functions as an equal partner, setting the atmosphere in some cases. In others, it is depicting the characters’ subconscious or underlying emotions. His deep love for his wife, Clara Wieck (an excellent piano virtuoso and composer herself) is evident in many of Schumann’s works. In 1840, Schumann wrote 138 art songs for Clara Wieck during their separation. During this time, Schumann developed the song cycles Dichterliebe, Liederkreis, and Frauenliebe und -leben. Schumann’s Liederkreis was derived from poetry written by Joseph von Eichendorff. Schumann wrote to his wife that “The Eichendorff cycle is my most Romantic music ever and contains much of you in it, dear Clara.” While Schumann’s other cycles are knitted together through a character’s story or life, Liederkreis is considered to be a collection of songs that are bound together through themes of nature, seasons, and times of day. Additionally, each Lied evokes a different character with different scenarios and emotions. The opening song of the cycle, “In der Fremde,” discusses a character who has lost both of their parents. After losing them, the character discusses their deep loss, while having the desire to rest within the forest where they will also be forgotten. “In a Foreign Land” alludes to the loss the character is experiencing, and how their home land now feels foreign and lonely. This piece is through-composed. The melancholy presence of chromaticism within the accompaniment creates the character’s subconscious emotional state, while the voice provides surface level emotions. The second song, “Intermezzo,” has a dramatically different character and mood. In G major, the accompaniment highlights the off beats of the melody while the voice focuses on the large beats of the phrase. This creates a continuous stream of music that contributes to the character’s feeling of adoration, love, and light. Additionally, Eichendorff alludes to a love in which the lover “ . into the sky and swiftly wings its way to you”. This is present throughout many songs within the Liederkreis, where themes of love and adoration are whisked into the sky like birds. “Waldesgespräch” paints a scene through two character perspectives. The first character is a wanderer on horseback. The second character is initially painted as a lovely maiden who enchants the wanderer, only until the wanderer discovers that this lovely maiden is none other than the evil witch Lorelei. Lorelei exclaims that the wanderer shall never leave the forest. Typically, Lorelei is depicted as a siren who lures sailors into her destruction. Interestingly, Eichendorff placed Lorelei in the forest. Schumann depicts each character uniquely within the accompaniment. When referencing the wanderer, the accompaniment strongly presents a rhythmic motive that suggests the rider on horseback—much like how Schumann depicts the rider in his piece, “Erlkönig.” When the Lorelei speaks, the key Schubert and the accompaniment shifts to a sweet arpeggiated melody. Finally, the key changes again upon the rider’s realization of the witch’s identity with abrupt chords in the piano. Even though the Lorelei is now threatening the rider, her melody remains at a piano dynamic with a soothing arpeggiated accompaniment until she states that the rider will never leave the forest again through a sharp, assertive accompaniment in the piano. “Mondnacht” is considered by many musicologists and listeners to be one of Schumann’s loveliest pieces. The opening measures suggest a romantic starry night with the union of the earth and the sky. Repeated chords combined with a gently moving bass line in the accompaniment additionally provides a romantic scene while the vocal line moves smoothly above. The first phrase of the piece is eight measures long, and is repeated twice in order to form the first two stanzas. The simplicity of this piece alludes to the calm portrayal of the character comparing their lover to the beauties of a starry night and the loveliness of the earth around them. The final song in this set, “Frülingsnacht,” discusses a character’s celebration of being united with their lover. The voice depicts the happiness they feel that “she is mine, she is mine” through comparison to the gleaming moonlight, singing nightingales, and through the blooming flowers. The character says “to me it seems it cannot be” out of disbelief that their lover is finally with them. The lively accompaniment contains repeated sixteenth note chords that sustain throughout the piece in order to portray the character’s excitement and joy. JULES MASSENET (1842-1912) “Werther . Qui m’aurait di la place” from Werther Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet was a French Romantic composer who is most known for his operas. While he was known for his twenty-four operas, Massenet composed oratorios, ballets, orchestral works, incidental music, piano pieces, songs, and more. Two notable operas performed frequently today are Manon and Werther. At the young age of eleven, Massenet attended the Paris Conservatoire under Ambroise Thomas. Massenet was an extremely successful composer which lead him to become the leading composer of opera in France in the late-nineteenth century. Later in his career, Massenet became a professor at the Paris Conservatoire and taught composition from 1878-1896. Werther discusses themes of love, loss, joy, grief, and suicide. The opera is set in Wentzler, Germany, at the house of Bailiff. In the prelude, Bailiff’s wife dies leaving his oldest daughter, Charlotte in charge of taking care of the children. Charlotte is to marry a man named Albert, whom her mother begged her to marry upon her death, yet he is absent from Charlotte’s life. Due to his absence, Charlotte is escorted by the young poet, Werther, to a ball. That night they dance together with undeniable chemistry. During the ball Albert returns, and Charlotte is reminded of her commitment to Albert and her mother. Act II of the opera is set three months after Albert and Charlotte’s marriage, while Werther has remained friends with the two of them. He is tormented by his love for Charlotte.
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