Greetings folks!

I hope you are enjoying the sound/video clips I have posted from my January concert!

The Carnegie recital was a blast! I must say it was extremely exciting to be in front of such a warm and friendly audience. But with that behind us, I am gladly having the chance to work on new repertoire for spring performances.

In about a week I will be heading to the beaches of San Juan, Puerto Rico for some much needed R&R. On March 13, 9m, some friends of mine will join together for a chamber concert at The Gallery Inn, located atop the north wall of San Juan, overlooking the sea. The hotel is owned and run by Ms. Jan D’Esopo, a Connecticut-raised artist who relocated to Puerto Rico in 1961 to continue her work (check out www.thegalleryinn.com). Needless to say I am looking forward to my flight out of this frigid berg.
When we return from paradise, Noelia and I, along with fellow violinist Nicholas DiEugenio will be hosting “Concerto Night” on March 29th in Sprague Hall, Yale University. I have decided to play Saint-Saens Concerto No.1 in A minor(1872). The remainder of the program will feature Schnittke’s Viola Concerto(1985) and Alban Berg’s Violin Concerto(1935).

Saint-Saens wrote his first cello concerto at age 37 for cellist/luthier August Tolbeque. Compositionally flattering for the cello, there is hardly ever instance of imbalance between soloist and orchestra. Furthermore, Saint-Saens managed to fit the standard three-movements into one seamless work full of dialogue between the two. To me it is one of the more straight forward concerti, no orchestral introduction needed, clearly stated, simply put.

Alban Berg’s Concerto for Violin and Orchestra was commissioned by violinist Louis Krasner and was composed during the time Berg was writing his opera Lulu, which he did not finish. In fact, the concerto was Berg’s last work before his death in December 1935. Divided into two movements: Andante-Allegretto and Allegro-Adagio (the first two sections meant to represent life and the latter, death and transfiguration), it seems to me almost too perfect in terms of symmetry. Berg uses a fascinating combination of serialism and tonality which develops atop a rhythmic motif throughout the piece. Just when you think it’s getting a little too serious, he throws you into a dance between violin and orchestra in which you can only be swept up. It is the juxtaposition of character which makes this piece so beautiful and gripping. Having heard a recent performance at Carnegie Hall of Christian Tetzlaff and the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, I was honestly blown away. Never had I heard a concerto begun so softly and eerily, nor executed with such confidence than on this night.

Schnittke’s Viola Concerto is one of the most musically and technically challenging pieces written for the instrument. Composed for Russian violist Yuri Bashmet, the piece’s driving melody throughout the work is actually a German/French mixture notating Bashmet’s name: B-A-Es-C-H-Mi or in english: Bflat-A-Eflat-C-Bnatural-Enatural. (Schnittke often encoded his friends names in musical letters within his scores.) Nearly a forty minute concerto, the piece demands much from both performer and audience in terms of endurance. This is by no means “ear-friendly” music and requires a strong character to execute the ideas and spirit that Schnittke had in mind. Having suffered a severe stroke after finishing the work he had this to say of his music:

“In a certain respect the piece has the character of a – temporary – farewell. For ten days after finishing work on it, I was placed in a situation from which there was hardly any way out. I could only slowly enter a second phase of life, a phase through which I am still passing. Like a premonition of what was to come, the music took on the character of a restless chase through life (in the second movement) and that of a slow and sad overview of life on the threshold of death (in the third movement).”

Switching gears, later in the semester there will be a series of student recitals not to miss! On April 2nd, I will be part of a premiere piece on the New Music New Haven series at Yale written by Bryan Senti, a student composer of the school and on May 3rd, I will join violinist Dawn Wohn in her very sexy rendition of Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires for violin and strings. This is an extraordinary tango-inspired work which incorporates elements of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons , a piece with which we are all familiar. Originally for his folk ensemble nuevo tango the work was not intended for virtuoso violin. About a decade ago, a man named Leonid Desyatnikov arranged it for strings and solo violin, weaving in allusions to Vivaldi’s work and showing us by way of quotation that the seasons in Argentina, Piazzolla’s homeland, are opposite to those in Italy, Vivaldi’s homeland. Very interesting and fun piece to say the least.

If you get a chance, stop by Sprague Hall next Thursday (March 6th) to catch faculty composer Aaron J. Kernis’ Ballad for cello and piano on the New Music New Haven concert at 8pm. I will be joined by pianist Jeannette Fong.

Until next time,

Ashley