Program
Telemann: Fantasia No. 1 in A major for Flute Solo
Program Notes
Telemann’s 12 Fantasies for Flute are a monumental example of the Baroque style in music. Each fantasia includes multiple sections of contrasting styles and tempi and can stand on its own as a complete piece. The complete set of works display an impressive survey of forms and styles used often in the Baroque era. As a flutist himself, Telemann took into consideration the characteristics of the instrument when writing these short pieces. Fantasia No. 2 in A minor includes four movements, the first serving as a slow and dramatic introduction to the minor key. The second movement is in triple meter and offers a lilting theme, sharply contrasting the heavily ornamented Adagio movement that follows. The piece concludes with a quick Bourrée in binary form.
Waltz No. 3 from Four Waltzes by Dmitri Shostakovich was adapted by Levon Atovmyan from an orchestral score to film “The Return of Maxim,” op. 45. The form of the piece is straightforward and simple with predictable contrasting sections. Floating graceful melodic turns are punctuated by ever-so-slightly-varied rhythmic accompaniments.
Saint-Saëns wrote the Tarantelle in A minor Op. 6, also originally with orchestral accompaniment, in 1857 when he was just embarking on his long and successful career as a composer, teacher, organist, and pianist. The piece not only was instrumental in establishing his reputation but also served through a humorous incident to win the influential support of Rossini, the leading opera composer of the day, then living in retirement in Paris. According to Saint-Saëns’s memoirs, Rossini knew the flutist and clarinetist for which the piece was composed, and he suggested that they play it at one of the lavish dinner parties that he frequently gave for his army of admirers. Saint-Saëns continues:
“As printed programs were not provided at these celebrated evenings, Rossini contrived to give the impression that it was his own work. You can imagine what a tremendous success it had under such conditions. When the encore was finished, Rossini took me into the dining room and made me sit near him, holding me by the hand so that I couldn’t get away. Then came the procession of admirers and camp followers. ‘Ah! Maestro! What a masterpiece!’ and so on. And when the victim had exhausted all the superlatives he could think of, Rossini would blandly reply: ‘I entirely agree with you. But I didn’t write it – this gentleman here is the composer.’”
The Russian composer and pianist Alexander Rosenblatt (born 1956) finds his inspiration in romantic themes and melodies and then distorts the original sound material with the musical means of the 20th century, jazz sounds and unusual rhythms. The opera Carmen by Georges Bizet, originally performed in 1875, was the inspiration for the Carmen Fantasy written in 1994 for the clarinetist Anton Dressler. Bizet musically transformed the story of a passionate love-hate relationship between the standoffish gypsy Carmen and the jealous soldier Don Jose with Spanish colors and world-famous melodies. Rosenblatt borrows some of the best-known themes, amongst others the dark death motive of the opera, Carmen's Habanera ("L'amour est un oiseau rebelle"), the seduction scene ("Pres des remparts de Seville"), Jose's flower aria (“La fleur que tu m'avais jete") and finally the wild gypsy dance ("Les tringles des sistres"). Rosenblatt takes these melodies and creatively forms an extremely challenging virtuoso piece.
Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera, born in 1916 in Buenos Aires, is widely regarded as one of the most original South American composers of the twentieth century. His 1948 Milonga from Dos Canciones Op. 3 is inspired by one of the popular song forms of Argentina. Milongas, in syncopated duple meter, often have improvised lyrics, and tell a story, most often tragic. In his version, Ginastera places the typical rhythm of the milonga in the left hand throughout, and though it begins in a melancholy minor key, the piece ends in a brighter mood.
In 1905-1909 Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz wrote the 12 pieces of Iberia, his suite for solo piano. This group of 12 “impressions” in four books is a set of musical postcards, painting Spanish places and scenes, portraying character and feelings. “El Puerto” presents the ruder bustle of the small Andalusian fishing port of Santa María. Brusque and joyful are the composer’s indications throughout most of this rhythmically complex piece, which intercuts three Andalusian dance types.
Three-time Grammy-nominated American composer Miguel del Aguila was born in Uruguay. In over 130 works that combine drama, driving rhythms and nostalgic nods to his South American roots, he has established himself among the most distinctive and highly regarded composers of his generation. He wrote “Seducción” for flute, clarinet, and piano in 2007. Although the piece consists of two contrasting parts, tonight you will hear only the first part which is lyrical and sensuous and evokes the style of the Brazilian Chôro.
French composer Guillaume Connesson wrote Techno-parade for flute, clarinet, and piano in 2002. Here is what the composer wrote about his work:
“Composed for flute, clarinet and piano, my Techno-parade is made up of one movement with a continuous beat from beginning to end. Two incisive motifs swirl and clink together giving the piece a festive, but also disturbing character. The wails of the clarinet and the obsessive patterns of the piano try to replicate the raw energy of techno music. In the middle of the piece, the pianist and his page-turner chase after the piano rhythms with a brush and sheets of paper (placed on the strings inside the piano), accompanied by the distorted sounds of the flute (rather like the tone of a side drum) and the glissandi of the clarinet. After this percussive “pause”, the three instruments are pulled into a rhythmic trance and the piece ends in a frenzied tempo. Composed for the tenth anniversary of the Festival de lʼEmpéri, I dedicate my Techno-parade to its three creators Eric Le Sage, Paul Meyer and Emmanuel Pahud.”
Libertango is one of Piazzolla’s most popular compositions. The title alludes to Piazzolla’s conscious artistic shift - or liberation if you will - from traditional tango style to the new “Tango Nuevo.” This will be easy to hear in this alluring composition, which, while obviously preserving so many of the beloved musical elements of traditional tango, nevertheless strikes out in new artistic directions. Traditional rhythms are often eschewed for new ones, but without losing the innate intensity of the genre. Novel is the incorporation of Piazzolla’s signature chromatic harmony, forming the foundation for the soaring, romantic lyric lines intrinsic to the tango. Tonight you will hear an arrangement of the piece for flute, clarinet, bass clarinet and piano made specifically for this concert by Alexander Timofeev.
Waltz No. 3 from Four Waltzes by Dmitri Shostakovich was adapted by Levon Atovmyan from an orchestral score to film “The Return of Maxim,” op. 45. The form of the piece is straightforward and simple with predictable contrasting sections. Floating graceful melodic turns are punctuated by ever-so-slightly-varied rhythmic accompaniments.
Saint-Saëns wrote the Tarantelle in A minor Op. 6, also originally with orchestral accompaniment, in 1857 when he was just embarking on his long and successful career as a composer, teacher, organist, and pianist. The piece not only was instrumental in establishing his reputation but also served through a humorous incident to win the influential support of Rossini, the leading opera composer of the day, then living in retirement in Paris. According to Saint-Saëns’s memoirs, Rossini knew the flutist and clarinetist for which the piece was composed, and he suggested that they play it at one of the lavish dinner parties that he frequently gave for his army of admirers. Saint-Saëns continues:
“As printed programs were not provided at these celebrated evenings, Rossini contrived to give the impression that it was his own work. You can imagine what a tremendous success it had under such conditions. When the encore was finished, Rossini took me into the dining room and made me sit near him, holding me by the hand so that I couldn’t get away. Then came the procession of admirers and camp followers. ‘Ah! Maestro! What a masterpiece!’ and so on. And when the victim had exhausted all the superlatives he could think of, Rossini would blandly reply: ‘I entirely agree with you. But I didn’t write it – this gentleman here is the composer.’”
The Russian composer and pianist Alexander Rosenblatt (born 1956) finds his inspiration in romantic themes and melodies and then distorts the original sound material with the musical means of the 20th century, jazz sounds and unusual rhythms. The opera Carmen by Georges Bizet, originally performed in 1875, was the inspiration for the Carmen Fantasy written in 1994 for the clarinetist Anton Dressler. Bizet musically transformed the story of a passionate love-hate relationship between the standoffish gypsy Carmen and the jealous soldier Don Jose with Spanish colors and world-famous melodies. Rosenblatt borrows some of the best-known themes, amongst others the dark death motive of the opera, Carmen's Habanera ("L'amour est un oiseau rebelle"), the seduction scene ("Pres des remparts de Seville"), Jose's flower aria (“La fleur que tu m'avais jete") and finally the wild gypsy dance ("Les tringles des sistres"). Rosenblatt takes these melodies and creatively forms an extremely challenging virtuoso piece.
Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera, born in 1916 in Buenos Aires, is widely regarded as one of the most original South American composers of the twentieth century. His 1948 Milonga from Dos Canciones Op. 3 is inspired by one of the popular song forms of Argentina. Milongas, in syncopated duple meter, often have improvised lyrics, and tell a story, most often tragic. In his version, Ginastera places the typical rhythm of the milonga in the left hand throughout, and though it begins in a melancholy minor key, the piece ends in a brighter mood.
In 1905-1909 Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz wrote the 12 pieces of Iberia, his suite for solo piano. This group of 12 “impressions” in four books is a set of musical postcards, painting Spanish places and scenes, portraying character and feelings. “El Puerto” presents the ruder bustle of the small Andalusian fishing port of Santa María. Brusque and joyful are the composer’s indications throughout most of this rhythmically complex piece, which intercuts three Andalusian dance types.
Three-time Grammy-nominated American composer Miguel del Aguila was born in Uruguay. In over 130 works that combine drama, driving rhythms and nostalgic nods to his South American roots, he has established himself among the most distinctive and highly regarded composers of his generation. He wrote “Seducción” for flute, clarinet, and piano in 2007. Although the piece consists of two contrasting parts, tonight you will hear only the first part which is lyrical and sensuous and evokes the style of the Brazilian Chôro.
French composer Guillaume Connesson wrote Techno-parade for flute, clarinet, and piano in 2002. Here is what the composer wrote about his work:
“Composed for flute, clarinet and piano, my Techno-parade is made up of one movement with a continuous beat from beginning to end. Two incisive motifs swirl and clink together giving the piece a festive, but also disturbing character. The wails of the clarinet and the obsessive patterns of the piano try to replicate the raw energy of techno music. In the middle of the piece, the pianist and his page-turner chase after the piano rhythms with a brush and sheets of paper (placed on the strings inside the piano), accompanied by the distorted sounds of the flute (rather like the tone of a side drum) and the glissandi of the clarinet. After this percussive “pause”, the three instruments are pulled into a rhythmic trance and the piece ends in a frenzied tempo. Composed for the tenth anniversary of the Festival de lʼEmpéri, I dedicate my Techno-parade to its three creators Eric Le Sage, Paul Meyer and Emmanuel Pahud.”
Libertango is one of Piazzolla’s most popular compositions. The title alludes to Piazzolla’s conscious artistic shift - or liberation if you will - from traditional tango style to the new “Tango Nuevo.” This will be easy to hear in this alluring composition, which, while obviously preserving so many of the beloved musical elements of traditional tango, nevertheless strikes out in new artistic directions. Traditional rhythms are often eschewed for new ones, but without losing the innate intensity of the genre. Novel is the incorporation of Piazzolla’s signature chromatic harmony, forming the foundation for the soaring, romantic lyric lines intrinsic to the tango. Tonight you will hear an arrangement of the piece for flute, clarinet, bass clarinet and piano made specifically for this concert by Alexander Timofeev.
Musicians
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Hailed by the Dallas Morning News for his “radiant tone and generous expressivity”, and the Fort Worth Star Telegram for his “musicianship, clear sound, precise intonation, and empathic dynamic levels”, Jake Fridkis has quickly established himself as one of the leading flutists of his generation and “a modern day Rampal” (Cvnc.org).
Jake has performed as a concerto soloist in Germany, Italy, France, Brazil, and throughout the United States. He has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, St. Louis Symphony and played guest principal flute with the Dallas Symphony, Symphony SONG (Korea) and guest Solo Flute with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra including their 2017 spring tour. Before graduating from the Yale School of Music, he won the principal flute position in the South Dakota Symphony where he played for two months before winning the same position with the Fort Worth Symphony where he is currently principal. Jake earned his Masters and Artist Diploma degrees while studying with Ransom Wilson at the Yale School of Music, receiving the coveted Thomas Nyfenger memorial prize for highest achievements. His other studies have been at the Cleveland Institute with Josh Smith, and at The Aspen Music Festival and School with Mark Sparks. He is currently on the faculty of the Eastern Music Festival and The Conducting Institute and is a Wm. S. Haynes flutes performing artist. |
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A soloist and chamber musician based in San Antonio, Texas, pianist Daniel Anastasio combines an intellectual curiosity with “technical prowess and emotional sensitivity” (Rivard Report). His performance of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto no. 3, conducted by Leon Fleisher with the Ithaca College Chamber Orchestra, was “the highlight to everyone’s ears, if the full-house of standing ovation were any indication” (ECM reviews). Anastasio was a concerto competition finalist at Cornell University, Stony Brook University, and Juilliard, where he won the Mieczyslaw Munz Scholarship. He received fellowships to Music Academy of the West, Kneisel Hall, Tanglewood Music Center and Yellow Barn Music Festival. Anastasio is the co-founder of Unheard-of//Ensemble, a group dedicated to commissioning composers and premiering their works.
Recently joining the faculty of San Antonio College as an Assistant Professor, Anastasio is a member of Agarita, a San Antonio-based chamber ensemble dedicated to making classical music accessible to everyone in San Antonio, and reaching the whole of its community including the most underserved populations. Anastasio received a Bachelor of Arts degree in music and philosophy at Cornell University under Xak Bjerken, and a Master of Music degree at The Juilliard School under Jerome Lowenthal. Last Spring he received his Doctor of Musical Arts at Stony Brook University, under Gilbert Kalish and Christina Dahl. |
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Stas Chernyshev, a native of St. Petersburg, Russia, is recently appointed principal clarinetist of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. He is the founder and artistic director of Fort Worth Performances for Autism, and a co-director of Opus Nova Chamber Music Series. Mr. Chernyshev is a prize winner of many international competitions, and has appeared at Carnegie Hall in New York, Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., as well as in Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Russia, South Korea, Japan. A devoted chamber musician, Mr. Chernyshev has collaborated with Grammy-winning ensemblesEighth Blackbird and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, commissioned new works for his instrument. He has been featured on WQXR -New York’s classical music station and WHYY’s television program - On Stage at Curtis. Mr. Chernyshev holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Curtis Institute of Music, and a Master’s degree from St. Petersburg Conservatory, Russia. He is an alumnus of Ensemble Connect (formerly Ensemble ACJW), a program of Carnegie Hall, the Juilliard School and the Weill Music Institute, and ArtistYear, a program of the Curtis Institute of Music.
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Ann Hung, born in Taipei, Taiwan, began her musical studies at a young age, starting with piano at age five and clarinet at age nine. Dr. Hung is an active performer in the Dallas and Fort Worth area who regularly performs in the realms of both the orchestral and chamber music. She has shared the stage with the Fort Worth Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the members of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the faculty of the Juilliard School. Dr. Hung is always pushing the boundaries of her repertoire and skills, such as collaborating with jazz musicians and commissioning new composers. As a proponent of new music, she has avidlycommissioned new works including a wind quintet with her quintet Opus Now premiering in Symphony Space in NYC. One of the new works that Dr. Hung commissioned is included in a recently released album “Stained Glass Story” by Eldad Tarmu. Dr. Hung is currently teaching in Lewisville ISD, Burleson ISD as private lesson instructor and often plays with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. She is the associate director of the Fort Worth Performances for Autism and co- founder of Opus Nova Chamber Music Series.
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