Music Program Bard Hall

Music Program Bard Hall Rachmaninoff Benefit Recital Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons Written by Ogan Gurel

÷Abegg Variations, R. Schumann The Abegg Variations were Schumann's first published work, written in 1830 while studying law at Heidelberg. Beyond its striking brilliance, the piece is also witty and abstract as it was named and based upon a friend (possibly fictional) of Schumann's, Meta Abegg, whom he had met at a masked ball. The first five notes, ABEGG, constitute the principal theme which is further developed through an elated, and at times frenzied waltz. The variations manipulate the ABEGG theme in various ways, combining them vertically as chords, and even backwards, GGEBA. In using these five, rather arbitrary notes, Schumann composes as if it were a game; a game which foreshadows the later atonal music of the early 20th century. As a strange combination of logical thought, vivid emotion and playful games, perhaps the key to this work is to be found in an inscription that Schumann wrote in an autograph copy, "Je ne suis qu'un songe" -- "I am but a dream." ÷G-minor Ballade, F. Chopin In contrast to the dramatic and lyric poetic forms, the ballade as a musical genre is analogous to that of an epic. Chopin's ballades seem to tell a coherent, intense story. The opening of the G-minor compels us to attention, saying in effect: "Listen!" From there the story unfolds over an underlying "narrative" 6-beat meter. What actually follows, however, is purely in the imaginative realm as we sense fantastic, heroic, and wistful themes without any specific identifications and associations. Perhaps this is what makes Chopin so appealing to both performers and listeners alike as his works -- the G-minor Ballade is especially exemplary -- give us considerable freedom of interpretation. Chopin's own personality remains curiously in the background, elusive and inscrutable, much as he is depicted in Delacroix's famous portrait. Who Chopin is, and what his music means, is up to us. ÷La Campanella, N. Paganini / F. Liszt Paganini, a pyrotechnical wizard on the violin, spurred Liszt in his quest to explore the limits of piano technique, so it was fitting that Liszt chose some of Paganini's Caprices as the basis of a series of virtuosic studies composed in 1838. Because the etudes gained the reputation of insurmountable difficulty, induced Liszt to revise them in 1851 to become what is now the standard performance version. The third etude, La Campanella was inspired by the finale of Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 2 wherein the violin imitates the

sound of a small, high-pitched bell. Liszt takes this theme to embark on a virtuosic survey of trills, runs, repeated notes, and octaves, culminating in a brilliant coda. Liszt's own words regarding the piece are worth bearing in mind when playing and hearing the etude: "...for the artist of the future...may virtuosity be a means, never an end..." ÷A-major Polonaise, F. Chopin In general, the Polonaise is considered the classic music of Polish patriotism and associated with drama and spirit. As a musical genre, however, the Polonaise is actually a rather slow, noble and dignified "walking dance" in a three beat rhythm with the first and second beats strongly connected. Chopin's A-major work closely follows this rhythmic structure although by having the third beat lead strongly into the following measure he has added an element of continuously driving momentum to the otherwise stately Polonaise genre. The second theme -- marked energico -- is in the more conventional form but nevertheless retains the dramatic energy and surging confidence that differentiates this piece from other Polonaises. In addition to its distinction from the general form, the A-major work is also unlike most of Chopin's other polonaises -written while exiled from his native Poland. These late polonaises often express excruciating suffering -- where catastrophes & despair are the more dominant characteristics. Thus, despite -- or perhaps because of -- its uniqueness, the A-major polonaise has ironically become a signature work for both Chopin and the Polonaise. ÷G#-minor Prelude, S. Rachmaninoff Most of Rachmaninoff's Preludes develop around a simple and brief musical idea, often suggesting some pictorial association. With the G#-minor, the beautiful melody of the left hand with its accompanying right hand arpeggios arouses evokes an image of tinkling bells. The melody also ranges fluidly from one extreme of the piano to the other showing Rachmaninoff's natural command of the complete tonal range and color of the piano. Rachmaninoff considered these short pieces more difficult to compose than some of his symphonic works. In a letter he wrote: "I am at the mercy of my thematic ideas which must be presented concisely and without digression. After all, to say what you have to say, and to say it briefly, lucidly and without any circumlocution is still the most difficult problem facing the artist." The Preludes were his solution to the problem. Moreover, the grand piano here in Bard Hall, donated by Rachmaninoff's himself, has an exceptionally clear tone and crisp action. As a physical embodiment of his artistic philosophy and to render its technical expression more facile, it's no surprise that Rachmaninoff chose this unique piano as his own. ÷Two Rhapsodies (B-minor & G-minor), J. Brahms Brahms composed these two rhapsodies during the summer of 1879 while on vacation. The pieces are not rhapsodic in the structural sense; the B-minor is in a clear cut ABA form with the G-minor in sonata form. Brahms own words lends some insight into these

pieces: "...top voice and bass are what matter -- all the rest is stuffing!" In this way, Brahms was following the Baroque tradition of two-part writing. For example, in the opening theme of the G-minor, while the right hand rises and then falls, the intervals in the left hand continuously ascend. The overall, combined effect is thus a heroic one introducing an adventure...a trial of will. In contrast, the middle sections of both pieces evoke images of tranquil, glasslike evenings with thoughts of melancholy and apprehension. Again, both parts are essential to a full interpretation. Thus, in juxtaposing the Baroque and the Romantic -- fugal melodies over a richly textured "stuffing," Brahms has become truly rhapsodic.

÷Ogan Gurel Born in Turkey, raised in New York City and with an A.B. from Harvard, Ogan Gurel is presently an MD/PhD student in the laboratory of Prof. Wayne Hendrickson. Ogan began his music studies in high school with Ilse Friedenberg. While in college, studying biochemistry and coxing the varsity lightweight crew led to a long hiatus from the piano. His rediscovery of Chopin, Brahms, Beethoven and others while at P&S can be attributed to the pianos here in Bard Hall. Since then, Ogan has given recitals in Grenoble, France and Boulder, Colorado and presently studies piano with Neils Ostbye at Columbia College.

÷Fred Croom Fred Croom came to P&S from Tennessee via Yale, where he studied piano with Stephan Lemelin and Claude Frank. While an undergraduate he also played the cello with the Yale Symphony and the Carillon with the Guild of Carilloneners, making European tours with both groups. He majored in Biology but maintained a strong interest in literature. He represents the 3rd consecutive generation in a family line of musicians and the 5th generation of M.D.s.

÷Eun-Jung Park Born and raised in Seoul, Korea. She received a B.S. from M.I.T. (Class of 1990) and spent a year at Harvard studying x-ray crystallography before coming to Columbia P&S. Bach and Rachmaninoff are her favorite composers, and playing on an instrument personally donated by the great Russian composer-pianist has been an absolute thrill. She spends her free time polishing up her newly-acquired martial art skills.