D
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presents
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d Jubilee S
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THE CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY
OF UTICA
Stellar Years
DUO SONIDOS
William Knuth, violin Adam Levin, guitar
7 February 2016
2:30 PM
Museum of Art Auditorium
Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute
Diamond Jubilee Season -- 75 Stellar Years
Program
L'Histoire du Tango
I. Bordel 1900
II. Cafe 1930
III.Nightclub 1960
Astor Piazzolla
(1921-1992)
Funk (2013)
Written for Duo Sonidos
Jorge Muñiz
(b. 1974)
L'Aube et Dans Savage
(Dawn and Wild Dance)
Karol Symanowski
(1882-1937)
Intermission
Homenages (Homeages)
Written for Duo Sonidos
I. Homenaje a Joaquin Rodrigo
II. Homenaje a Frederic Mompou
III.Homenaje a Manuel de Falla
Eduardo Morales-Caso
(b. 1969)
Three American Pieces
I. Early Song
II.Dedication
III. Composer's Holiday
Lucas Foss
(1922-2009)
Porgy and Bess (selections)
I.Summertime
II. It Ain't Necessarily So
George Gershwin/Jascha Heifetz
(1898-1937)
This concert is sponsored in part by friends of Will and Adam.
This concert is made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with
the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature,
and by the generous contributions of supporters listed on the back page.
www.duosonidos.com
THE ARTISTS
The Spanish word for sound, sonidos, when broken
apart, becomes "son dos", meaning "there are two" and
so has evolved the name of this unique ensemble. Both
Adam Levin and William Knuth are Fulbright Scholars,
talent which has earned them, individually and together,
awards too numerous to list here. Mr. Levin has several
albums in his own discography. Together, in 2010,
they released their debut album, "Duo Sonidos" and
subsequently were awarded First Prize in the 2010
Luys Milan International Chamber Music Competition
in Valencia, Spain. About the album, The American
Record Guide reports "This is an exciting discovery,
recommended to all lovers of great chamber music". If
William Knuth's name sounds familiar, he grew up here
and his family resides locally.
PROGRAM NOTES
L'Histoire du Tango
Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992)
Astor Piazzolla, considered by many to be the king
of the tango, helped to launch the Argentine tango into
the international classical stage. While studying the
classical composition masters with Nadia Boulanger in
Paris, he was encouraged to abandon the classic styles
and to nurture his personal voice through his unique
understanding of the tango. The composer's early years
in New York City gave him a superb background in jazz
and classical music which left their marks on his tango
compositions. The resulting mix of classical, jazz and
tango styles gave birth to the term of nuevo tango for
this unique genre. L'Histoire du Tango is Piazzolla's
effort to map the evolution of the tango through the
20th century. As the century progresses, so does the
emphasis on rhythmic and tonal complexity. Piazzolla
mimics the sounds of percussive instruments in the guitar and violin by tapping rhythms and playing on the
string windings behind the violin bridge. These techniques are meant to evoke the sounds of the instruments
in the full tango band and the sounds of the dancer's
hard-soled shoes.
Funk (2013) written for Duo Sonidos
Jorge Muñiz (b. 1974)
The composer writes: "Since I became an American
in 2009, I have become increasingly interested in American vernacular, and particularly its more contemporary
genres, such as hip-hop, electronica and funk. When I
was approached by Duo Sonidos to commission a new
work, I knew that this next work had to be my personal
homage to the great masters Jimi Hendrix and Bootsy
Collins. The versatility of the performers in Duo Sonidos and their command of the extended techniques that
their instruments offer are the perfect vehicle for these
"funky" sounds.
"This composition for guitar and violin explores the
genre of Funk from the 1970s. Constructed in three sections, it features a slow, almost improvisatory first part,
which eventually becomes more defined and regular in
its rhythmic and beat patterns, leading to the second
section. This section, in a moderate tempo, has a clear
regularity, which allows the violin almost to speak (in
fact, rap). This idea of almost Sprechstimme combines
with the funk progressions at a fast, incessant tempo in
the last section, to conclude the piece with a fast groove
between the two instruments."
L'Aube et Dans Savage (Dawn and Wild Dance)
Karol Symanowski (1882-1937)
A Polish composer greatly influenced by Wagner,
R. Strauss, Debussy and Ravel, Symanowski created
a unique style of indulgent romanticism and dissonant
modernism in an aural landscape evoking eroticism and
folklore. As with Bela Bartok, much of this dissonance
comes from a fascination with folk music where the
rules of formal counterpoint never impeded the tonal
possibilities of music. Symanowski, a celebrated pianist, worked closely with the virtuosic violinist, Paul
Kochanski, in a compositional relationship which mirrored that of Brahms and Joachim. He explored the
violin's sound capabilities to produce colors and effects
in the efficient technical way. The collaboration produced an extensive catalog of two violin concerti as
well as numerous chamber works for violin and piano. Some publishing confusion remains to this day but
L'Aube et Dans Savage are generally considered works
by Symanowski, edited by Kochanski. This piece is
a prime example of the Eastern European eroticism
and folklore in Symanowski's music, drawing heavily
on the folk music from the Gorale mountain region of
Poland, using rustic rhythmic and dissonant harmonic
elements of the mountain folk bands.
Homenajes (Homages) written for Duo Sonidos
Eduardo Morales-Caso (b. 1969)
Morales-Caso is a Cuban-Spanish composer with
a compositional voice which focuses heavily on the
exploration of the depth and range of instrumental expression. These works, originally written for voice and
guitar, were adapted by the composer for Duo Sonidos
after hearing their premiere of his work Volaverunt, a
work inspired by the famed engraving by Francisco
de Goya. Homenajes (Homages) pays respect to three
Spanish composers: Joaquin Rodrigo, Frederic Mompou and Manuel de Falla. Each movement draws
stylistic elements through rhythm and harmony for
each composer without actually quoting a specific melody. The work is distinctly Morales-Caso's, however
each composer can be clearly identified with ease.
Three American Pieces
Lucas Foss (1922-2009)
The pianist, composer and conductor, Lucas Foss,
was an immigrant from Germany, settling in Philadelphia with his family. He studied at the Curtis Instititute
of Music along side his friend, Leonard Bernstein. Foss,
a student of Paul Hindemith, was greatly influenced by
the early 20th century composers and the modernist
movement. An essence of Aaron Copland is present
in Three American Pieces where Americana is quoted
both in style and melody. This work is a more traditional step away from the more explorative style in the
larger body of his compositions. The final movement,
titled "Composer's Holiday", perhaps is referencing the
quotation of Dixieland in place of an original melodic
theme. It is quoted but broken apart and put through a
number of permutations and segmentations creating an
exciting and lively ending to this wonderful work.
Program notes by William Knuth
Porgy and Bess (selections)
George Gershwin/Jascha Heifetz (1898-1937)
"Summertime" is an aria composed in 1934 by
George Gershwin for the opera Porgy and Bess with
lyrics by DuBose Heyward, author of the novel Porgy.
ASCAP co-credits it to Ira Gershwin. It mixes jazz and
song styles of African-Americans of the South East as
well as those of gullahs in Folly Beach on a barrier island off Charleston. K.J. McElrath says it "sound[s]
like a folk song in its use of the pentatonic scale (C-DE-A) set within an A minor tonality and slow harmonic
progression suggesting the "blues". Hence, it is a favorite of jazz performers. Some say it was adapted from
the African American spiritual "Sometimes I feel Like
a Motherless Child".
"It Ain't Necessarily So" is sung by the opera's character Sportin' Life, a drug dealer, who expresses his
doubts about statements in the Bible. The melody for
the opening words recalls the melody for "Bar'chu et
adonai ham'vorach" sung at the beginning of the aliyah
before reading from the Torah.
Notes for Gershwin compiled by Joan Fiori Blanchfield
from Wikipedia; K. J. Mc Elrath; Jane Erb
THE B# MUSICAL CLUB will present a program of performances by Club members Peter and Sharon
Costianes, David Moore, Sar-Shalom Strong and the FAB Trio (Fiona and Robert Peters and Allyson Sklar)
on Sunday, February 28, 2016 at 3:00 PM on this stage.
www.bsharpny.org Ph: 737-9109.
Hamilton College has many events scheduled in the near future.
View their website or call. www.hamilton.edu/college/performingarts
Ph: 859-4331.
PLAYERS OF UTICA is staging Les Liasons Dangereuses
February 12-14 and 19-21, 2016 at Players of Utica Theatre.
For times of productions, visit their website.
www.playersofutica.org Ph: 724-7624.
CMSU will bring to this stage, Hyperion String Quartet on Sunday, March 6, 2016 at 2:30 PM
performing Mozart, Danielpour and Verdi.
www.uticachambermusic.org. Ph: 507-3597 or 896-6102.