Solo Violin Recital
This recital is dedicated to two mentors who played an important role in my musical journey, Patricia Drury (1957 – 2023) and Charles Wetherbee (1966 – 2023), who heartbreakingly passed away earlier this year after losing their battles with cancer. Mrs. Drury was my middle and high school orchestra director for six years and was an influential figure in my early years of violin playing with her kindness and constant support in everything I did—from my very first music audition to my college auditions. Professor Wetherbee (“Chas”) was my undergraduate professor at the University of Colorado Boulder. With every performance, he constantly inspired me to improve as a musician and create an impactful experience for the audience. He demonstrated in every lesson an incredible amount of patience and dedication. Both individuals greatly impact the way I approach violin pedagogy and performance, which I hope is evident in this recital.
Program
Partita No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1004
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750)
I. Allemanda
Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op.100
Johannes Brahms (1833 – 1897)
I. Allegro amabile
II. Andante tranquillo
III. Allegretto grazioso
Ciro Magnani, Piano
Piano Trio in G minor, op.15
Bedřich Smetana (1824 - 1884)
I. Moderato assai
Pacific Piano Trio
Kieran McLain, Cello
Jun Yun, Piano
INTERMISSION
Sonata No. 2 for Violin Solo
Grażyna Bacewicz (1909 - 1969)
I. Adagio-Allegro
II. Adagio
The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto
He Zhan Hao & Chen Gang (1933, 1935)
Section I. Adagio cantabile
Section II. Allegro con brio
Section III. Adagio assai doloroso
Section IV. Recitando elevato-Allegro molto resoluto
Jun Yun, Piano
Program Notes
Bach Partita No.2 in D Minor
Completed in 1720, Bach’s second partita is the longest and most well-known of his six partitas and sonatas. Opening the partita, the Allemanda is a German dance from the Baroque era that is recognized for its “double-knocking” upbeat (viz., a short starting note, or upbeat, paired with a longer note on the strong beat that is the same pitch). The “double-knocking” upbeat can be heard as the initial notes in the first and second section of the partita, which develops into a small solemn and reflective motive that is repeated and modified as the movement progresses.
Brahms Violin Sonata No.2 in A Major
Known as the “Thun” or “Meistersinger” Sonata, Brahms composed his second violin sonata in 1886 in Thun, Switzerland, where the Aare flows out of Lake Thun. During his summer there, he spent time with poet and pastor Josef Widmann, poet Klaus Groth, and singer Hermine Spies. The location, along with these three special talents, combined to set the stage for Brahms’ “Sonata for Piano and Violin” in which the piano and violin parts have equal importance. When performing the entirety of this work, I imagine a storyline with some historical accuracy, but where the events are unvalidated:
In the first movement, Brahms, Groth, and Spies decide to venture out and row across Lake Thun. During their adventures in the water, the men happily reminisce their younger days when they had boundless amounts of energy to catch fish and row around the lake for hours on end. In the middle of their adventure, the trio fails to recognize where they are and begin to worry if they will be able to return home. Eventually, they catch sight of familiar landmarks and happily row back to shore and return to the comfort of Brahm’s home where they rest and reflect upon the day’s excitement. After a brief reflection, the trio excitedly agrees to return to the water the next day.
The second movement opens with a beautiful lullaby sung by Spies whom Brahms earnestly listens to and admires. After the short lullaby, Spies’ youthful and charming personality bursts forth, as she gleefully makes conversation with the mature and older Brahms. The contrast between these two sections goes back and forth throughout the entire movement.
The final movement begins with Brahms welcoming his friends into his home. Brahms, Groth, Spies, and Widmann converse, each equally having their voice heard and listened to. There are moments when they have passionate outbursts and small arguments that are always resolved. At the end of the gathering, Brahms bids each of them farewell, with much difficulty, waving to them as they leave.
Smetana Piano Trio in g minor
While Smetana is a much-regarded composer today, he was still establishing himself as an up-and-coming composer when he wrote the Piano Trio in 1855. Considered a milestone in Romanticism, his piano trio was composed during a period of tragedy and loss due to the sudden death of his musically gifted daughter. At the beginning of the first movement, the husky cries from the violin are countered by the main theme of yearning in the cello that was known to be one of his daughter’s favorite melodies. In the piano’s soloistic passage, there is a small nod to Smetana’s obsession with Chopin, who was a leading virtuoso pianist and composer in the day. Throughout the movement, the work is overwhelmed with emotion that is intertwined with light and dark elements representing his daughter and her untimely death.
Bacewicz Sonata No.2 for Solo Violin
Grażyna Bacewicz is an internationally recognized composer and accomplished violinist with a successful soloist, orchestral, and teaching career. While this sonata is not one of Bacewicz’s famous works, it was a turning point in her career as a composer. In 1954, Bacewicz suffered serious injuries from a car accident, ending her career as a violinist. Written in 1958, this sonata was the first violin work she composed after her accident. While there is no historical evidence, my belief is this work reveals Bacewicz’s frustration and anger at her loss of her first musicmaking love—the violin. This is displayed through her application of dissonant chords (“crunchy sounding” chords) and harmonics.
On a personal note, this sonata evokes many emotions since it was the last work Professor Wetherbee recommended to me. He had a special gift to discover and introduce extraordinary, obscure 20th-century works to his students and held a strong belief that every student in his studio should perform this style of work in their recitals. When planning my senior recital, he gave me the option to perform either this sonata or a Mozart duo with him, and I immediately jumped at the opportunity to play with him. And despite the COVID maximum audience seating of 10 at the time, I left like I was performing for a full house with him. When starting the process of building this recital program, I immediately knew this sonata needed to be part of it.
Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto
The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto is a widely known and loved Chinese composition that originated from the Chinese legend of the tragic romance between Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai that has been developed into an opera, concerti, and numerous films. My late grandmother told my mother how she went to the theater multiple times to watch the movie and cried each time in response to the heart-rending ending. My mother even remembers my grandmother humming the familiar melodies from the movie when she grew up. Unlike Western concerti, this concerto consists of one movement performed in seven sections, including melodies from Huangmei opera and traditional Chinese folk tunes. This recital only includes the first four sections of the concerto with a rewritten ending.
In the first section, Zhu is introduced through a Chinese folk song, conveying her desire to go to school. However, she can only do so if she is disguised as a man. When traveling to school, she meets Liang, and they make oath of fraternity. The second section represents Zhu and Liang’s busy years at school. This contrasts with the third section where Zhu and Liang say their farewells. Here, Zhu invites Liang to come court her sister, but Liang does not realize that Zhu is inviting him to marry her. In the fourth section, Zhu returns home and realizes she has been promised to a son of a rich family. When Liang arrives at Zhu’s home in the fifth section, he realizes Zhu is a woman and falls in love with her. These feelings love transform into anger in the sixth section when Liang realizes Zhu’s betrothment. The concerto comes to a close when Liang falls ill and passes away. On the day of her wedding, Zhu pays her respects at Liang’s grave and is overcome with great anguish. Suddenly, Liang’s grave opens, and Zhu throws herself into it to join him in death. However, death is not the end for them: Zhu’s and Liang’s spirits transform into a pair of butterflies, and they fly away together.
