20-21 Program

Pièces is a classically impressionistic, atmospheric work with colors,
articulations, registers and instrumental combinations gracefully woven
together. Its texture is always transparent, clear, and clean. The slow opening
movement hovers without sagging; diaphanous, fluid harmonies keep the
sound suspended in time. Movement two is more energetic and forwardmoving
with wisps of non-native melodies gliding in and out.
“The Swan” from Carnival of the Animals for Cello and Piano
Saint-Saëns considered Carnival of the Animals good fun but insisted that it
not be published during his lifetime, fearing that it would reflect poorly on him as
a ‘serious’ composer. The sole exception was the 13th of the 14 movements, Le
cygne. He wrote Carnival in 1886 and arranged “The Swan” for cello and piano in
1887.
Saint-Saëns captures the full character of a swimming swan; its decorous
and regal demeanor as well as the efficient machine below the waterline. The
resplendent cello sound, leisurely pace, elegantly rising and falling lines, and
legato articulation is grace personified while the rippling accompaniment
reveals the propulsive motion of the webbed feet.
Sonata for Flute and Piano
Francis Poulenc was a composer and pianist who sought to rid French
classical music of foreign influence and re-infuse it with restraint and clarity. In
keeping with his self-description as “a melancholy person who loves to laugh,”
his music contains aspects of sadness and tragedy balanced against wit and
ironic humor,
Sonata for Flute and Piano was commissioned in 1956 by the Library of
Congress and premiered in 1957, by flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal and Poulenc. The
ABA-form Allegretto malinconico begins with a rapidly outlined minor chord—
the piece’s signature motive—followed by a chromatic descent decorated
with flippant trills and upward leaps, encapsulating Poulenc’s blending of
oppositional moods. The slow movement is a self-indulged, nostalgic flute
song while the Presto, sparkling and energetic, closes off with a return of firstmovement
motives.
Pastorale & Caprice “The Water Sprites”, Opus 90 for Flute, Cello, and Piano
Amy Beach was an extraordinary example of honor, talent, perseverance,
and musical accomplishment. She lived comfortably within nineteenth-century
expectations even as she was exceeding them. Mrs. Beach achieved what no
American women had done before; her compositions were recognized and
performed by august ensembles at home and abroad.
She had a vivid imagination, stoked by a rural New England upbringing.
Her instrumental and vocal works resound with descriptive word painting.
Composed while at the McDowell Colony in 1921, the Pastorale of “Water
Sprites” is a sweetly swaying, bucolic and innocent ode to summer. The airy
Caprice fleetingly spirals along, evaporating shortly after it begins.
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