CHERYL
CHARLIE PARKER | 1920-1955
“Cheryl” is a 12 bar blues written by Charlie “Bird” Parker. This jazz standard is a great example of the bebop language fused with the blues.
Parigi, o cara
from La Traviata
GIUSEPPE VERDI | 1813-1901
Scherzo, Op. 6, No. 3
CHARLES T. GRIFFES | 1884-1920
This “Scherzo” is the third and final of the Fantasy-Pieces, Op. 6, preceded in the set by the opening “Barcarolle” and then the “Nocturne.” Griffes included poems to go with all three pieces: the first by William Sharp, the second by Paul Verlaine, and the anonymous text (below) for the “Scherzo”. Griffes skillfully evokes an atmosphere of ‘unearthly revelry’ throughout the piece, a vivid scene of spirits dancing and cavorting together.
From the Palace of Enchantment there issued into the night sounds of unearthly revelry. Troops of genii and other fantastic spirits danced grotesquely to a music now weird and mysterious, now wild and joyous. -- Anon.
Polonaise de Concert, Op. 14
DAVID POPPER | 1843-1913
David Popper was born in Prague and studied music at the Prague Conservatory, where he trained under cellist Julius Goltermann. Coming from a Jewish family, Popper became one of the last great cellists to play without an endpin. Although he began his career without one, an 1880 drawing of Popper playing in a string quartet shows that he eventually adopted the endpin later in his life.
Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano
I. “Moderate”
DAVID MASLANKA | 1943-2017
Maslanka’s music for winds has become especially well known. Among his more than 150 works are over 50 pieces for wind ensemble, including eight symphonies, seventeen concertos, a Mass, and many concert pieces. His chamber music includes four wind quintets, five saxophone quartets, and many works for solo instrument and piano.
You may recognize this composer from last semester's Wind Orchestra's "Variance," showcasing Maslanka's Illuminations.
The Serpent’s Kiss (for 2 Pianos)
from The Garden of Eden
WILLIAM BOLCOM | b. 1938
William Bolcom’s The Garden of Eden is a set of four piano rags, completed by Bolcom in 1969. Illustrating an abstract narrative from the Abrahamic Genesis-creation, the four rags encapsulate Bolcom’s third-stream Americana style, incorporating into a virtuosic piano piece intense melodic, harmonic, and formal composition with traditional rag rhythms, chromaticism, and expressive nuance. While the four rags of The Garden of Eden present a diversity of musical styles, it is in the “rag fantasy,” The Serpent’s Kiss, that Bolcom makes his most interesting use of form, incorporating many contemporary compositional idioms over a traditional rag template.
Natalia (for solo trumpet)
ANTONIO LAURO | 1917-1986
Antonio Lauro was a Venezuelan musician, considered to be one of the foremost South American composers for the guitar in the 20th century. Like many South Americans of his generation, Lauro was a fervent cultural nationalist, determined to rescue and celebrate his nation's musical heritage.
Sexy Lady
BEN MOORE | b. 1960
The piece is a humorous and lively opera parody titled "Sexy Lady," composed by Ben Moore (b. 1960). Known for his witty and engaging compositions, Moore infuses this piece with a playful tone that adds a delightful element of levity. "Sexy Lady" is sure to bring plenty of laughs and lighten the atmosphere with its clever take on opera traditions.
Three for 5
NICKITAS DEMOS | b. 1962
Premiere (2024)
Written by our very own Composition Area Coordinator, Nick Demos:
"If this piece is 'about' anything at all, I suppose it is about being open to change. There is a sense of lightness and optimism in the music which reflects my emergence out of four very hard years of grieving over the death of my wife. I will always carry the scars of my grief with me just as I will always carry and cherish the memories of my past life. Now, however, I have embarked by necessity upon a new life and with it, a new love, a new outlook, and a new pathway forward."