Doctoral Recital Ivan Ivanov, clarinet Jae Ahn-Benton, piano

College of Fine Arts presents a
Doctoral Recital
Ivan Ivanov, clarinet
Jae Ahn-Benton, piano
PROGRAM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
(1756–1791)
Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K 622
Allegro
Adagio
Rondo
Olivier Messiaen
(1908–1992)
Quatuor pour la fin du temps
Abimes des oiseaux
INTERMISSION
Johannes Brahms
(1833–1897)
Sonata for clarinet and piano in E-flat Major, No.2
Allegro amabile
Allegro appassionato
Andante con moto
Charles-Marie Widor
(1844–1937)
Introduction et Rondo, Op. 72
This recital is presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree
Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance.
Ivan Ivanov is a student of Marina Sturm.
Thursday, April 30, 2015
7:30 p.m.
Dr. Arturo Rando-Grillot Recital Hall
Lee and Thomas Beam Music Center
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
PROGRAM NOTES
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K 622
(1756–1791)
Mozart composed his concerto in November 1791, and it was performed in Vienna shortly afterwards.
Mozart wrote the concerto for his friend the great virtuoso clarinetist Anton Stadler. The work was originally
scored for basset clarinet.
Allegro is a typical double-exposition sonata form movement, where orchestral ritornellos mark the major
formal divisions of the piece. While there is no true cadenza, there are two brief pauses where the clarinet soloist
has an opportunity to improvise. Mozart uses the full range of the clarinet including several passages with large
register leaps, which enhance the expressive qualities of the clarinet.
The Adagio is among the most beautiful examples of Mozart’s writing. In a rounded binary form, the piece
opens with solo clarinet passages alternating with lush musical responses of the full orchestra.
The final Rondo is playful and features a variety of surprises and shifts in mood. It is a Sonata- Rondo ABACA′B′A Coda form, where the A theme is the main feature of the piece. After the final A section, Mozart adds
a virtuosic coda which builds in intensity until the very end. Again featuring the entire range of the clarinet, Mozart
writes a combination of fluid lines while exploring the beauty of the clarinet.
Olivier Messiaen
Abîme des oiseaux, Quatuor pour la fin du temps
(1908–1992)
The Quartet for the End of Time for violin, clarinet, cello and piano was composed in 1940 while
Messiaen was imprisoned in Stalag VIII-A, a German prisoner of war camp. Three other professional musicians:
clarinetist Henri Akoka, violinist Jean le Boulaire, and cellist Étienne Pasquier, were among his fellow prisoners.
The quartet was premiered at the camp on 15 January 1941. Messiaen later recalled: "Never was I listened to
with such rapt attention and comprehension." It has eight movements with varying combinations of the four
instruments. Movement III "Abyss of birds" is for solo clarinet. “The abyss is Time with its sadness, its weariness.
The birds are the opposite to Time; they are our desire for light, for stars, for rainbows, and for jubilant songs.”
Johannes Brahms
Sonata for Clarinet and Piano in E-flat Major, No.2
(1833–1897)
Johannes Brahms retired from composing in 1890 for about a year when he was inspired to write again
by Richard Mühlfeld’s artistry. Mühlfeld’s playing had created a very profound impression on Brahms. He was
able to carry the audience to a real fever of excitement. Brahms wrote the Clarinet trio op. 114, Clarinet Quintet
op. 115 and two sonatas op.120, also inspired by him.
The first movement is in Sonata- Allegro form. The tempo is marked Allegro amabile which stylistically
suggests passion and mystery. The warmly glowing phrases, allow the clarinet to sing from the first to the last
note. The major mood is of love and is interrupted a few times by a sense of regret.
The second movement is “Allegro Appassionato”. Brahms’ own love affairs never seemed to get
anywhere. Inspired by Mühlfeld’s sound he expressed his own impossible love and passion for Clara Schumann.
The “Appasionato” sections are quasi dance like and full of passion. In the middle of the movement, the
“Sostenuto” section contains new material and creates a feeling of nobility.
The final
movement of the sonata is marked as Andante con Motto. It is the last chamber music Brahms ever wrote. The
form is a theme and six variations. He increased the excitement in each variation by shortening the note’s length,
giving an illusion of a faster tempo.
Charles-Marie Widor
Introduction et Rondo, Op 72
(1844–1937)
Born into a family of organ builders, Widor became one of the most brilliant organists of his day and one
of the most prominent organ composers. Widor wrote just one piece for clarinet, the Introduction et Rondo, Op.
72, which he composed in 1898 for the annual Solo de Concours at the Paris Conservatory.
The Introduction and Rondo is a gorgeous, romantic piece. It opens with a slow improvisatory section that
continues with a Rondo which is charming, bombastic, and a brilliant piece for both the piano and the clarinet.
While, by design, all of the Solo de Concours pieces test primarily the technique of the performers, the virtuoso
passages in this piece always flow organically out of the musical ideas creating a homogenous connection
between the clarinet and the piano. The work is dedicated to Cyrille Rose, the sixth professor of clarinet at the
Paris Conservatory. In contrast to the other Concours pieces by Rabaud, Messager, and Lefebvre, the
Introduction et Rondo was used only once for the annual competition at the Paris Conservatory.