Program
Solo Violin Sonata No. 5 in G Major, Op. 27/5 by Ysaye (1858-1931).
Violin Sonata in G Major, K. 379 (373a) by Mozart (1756-1791).
Three Taiwanese Songs by Shih-Ching Ju (b. 1972).
Violin Sonata in G minor, L. 140 by Debussy (1862-1918).
I have been to STNJ enough times to think I know the layout of the place. Turns out there is this "Sound Studio" that's located at the balcony level that I didn't realize was there. Now I wonder if other similar rooms exist in the theater.
In any case, today's concert took place in this studio that by my estimate can comfortable seat over 100 people. For today about 50 folding chairs were laid out. I have no idea what the expectations are for a concert of this type, and today's weather was forecast to be somewhat nasty - it turned out not to be so, I only had to contend with light rain both going to the theater and returning to the car.
I forget exactly how I knew about this concert, it was probably from an STNJ mailer. I thought it would be interesting to spend a couple of hours listening to violin music performed by young artists. Prior to this I had not heard of either Eric Tsai or Lohan Park, whom I assume to have Taiwanese (the Program gave it away) and Korean ancestry respectively.
The choices for the afternoon's concert are a bit puzzling. It would be an interesting program for students of violin music, and they would have to be more knowledgeable than me. (Many would argue the criteria are easy enough to meet.)
Eugene Ysaye's piece is about showing off the violinist's virtuosity. Performed by a solo violin, the two movements are L'Aurore (dawn) and Danse rustique, and they add to about 11 minutes. It's a technically difficult piece, with a lot of double stops, left hand pizzicatos, and harmonics. The basic requirement would be to get the intonation and bowing right, which Tsai did well. Then the music needs to sound coherent, preferably evoking images of dawn and a rural dance. Here I thought Tsai came up short. If this were an examination, the grade would be a passing one, but not much beyond that.
After the Ysaye's piece, Tsai talked a bit about the pieces on the program. First, they are all in G major, which usually evokes sunny and happy days. Given the somewhat dreary weather outside, he hoped that the music will brighten the day somewhat. Of course if the day had been sunny, it would be a message of emphasizing how nice it was. His comments about the pieces on the Program will be incorporated as I write.
Mozart's violin sonatas should really be named piano sonatas with violin accompaniment. Students of the instrument learn them early in their career, and often find it difficult to find piano partners of the same age. I am not sure I have encountered this specific sonata before; I will probably remember it as it is unusual in several aspects: it's only two movements, there are not that many repeated notes for which Mozart is known for, and the piece starts in "adagio" tempo. It was quite an enjoyable performance. Would I have preferred a more traditional sonata, or even a Beethoven or a Brahms? Probably. Tsai did give credit to the pianist and acknowledge the important role of the piano.
The Taiwanese songs are from the era of Tsai's parents and grandparents (so starting in the mid 1950s?). I know a bit about Taiwanese songs, and these will pass muster. (I actually know someone with a Ph. D. degree in music from Taiwan.) However, I submit Taiwanese songs have a lot more breadth and depth than what was heard today. Today's were all on the slow side. They were mostly pentatonic, so I am not the key signatures matter very much. The titles of the three songs are The One I Yearn For, Illusionary Dream by the Riverside, and Dusk at Tamsui.
The story behind the Debussy sonata is a sad one, and it is in the key of G minor. Debussy set out to write six sonatas for different instruments, but completed only 3 before he succumbed to cancer; this sonata was the composer's last completed work. It didn't sound sunny at all (how can it, if the listener knows the story behind it), although per Wikipedia there are passages of light. The movements are Allegro vivo, Intermede (Fantasque et leger) and Finale (Tres anime).
The concert lasted just a little over an hour. There was no intermission.
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