P I E R C E G. W A N G
F R E M O N T S Y M P H O N Y G U I L D Y O U N G A R T I S T S R E C I T A L
P i e r c e W a n g , v i o l i n ● N i c h o l a s D o l d , p i a n o
28 September 2014
First United Methodist Church
Fremont, California
PROGRAM
Salut d'Amour — Elgar
Sonata for Violin and Piano in A major — Franck
I. Allegretto ben moderato
II. Allegro
The Last Rose of Summer (Étude No.6) — Ernst
Por Una Cabeza — Gardel
WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT
(program note)
WHAT’S love got to do with it? In this portion of the recital—just about everything! "Love is a many splendored thing" for the violin, as composers through the centuries have utilized the unique qualities of the instrument to convey their messages of love in some of the most romantic pieces ever written.
The English composer Sir Edward Elgar (1857-1934) created his Salut d'Amour (Love’s Greeting) as an engagement gift to his beloved, the poet Caroline Alice Roberts. In return, she presented him with a poem she had written earlier titled "The Wind at Dawn" which he subsequently put to music. Seems like she got the better end of the deal, trading a recycled poem for what would become a hit of 1888, and having her poem turned into a song as well. Salut d’Amour bears the dedication ‘à Carice’, a contraction of Ms. Roberts’ forenames; it would later become the name of the daughter that Mr. and Mrs. Elgar conceived.
The Belgian composer César Franck (1822-1890) composed his Violin Sonata in A Major for Violin and Piano in 1886, as a wedding present for his fellow Belgian, violinist Eugène Ysaÿe, and his bride, Louise Bourdeau de Coutrai. Its first performance was given by Ysaÿe himself at his wedding, after only receiving the music that morning! Cast in four movements with the first two movements heard today, it is a work filled with rich harmonies and soaring melodies. A staple of the violin repertoire, it is much loved by performers and audiences alike.
The rose has been a symbol of love and beauty since Roman times, from the time it was associated with Venus, the Roman goddess of love, to the present time, when roses are readily bestowed on objects of affection. So what can be more bittersweet than the last rose of summer?
The Irish poet, Thomas Moore, penned "The Last Rose of Summer" in 1805, and it was soon paired with a traditional melody, The Young Man’s Dream. So popular was the song that Ludwig van Beethoven and Felix Mendelssohn composed pieces based on the melody. The German master violinist and composer Heinrich Ernst (1812-1865) included his Variations de concert sur l’air irlandaise "The Last Rose of Summer" in his Six Polyphonic Études. A set of variations that explores the technical limits of the violin, it is considered one of the most difficult pieces ever composed for the instrument. Its demands include bowed and left hand pizzicato notes played simultaneously, harmonics layered above three octave arpeggios, and double harmonics amidst passages that have the violinist’s fingers hurriedly scurrying up and down the fingerboard.
One of the most romantic and sensuous of dances, the Tango (from the Latin tangere, “to touch”), originated near Argentina in the late 19th century. Done correctly, the dance partners get tangled together in the tango, which might be the reason for its enduring popularity.
Carlos Gardel (1890-1935), a French-Argentine singer and songwriter, was an influential figure in the tango’s early history. Before his tragic death due to a plane crash that year, he composed one of his most popular tangos, Por Una Cabeza (By a Head). The song, about a compulsive horse-track gambler who compares his gambling addiction with his attraction to women, was featured in the 1992 film, Scent of a Woman. The prolific film score composer, John Williams, arranged the version on today’s program for the concert violinist Itzhak Perlman.
So there you have it: four pieces representing five countries, all centered around love and each using the violin to convey powerful and passionate emotions. And why not, since the violin is capable of touching the human soul as love does? The connection between love and the violin is so natural that it’s not a stretch to imagine Cupid flinging his arrows with a violin bow.
Davis Law
San Francisco, CA
September 28, 2014