Music Performance: Summary of Dissertation Recitals

Abstract

Three recitals were performed in lieu of a written dissertation. The repertoire of these recitals aims to explore many unfamiliar/lesser-performed works. These works include many contemporary pieces written in the 20th and the 21st century, as well as transcriptions of music that are seldom performed on cello. The theme of the first recital is “Pieces for Solo Cello,” and contains unaccompanied cello works by Guy Fouquet, Jean Sibelius, Geon-yong Lee, Roger Sessions, and Henri Dutilleux. The second recital, titled “Romantic Transcriptions,” features Johannes Brahms’ two Clarinet sonatas and Robert Schumann’s Three Romances, originally written for oboe and piano. The first piece in the final recital is a work from the romantic era by Adrien-François Servais. The second piece is by Nikolai Kapustin, a classical composer who enjoys the use of jazz idioms. Kapustin’s work bridges the gap between the first and the last piece, the Suite for Cello and Jazz Piano Trio, by Claude Bolling, a 21st Century jazz composer who is famous for his crossover compositions.