Program
January 30, 2011
Gabriel Fauré (1845 - 1924) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Dolly" Suite, Op. 56
B
I.
Berceuse (Lullaby)
II.
Mi-a-ou
III.
Le jardin de Dolly (The Garden of Dolly)
IV.
Kitty-Valse (Kitty Waltz)
V.
Tendresse (Affection)
VI.
Le pas Espagnol (The Spanish Dance)
Johannes Brahms (1833 -1897) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Variations on a Theme of Haydn
Aileen James and Ken Hardin, piano
Intermission
Alfred Uhl (1909 - 1992) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vier Stücke
Zahnräder
Dudelsack
Walzer
Trepak
Eric Ewazen (1954 - ). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Roaring Fork
I. Whitewater Rapids (Maroon Creek)
II. Columbines (Snowmass Lake)
III. At The Summit (Buckskin Pass)
Malcolm Arnold (1921 - 2006). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Three Shanties
I. Allegro con brio
II. Allegretto semplice
III.
Allegro vivace
Zephyr Wind Quintet
Karen Bjork, flute
Chris Sunahara, oboe
Hank King, clarinet
Eva Kidwell, bassoon
Helen Kirkpatrick-Halseth, French horn
Program Notes
The Program--The "Dolly" Suite of Gabriel Fauré is one of the two great piano duets composed by
Frenchmen based on themes of childhood--the other being the "Jeux d'Enfants" of George Bizet. Rather
than illustrating in musical terms childhood pastimes, as Bizet did, Faure illuminates some typical scenes or
moods of childhood. The suite takes its name from the daughter of the soprano Emma Bardac, for whom
the composer wrote his beautiful song cycle, La Bonne Chanson, and who later became Debussy's second
wife. The opening Berceuse evokes a moment of childhood peace and quietness, perhaps depicting a little
girl rocking her doll to sleep. The livelier second movement, Mi-a-ou depicts, according to Faure's
biographer, "the capricious bounds of the favorite family cat." The third movement, Le jardin de Dolly,
conjures a brief stroll with Dolly through her garden, with soft arpeggios in the upper voice accompanying
the melody in the middle register. The following movement, Tendresse, illustrates the great subtlety and
delicacy that characterized all of Fauré's music. The last movement, Le pas Espagnole, is not so much a
Spanish dance but a musical moment where a child pretends to be a Spanish dancer.
The Variations on a Theme by Haydn is one of the most familiar orchestral works of Johannes Brahms. It
is less well known that the composer published concurrently a version for two pianos (the version
performed here for one piano, four hands, came later, arranged by Keller). The "theme by Haydn" has been
the subject of some conjecture through the years. It is now believed that the theme appeared as a
movement in a Divertimento that was at first attributed to Haydn, but is now believed to have been
composed by his pupil Ignaz Pleyel. The theme itself is actually an Austria hymn known as Saint
Anthony's Chorale. Like the orchestral original, the piano duet version presents the stately theme, then
proceeds through a series of eight variations of fascinating diversity and musical interest.
Alfred Uhl was an Austrian composer who studied with Franz Schmidt at the Vienna Music Academy,
where he later became a faculty member after the war. According to his biography in Wikipedia, "his
vibrant style combined technical sophistication and musical charm with wit and humor, rhythmic
inventiveness, thematic development and advanced harmonic language." He wrote eight film scores, one
opera, several choral works, and numerous symphonic and chamber pieces (his trio for clarinet, viola and
piano was performed in the early years of MLFM). Perhaps his most famous work is pedagogical: 48
Studies for Clarinet, a premier training tool for the advanced clarinetist.
Eric Ewazen was born in 1954 in Cleveland, Ohio and studied composition with Samuel Adler, Milton
Babbitt, Gunther Schuller and others at the Eastman School of Music and Julliard. A recipient of numerous
awards and prizes, his works have been commissioned and performed by chamber ensembles and
orchestras throughout the world. The wind quintet, Roaring Fork, was commissioned by the Borealis Wind
Quintet who premiered the work in 1993. The composition pays homage to the valley of the Roaring Fork
Riverof Colorado, home to some of the most spectacular scenery of the Rocky Mountains. The first
movement depicts the lush, rich sounds of the Maroon Creek's flowing rapids. The second movement
evokes the serenity of Snowmass Lake, a glacial lake ringed by peaks of 13,000 feet, in music that is both
gentle and intimate. The final movement, At the Summit, portrays the sense of exhileration and amazement
that one experiences at the top of Buckskin Pass.
The Three Shanties for wind quintet of British composer Malcolm Arnold find the composer at his most
engaging. Completed in 1942, they were first performed in an aircraft hangar near Bristol in August 1943
by friends in the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Three traditional songs, "What shall we do with the
drunken sailor," "Boney was a warrior," and "Johnny come down to Hilo" receive Arnold's wonderful
inventive treatment. There is the skilful blending of sound that was one of the composer's trademarks,
coming from an exceptional understanding of the instruments. Each of the three movements shows great
wit and sophistication, full of fun, lightness and economy of means.
The Performers--Aileen James and Ken Hardin are professional pianists now based in Grass Valley.
James began her musical training at the age of 5 and made her professional debut at the age of 15,
performing Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 with the MeremblumYouth Symphony in Los Angeles.
She holds bachelor's and master's degrees in performance and music history, and a Doctorate in Musical
Arts in Performance from Stanford University. An acclaimed performer as soloist and chamber musician,
she has served on the faculties of Pacific Union College and Santa Clara University. From 1986 to 1997
she was Artistic Director of the American Pianists Association in Indianopolis.
Ken Hardin began piano lessons at the age of four in his hometown of Whittier and pursued a musical
career as jazz musician, vocal coach, and conductor in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. He was for
many years on the faculty of CSU-Northridge.
Since moving to Nevada County in 1984, he has been active as a pianist, conductor, coach and teacher. He
serves as Artistic Director of the InConcertSierra series, choral conductor for Sierra College Choir Nevada
County, and musical director for the Foothill Theatre Company.
The Zephyr Wind Quintet was founded in 2005 by the late Joe Axup, who was a hornist with Camellia
Symphony and the retired head of the music department at Rio Americano High School. Zephyr's
extensive repertoire of music extends from the Renassiance to the present day. The quintet has performed
in a wide variety of venues including recent performances at CSU Sacramento and a recital of 20th century
music in Fair Oaks.
Karen Bjork is a freelance flutist/alto flutist in the Sacramento area. She currently performs with
FluteSong, (a flute quartet), Camellia City Flute Choir and Foothills Wind Quintet. Recently, she
performed at the National Flute Convention in Anaheim.
Oboist Chris Sunahara was trained at California State University, Sacramento studying under Neil
Tatman and Deborah Shidler. He has performed with the Sacramento Philharmonic, Gold Country
Chamber Orchestra, Music in the Mountains, Sacramento Choral Society, Camellia, Auburn, and Folsom
Lake Symphony Orchestras. He is currently the Principal Oboist for the Merced Symphony and is an
instructor for Oboe, English Horn, and Reed Making.
Hank King studied clarinet with Donald O'Brien, Sam Scott, and William Dominik. A graduate of
University of the Pacific with a degree in music education he worked for 36 years in the Amador Unified
School District teaching music and math. Presently he is directing the Mother Lode Youth Symphony and
the Great Mother Lode Brass and Reed Band. He also plays with the Folsom Symphony.
Eva Kidwell, bassoon, is a native of Sweden. She studied at the Conservatory of Music in Gothenburg and
then enrolled at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where she studied with Steven Paulson, principal
bassoon of the San Francisco Symphony. In 1997, Eva moved to Fort Bragg where she was involved in
music education and performing with Symphony of the Redwoods and Mendocino Music Festival as well
as numerous chamber music concerts. In 2008 Eva moved to Sacramento where she has in a short time
performed with California Symphony, Silicon Valley Symphony, Merced Symphony, Modesto Symphony,
the Virtuosi Orchestra, and Capitol Chamber Players etc. Most recently she was heard performing in
Sacramento Philharmonic’s production of the Nutcracker. Eva joined the Zephyr Wind Quintet in the fall
of 2009.
Helen Kirkpatrick-Halseth assumed the chair of principal horn with the Zephyr Wind Quintet following
the death of founder Joe Axup. A prominent horn player in the Sacramento area, she performs in several
regional orchestras, including the Orchestra of the Mother Lode Friends of Music.