Faculty Artist Series: Pianist Dr. Joseph Yungen

Pealer Recital Hall, PAC

FSU’s Department of Music Presents Dr. Joseph Yungen in Faculty Artist Series Concert

Frostburg State University’s Department of Music will present Dr. Joseph Yungen in a Faculty Artist Series concert on Tuesday, May 14, at 7:30 p.m. in the Pealer Recital Hall of FSU’s Woodward D. Pealer Performing Arts Center. This event is free and open to the public. The concert will also be livestreamed; the link will be posted at www.frostburg.edu/concerts.

Yungen will perform “Prelude and Fugue in D Major, BWV 874” and “Prelude and Fugue in G Minor, BWV 885” from “The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2” by Johann Sebastian Bach; “Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm (Nos. 148-153)” from “Mikrokosmos, Book 6” by Béla Bartók; “Six moments musicaux, Op. 16” by Sergei Rachmaninoff; the three movements, “Das Lebewohl (Les Adieux – The Farewell),” “Abwesenheit (L’Absence – The Absence)” and “Wiedersehen (Le Retour – The Return),” of “Piano Sonata No. 26 in E-flat Major, Op. 81a,” known as “Les Adieux” (“The Farewell”) by Ludwig van Beethoven; and the seven movements of “Fantasies, Op. 116” by Johannes Brahms. The following text is from Yungen’s program notes.

The “Clavier” is part of Bach’s 48 preludes and fugues that explore the 12 major and minor keys. Bach had been coming from meantone temperament, which allowed for a handful of keys to sound beautifully in tune, but with the tradeoff being that other keys would sound particularly harsh and discordant. Well temperaments make more keys accessible by redistributing and minimizing the imperfect intervals. The result is that each key has its own color and character, which Bach exploits in WTC. So, rather than demonstrating that “all keys are equal,” as is a common misconception, Bach is demonstrating how all keys may now be used on the keyboard, and they are all wonderfully different.

Originally written as a collection of pedagogical studies for his son, and still used for beginning piano instruction to this day, Bartók’s “Mikrokosmos” spans six volumes, beginning with simple unison melodies and culminating in complex virtuoso concert works. The “Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm” at the end of the final volume showcase Bartók’s work in collecting folk music from the Balkans and integrating it into his modern musical language.

Drawing upon traditional forms such as the nocturne, virtuoso etude, song without words, barcarolle, and theme and variations, Rachmaninoff’s “Opus 16” was inspired by Franz Schubert’s “Six Moments musicaux.” Although Rachmaninoff composed these pieces to dig himself out of a financial hole after being robbed on a train, they are of the highest quality and demonstrate the maturation of his compositional technique for the piano.

Beethoven’s “Les Adieux sonata” marks the end of the master’s middle period and the start of his late period. The piece paints a picture musically and pianistically of a departure and heartfelt goodbye. The sonata opens with a descending horn motif. As the music unfolds, one can hear the rhythm of horses galloping away into the distance while the pianist’s hands move farther and farther apart, with the Lebewohl motif recurring throughout. The second movement, “The Absence,” evokes the emptiness of the friend’s absence, with harsh dissonances and moments of false hope. However, the despairing mood is alleviated at the end of the movement, changing from suspense to anticipation as it leads into a joyful reunion in the final movement.

Written in his final years, Brahms’ “Fantasies, Op. 116” are highly concentrated compositional gems. These bittersweet, mostly melancholy pieces are full of interesting contrapuntal ideas, independent voice leading and pianistic effects. Most likely written with his beloved friend Clara Schumann in mind, with whom Brahms had a rather complicated relationship, these short piano works span the range of expression from vehement passion to intimate nostalgia.

For more information, contact FSU’s Department of Music at 301-687-4109.

Music, Performance, Recital