Browsing by Author "Lavenda, Richard"
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Item A concert of works by guest composer DAVID COLSON and by KARIM AL-ZAND WILLIAM BOLCOM ANTHONY BRANDT RICHARD LAVENDA Thursday, December 2, 2004 8:00 p.m. Lillian H. Duncan Recital Hall(Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, 2004-12-02) Bolcom, William; Lavenda, Richard; Brandt, Anthony K.; Colson, David; Al-Zand, Karim, 1970-; Colson, David (composer and vibraphone); Al-Zand, Karim (composer); Bolcom, William (composer); Brandt, Anthony (composer); Lavenda, Richard (composer); Luca, Sergiu (violin); Archibald, Susan (piano); Landon, Elizabeth (flute); Masterson, Nicholas (oboe); DeMartino, Louis (clarinet); Trussell, Adam (bassoon); VanDyke, Jonas (horn); Bennett, Karol (soprano); Nelson, Maureen (violin); Stanislav, Tereza (violin); Brophy, Robert (viola); Belcher, Richard (cello); King, Stephen (baritone); Benson, Beau (guitar); Buyse, Leone (alto flute); Ellison, Paul (double bass); Kamins, Benjamin (bassoon); Enso String QuartetProgram: Second Sonata for Violin and Piano / William Balcom (b. 1938) -- Mandala / David Colson (b.1957) -- The Dragon and the Undying / Anthony Brandt (b. 1964) -- Leila / Karim Al-Zand (b.1970) -- Chiaroscuro / Richard Lavenda (b. 1955).Item A GEORGE BURT RETROSPECTIVE 1957-1978 Tuesday, December 5, 1989 8:00 p.m. in Hamman Hall(Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, 1989-12-05) Gottschalk, Arthur, 1952-; Jones, Samuel, 1935-; Burt, George, 1929-2015; Lavenda, Richard; Cooper, Paul, 1926-1996; Conelly, Brian (piano); Burt, George (synthesizer); English, Paul (electric piano); Griebling, Lynn (soprano); Pierrot Plus Ensemble; Kelly, Kevin (violin); Qureshi, Rifat (viola); Denton, James (cello); Babikian, Virginia (soprano)Playlist: Four short pieces for piano / George Burt -- Improvisation II / George Burt -- HBGB / Richard Lavenda -- Quodlibet (What pleases) / Paul Cooper -- String trio / George Burt -- The New York Hat / George Burt -- What Are You Doing ... / Arthur Gottschalk (1952-) -- A Hocket for George / Samuel Jones -- Exit music I / George Burt.Item A Loud City Overture(2004) Lasa, Armando; Lavenda, RichardA Loud City Overture is based on my impressions of Houston's sonic landscape and my fascination its cultural diversity. This city welcomes and accepts you as an equal and then it is up to you to take it to next level. The work is written in somewhat classic Sonata form of the Italian Style Overture. Various musical styles are alluded to without trying to pastiche their elements. These different musical elements play off each other creating a hybrid character which is hard to define. The orchestration has been greatly influenced by my experience with pit orchestras as a conductor of musical theater. Thus the emphasis on the winds and brass as opposed to the strings, the latter being used more as a unit rather than individual players.Item A Practical Guide to Guglielmo Quarenghi's Six Caprices(2014-11-24) Yang, Clara; Lavenda, Richard; Fischer, Norman; Loewen, Peter; Regier, AlexanderNineteenth-century Italian cellist, Guglielmo Quarenghi (1826-1882), was a virtuoso performer, pedagogue, and composer active in Milan, Italy. Despite his successful career, Quarenghi’s accomplishments as a cellist, as well as his contribution to the cello repertoire, are practically unknown today. Quarenghi’s merits may not be readily apparent based on the rather scant biographical information available, but once his work is explored in detail, his brilliance and the status of his works as a valuable asset to cello playing is clearly evident. This paper explores Quarenghi’s life and a selection of his works, and offers an in-depth pedagogical guide to his Six Caprices. Composed in 1863, Quarenghi’s Caprices is one of the more obscure works of the cello repertory, but it has much to offer the contemporary cellist. This paper consists of four parts: (1) a summary of historical and musical contexts surrounding Quarenghi’s life, (2) a study of Quarenghi’s selected concert works, (3) an exploration of Quarenghi’s pedagogical approach as revealed through his method book, and (4) a practical guide to Quarenghi’s Six Caprices. With a goal of promoting and defining the value of Quarenghi’s Caprices, the following discussion of the Caprices offers musical analysis and editorial commentary, as well as preparatory exercises, performance suggestions, and excerpts from related standard repertoires for further study. The edited version of the Six Caprices is included in Appendix 2.Item A program of works by LUCIANO BERIO JOHN HARBISON RICHARD LAVENDA and SEBASTIAN CURRIER Friday, October 10, 2008 8:00 p.m. Lillian H. Duncan Recital Hall(Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, 2008-10-10) Berio, Luciano; Harbison, John; Lavenda, Richard; Currier, Sebastian|Buyse , Leone(flute); van der Werff, Ivo-Jan (viola I); Lin, Pei-Ling (viola II); Winship, Marissa (viloa III); Dunham, James (viola IV); Tauber, Charles (piano); Zinninger, Heather (flute); Webster, Michael (clarinet); Siu, Eric (violin); Fowler, Jacob (cello); Goddard, Christopher (piano)PROGRAM: Sequenza / Luciano Berio -- Cucaraccia and Fugue / John Harbison -- Rhapsody / Richard Lavenda -- Static / Sebastian CurrierItem Afterimages(1979) Lavenda, Richard; Cooper, Paul; Milburn, Ellsworth; Brown, RichardAfterimages, for soprano and chamber ensemble, is based on three poems by Carl Nagin. Rather than being a set of three detached pieces, it is a unified work, played from beginning to end without break. The motivation for this kind of organization comes from the poems themselves; they are related in style and imagery, and can be considered as a set. The music seeks to develop and explore the various kinds of connections within the poems. In this sense, Afterimages may be said to be inspired by the structure as well as the content of the poems. The music is based on four related motives. These are the generative devices which both unify and propel the piece. All four are short, and, depending on the context in which they are used, can sound forceful, reflective, introspective or out-reaching. The small number and brevity of the themes help make the piece unified. The instrumentation, however, is used to provide variety. Each of the three poems, plus the introduction and interlude, have different groups of instruments. This avoids sameness and the density that can occur if twelve instruments are constantly playing. The various combinations were chosen not only for their orchestrational potential, but for their relation to the poems and their possibility for illuminating various aspects of them. Afterimages is approximately twenty-one minutes in duration.Item Afterimages (1978)(Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, 1979-03-18) Lavenda, Richard; Charlotte Jones, percussion; Leslie Svilokos-Nagin, violoncello; Lovie Smith, percussion; Marcia Ryan, viola; Steven McMillan, violin; Randall Clack, clarinet; John Burton, violoncello; William Davis, bass trombone; Pamela Schimek, trumpet; Annetta Vaughn, conductor; Michelle Boulet, flute; Kerry Jones, tuba; Evanne Browne, sopranoItem Allusions, Illusions & Delusions(2013-09-16) Bachicha, Stephen; Gottschalk, Arthur W.; Aazhang, Behnaam; Bailey, Walter B.; Lavenda, RichardAllusions, Illusions and Delusions (2013) is an eight minute work for full orchestra that blends elements of lyricism with fast kinetic music, orchestral tutti with smaller groupings and solos, and familiar harmonic language with more exotic combinations. The piece begins with a bang, employing a figure that blurs the distinction between major and minor triads. After the ensuing short introduction, the flugelhorn’s lyrical theme becomes the main focus; indeed, elements of this solo line help to shape the entire piece. Following an expansive orchestral tutti built on this theme, the line and the ensemble are broken down and small groups of instruments begin a climb to the fast section of the piece. The longest portion of the score, this fast section takes the listener on a roller coaster ride with sharp turns and many ups and downs. The ride continues building more and more intensity and energy until the climax, marked in the score “huge and bombastic.” As this cacophonous “wall of sound” dies down, four solo strings and a clarinet emerge, recalling moments of the flugelhorn solo. A solo bucket muted trumpet presents a final paraphrase of the theme, bringing the piece to a calm and soothing resolution. Allusions, Illusions and Delusions takes its title from elements of the piece itself and from a number of external influences. The lyrical flugelhorn solo beginning at measure 27, the rapidly changing harmonies of the fast section, polychordal segments (such as the Eb major/d minor simultaneous sonority found in measures 87 through 89), and the climax at J, allude to the sounds of triadic harmonies from common practice tonal music. Aspects of these harmonies also create a sense of illusion: The main melodic and harmonic sounds used in the piece are intervals of seconds and thirds, and their inversions. By using minor seconds simultaneously as melodic and harmonic intervals, the quality of a triad or chord is often blurred, fooling the listener into thinking that they are hearing a triad, when five or more notes might actually be present. Delusion refers to the way a listener might react to the music. Often listeners invent a story to go along with a piece of music as a way for them to organize and understand the musical journey that they are experiencing. When there is no extra-musical idea tied to the piece at all, as in this instance, listeners might well be deluding themselves.Item An Internationalist Composer in a Nationalist Society: The Violin Sonata (1932) of Frank Bridge(2016-04-21) Harasim, Sonja Maria Worth; Lavenda, RichardThis document investigates the influences on Frank Bridge’s composition style in his late chamber music works, with an emphasis on his Violin Sonata. I begin with a brief biographical background and a discussion of his musical environment in England before and during his career. In my analysis of his mature chamber works, I compare his style to that of his British and Continental contemporaries. The penultimate chapter will focus on his Violin Sonata and how the styles of other composers are manifested in the work. Lastly, I will present the strengths and challenges of the work and the effect that these have on developing an interpretation.Item Archaea(2017-04-21) Glackin, Clare Alice; Lavenda, RichardArchaea is an orchestral work which depicts an imaginary ancient landscape; a city I have cobbled together in my imagination from places with which I have become familiar recently. The three sections of the work show the landscape throughout the day: the first movement depicts the blinding light of the sunrise, and the second the orange glow cast over the city buildings in the evening, ending with the final glimmer of light as the sun sinks below the horizon. The third movement, a lively percussive dance, represents nighttime, which, for me, has always been filled with energy and possibility. The piece incorporates into its language elements of traditional fiddle music; some of my earliest musical memories are of dancing around the house while my father played Irish fiddle tunes. This music is somehow strongly connected in my mind with the landscape I am imagining.Item Beethoven's Double Bass Parts: The Viennese Violone and the Problem of Lower Compass(2013-09-16) Buckley, Stephen; Loewen, Peter; Ellison, Paul; Lavenda, Richard; Blumenthal-Barby, MartinThis study addresses the discrepancy between the range of Beethoven's double bass parts and the instrument or instruments in use in Vienna in his day. Scholars and musicians have complained about Beethoven's apparent disregard for the instrument's capabilities since the middle of the nineteenth century. A systematic examination of Beethoven's orchestral writing for the double bass shows that this reputation is undeserved. In fact Beethoven paid close attention to the lower compass of the double bass throughout his orchestral writing: a clear boundary of F is observed up to op. 55, and thereafter E, though F still obtains in some late works. Beethoven's observance of the F boundary suggests that he was writing for the Viennese five-stringed violone, and not the modern form of the instrument, as has previously been assumed in scholarship. Other evidence pointing to the use of this instrument is presented. Some of Beethoven's bass parts between op. 55 and op. 125 do in fact descend to C (sounding C1); yet there is no evidence supporting the existence of a double bass instrument capable of C1 in Beethoven's day. Possible explanations for these violations of the compass of the double bass are discussed. These focus on the possibility of simple proofreading error, and on evidence for the unwritten practice of reinforcing the double bass with one or more contrabassoons. The contrabassoon in Beethoven's day had a lower compass of C1, and Vienna was an early center for its production and use. Analysis of the bulk of Beethoven's double bass parts for their range is given. Emphasis in this analysis is given to instances where Beethoven demonstrates a clear awareness of the compass of the instrument. Out-of-range pitches are compiled in table form.Item Beethoven's Triple Concerto: A New Perspective on a Neglected Work(2007) Hammer, Levi; Connelly, Brian; Lavenda, Richard; Goldsmith, KennethBeethoven's Triple Concerto for piano, violin, and violoncello, opus 56, is one of Beethoven's most neglected pieces, and is performed far less than any of his other works of similar scope. It has been disparaged by scholars, critics, and performers, and it is in need of a re-evaluation. This paper will begin that re-evaluation. It will show the historical origins of the piece, investigate the criticism, and provide a defense. The bulk of the paper will focus on a descriptive analysis of the first movement, objectively demonstrating its quality. It will also discuss some matters of interpretive choice in performance. This thesis will show that, contrary to prevailing views, the Triple Concerto is a unique and significant masterpiece in Beethoven's output.Item BENJAMIN JABER Horn SENIOR RECITAL Sunday, March 21, 2004 3:00 p.m. Lillian H. Duncan Recital Hall(Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, 2004-03-21) Lavenda, Richard; Glière, Reinhold Morit︠s︡evich, 1875-1956; Cosma, Edgar; Wagenseil, Georg Christoph, 1715-1777; Larsson, Lars-Erik, 1908-1986; Jaber, Benjamin (horn); Jaber, Thomas (piano); Moeling, Robert (piano)Program: Concerto in E-flat Major / Georg Christoph Wagenseil (1715-1777) -- Romance, Intermezzo, Valse Triste, Nocturne / Reinhold Gliere (1875-1956) -- Sonatine for Horn and Piano / Edgar Cosma (b. 1925) -- Concertino, Op. 45 No. 5 / Lars-Erik Larsson (1908-1986) -- Flight of Fancy / Richard Lavenda (b. 1955).Item Cityscape(2022-04-22) Kim, Jihyun; Lavenda, RichardCityscape (2022) is an eight-minute work for an orchestra inspired by the circumstances of the Coronavirus disease pandemic. In spring of 2020, a global lockdown was initiated by various countries of the world due to the outbreak of the virus. As Houston where I lived was under the lockdown, the roads congested with the traffic jam became uncrowded, and the bustling city with crowd became quiet. Under this circumstance, I composed this piece based on the common noises that we had frequently heard during daily life in the city before the pandemic—but rarely heard for the lockdown period. This piece consists of three movements depicting the image of the urban cityscape. The main materials throughout this piece are the sounds imitating car horns. Consisting of a Major-minor chord, the car horns sound is developed in different ways throughout three movements. In particular, I would like to describe the blare of car horns in the first movement, specifically with the brass instruments. The car horns in the brass instruments gradually introduce the doppler effect by adding glissandi. In the second movement, the glissandi spread out to the other instruments in the hollow chord progressions of very high and low note, expressing a desolate city in the night. These glissandi get faster at the end of the second movement, then finally returns to the busy moment with honking of cars in the third movement. Using these familiar sounds of city through this structure, the piece reminds the audience of the treasured moment of daily life before the pandemic, then conveys the hopeful message that we will return to normal life soon.Item COLLABORATIVE CONCERT 2005, AN EVENING OF PREMIERES featuring RICE DANCE THEATRE CHRYSALIS DANCE COMPANY and faculty members and students of the SHEPHERD SCHOOL OF MUSIC Tuesday, April 5, 2005 7:30 p.m. Stude Concert Hall(Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, 2005-04-05) Kuspa, Jordan; Sedgwick, Daniel; Stallmann, Kurt, 1964-; Poteat, Angelique, 1986-; Lavenda, Richard; Lee, Christopher, 1977-; Aguas, Cinco; Conroy, Tom; Kuspa, Jordan; Perlman, Ariella (flute, alto flute); Haro, Greg (trumpet); Bell, Brandon (drums, roto toms, percussion); Van Devender, Anna (viola); Hu, Emily (cello); Eubanks, Graham (double bass); Cole, Emily (violin); Dunn, Jessica (viola); Merritt, Edward (double bass); Barton, Jacob (clarinets); Taniguchi, Kao (piano); Blackwell, Jessica (violin); Buyse, Leone (alto flute); Kamins, Benjamin (bassoon); Ellison, Paul (double bass); Brown, Richard (vibraphone)Playlist: MindStorms / Christopher Lee -- Snow White and His Majesty the Queen / Jordan Kuspa -- Caffeinated / Daniel Sedgwick -- Sextet / Angelique Poteat (1872-1958) -- No More / Cinco Aguas -- Kringloop ... from dust to dust / Kurt Stallmann -- Flic, Dab, Fling / Richard Lavenda (b. 1955).Item Contemporary music in Czechoslovakia since 1945: An analysis of piano sonatas by Jiri Gemrot composed during and after the Communist regime(2008) Frankova, Jitka; Lavenda, RichardThe Communist Party dominated the country of Czechoslovakia throughout most of the second half of the twentieth century. In addition to maintaining tight political control of the country to prevent the emergence of any threats to its power, the Communist government also exercised significant power over the society's cultural organs and influenced their output to favor works that it felt supported its revolutionary ideology. The power of the Party was not constant, but went through two oscillations of relative strength and weakness, which affected the extent to which it was able to impose its will on the country. In the music world, in periods when the regime was weak, non-orthodox musical ideas found their way into Czechoslovak society through various conduits. When the regime was strong, these routes seemed to close, the people and organizations that opened them were marginalized, and the penetration of these new ideas diminished. This study examines the effect that the policies of the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia had on music composition, through analyses of two piano sonatas by a living Czech composer, Jiri Gemrot. These sonatas were written in different times, one during the end of the Communist period, the other several years afterwards, and so are potentially affected by the composer's changed attitudes towards composition with the fall of the Communist Government. The analyses conclude, however, that there was not a significant change in the composer's technique between the times of writing the two sonatas, suggesting that he was not greatly affected by Communist attempts to maintain music orthodoxy in Czechoslovakia. It is further suggested that although the composer had exposure to, and the opportunity to compose in, progressive compositional styles, Gemrot's musical inclinations led him to write in a compositional style that, while non-orthodox, was not deemed threatening to the cultural ideology of the Party.Item Control/React (1979) for Bass Trombone and Percussion(Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, 1979-03-10) Lavenda, Richard; William Davis, trombone; Lovie Smith, percussionItem Corners Of The Night(Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, 1979-04-09) Lavenda, Richard; Paul Ellison, conductor; The Shepherd SinfoniaItem Deep Song: The Historical and Musical Contexts of Osvaldo Golijov's Ayre(2013-12-06) Hauschildt, Craig; Bailey, Walter B.; Brown, Richard; Harter, Deborah; Lavenda, RichardOsvaldo Golijov (b. 1960) composed Ayre, a song cycle for soprano and large ensemble, in 2004. On the larger thematic level, it explores the history of the conflicts among Christians, Jews, and Muslims—as well as their similarities—to reflect more broadly on the contemporary relationship between Israel and Palestine. To accomplish his goal, Golijov utilizes folk music and poetry from Andalusia, Morocco, Sardinia, and Lebanon as well as poetry by Mahmoud Darwish, a Palestinian poet. Golijov also interweaves the unique talents of specific musicians into the score, which thus becomes a vehicle to showcase the virtuosity of soprano Dawn Upshaw, who premiered and recorded the work, and Golijov’s hand-selected ensemble of instrumentalists, known as the Andalucian Dogs. Like Luciano Berio’s Folk Songs (1964), which served as Golijov’s model, Ayre is constructed using significant amounts of preexisting material. In addition, it incorporates substantial contributions from its original performers. This study examines Golijov’s own contributions and those provided by others to identify more clearly Golijov’s role as composer. It also places Golijov’s work in the broad historical context of twentieth-century music, taking into account the unique relationship between the composer and performer in the world of jazz and the many classical composers who have incorporated elements of folk and popular music into their art music. Additionally, it examines the music of select classical and popular composers—Béla Bartók, Igor Stravinsky, Aaron Copland, Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, and Gil Evans—to understand the censure that has often accompanied the appropriation of music from outside one’s normative style. The study concludes that Golijov, like many other postmodern composers, is not composing in reaction to the complexity and intellectualism of mid-century modernism, but rather he is composing in the manner of composers from the past who reverentially appropriated materials from a wide variety of musical traditions. Thus, even though Golijov relies on a significant amount of pre-existing material to construct Ayre, the work is ultimately a result of his own creative energy.Item FACULTY RECITAL KENNETH GOLDSMITH, Violin with JO ANNE RITACCA, Piano NORMAN FISCHER, Cello Saturday, September 11, 1993 8:00 p.m. Lillian H. Duncan Recital Hall(Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, 1993-09-11) Lavenda, Richard; Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix, 1809-1847; Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus, 1756-1791; Goldsmith, Kenneth (violin); Ritacca, Jo Anne (piano); Fischer, Norman (cello)Playlist: Sonata in C major, KV 296 -- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) / Balancing Act (Premiere) -- Richard Lavenda / Trio in C minor, op. 66 -- Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847).