La Voz invites you

The concert will open with “Variations on a Theme by Haydn,” composed in 1873 by Johannes Brahms, a celebrated German composer and pianist. The piece is a tribute to the classical Viennese style of the Enlightenment era, in which Joseph Haydn was a prominent figure. Its structure is based on the introduction of a theme with wind instruments, followed by eight consecutive variations, culminating in a finale that amplifies and revisits the work’s ideas.

The variations are short, independent sections that present melodies preserving certain aspects of the original theme while incorporating new and contrasting ideas, like different versions of the theme. Brahms is a master of this musical form. Rather than merely rewriting the theme, he brings fresh air to it through his variations—some more frenetic, others more introspective. His deep knowledge of composition and orchestration makes this piece a journey through unique and highly contrasting textures.

Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor is among his most famous and admired works. While most of his compositions illustrate light, optimistic, and humorous melodies, this concerto is one of the few reflecting the more personal and tragic side of his artistic genius. The solo piano communicates, exaggerates, and highlights the ideas presented throughout the piece, like a writer in an internal dialogue.

The concerto consists of three movements: Allegro, Larghetto, and Allegretto. Allegro introduces a melancholic and desolate theme, which develops and concludes through its recontextualization. Larghetto offers more lyrical and expressive melodies, set at a calmer and more reflective pace. Allegretto contrasts the previous movements with tragicomic themes, showcasing a lighthearted sarcasm and a shift in the piece’s final message.

Continuing with the theme of contrast, the next two pieces present two distinct styles of composition regarding harmony and orchestration: George Perle’s “Six Bagatelles” and César Franck’s “Symphony in D Minor.” Both pieces and composers represent extremes within the stylistic spectrum of music. Perle’s Bagatelles are short pieces packed with a multitude of ideas in under two minutes. His compositional language, also known as atonal theory, is based on the idea that all musical notes have equal importance, without hierarchies, derivations, or repetitive emphasis on particular notes. This illustrates a more avant-garde, modern, abstract, and hyper-expressive style.

On the other hand, Franck represents a more conservative style grounded in romantic aesthetics, formal structure, and emotive melodies and harmonies filled with drama, passion, suspense, and action. His symphony has three movements: Lento-Allegro ma non troppo, a brief introduction of a mysterious theme magnified by the orchestra in a movement full of action and turbulence; Allegretto, akin to its counterpart in Mozart’s work, illustrates a melancholic and expressive theme, both nostalgic and fervent. The piece concludes with Allegro non troppo, a movement with a subtler pace and a lighter, tender tone, ending with an explosive and grand finale.

Courtesy Tickets for La Voz Readers
Do you want to attend? To request your complimentary (free) tickets, send us an email at [email protected] with the subject "Courtesy Tickets March 15." Please include how many tickets you need, your name, your companions' names, and if you require any accommodations.

Program:
Leon Botstein, Director

Johannes Brahms:
Variations on a Theme by Haydn

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:
Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K.491
Tianxiang Ni, piano

George Perle:
Six Bagatelles

César Franck:
Symphony in D minor


Translated from Spanish by Andres Pérez Rangel