Program Notes from Giselle:
My recital’s repertoire are contrasting pieces from different periods, including Baroque, Classical, Romantic, 20th century, and contemporary. The majority of my repertoire share a darkness in the composing background: Chopin composed the Funeral March (3rd movement) shortly after his hopes of marriage to Teresa Wodzinska had been dashed, and the rest of the sonata in B-flat minor is both a meditation on the fragility of life and a Bergmanesque game of chess with death. Prokofiev composed Suggestion Diabolique op. 4 no. 4 out of pure contempt and spite – the music is a thrilling ride of raw terror and devil. Mozart, who himself made it clear that he rarely used minor keys and only reserved them for the most dramatic outpourings, wrote the Sonata in A minor when he was suffering and weeping to the tragedy of his mother’s death. There is desperation and conflict in this music. These pieces are perfect for my recital because despite the darkness in the composing background of these pieces, the composers (including Scarlatti, Mozart, and Chopin) hurtle past a few glimpses of optimism and thus bring the light to the pieces, hopeful for an ultimate happy ending. Besides my solo pieces, I am overjoyed to be collaborating with my talented colleague, Julian Bernal (viola), to perform a work composed by Piazzolla. This collaboration will be a beautiful addition to the program because the music goes from deeply emotional to extremely delightful and exciting.
