New Music at the W Concert

Program

Odd Times – Valentin M. Bogdan (Mississippi University for Women)

Valentin Bogdan and Julia Mortyakova, piano

Midnight Glowing on Horseback – Alan Goldspiel (University of Montevallo)

Electronic Playback

Legacies – Hannah Adhikari (W Music Alumna)

Hannah Adhikari, piano

Life Sequences, Mvt. 1 & Mvt. III – Charles Weathersby (W Music Student composer)

Ginger Zingara, flute

“May I ask you to…?” – Ivan Elezovic (Jackson State University)

Electronic Playback

Impromptu No. 1 – Hannah Adhikari

Hannah Adhikari, piano

Etudes for Solo Piano – Valentin M. Bogdan

1. Introduction
2. Basso Ostinato
3. Sets
4. Aug

Program Notes

Odd Times is a work loosely based on the Sonata Allegro form. Composed during the challenging period of the pandemic lockdown, it serves as an allegorical representation of the uncertainty that characterized this unprecedented era.

Midnight Glowing on Horseback juxtaposes surrealist ideas and classical formal structures within its left to right time-based electronic playback. The audio events combine and mix samples of ordinary objects, instruments, synthesized sound, and Salvadore Dali discussing his moustache. The slightly bizarre mix of elements, rarely all that jarring, and maybe nonsensical, combine to conjure a mental image – midnight glowing on horseback? – or perhaps to merely create an awake dream.

Legacies – A piano solo for Grief. Whether it be family or friend, all loss is loss. May this melody bring out your memories together that still live on.

“May I ask you to…?” The main approach of the piece leaves the listener in an unexpected and confused state produced by interactions among the characters of the piece. The appearance of ignorance and sometimes irony causes communication to be very difficult, and in some instances impossible. The mixture of hesitated questions, observations, and attempts at clarification produces even further confusion with occasional comical events.

Life Sequences is a 3-movement piece composed for flute. Each movement begins with a sequence that is repeated and manipulated to develop the movement. This set of movements at the time of composition was an introspective reflection of a sequence of life events. However, each listener is free to interpret them in their own way.

Impromptu No. 1– A piano solo to remind us of our Childhood. We can find magic in life again when we see the world through a lense of love.

Etudes for Solo Piano This set of apply the meaning of the word etude, “study”, not only to the performer, but also to the audience and composer. Some of the writing is meant to challenge the pianist, similarly to the etudes of past major composers, while some of these etudes are the result of the composer challenging himself to make the most use of certain techniques. Finally, some of these works involve the listeners; they are asked to create their own understanding of what they hear, as part of an intellectual challenge.