Festive Concert: Sound of Age, Taste of Music
The closing event of the
Tokaj programme of Haraszthy200 Festival was a festive concert held in
the
local Synagogue on 5 October. Two points were taken into consideration
when we
chose the programme: on the one hand, in time, we connected the middle
of the
19th century to our age, on the other hand, in space we built a bridge
between
America and our country.
Thus in the first part of the concert,
besides Arthur
Foote’s romantic, European style pieces (a trio for string instruments
and a
three-movement sonata) a trio by Károly Goldmark and La lugubre gondola
by
Franz Liszt were performed.
After the interval contemporary American and
Hungarian pieces were played – compositions by Aaron Copland, Samuel
Barber and
Imre Lachegyi. The former ones were performed by the American
saxophonist Joel
Diegert with pianist Máté Lachegyi performing; the audience could enjoy
two
jazz pieces played by them as well. These were followed by Imre
Lachegyi’s
“Humming Song” and “Scarlet and Velvet”.
About the composers
Arthur Foote was
one of the so-called “Boston six”, a group of composers. He wrote his
works in
late romantic style; he was a sincere admirer of Brahms and Wagner’s
art. He
mainly composed chamber music, where expressive thoughts could have
shaped in a
pure form. His pedagogical activity was also significant.
Károly Goldmark was
born in Keszthely, Hungary. A composer and violinist, he lived and
worked in
Győr, Sopron and Buda. He moved to Vienna in 1851, where he gained
success with
his operas, also bringing him international fame.
Franz Liszt wrote two pieces
called La lugubre gondola, on the occasion of the death of his
son-inlaw,
Richard Wagner. At the concert the first piece was performed, which is
such a
concentrated paraphrase of human sorrow and pain which is unparalleled
in the
history of music.
Aaron Copland and Samuel Barber were the
most celebrated and
most significant composers in the United States in the second half of
the 20th
century. After his studies in Paris, Copland settled in New York, where
he
founded the “Young Composers’ Group”. His work as a conductor and
composition
teacher is also important. He was called “The Dean of American
Composers” by
his contemporaries. The pieces performed by Joel Diegert and Máté
Lachegyi are
from a series of compositions written originally for voice, using poems
by
Emily Dickinson, James Joyce and James Agee, among others.
Compiled by Imre Lachegyi, Consort Music Foundation
7 October 2012, 4 PM – Synagogue, Tokaj.
Performers
Imre Lachegyi
(recorder), Róza Lachegyi (violin), Anna Lachegyi (cello), Máté
Lachegyi
(piano); guest performer Joel Diegert, USA (soprano and alto
saxophones)
Program
- Arthur Foote: Trio, Op. 5. No. 1. – 3rd movement
- Arthur Foote: Three Pieces for
Oboe or Flute and Piano, Op. 31.
- Franz Liszt: La Lugubre Gondola (Funeral
Gondola)
- Carl Goldmark: Trio, Op. 33. No. 2. – 1st movement
Break
- Aaron
Copland: Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson – 4, 8, 12
- Samuel Barber: Two songs –
The Crucifixion, Op. 29. No. 5.; Sleep Now, Op. 10. No. 2.
- Brad Mehldau: The
Falcon Will Fly Again
- Richard Rodgers: My Favorite Things (transcribed by Máté
Lachegyi)
- Imre Lachegyi–Máté Lachegyi: Humming Song
- Imre Lachegyi: Scarlet and Velvet
