CARLOS GUASTAVINO: TRES ROMANCES ARGENTINOS
II. Muchacho Jujeño
A set of two-piano pieces telling the romance of a girl from Sante Fe and a guy from Jujuy who meet for a dance. Performed on April 25, 2017 by Nicholas Brewer and Anne Marie Caldoza in Pickman Hall at Longy School of Music.
NICHOLAS BREWER: COMFORT
We all have rituals of comfort. Whether it be eating warm lasagna, or taking a bubble bath, or watching your favorite movie, or drinking your morning cup of coffee, we all have them. How often do we contemplate what goes into creating the things that give us the most pleasure, the things that we cherish? Almost every morning I make a cappuccino with my personal espresso machine. It's a wonderful ritual that I take pride in having refined through years of practice, as well as in the savings I reap from savoring this flourish of a coffee drink at home instead of at a cafe.
As much as I enjoy this routine, I have to admit there is an impact it has on the world - the environment, natural resources, human and animals rights, etc. We could consider the factory that built my Rancilio Silvia espresso machine: who made the machine, what kind of energy powered the tools they used, how was it shipped to me, what kind of energy now powers said machine in my apartment? We could consider the milk for the cappuccino's foam: from what kind of cow did it come (what is the history of its breed), was said cow humanely treated, what energy powered the machine which harvested said cow's milk, how was the milk transported to me, was the (probable) truck driver treated/paid well? As we drill down into the source of any of our goods we begin to realize that almost all human existence has a negative impact on someone or something somewhere.
Comfort is a depiction of that which is out of sight and out of mind. Made only with the noises of my espresso machine and the items related to enjoying my morning cappuccino, Comfort is a moment to contemplate the impact of our consumerist society and what the easy procurement of goods does to our planet.
BENJAMIN BRITTEN: HOLIDAY DIARY, OP. 5
I. Early Morning Bathe
Playful and energetic, this movement so perfectly encapsulates testing the waters and eventually diving into a cold English ocean.
II. Sailing
To those who haven't read Hemmingway's The Old Man and the Sea, a novel about patience, respect, love, and loss, all you need to know with respect to this piece of music is that an old fisherman who never catches anything goes out to sea one day, only to find himself locked in a battle of wills with the biggest fish he has ever seen. After a long struggle, the fisherman finally kills the fish, but knows that sharks will notice the blood and come for his catch. The fisherman manages to get back to shore safely, but he can't say the same about his catch. Left with nothing but a carcass, he drops into bed almost dead. Only the young man who takes care of him will ever believe the tale.
FELIX MENDELSSOHN: FANTASY IN F SHARP MINOR, Op. 28
I. Con moto agitato
Written in the same year as Mendelssohn's Scottish symphony (No. 3), the Fantasy in F Sharp Minor (also known as the Scottish sonata) exhibits much of the same style of writing. I approach this piece like a dramatic aria: a gruff, bearded man, alone in his cabin in the woods, laments on his unjust life.
DOMENICO SCARLATTI: SELECTED SONATAS
Sonata in F Minor, K. 481
A lyrical and sorrowful piece.
Sonata in E Major, K. 380
Regal and confident, I imagine a castle hurriedly preparing for the return of their king.
CLAUDE DEBUSSY: CHILDREN'S CORNER, V. THE LITTLE SHEPHERD
The fifth movement of a set written to entertain Debussy's daughter, The Little Shepherd depicts a shepherd playing their flute, calling to their herd, roaming their lands.