The Program

Court Dances by Amanda Harberg

Context

In Court Dances, Amanda Harberg’s palette sparkles with her trademark sense of magic, delight and warmth. Initially inspired by the fast and syncopated bounce of a squash ball, Court Dances grew into a celebratory and soulful suite in three virtuosic movements.

The lyrical and flowing second movement, Air de Cour, offers an introspective contrast to the more gregarious first and final movements. The dynamic final movement, Tambourin, opens with running 16ths exchanged between the flute and piano. Accents, syncopation, and sparkling runs, as well as percussive effects and flutter tonguing, further develop the excitement alluded to in the opening.

(Information from Amanda Harberg’s website)

What it means to me:

Court Dances is one of those pieces where listening to it or playing it over and over again never gets old. There is always something new to discover within this piece. Today, I chose to play only the second and third movements, because I resonate so strongly with both of them. To me, the second movement represents serenity in a world of chaos, and the third movement represents uniqueness and unapologetically taking up the space to be myself. Ultimately, it’s such a fun piece, and I’m so excited to share it!

O Mio Babbino Caro by Giacomo Puccini

Context

Gianni Schicchi (from which this piece originates) is one part of a trio of one-act operas entitled Il Trittico (The Triptych). Puccini had initially planned for each section to represent one of the parts of Dante’s Divine Comedy, however in the end, only Gianni Schicchi represented the epic poem.

A very brief synopsis of the opera (which is based in 13th century Florence on an incident recalled in Divine Comedy) sees Dante visit the Circle of Impersonators where he sees one man attacking another man. Dante finds out that the attacker is Gianni Schicchi who has been condemned to Hell for impersonating Buoso Donati. The opera is based around how the seemingly ingenious peasant (Schicchi) is able to cash in on Donati’s will whilst also securing a pay-off for his daughter’s wedding.

O mio babbino caro (‘Oh My Beloved Father’) is a soprano aria that comes in the middle of the opera where Schicchi’s daughter, Lauretta sings after tensions rise between her father and the family of Rinuccio, the family of the boy that she loves. The aria provides a breath of fresh air after the atmosphere has become tense with jealousy and anger between different characters. It is the only ‘set piece’ of the opera, as the rest is through-composed.

The lyrics are as follows:

O mio babbino caro – Oh my beloved father
mi piace, è bello, bello. – I love him, I love him!
Vo’andare in Porta Rossa – I’ll go to Porta
Rossa a comperar l’anello! – To buy our wedding ring

O mio babbino caro – Oh my beloved father
mi piace, è bello, bello. – I love him, I love him!
Vo’andare in Porta Rossa – I’ll go to Porta Rossa
a comperar l’anello! – To buy our wedding ring

Mi struggo e mi tormento – My love for which I suffer
O Dio, vorrei morir! – Dear God, I would want to die!
Babbo, pietà, pietà! – Father I beg, I beg
Babbo, pietà, pietà! – Father I beg, I beg.

**

The short, but very powerful formal aria is written in Ab major and is in 6/8 time. The song is slow, simple and exquisite in every way, and that is why, in context of the opera, it is a big statement from Lauretta. Now one of Puccini’s most popular arias, it is sung on its own as part of encores and concerts.

Puccini’s word-painting is subtle yet very effective throughout the whole aria, with emphasis on the line “I love him, I love him!”, where the soprano jumps an octave from Ab to a top Ab, creating a sense of drama and emotion. The end of the aria shows a small change in rhythm, where Lauretta begs her father to let her marry her love.

(Information from the classical music blog created by Musicologist, Alex Burns MA)

What it means to me

O Mio Babbino Caro is absolutely one of my favorite pieces for Soprano Voice. This piece was introduced to me by my voice instructor in Massachusetts, and I have held it with me since that moment. Over the past few years, studying this piece both by myself and with various instructors has helped me improve my ability to truly immerse myself in the character of the music I am performing. In addition, the beauty of the piece paired with the drama of the character makes it one of my favorite pieces to perform with some Leo Diva energy!

A Room of Quiet by Nathan Hall

Context:

In the words of the composer:
“In sketching out this work, I went through a few texts about peace. A friend suggested Dag Hammarskjöld, who helped found the United Nations, and who was born in Sweden, where I happened to be going for a residency to write this commission. Dag wrote much more poetic works, but I liked how simple this text was and how even its description evoked self-reflection. Dag talks about the two main elements in the U.N. Meditation Room being a beam of light and a block of iron. I had the realization that this would be the perfect analogy for this ensemble: the flute can evoke the shaft of light, and the black mass of a grand piano is the block of iron ore in the middle of the room. And thus, the concert hall, or wherever this work is played, can also become a meditation room: a space that is open to thought and prayer, and hopes for peace.”

Dag Hammarskjöld’s Text:
"We all have within us a center of stillness surrounded by silence. This house, dedicated to work and debate in the service of peace, should have one room dedicated to silence in the outward sense and stillness in the inner sense. It has been the aim to create in this small room a place where the doors may be open to the infinite lands of thought and prayer. People of many faiths will meet here, and for that reason none of the symbols to which we are accustomed in our meditation could be used. However, there are simple things which speak to us all with the same language. We have sought for such things and we believe that we have found them in the shaft of light striking the shimmering surface of solid rock.

So, in the middle of the room we see a symbol of how, daily, the light of the skies gives life to the earth on which we stand, a symbol to many of us of how the light of the spirit gives life to matter. But the stone in the middle of the room has more to tell us. We may see it as an altar, [...] dedicated to the God whom man worships under many names and in many forms. The stone in the middle of the room reminds us also of the firm and permanent in a world of movement and change. The block of iron ore has the weight and solidity of the everlasting.... The material of the stone leads our thoughts to the necessity for choice between destruction and construction, between war and peace. Of iron man has forged his swords, of iron he has also made his ploughshares.

Of iron he has constructed tanks, but of iron he has likewise built homes for man. The block of iron ore is part of the wealth we have inherited on this earth of ours. How are we to use it? The shaft of light strikes the stone in a room of utter simplicity. There are no other symbols, there is nothing to distract our attention or to break in on the stillness within ourselves... There is an ancient saying that the sense of a vessel is not in its shell but in the void. So it is with this room. It is for those who come to fill the void with what they find in their center of stillness”.

From “A Room of Quiet” by Dag Hammerskjöld Copyright 1957 United Nations. Used with permission by the United Nations.”

(Information from Nathan Hall’s Website)

What it means to me:

The first time I heard “A Room of Quiet” was my freshman year of college at UMass Amherst. A masters student was performing it for studio class, and I was immediately intrigued. The poetic words, the three different types of flutes paired with speaking, singing and playing into an open piano, the collaboration between the pianist and the flutist, all pulled me in and I knew immediately that one day I would be performing this piece. Four years later, here I am! To me, this piece represents the potential we all have within us to use our talents and resources for good versus evil, and how the choice is up to us. I interpret it to reprepresent this concept within ourselves as individuals, and on a greater scale as a society. The meditative nature of the piece allows for each individual to reflect on what it means to them personally, and that is one of my favorite artistic aspects of this piece.

Fantaisie Pastorale Hongroise (Hungarian Pastoral Fantasy)
by Franz Doppler

Context:

Franz Doppler was a flutist, composer, and conductor, who made his debut in Vienna at the age of thirteen. His first teacher was his father, the composer and oboist Joseph Doppler. From a young age, Franz made successful concert tours with his brother, Karl (a flutist, composer, and conductor). The Doppler brothers' tours included a visit to the Weimar court (1854), where they met the great Hungarian pianist Liszt, as well as a tour to London (1856) with the violinist Karl Hubay. As an orchestral musician, Doppler held posts as early as 1838 as principal flutist of the German Town Theater, and then at the Hungarian National Theater in 1841. Later in his life (1864-67), Doppler became a professor of flute at the Vienna Conservatory. Doppler’s compositions reflect Hungarian, Russian, and Polish folk music in addition to Italian opera influences. Many of these influences can be heard in Fantaisie pastorale hongroise, op. 26, with its hauntingly nostalgic opening fantasy reminiscent of Romani and Eastern European folk music and its folk tune/dance-driven second half.

(Information from Kathryn Croom Peisert and Ai Goldsmith, 2009)

What it means to me:

As it is one of the most popular flute pieces of the Romantic era, it is not surprising that this piece is one of my favorites of all time. Anyone who knows my musical tastes knows that I am a huge fan of Romantic era music, and this piece just encapsulates so many aspects of my favorite parts of being a flutist and what comes with playing Romantic flute music. The opening truly is hauntingly beautiful, and the virtuosic passages throughout the piece, especially in the second half, makes it such a challenging yet rewarding piece to play. As a fun fact, this is the piece I was self-studying while I was looking for a professional flute back in 2020, and this piece helped me find my beloved Haynes flute, Roja (yes, I name my instruments!). It only made sense for me to study this piece this semester to perform as an homage to Roja, who has gotten me through the better half of my undergrad degree.

Bhor Hi Aaye Jogi by Kinshuk Srivastava (Raag Nat Bhairav)

Context:

Professor Kinshuk Srivastava, Neeharika’s Guru, teaches Hindustani vocal music to master’s students at Banasthali Vidyapith, which is a University in Radhakishanpura, Rajasthan, India. Bhor Hi Aaye Jogi is an original composition by Professor Srivastava set in the raag Nat Bhairav.

Nat Bhairav is a Hindustani classical heptatonic raag of the Bhairav Thaat (category). Traditionally it is a morning raga. This raga is a combination of raag Nat in Poorvang (the lower half of the scale) and raag Bhairav in Uttarang (the upper half of the scale). In this raag, Re (shortened for Rishab, which is the second scale degree) is Shudh (natural) while Dha (shortened for Dhaivat, which is the sixth scale degree) is Komal (flat). This raag has been made popular by Pandit Ravi Shankar, who is a world famous Sitar player.

“The beauty of nature is vast; so is the melody of Nat Bhairav, which suggests bliss where one can indulge in the search of the true sense of life.”

Lyrics and Translation:

Bhor hi aaye jogi
Aaj more dware
Alakh jagaaye
I’m awakened today at Dawn by the Ascetic (Yogi) who appears at my doorstep;

Ang babhoot raaje
Chandra lalaat saaje
Sudh budh mori bisaraae
Whose body is smeared with ashes
Whose forehead is adorned with a crescent moon
Whose presence heightens my awareness.

**

This piece is about Lord Shiva, who can be recognized by the crescent moon on his forehead. Lord Shiva is the Aadhi-Yogi (first Yogi).

A Yogi is a person who elevates your body-soul conscience to a higher level. Yoga is the art of controlling the ripples of the mind so that the scattered flow of thoughts becomes one stream that flows like oil from one vessel to another. In other words, the practice of Yoga is to harness complete focus, which can be through Asanas, but also through virtually any activity. (This tid-bit is just a small part of the history of Yoga within Hindu culture that is much more vast than what is widely known or acknowledged within the western world.)

Lord Shiva is tied heavily to raags in the Bhairav Thaat, because Raag Bhairav is known to be one of the five raags that came from Lord Shiva’s voice. Many songs sung in Bhairav are devotional pieces in admiration of Lord Shiva.

(Information from various sources from Hindu culture and Hindustani Music.)

What it means to me:

Hindustani (North-Indian Classical) vocal music is the first genre of music I have ever learned. This art form has been a part of my life and identity for the past sixteen years, and is something I am so proud of. I have been taking virtual lessons with Professor Kinshuk Srivastava for the past three years.

Raag Nat Bhairav is such a beautiful raag, and one of my favorite aspects of this raag is the fact that the natural second degree mixed with the flat sixth degree adds a sense of longing to the raag, as I interpret it. This raag, along with others in the Bhairav Thaat feels to me like morning meditation and devotion to Lord Shiva. Shiva’s image, with his signature crescent moon on his forehead, is at the center of my recital poster. What he stands for is one of the biggest inspirations to me as an artist, as Shiva is known to be extremely talented and wise in the world of fine arts and meditation.