Program
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Sergei Rachmaninoff
(1873-1943)
Arranged by Josef Gingold
(1909-1995)
Laurana Roderer , Violin
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Sergei Prokofiev
(1891-1953)
Andante
Moderato
Allegro, ma non troppo
Wesley Skinner, Cello
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10 Minutes
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Dmitri Shostakovich
(1906-1975)
Andante
Allegro non troppo
Largo
Allegretto
Laurana Roderer, Violin
Wesley Skinner, Cello
Program Notes
Vocalise, Opus 34
After finishing his first American tour in 1909, Rachmaninoff returned to the Russian countryside. Seeking refuge at his brother-in-law’s estate in Ivanovka, Rachmaninoff found the necessary relaxation to compose several works, including his Fourteen Songs opus 34.
Vocalise is the final song of opus 34, composed in the summer of 1912. This would be one of his last summers spent at the estate. By 1916, the Russian government was in chaos, so Rachmaninoff and his family headed to the United States, and left Russia for the last time.
Originally composed for voice and piano, its calm character and expansive lines capture the spirit of its birthplace. Vocalise is unlike the other songs of the opus, as it has no text. This popular piece has been arranged for a variety of instruments. This arrangement for violin and piano was done by Russian born violinist Josef Gingold.
Sonata for Cello and Piano, Opus 119
Prokofiev decided to move back to the Soviet Union in 1936 after long stays in America and Europe to be with his family. Unfortunately, Prokofiev thought his return to the Soviet Union would be temporary, but his passport was taken upon his arrival and never returned.
This was at a time when Stalin’s power politics were reaching their horrific climax: people were disappearing in the purges. Soviet artists were not exempt from persecution.
This cello sonata was composed in 1949, a year after the “Zhdanov Decree.” This letter by Andrey Zhdanov to the Union of Composers, accused Dmitri Shostakovich, Aram Khachaturian, and Prokofiev of composing music with formalistic distortions and anti-democratic tendencies. There were no direct repercussions to these claims, but later several of Prokofiev’s works were banned from being performed in the Soviet Union. How Prokofiev was able to compose this masterpiece under so much scrutiny remains a mystery. The work was premiered in 1950 by pianist Sviatoslav Richter and cellist Mstislav Rostropovich.
Piano Trio No. 2 in E Minor, Opus 67
Shostakovich’s life was fraught with accusations of being anti-Soviet: several of his compositions were considered “formalist” by the administration. His opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsenk (1936) received a scathing review in the Pravda newspaper, claiming “quacks, grunts, and growls,” and threatened that its composer “could end very badly.” He found redemption and favor with the Soviet Composers Union after the publication of his Fifth Symphony, which won a Stalin Prize. He fell out of favor again with his Sixth Symphony, and so continued this turbulent ride for the rest of his career. The second piano trio in E minor was considered a success and was also awarded a Stalin Prize.
This piano trio is dedicated to Shostakovich’s best friend Ivan Sollertinsky, who died suddenly of a heart attack at a young age. During this time, the horrors of World War II loomed large for Shostakovich, perhaps more so than any other Soviet composer. Nazi persecutions of Jewish people reflected his own troubles with the Soviet regime, and the friends and colleagues who had disappeared during Stalin’s purges. This trio can be heard as a tribute not only for Sollertinsky, but for all those who suffered during the war.
The first movement seems to be inspired by Slavic folk songs, a nod to Sollertinsky’s Russian heritage. The cheerful melody of the second movement propels the music forward. But the joy is cut short, and the melody takes on a more menacing quality. The third movement is a lament: a passacaglia with eight ominous chords in the piano, the cello and violin singing in anguish. The final movement themes bring to mind Jewish dance tunes, but more like macabre dances of death than celebrations of life. Shostakovich, like many Russians, heard how the Germans forced inmates of concentration camps to dig their own graves, and then were told to dance right before being gunned down. In this trio, Shostakovich takes us on a journey of life and death, not only of Sollertinsky, but of all those who died tragically before their time.
Emily Telling
Emily Telling
Laurana Roderer
Laurana Roderer
Wesley Skinner
Wesley Skinner
Emily Telling
Emily Telling is currently a DMA student at Arizona State University studying with Dr. Andrew Campbell and Dr. Miki Aoki. She is also a teaching assistant in their collaborative piano program and the pianist in ASU’s Wind Ensemble. Emily graduated with a master’s degree in collaborative piano from ASU in 2021. She holds a master’s in solo performance from Washington State University (2018), where she was also a teaching assistant and taught undergraduate music courses. Her bachelor’s in solo performance is from Pacific Lutheran University (2016). Highlights of her competition wins include being a Young Artist finalist in the Music Teachers National Association competition (2018) and the winner of the Concerto Competition at Pacific Lutheran University (2014). She has been a guest clinician at Tacoma Young Chamber players in Washington State and at the Hoffman Academy in Oregon, coaching young chamber groups (2019). In her latest project, Emily will be featured on the film score of the movie “Rooks,” premiering December, 2022. Emily is an advocate for student health and wellness, and has served on the ASU School of Music Advisory Committee for two years. Outside of school, Emily enjoys teaching and currently has a thriving piano studio in Tempe, Arizona.
Laurana Roderer
Laurana Wheeler Roderer is a violinist committed to artistry, engagement, and activism, and she is continually envisioning and executing projects which use music to communicate relevant social issues, particularly those of environmental justice. Laurana’s most ambitious artistic endeavor to date was a project to co-write a libretto, commission and produce an original chamber opera concerning global sustainability. The opera, “A Storm We Call Progress,” premiered in a virtual format in October 2020. Laurana grew up fiddling and participating in local competitions in her home state of Idaho. She discovered a passion for classical music in high school and joined her local youth symphony, where she eventually served as concertmaster and performed with the orchestra twice as a winner of the ensemble’s annual concerto competition. Laurana completed her undergraduate degree in violin performance at Utah State University, where she studied with Robert Waters and the Fry Street Quartet. Laurana is an avid performer, and has given multiple solo recitals, served as concertmaster of the USU Symphony Orchestra, and been a member of the Caine Undergraduate Research Quartet. In 2018, she was a recipient of a Presser Foundation Fellowship and a Russell Orchestral Scholarship. She recently completed her Master’s degree in violin performance at Arizona State University, where she studies with Dr. Katherine McLin. Laurana started a Doctorate of Musical Arts (DMA) at the same school in Fall 2022. Laurana was honored to be named the winner of the 2020 Idaho Falls Symphony Young Artist’s Competition, and performed as a soloist with that orchestra in October 2021. Laurana lives in Tempe with her husband Patrik (a violist and IT specialist), and their rambunctious kitten Felix.
Wesley Skinner
As a doctoral candidate at Arizona State University, Cellist Wesley Skinner is completing a DMA having served as the Teaching Assistant of Tom Landschoot. Additionally, Wesley holds a bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music where he studied with Melissa Kraut and later joined the preparatory faculty. Wesley’s solo competition wins include the 2014 Cleveland Institute of Music Concerto Competition, 2015 Paducah Symphony Young Artist Competition (KY), 2015 Tennessee Cello Workshop, 2015 Lewisville Lake Symphony International String Competition (TX), and the 2016 ASU Concerto Competition. As an active chamber musician, he served as founding member of the Laniakea String Quartet which won first prize in The (2019) Hong Kong International Chamber Music Competition. As a composer, Wesley won the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 ariZoni Theater Awards of Excellence in Original Music Composition for his score of Frankenstein as well as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with TheaterWorks in Peoria, AZ. As a trained instructor in the Suzuki method and music theory, Wesley utilizes his diverse experience to teach a range of student ages and styles in his private studio.
