Morena Kalziqi

Master Degree Recital

In collaboration with:
Oleksii Ivanchenko, piano

Lili Boulanger: Two pieces for Violin and Piano, Nocturne and Cortege.

Lili Boulanger, the youngest sister of French composer and tutor, Nadia Boulanger was
born in 1893. Her extreme musical talent, which she inherited from her mother, a singer,
and her father, an instructor of composition at the Paris Conservatoire was evident at an
early age.
By the time she was six years old, she was sight-singing songs with composer Gabriel
Faure at the piano.
It is not surprising then, that in September 1911, before Lili had even begun her formal
studies in composition, she wrote one of her most popular works, Nocturne for Flute or
Violin. . On the original manuscript, written in Lili’s own hand, is the notation, “Composed
September 24th and 25th, 1911”. Lili was also working in preparation to enter the coveted
Prix de Rome competition. She took a couple of days off from her studies to write her
Nocturne.
The nocturne is composed in the impressionistic style. It is unclear whether a teacher
influenced Lili to write this piece for either solo flute or violin; however, it seems to fit each
instrument equally. The flute soars above the piano, and brings a singing quality to the
melody. The violin blends in more with the accompaniment, but still shines beautifully
within its own melodic line.
In June 1914, when Lili wrote the Cortege for violin or flute and piano, she was staying
at the French Academy in Rome—or the Villa Medici. She was the first woman composer to
be admitted to the school in its history. She had pneumonia at a very early age, which
caused her to be ill or weak throughout almost all of her short life. Despite her ill health,
and sometimes her resulting despondent moods, Lili managed to write a lively, almost
dancing piece. The term “cortege” is used to describe either a slow procession or a victorious
march. Lili chose to write this piece in the latter mood, and this festive piece gives
implication of her strong will to overcome obstacles.

C. Franck: Sonata in A major for Violin and Piano

This sonata is one of Franck’s best known compositions. An Amalgam of his rich native
harmonic language with the Classical traditions he valued highly, it is held together in a
cyclic framework with all the movements sharing common thematic threads. Written as a
violin sonata in 1886 when Franck was 63, he gave it as a wedding present to violinist
Eugène Ysaÿe. The sonata now exists in several transcriptions for cello, viola, flute and
other instruments, but it is only the setting for cello and piano that was sanctioned by
Franck.
The four movements alternate between slow and fast. The Allegretto ben moderato has
a gentle and sweetly reflective rocking theme which is the thematic core of the entire work.
The second movement, Allegro, is turbulent and is sometimes considered the real opening
movement in the wake of the introduction of Allegretto. Then follows the Ben moderato:
Recitativo-Fantasia which, as the direction suggests is improvisatory in nature, and free in
both structure and expression. The work ends with Allegretto poco mosso in which the main
melody is heard in canonic imitation between the instruments, and recurs in a rondo-like
manner to a triumphant and soaring conclusion. The movement has been described as “a
magnificent example of canonic writing, simple, majestic and irresistible in its ample,
beautifully wrought proportions”

M. Ravel: Sonata No2 for Violin and Piano

Maurice Ravel’s sonata is a work written for violin and piano; its composition took quite
a little time, from 1923 to 1927, and there the composer was inspired by American music,
namely jazz and blues, whose influence is clear especially in the second movement of the
sonata. Helene Jourdane-Morhange , to whom the work is dedicated, describes it as being
very difficult to play, despite the composer’s assurance to the contrary, on account of its
very simplicity. As it turned out, Mme Jourdan-Morhange was unable to play the Sonata at
the first performance owing to the first onslaught of rheumatism which prematurely ended
her brilliant career as a violinist. It was given its first public hearing at the Salle Erard on
May 30, 1927, by Georges Enesco with the composer on the piano.

The opening Allegretto starts with a brief introduction on the piano before the violin
presents the first of several theme fragments that by design seem at odds with the music
articulated by the keyboardist. Ravel noted that he composed the sonata for two
“essentially incompatible instruments that accentuate the incompatibility to an even
greater degree”.
Like his collegue Darius Milhaud and the French in general, Ravel was smitten and
fascinated by American Jazz, as can be inferred from the marking for the second
movement—Blues. He uses the violin as a surrogate saxophone and the piano as a would-be
guitar.
A Perpetuum mobile marked Allegro serves as the Sonata’s febrile and astringently
textured finale. Here Ravel-- a pianist, though not a virtuoso—gives the violin a clear
leadership role in pursuit of vibrant fiddling, limiting the piano to an accompanying,
though by no means unchallenging role.