Program Notes

Concerto No. 3 “II Gardellino” Antonio Vivaldi (1678 – 1741)

Vivaldi’s Concerto for Flute in D, the “Goldfinch”, is not the only one of the six concerti in Opus
10 that has a nickname, but it is definitely the most aptly named. The inspiration came from the
European Goldfinch and the flute is perhaps the instrument best suited to recreate the whistled sounds
of songbirds. It is impossible to miss the reference to the songbird when the first movements open with
a twittering cadenza for the solar flute, rather than saving this virtuoso moment for the end. After this
unconventional start, the soloist strikes up a dialogue with the piano, the effect of which sounds very
much like a garden full of finches. The second movement offers a brief lull, with a more lyrical melody
for the solo flute, with a simple accompaniment. For the finale, we return to the blistering solo
figuration, built out of sequences of simple calls, which both conjure the goldfinch’s repetitive
vocalizations and allow Vivaldi to lead his audience along a clear harmonic path.

Sonatina for Flute and Piano Eldin Burton (1913 – 1979)

Sonatina for flute and piano is Burton’s best known work and is adapted from a work for solo
piano written for a composition class at Juilliard. This is a three-movement work with a conservative, yet
unique approach to melody, harmony and rhythm. The first, Allegretto grazioso movement, dances
gracefully with its agile tempo and song-like melody, lyrically toying with scales and arpeggios against a
rich harmonic structure. Andantino Sognando, with its playful and quirky passages, is at some moments
bold and at others, inquisitive; a sublime contrast to the lively and humorous triple-metered third
movement, Allegro giocoso quasi fandango, that begins with lightly spirited burst of energy and races off
in interesting and animated directions.

Ashokan Farewell Jay Ungar (b. 1946)

Virtual Flute Ensemble

Ashokan Farewell was composed by Jay Ungar, an American folk musician, in 1982. This piece is
named after a camp in the Catskill Mountains near Woodstock, New York. This piece was composed
after their Ashokan Fiddle & Dance Camps had come to an end for the season. “I was feeling a great
sense of loss and longing for the music, the dancing and the community of people that had developed at
Ashokan that summer. I was having trouble making the transition from a secluded woodland camp with
a small group of people who needed a little excuse to celebrate the joy of living, back to life as usual,
with traffic, newscasts, telephones and impersonal relationships. By the time the tune took form, I was
in tears. I kept it to myself for months, unable to fully understand the emotions that welled up
whenever I played it. I had no idea that this simple tune could affect others in the same way” said Jay.
The way that Jay speaks about how he came upon this piece is similar to how I feel in regards to being
away from the International Music Camp in the International Peace Gardens during the school year. IMC
is a beautiful place full of memories and peace that I will cherish forever. Whenever I hear this piece, my
mind immediately goes back to all of the late nights we had prepping for the next day, as well as the
jokes that we had after many jobs well done. I miss the entire crew that I worked with, but I know that
these memories will never leave my heart and that I will be back one day.
Looking Back Yiruma (b.1978)
Hiedi Lambrecht, piano

Yiruma is a South Korean contemporary pianist and composer. His name translates to “I shall
achieve” in Korean. Looking Back is on his 2001 album titled ‘Love Scene’. This piece begins with a
reflective opening phrase, and this phrase returns multiples times throughout the piece. Through the
highs and the lows of the piece it always circles back to the opening phrase. With each variation of the
main theme comes complexity, which can relate to how our lives get more complex over time, but that
we are always brought back and reminded of our roots and why we do what we do. When I play this
piece, I reflect upon my time at MSU, and remember that no matter how crazy life gets, I am always
reminded that I truly love what I do.

Fantaisie Pastorale Hongroise Franz Doppler (1821 – 1883)

Doppler’s Fantaisie Pastorale Hongroise was originally written for two flutes and piano, most
likely inspired by the concert ours that Doppler and his brother played together. The final version of the
piece ended up being composed for flute and piano. James Galway created an arrangement for flute and
orchestra, now the most played version of Doppler’s work. This work is based off of the folk tunes of
Hungary. When hearing the overly romantic and theatrical melodies, it reminded me of gypsies. The
piece starts with an improvisatory flute melody throughout the range of the instrument. Thought the
duration of the piece, the tempo and liveliness builds up. The melody changes from the minor-mode to a
major-mode and is more animated. The flute line is embedded with embellishments and has a short
cadenza in the middle of the movement. After the cadenza, the flute starts off in a drunken haze
growing in intensity and speed. The final melody has a Hungarian dance feel and gets faster and faster
until the grandiose ending of the piece.

Flute Set for Solo Flute Adolphus Hailstork (b. 1941)

Hiedi Lambrecht, flute

Hailstork is a prominent African American composer and educator. He currently teaches as a Professor
of Music and Eminent Scholar at Old Dominion University. He has written extensively for symphony,
choral, chamber, and solo settings. Each of the four movements provides a space to focus on a
designated skills while emoting through expressive writing. The first movement begins with an intriguing
statement leading the reader to the next motif and hinting to the second movement. The second
movement is very lively with octave-plus jumps to give the movement character. The third movement
reminds me of a sad love song, and remembering what could have been. The fourth and final movement
is dance-like and to me, signifies lighthearted times.
Rainbow Kacey Musgraves (b. 1988)
Hiedi Lambrecht, piano and voice

Kacey Musgraves wrote the song Rainbow to close out her album titled ‘Golden Hour’. This song
originally began as an encouraging note the singer was inspired to write for herself after reading her
horoscope. It has transformed into a message of hope for anyone in the midst of dark times. “Hold on
tight to your umbrella, well darlin’ I’m just trying to tell ya, that there’s always been a rainbow hanging
over your head”. The vulnerability that Musgraves commits to throughout the song, is something that I
have worked hard to do in my performance.

Music from How to Train your Dragon John Powell (b. 1963)
arr. Sean O’Loughlin
(b. 1972)
Hiedi Lambrecht, conductor

From the DreamWorks Animation, comes the music from the 2010 film, How to Train your
Dragon. While the music from the entire trilogy was composed by John Powell, the orchestration is
magnificent. This movie is about a young boy, Hiccup, who befriends a night fury dragon, Toothless,
which is against the culture of the people of the island of Berk in the beginning. By the end of the first
movie, the people of Berk become quite fond of dragons and welcome them into their lives. Throughout
the trilogy, Hiccup and Toothless become great friends, grow up, fight battles for what they believe in,
and ultimately say ‘see you later, thanks for the memories’. This piece features the 3 main themes, “This
is Berk”, “Romantic Flight”, and “Coming Back Around” that appear multiple times throughout the
trilogy. Whenever I listen to the soundtrack, I feel like I am one with the music and at times I do feel like
I am flying, perhaps, on a dragon. I picked this piece to close my recital because of the imagery it has the
ability to create for the performer and the audience. I have watched all three movies so many times that
I have lost count, yet each time the emotions that come up remain unchanged.

Grow As We Go Ben Platt (b. 1993)

Emily Dewes, Hiedi Lambrecht, voice

Ben Platt wrote the song Grow As We Go on his most recent solo album ‘Sing to Me Instead’.
Ben is an American actor, singer and songwriter. He is most recently known for his role in ‘Dear Evan
Hansen’. This song is about growing through life — no matter how much. There is always hope for the
future and that growth doesn’t need to be done alone because it is a beautiful process. It also means
that sometimes you have leave a place in order to continue growing. For me, this song is a ‘see you later’
from my time here at MSU, because even though my time is nearing an end, the memories and
friendships will remain special and close to my heart. I chose to sing it as a duet with Emily because no
matter where life takes us we will grow as we go.