Snapshots of the Life of Jared Starr: My First Solo Violin Master's Recital at Florida State University

Friday, March 29th, 2013

Hey Family and Friends! I'm so sorry that my blogging turns out to be so short lived, but I wanted to at least share one of my most important moments of the year: My First Master's Recital! This is my third degree recital since I joined the violin performance world in college and it was for sure the hardest recital I've played of the three.

As always I made a poster for my recital and of course it has a similar flare to the other posters. I hope you can appreciate my work on it :)

The big highlight of the week of my recital was having my father with me. Since I have been Florida I have been excited to have family down to visit and I was grateful that my father came down and supported me! He flew in on the Tuesday before and left the Monday afterwards. This was one of the first times in my life that I was alone with my father so far away from the rest of the family and I was so happy to spend that time with him. Even though I had much to do while he was here and had to leave him at my house a lot, I was sincerely grateful to have much time to talk with him and be reminded how lucky I am to have such a kind gentle father. Thanks Dad for coming and being such a great support!

On the week of my recital I had a few set-backs, but I felt like the recital turned out quite nicely. Below, I have laid out my recital in 10 videos on a You Tube playlist with program notes accompanying them. Make sure to select the HD option in watching each video to get the best quality.

Here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqAv-V7O_Ak&list=PLfHXoRB3mZVvnTqXfn8p60VTjcybFknFU
So, now the musical adventure begins . . .

My Recital Begins with . . .

Sonata for Solo Violin, Op. 27, No. 2 by Eugène Ysaÿe

To start out this musical adventure that we are embarking on, we start with the obsessions of Eugène Ysaÿe. Around the turn into the twentieth century, Ysaÿe was considered by many to be the best living violinist at the time. In 1923, he took that virtuosic talent and incorporated it into his six solo sonatas for violin. In many ways he modeled these sonatas after the idea of J.S. Bach’s solo sonatas and partitas. J.S. Bach was one of Ysaÿe’s obsessions. In Sonata No. 2, the one I am playing tonight, Ysaÿe actually quotes parts of Bach’s Preludio from his 3^rd Partita. Ysaÿe’s second obsession was that of the Dies Irae from the Roman Catholic chant about the "Day of Wrath" or "Judgment Day." It has long been a symbol of death, used in requiems and by composers such as Berlioz in Symphonie Fantastique. In every movement of this sonata the Dies Irae is used in some way. This certainly was a darker obsession of Ysaÿe filling the sonata with eerie colors and textures. Notably important to this sonata was its dedication to the famous violinist, Jacques Thibaud, a violinist known for having memory slips when performing and improvising through them. Therefore, in the first movement there are moments where the violinist stops as if he is having a memory slip, but then moves into what sounds like an improvised virtuosic frenzy.

Movement 1 - "Obsession"

This movement introduces Ysaÿe’s obsessions and pays homage to Jacques Thibaud’s memory slips. Listen for the many quotes form Bach’s Preludio from his E Major Partita and of course, the Dies Irae.

Movement 2 - "Malinconia"

This melancholy movement offers a severe contrast from the first movement. It is like a brief few minutes of reflection on a somber day. To end it off, the Dies Irae enters as if the reflecting is on that of death, a loss of a loved one, or the suffering of a certain individual.

Movement 3 - "Danse des Ombres"

Ysaÿe starts this movement with the Dies Irae composed in a church chorale-like setting with the violin plucking chords like a harp. He then takes us through 6 variations of different characters and moods ending with the same chorale from the beginning played this time with the bow.

Movement 4 - "Les Furies"

This movement could be translated as “the furies”, which is an appropriate name for an intense frenzy of a movement. Of all four movements, Les Furies certainly has some of the eeriest uses of the Dies Irae with a variety of extreme dynamic changes. Using this ancient song of death, Ysaÿe escalates to the end and in a flash of fury, the movement’s finished.

My Recital Continues With . . .

Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 108 for Violin and Piano by Johannes Brahms

Johannes Brahms has been known as one of the most celebrated composers of the 19^th century. His career as a composer was launched quickly by the genuine praise of the composer, Robert Schumann. Schumann said, “A man of young blood has arrived who as a child was watched over by the graces and the heroes. His name is Johannes Brahms ... he has all the external signs which declare: here is one of the chosen!” Receiving this praise was indeed helpful to Brahms’ image as a composer, but unfortunately it hindered his progress a bit. Brahms felt in many ways that he couldn’t live up to the praise that Schumann had given him. Though he still became a celebrated composer, it took him 20 years to compose his first symphony because of his own personal insecurities.

Brahms was not a violinist, but certainly wrote music standardly played by violinists. This third sonata that I am playing tonight holds a strong place in violin sonata literature. In previous program notes by David Kopplin, he says, “Brahms’ Violin Sonata No.3 in D minor, Op. 108, is a dramatic work; its demeanor is at times audacious and spectacular, and at other times somber and heart-wrenching.

Movement 1 - Allegro

The violin bursts in at the top of the first movement Allegro, almost as if we are joining a work already in progress. What we hear in the opening is the stuff out of which the entire movement is meticulously crafted.

Movement 2 - Adagio

The Adagio is testament to the violin’s music-making abilities and its almost human ability to sing.

Movements 3 & 4 - Un poco presto e con sentiment/Presto agitato

The curious third movement (Un poco presto e con sentiment, meaning “Upbeat, and with feeling”) is mercurial; Brahms’ good friend Clara Schumann said this movement was ‘like a beautiful girl toying with her lover.’” The last movement is quite the contrast from the third movement. Eric Bomberger describes it as follows : “By contrast, the Presto agitato finale hammers along a pounding 6/8 meter. The movement is aptly titled: this is agitated music, restless and driven. At moments it sounds frankly symphonic, as if the music demands the resources of a full symphony orchestra to project its furious character properly. Brahms marks the violin’s thematic entrance passionato, but he needn’t have bothered–that character is amply clear from the music itself. Even the noble second theme, first announced by the piano, does little to dispel the driven quality of this music. The complex development presents the performers with difficult problems of ensemble, and the very ending feels cataclysmic: the music slows, then suddenly rips forward to the cascading smashes of sound that bring this sonata to its powerful close.”

My Recital Ends With . . .

Concerto in D Major, Op. 35 for Violin and Orchestra by Erich Korngold

Erich Korngold was a talented film composer writing music for the film industry in the mid-twentieth century. As talented as he was, his career as a film composer caused him to receive many criticisms from classical musicians that his music had little worth in the music world. As soon as Korngold retired from composing for film, he proved this idea wrong and composed a variety of concert works one of them being his violin concerto. In his concerto he did something that was a big unusual. He incorporated themes from his movies. The highly acclaimed violinist, Jascha Heifetz premiered the concerto and it has been widely performed throughout the years. Presently, world-renown Hilary Hahn is touring this concerto around the world.

When listening to this concerto there are certainly moments where one could say that they feel like they are in a movie. So, sit back and relax like you’re at the movies and enjoy the lush romantic colors and melodies that Korngold develops in these three movements of his violin concerto.

Movement 1 - Moderato Nobile

Movement 2 - Romance

Movement 3 - Finale

After my recital, I found out there were 45 people there. Even though I had so many people that said they would come that didn't come, I still had some dear friends there that I grateful came. At this recital, I didn't have a reception afterwards, and I realized that part of the magic of my last two recitals was talking to people while eating good food. I still got to talk to people though and I was grateful for that.

Here is me and my amazing accompanist, Dr. Deloise Lima

Deloise is on the piano accompanying faculty at Florida State University and is an amazing player. It was such a pleasure playing with her. I was certainly spoiled, because I got her for free. The piano part on the Korngold Violin Concerto was incredibly awkward and difficult. She had never played the concerto before playing it with me and she did a fabulous job!

Here are the many amazing friends that came to support me. I love all of them dearly and am grateful to know them.