Image: György Ligeti by Marcel Antonisse / Anefo, CC BY-SA 3.0 NL
On SATURDAY, APRIL 30 at 3 p.m. the SANTA BARBARA MUSIC CLUB will present another program in its popular series of concerts of beautiful Classical music at Faulkner Gallery in the downtown Public Library.
The program opens with pianist Marian Drandell Gilbert interpreting two highly contrasting works from the Baroque and Contemporary periods, respectively: the resplendent Partita No. 2 in C minor, BWV 826, of Johann Sebastian Bach and the impish From the Diary of a Fly, from “Mikrokosmos Vol. VI” by Béla Bartók. Next, soprano Takako Wakita and pianist Betty Oberacker present an eclectic group of “Songs From Around the World. The program will conclude with the spirited Six Bagatelles by György Ligeti, performed by the Sonos Montecito Woodwind Quintet.
Program Details
(1881-1945)
- From the Diary of a Fly
Koto Players: Chikako Shinagawa, Hiroko Tanimoto, Asako Sokabe
(1923-2006)
- Allegro con spirito
- Rubato lamentoso
- Allegro grazioso
- Presto ruvido
- Adagio mesto (Belá Bartók in memoriam)
- Molto vivace. Capriccioso
Andrea Di Maggio, flute; Trey Farrell, oboe; Joanne Kim, clarinet
Andrew Radford, bassoon; Steven Gross, horn
Notes on the Program
by Betty Oberacker
One of the highlights of Santa Barbara Music Club’s concerts is the opportunity for audiences to hear great music from a variety of historical periods, with a diversity of musical forms, performed by excellent artists.
The program opens with pianist Marian Drandell Gilbert interpreting two highly contrasting works from the Baroque and Contemporary periods, respectively: the resplendent Partita No. 2 in C minor, BWV 826, of Johann Sebastian Bach and the impish From the Diary of a Fly, from “Mikrokosmos Vol. VI” by Béla Bartók. The Bach work is from a set of six suites published from 1726 to 1730, the first of Bach’s compositions to be published under his direction. Opening with an imposing three-part “Sinfonia,” itself including stately prelude, lyric cantabile, and three-voice fugal sections, the remaining movements (which are actually traditional Baroque dances) are a smoothly flowing “Allemande,” a lusty “Courante,” a tender “Sarabande,” a capricious “Rondeaux,” and an exuberant, cheerful “Capriccio.”
The Bartók work exemplifies both the composer’s remarkable ability to manipulate tiny musical patterns – miniature cells, if you wish – to extraordinary compositional complexity, and to manage this process to equally impressive dynamic effect. Here the composer utilizes such techniques as symmetry, inversion, transposition, and augmentation of exceptionally closely-linked intervals to create a mimicry of the insect’s humming, capping it all with a surprisingly brief and clever ending.
Next, soprano Takako Wakita and pianist Betty Oberacker present an eclectic group of “Songs From Around the World,” comprising the charming Come to the Fair, by Easthope Martin (England), the wistful Good Night, by Antonín Dvorák (Czech Republic), the tender Solvejg’s Song, from the Peer Gynt Suite by Edvard Grieg (Norway), the ebullient I’m in Love With Vienna, from “Tales From the Vienna Woods” by Johann Strauss II (Austria), and the traditional folksong Sakura (Cherry Blossoms, Theme and Variations on the Sakura Melody), arranged by Michio Miyagi (Japan). In the last song, Ms. Wakita has invited the Koto Players, performers on traditional Japanese instruments, to assist in her presentation.
The program will conclude with the spirited Six Bagatelles by György Ligeti, performed by the Sonos Montecito Woodwind Quintet. Composed “In memoriam Belà Bartók,” the pieces were originally part of a collection of 12 Bagatelles for Piano composed between 1951 and 1953, and in the latter year the composer transcribed six of them for wind quintet with the exceptionally short movements headed “Allegro con spirito,” “Rubato. Lamentoso,” “Allegro grazioso,” “Presto ruvido,” “Adagio. Mesto,” and “Molto vivace. Capriccioso.” The work reflects Ligeti’s economical approach to composition, as a minimum number of notes are used to maximum effect. Dynamics change frequently, the instruments often play muted, adding different colors to each piece, and the final bagatelle is a wild, frenetic race, with the penultimate measures marked “as though insane” – but the music ultimately ends with a soft, muted horn solo.
The Performers
Marian Drandell Gilbert, pianist, received her BM degree from UCSB and her Masters in piano performance from the Manhattan School of Music. She has twice attended the Music Academy of the West. She maintains a private teaching studio in San Luis Obispo, where she lives with her husband and two children. She is a soloist with the San Luis Chamber Orchestra and is on the Board of Directors of the SLO Symphony Orchestra.
Takako Wakita, soprano, has appeared in both concerts and operas in the U. S. and abroad, including Madama Butterfly with the Japanese Philharmonic at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. She has also sung with Opera Santa Barbara, the Pacific Music Society, SB Choral Society, SB Civic Light Opera, and Ventura College Opera. She earned her BA Degree from Kyoiku University and her MA Degree from UCSB. Founder and current faculty member of the Japanese Language Program at SBCC, Professor Wakita also teaches for the SBCC School of Extended learning, is Chair of the Santa Barbara Sister Cities Board, and serves on the board of the Toba Sister City Organization, which promotes Japanese culture in Santa Barbara and sponsors a student exchange.
Betty Oberacker, pianist, is internationally acclaimed for her interpretations of both traditional and contemporary solo and chamber music repertoire, and has toured throughout Europe, Israel, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and the U.S., including performances at Carnegie Hall, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Berlin Philharmonic Hall and Vienna Musikverein. She has been Artist-in-Residence at 55 universities, conservatories and music festivals worldwide, and many important composers have dedicated their compositions to her. Her musical gifts were evidenced at three, when she began to play the piano and compose entirely by ear. Piano lessons started at age seven, and at nine she was accepted on scholarship as the only child student of the noted pianist Beryl Rubinstein. Her BM/MM Degrees are from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and her DMA Degree is from Ohio State University, where she was concomitantly a member of the piano faculty. Her discography includes Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier (Clavier Records), A Bach Commemorative Recital (MIT Great Performances Archives), Chamber Music of Emma Lou Diemer (Orion), Schönberg’s Pierrot Lunaire (Century), John Biggs’ Variations on a Theme of Shostakovich (VMM), and Diemer’s Piano Concerto (MMC), the latter two works composed for Oberacker. Honors accorded her include a Fulbright Research Fellowship to Italy and the University of California Distinguished Teaching Award, and her students hold important positions as performers and teachers in the U.S., Asia and Europe. Dr. Oberacker is UCSB Professor Emeritus, and enjoys an active performing, teaching and chamber music coaching schedule.
Sonos5Winds is the Westmont College Woodwind Quintet-in-Residence and is comprised of Andrea Di Maggio, flute; Trey Farrell, oboe; Joanne Kim, clarinet; Andy Radford, bassoon; and John Mason, French horn. Currently in its fifth year, Sonos5Winds performs traditional and contemporary repertoire and is deeply involved in music education within the Santa Barbara community. The ensemble sponsors events such as last year’s WindFest and the annual Westmont Academy of Young Artists, providing opportunities for students to receive chamber music coaching and lessons with Sonos5Winds members. For information on member bios and the group’s concert schedule, please visit their website here.
Andrea Di Maggio, Flutist, graduated from San Jose State University, summa cum laude, with a Bachelor of Music degree where she studied with Isabelle Chapuis. While attending Arizona State University, Andrea held a teaching position and worked with the undergraduate flute majors and music education students, and performed in faculty recitals. Studying with Jill Felber at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Andrea graduated with honors with a Masters Degree in Flute Performance. As flute instructor at Westmont College, she is a founding member of the woodwind quintet Sonos Montecito and a faculty member at the Westmont Academy of Young Artists. Andrea also maintains a small and competitive private flute studio, with students winning awards from the Santa Barbara Music Club, The Music Teachers Association of California, and the National Flute Association. Andrea performs on a Miyazawa flute.
Trey Farrell, oboist, received his BA Degree from Pennsylvania State University and his MM Degree from USC. Currently Adjunct Instructor of Oboe at Westmont College, he is an active freelance musician performing throughout Southern California. In addition, Trey teaches instrumental music at Roosevelt Elementary School, performs with the San Luis Obispo Symphony and Opera Orchestra and maintains a private oboe studio in Santa Barbara.
Clarinetist Joanne Kim, has concertized as solo performer and chamber and orchestral musician in many parts of North America and Asia. Her performing career began in her late teens with the honorable Stamas Scholarship Fund from the New York Philharmonic offering her a new clarinet for her studies and concerts. She has performed with New York Soloist Ensemble, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Korean Chamber Orchestra, Astoria Symphony, New Jersey Philharmonic Orchestra, Chelsea Symphony, and the Santa Barbara Symphony. Dr. Kim has earned her Doctor of Musical Arts in clarinet performance at Manhattan School of Music with a fellowship under the tutelage of Mark Nuccio. Her Bachelor of Music is from Mannes College, and Master of Music degree with merit scholarship in the prestigious Orchestral Performance Program is from Manhattan School of Music. Dr. Kim is on the faculty at Westmont College, Santa Barbara City College, Westmont Academy for Young Artists, and InterHarmony International Music Festival in Italy.
Andy Radford, bassoonist, is faculty member at both UCSB and Westmont College. Principal Bassoonist of the Santa Barbara Symphony and California Philharmonic, he also serves as Conductor of the Santa Barbara Youth Orchestra. Active in the recording industry, he has performed in over 300 soundtracks, including the films Jurassic Park and Star Wars, and has recorded with such artists as Neil Diamond, The Modern Jazz Quartet, and The Three Tenors.
Steven Gross, French horn, is UCSB Professor of Horn and Head of the Wind, Brass, and Percussion Area. His renowned concert and teaching career worldwide has featured solo and ensemble performances in Europe, China, Russia, East Africa, and the U.S., as well as positions with distinguished symphony orchestras, including 24 years as Principal Horn of the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra. He has recorded 6 solo CDs, all to impressive critical acclaim. Please view StevenGrossHorn.com.
