Show 202: Listening Guide

This week’s episode of From the Top was taped on October 9, 2009 at the Libby Gardner Concert Hall at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City with Utah Chamber Artists and KBYU-FM. Here’s what the performers had to say about the music they played on the show:

Jossalyn Jensen

Jossalyn Jensen, 17, viola
Rhapsody by Tibor Serly
This piece is filled with Hungarian folk music from beginning to end. The rhythms in the opening are reminiscent of the strong rhythms of the Hungarian language. When I play this piece, there are parts where I can envision colorfully dressed Hungarian folk dancers dancing at a festival or a Hungarian violinist entertaining at a little Budapest cafe.

Weiyi Le, 15, piano
II. Chez Petrouchka from Three Movements from Petrouchka by Igor Stravinsky
Having seen the ballet of the piece, the image of an over-energized puppet dancing will always be on my mind as I perform this piece. My favorite section of the song is right after the introduction section, where the capricious mood of the music is best portrayed. Unlike most pieces I’ve learned, Petroushka is highly unpredictable.

John Ringor

John Ringor, 15, marimba
Virginia Tate by Paul Smadbeck
This piece special to me, because it was the very first solo I played with four mallets. But what I really admire about the piece are the different feelings—happiness, suspense, sadness, warmth—it invokes. When I play Virginia Tate I hope to trigger such emotions within the audience.

Gifted Music School Orchestra, ages 9-18
Violin Concerto in G Minor, Op. 8, No. 2, RV 315, “Summer” from The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi
This piece is full of imagery including a torrential summer rain storm, lightning bolts, and an incessant driving pulse and rhythm.