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Simone Dinnerstein: Hello, I'm Simone Dinnerstein. Tonight we are featuring the first of two episodes devoted to students from New York City's Mannes School of Music who participated in this year's Mannes Sounds Festival here on The McGraw Family's Young Artist Showcase.
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In 1999, Pavlina Dokovska, chair of the Piano department founded the Mannes Sounds Festival and became its artistic director. The festival presents more than 20 concerts annually performed by Mannes' talented students, as well as masterclasses and lectures by distinguished faculty members and renowned guest artists. This year, Mannes Sounds celebrates its 25th anniversary, as well as Mannes becoming an All Steinway school. The students that we will hear tonight on The Showcase, which is as always generously supported by The Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Family Foundation, were drawn from a variety of the concerts that were presented this season and are joining us from WQXR Studio. Because we have so much music to hear, we won't be able to speak with the musicians today. I'm so sad about that. Let's have them all give a big shout-out to the WQXR audience.
Students: Hi WQXR.
Simone Dinnerstein: That was a very excited response. I think everybody's ready to go. We are going to start with two beautiful works by Sibelius for violin and piano. His Souvenir and Mazurka played here by violinist Alexander Sasha Yakub and pianist Hannah Rosen.
[MUSIC - Sibelius: Souvenir, op. 79 No. 1 & Mazurka, op. 81 - Alexander Sasha Yakub, violin; Hannah Rosen, piano]
Simone Dinnerstein: Beautiful. What a lot of panache in that Mazurka played here in the studio by violinist Alexander Sasha Yakub and pianist Hannah Rosen. It was Sibelius's Souvenir Opus 79 No. 1, and his Mazurka Opus 81. Our next performers are the Soprano, Marieke de Koker, and Pianist, Yura Jang, and they're going to share two songs with us that was from a concert in The Mannes Sounds Festival, devoted to works of art, works of music that were inspired by Goethe's muses, his fictional muses. The first song we're going to hear is Max Reger's Waldeinsamkeit followed by Suleika 108 by Mannes student composer Keaton Hoy. Let's listen to Marieke and Yura here in WQXR Studio.
[MUSIC- Reger: Waldeinsamkeit, Op.76 No.3 - Marieke de Koker, Soprano, Yura Jang, piano] [MUSIC - Keaton Hoy: Suleika 108 - Marieke de Koker, Soprano, Yura Jang, piano]
Simone Dinnerstein: That was a beautiful rendition of these two songs, both inspired by Goethe. The first one was by Reger, Waldeinsamkeit, Opus 76, number 3, and the second one was by Mannes composer, Keaton Hoy, and it was called Suleika 108. These were performed here in our studio by Marieke de Koker, the Soprano and Pianist Yura Jang. Now we will hear the beautiful pianist Guannan Alice Liu perform an unusual work by the great piano pedagogue Leschetizky, his Andante finale for the left hand alone.
[MUSIC - Leschetizky: Andante finale for the left hand - Guannan Alice Liu, piano]
Simone Dinnerstein: What a beautiful and poetic performance by pianist, Guannan Alice Liu playing, Leschetizky's Andante finale for the left hand. Moving back to the Mannes Sounds concert that featured works inspired by Goethe's Fictional muses, we're going to hear another two songs. The first is by Schubert, his Lied der Mignon, and the second is a song that was commissioned by another Mannes student composer, Maxwell Kaye. This song is called, Heiss much nicht reden. Let's welcome soprano, Lindsey Kanaga, and pianist, Vienne Yang to perform Maxwell's song preceded by Schubert's beautiful Lied der Mignon.
[MUSIC - Schubert: Lied der Mignon - Lindsey Kanaga, Soprano; Vienne Yang, piano]
[MUSIC - Maxwell Kaye: Heiss much nicht reden]
Simone Dinnerstein: That was a wonderful performance of Schubert's Lied der Mignon and Maxwell Kaye's Heiss much nicht reden which I will add I was struck by the fact that Maxwell kept the German words, so it had a very German sensibility to it. It was sung here by Lindsey Kanaga with pianist, Vienne Yang. It's time for a quick break now, then I'll be back with more performances here on The McGraw Family's Young Artist Showcase. Welcome back. Tonight, we are in WQXR's studio with students from the Mannes School of Music who participated in this year's 25th anniversary of the Mannes Sounds Festival. We are going to continue with the husband and wife team of violinist, Vartan Mailiantz, and violist, Alexandra Andreeva, performing Halvorsen's transcription of Handel's Passacaglia.
[MUSIC - Handel-Halvorsen: Passacaglia for violin and viola - Vartan Mailiantz, violin; Alexandra Andreeva, viola]
Simone Dinnerstein: That was the Passacaglia for violin and viola by Handel, arranged by Halvorsen, played here in WQXR's studio by violinist, Vartan Mailiantz, and violist, Alexandra Andreeva. Now, for a short beauty by Hugo Wolf, his Philine, sung here in the studio by soprano, Jihye Seo, and pianist, Yura Jang.
[MUSIC - Hugo Wolf: Philine - Jihye Seo, soprano, Yura Jang, piano]
Simone Dinnerstein: That was Hugo Wolf's beautiful song, Philine, sung here by soprano Jihye Seo with pianist Yura Jang. Now let's welcome violist Yuchen Lu and pianist Minghui Yan to perform Glazunov's beautiful Elegy.
[MUSIC - Alexander Glazunov: Elegy for viola and piano, op.44 - Yuchen Lu, viola, Minghui Yan, piano]
Simone Dinnerstein: How lovely. I always enjoy listening to the viola, and it was played so beautifully here in the studio, given by the violist Yuchen Lu with the beautiful pianist Minghui Yan playing Alexander Glazunov's Elegy for viola and piano, opus 44. Finally, from a Mannes Sounds concert that commemorated the 100th anniversary of Fauré's passing. we will hear the first movement of his Sonata No. 1, played here by violinist Joseph Jin and pianist Ji-Wan Yang.
[MUSIC - Faure: Sonata No. 1 in A minor for violin and piano, Op.13, Allegro Molto - Joseph Jin, violin, Ji-Wan Yang, piano]
Simone Dinnerstein: What a beautiful close to this concert here at WQXR Studio. We just heard the violinist, Joseph Jin with the pianist, Ji-Wan Yang playing Fauré's Sonata for violin and piano No.1 in A minor, Opus 13, the first movement, Allegro Molto. That completes this week's edition of The McGraw Family's Young Artist Showcase, which is generously underwritten on WQXR by The Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Family Foundation. Here's Terry McGraw With more.
Terry McGraw: There's nothing more satisfying than seeing some of the wonderful young musicians we introduce on Young Artists Showcase go on to become part of our musical mainstream, and it happens all the time on this program. It shows we're not only on the right track, but leading the way towards a great American future in the arts. I hope you'll all join us again next week.
Simone Dinnerstein: Thank you, Terry. Many thanks to our WQXR production team, Laura Boyman, Max Fine, Amy Buchanan, and Eileen Delehanty. Our session engineer is Irene Trudel and our generous program Underwriter is The Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Family Foundation. I'm Simone Dinnerstein. Goodnight.
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