20th May 2022
@ Haldane Hall UCL Main Quad
Welcoming more than 50 audiences, UCLef successfully delivered first public concert and raised money for children who are in need (Save the Children).
The repertoires were as follows:
Borodin, A: String Quartet No.2 1st & 3rd movement
Tchaikovsky, P: String Quartet No.1 2nd movement “Andante Cantabile”
Schubert, R: Standchen for Viola and Piano
Mozart, V. A: Piano Sonata pour 4 hands K.381 1st movement
Mozart, V. A: Violin Sonata K.304 Tempo di minuet
Bach Violin Partita No.2 Gigue 4
Chopin, F: Nocturn No.13 Op.48-1
Schumann, R: Piano Quintet No.1 Op.48 1st movement
Excerpt from Programme Note (written by Kaito Mizukoshi)
Chopin, F: Nocturn No.13 Op.48-1
Fryderyk Chopin composed the piece at the age of 29 years old when he was dissatisfied with himself and his output despite his critical standing as a composer gradually growing. The anguish during this period became his inspiration for this piece. Chopin composed 21 Nocturnes which are evocative of the night. This piece is particularly considered the most famous amongst all of the nocturnes, and stands out with its dramatic reprise, incorporating a special balladic tone. The clash between agitation and tunefulness is evident in most of Nocturne, which is typically structured in tripartite reprise form. This piece begins with a dark pendulum-like march full of suspense, proceeding to the middle section with flowing chords provoking liturgical chorale. The tranquil moment is interrupted by rumbling of thunder in the background indicating the premonition. Then it returns to the main theme with more agitation and outburst of emotion, and last three carillon sounds spell the end of this tragedy. I chose this piece since it projects several aspects of human beings, both beautiful and ugly sides, provoking several emotions, which forces me to contemplate on the relationship between life and sentiment. After listening to the whole piece, what emotion comes into your mind? (Kaito)
Schumann, R: Piano Quintet No.1 Op.48 1st movement “Allegro Brillante”
This quintet is an acknowledged jewel of Schumann, which became the first in the line of great Romantic quintets. The piece with this Romantic effusion was composed in 1842 which was “a year of chamber music” for him, and displays an extroverted and exuberant side of the composer's creative genius. The first movement, Allegro Brillante, opens up the piece with marvelously exuberant chords that represent joyful celebration of this powerful, new combination of voices. Then, a tender melody of wistful dialogue between cello and viola expresses heartfelt Romanticism. In the middle, the theme will transit to a tempestuous development which consists of virtuoso figuration in the piano. After a standard recapitulation of the main theme, energetic coda rounds off the movement. This piece clearly represents his dual nature of personality, which accomplishes making the music more vivid and lyrical. We hope you all enjoy the last robust piece full of joy and romanticism. (Kaito)
Kaito Mizukoshi Piano/Violin
Jungho Lee Violin
Jimin Bae Piano/Violin
Clementine Bachelart Viola
Yuejia Zhu Cello