Marshall University

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Publication Date

9-23-2017

Year of Release

2017

Note(s)

Program Notes

Toboggan, from the composer, Robert Litton:

While watching the snow fall outside the family cabin window, a father's son imagines an epic toboggan run weaving its way down through the pine trees. In pursuit of self-assured global fame, our hero spends the day shoveling and sculpting snow and the night struggling through anxious dreams. He awakens the following morning, marches sled in hand up the back hill, and embarks on a legendary adventure.

Three Ingram Engravings, from the composer, Charles Ingram:

Lagniappe, noun

1. Chiefly Southern Louisiana and Southeast

Texas. a small gift given with a purchase to a customer,

by way of compliment or for good measure; bonus.

2. a gratuity or tip.

3. an unexpected or indirect benefit.

Farewell far Lois was composed in 2015 for the Isosceles Trio which consists of three faculty members at the University of Southern Mississippi; Dr. Jacqueline Adams-horn, Dr. Richard Perry-tuba and Dr. Lois Leventhal-piano. This was the last performance of Dr. Leventhal with the trio since she was retiring from the university, I wanted to write this piece as a tribute to her for her long service at the university and because she has beautifully performed a great deal of my music. The piece begins and ends with a quote of the first three chords of Beethoven's Les Adieux (Farewell) Piano Sonata Opus 81a.

Last Dance began as a piece for two horns based upon ideas that I sketched in 1985. I later decided that the material worked better as a trio for Horn, Tuba and Piano. While reworking the material for trio, I was asked by Eastern Standard for a third piece to go with two other pieces that they had performed of mine:

Lagniappe and Farewel1 for Lois. The result was Last Dance.

The dance is moderately paced in 9/8 time and is dominated by a syncopated figure that is passed around among the three instruments.

Sloblóllian Folk Suite, from the composer, David Martynuik:

Located east of Lutonia, the country of Slablóblia is of no strategic importance geographically and lacks any type of natural resources that would be considered of value. In addition, the one access road has a slight inclination and given the general lack of motivation of native Slablóblianites is a disincentive for migration. All of these factors have combined to cause this little known country to remain fairly isolated. However, there is a rich (if not always logical) culture of stories, songs, and dances that has been passed down through many generations. This suite encapsulates many of the features of Slablóblian folk "art."

  1. Lûfidztk- roughly translated is "Dance of the joyful mother on the first morning of school as she awaits a peaceful day unencumbered by whining children, dirty diapers and grape jelly smeared on everything." This dance is often performed barefoot on the back patio after the husband (often considered another child) leaves for work in the glop factory.
  2. Blángdy blúblu is the "Dance of the Ecstatic Jolly Bean." Not to be confused with that symbol of western opulence, the Jelly bean, Jolly beans are entirely organic deriving their texture and flavor from evaporated cane sugar, organic tapioca syrup and grape juice concentrate. In addition, the use of organic coloring from black carrot juice and turmeric make them practically health food thus providing the performers of this particular dance a high level of energy if not dignity.
  3. Pvlövlof spoloyjt - the Song of the Spurned Milk-lad is typical of the many songs of unrequited love found throughout the Slablöóblian penninsula. The backstory is as follows: the milk-lad gave his heart away to the captain of the local field hockey team who left Slablóblia to follow her dreams to be an international unicycle star not giving a thought to the tender feelings of the milk-lad, or even bothering to send the occasional postcard.
  4. Üdz Hedzjhowt Mystragórsky - the Mysterious Hedgehog is a celebratory dance that has been associated with Slabóblian Independence Day since 542 AD. In the oft told tale, the Hedgehog burrows through the mud floor of each hut in the village and chomps on cucumbers left out for his arrival by the peasant children, thus ensuring a limited amount of salad for the forthcoming year.
  5. Hékt - Dance of the Angry River Niblet is, according to Slablóbian folklore scholar Nigel Schabelkuchen, often mistranslated as "river nymph." This is wholly incorrect as nymphs are members of the faerie genus, whereas niblets are members of the manatee family. Normally very docile, the river niblets, found in the central valley area of Slablóblia, become highly agitated when their food source of marshmallow peeps is threatened. This usually occurs during the spring season when the local peasant population begins the peep harvest in preparation for Easter.

Yearning to be, from the composer, Matthew Murchison:

Yearning to be ... was commissioned by and dedicated to Eastern Standard and was written over the course of a few weeks at the end of 2016. When discussing what kind of piece the group wanted, tubist Zach Collins mentioned that they needed something angular or ballad-like to put on their next recording project. With those two things in mind, my goal was to write a beautiful piece, at times plaintive, at others angst-ridden, but ultimately hopeful without being maudlin. As with any piece, it's up to the listener whether that goal was met.

Winterzug, from the composer, Octavio Vázquez:

I wrote "Winter Train" as the result of a commission by the Eastern Standard Trio, that is premiering the piece this evening. Oftentimes, when working on a project, an image or a meaning that I did not know about will come forward and reveal itself essential to the nature of the piece. It may be a historical event, a painting, a symbol, even a person. In this case, from the opening chords I seemed to be looking out of a window in a train moving steadily through a snowed landscape. As the music unravels, so does the image, speaking of turns in the railroad and of snow flurries, all of them symbolic of a deeper experience. It is my custom to include at the beginning of the score a number of literary quotes that may seem at first almost random or contradictory, but that are for me the best way to point to the meaning behind a piece, and that I reproduce below. I have also noticed an unintended musical reference to the opening measures of Schubert's Winterreise ("Winter Journey"), in the steady D minor chords and the prominence of the ninth as the first non-chord tone. '

"To what can this human life be likened?

Perhaps t9 a wild swan treading on the snow;

it leaves a few tracks and flies on blithely into the unknown"

Tracks in the Snow, Su Tung-p 'o

"Der Zug kriecht / durch unberührte Landschaft / wie ein Eindringling”

("The train crawls I Through untouched landscape I Like an intruder. ... ")

Winterzug, Inge Hornisch

"I can taste the tin of the sky - the real tin thing.

Winter dawn is the color of metal"

Waking in Winter, Sylvia Plath

"Don't think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter.

It's quiet, but the roots are down there riotous. "

Rumi

"I like trains. I like their rhythm,

and I like the freedom of being suspended between two places, all anxieties

of purpose taken care of; for this moment I know where I am going. "

Anna Funder

''Don't insist on going where you think you want to go.

Ask the way to the spring. Your living pieces will form a harmony."

Leave your Self, Rumi

"It's my experience that most folk who ride trains could care less

where they 're going. For them it's the journey itself

and the people they meet along the way. "

The Christmas Train, David Baldacci

"Of course, in our train of thought,

we would all like to think we 're on the right track, or at least

the same railroad company as the right track. "

Killosophy, Criss Jami


Tunes and Reels, from the composer, Keith Young:

Tunes and Reels consists of several of the most popular traditional folk songs from the British Isles that been used for countless hymn tunes and musical arrangements. The final movement includes a traditional Irish reel as the background mixing the original reel style with contemporary rhythms.

Wanderlust, from the composer, Todd Goodman:

[won-der-luhst], noun: a strong, innate desire to roam or travel about. Traveling has always been a very important aspect of my life. The ability to experience new, wonderful place, try new foods, and to get the chance to meet people who look, sound, act, and think differently than me has become not just a passion but a need. Wanderlust is a piece that tells the story of a group of travelers who embark on a long-awaited journey. The piece, in three main sections, starts with very fun, whimsical music which depicts the excitement and jovial beginning to most anticipated trips. A jarring chord at the opening gives one a sense of unease, although it is quickly interrupted by a short, rhythmic motif heard in the piano. This motif then travels throughout the trio, being passed from player to player quickly and often fragmented. As the piece develops and the journey continues, the trio takes time to reflect on their surroundings. After each stop, they begin a new, yet similar journey, reminiscing on the music from the beginning. The piece ends with a beautiful reflection of the entire journey before finally, yet peacefully returning home. Todd Goodman's Wanderlust for horn, tuba, and piano was commissioned by Eastern Standard-Heidi Lucas horn, Zach Collins, tuba; and Jacob Ertl, piano.

Eastern Standard

Eastern Standard was formed in the fall of 2014 and includes Nazareth College faculty member Jacob Ertl (piano) and Indiana University of Pennsylvania faculty members Zach Collins (tuba) and Heidi Lucas (horn). The group is actively involved in promoting literature for this instrumentation through performance and the pursuit of commissioning projects. To date, the group has commissioned and/or premiered 10 new works for this instrumentation. In the spring of 2017 they were awarded a grant through the International Horn Society's Meir Rimon Commissioning Assistance Program, which they will use to commission Octavio Vasquez to write a multi-movement concert work. Their first full-length album, Eastern Standard, was released in December of 2015 and includes three new works they commissioned, as well as recordings of other works which had not been recorded previously for commercial release. They recorded their second album, including 7 new works they commissioned, in the spring and summer of 2017; it will be released in the winter of that year. Eastern Standard has an active performance schedule including public school outreach programs, collegiate residencies, and festival and conference performances. A selected list of their conference performances includes: 2015 Northeast Horn Workshop in State College, PA, 2015 Northeast Regional Tuba and Euphonium Conference in Ithaca, NY, 2016 Northeast Horn Workshop in Indiana, PA, 2016 International Horn Symposium in Los Angeles, CA, and 2016 International Tuba and Euphonium Conference in Knoxville, TN, 2016 International Fellowship of Conductors, Composers and Collaborators in Indiana, PA, 2017 Southwest Horn Workshop in Tempe, AZ, 2017 Northeast Horn Workshop and 2017 NERTEC. · For more information, please find them on Facebook, or visit their website: eastemstandardtrio.com

Note

Smith Recital Hall

Disciplines

Arts and Humanities | Fine Arts | Music | Music Performance

Eastern Standard Trio

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