From Babylon to Bodrum in Three Recitals

Three collaborative piano recitals were performed in lieu of a written dissertation. The music on each of these recitals was planned to be thematically cohesive. The unifying concept of the first recital was the idea of decadence in art song. The poetry and music presented show the connections between Charles Baudelaire and the “symbolist” school of poetry, as well as the Wagenrian influence on Schönberg and Debussy. The second recital, “Homage to Langston Hughes,” contained settings of Langston Hughes’ poetry by American composers. Robert Owens, Margaret Bonds, John Musto, and Ricky Ian Gordon all set Hughes’ poetry to music in their own unique styles. This musical panoply was intended to celebrate the important and multi-faceted legacy of one of America’s greatest poets. The final concert, entitled “Lecture Recital: Fazil Say,” was a combined presentation and performance featuring two concurrently composed sonatas by Fazil Say. Each movement in these sonatas is based on a different city in Turkey. Performing these works while also giving background on Say’s life and influences allowed for an exploration of the possibility and problematics of cross-cultural connection through music in the 21st century. Sunday, October 4, 2020, 1:00pm; The First Congregational Church of Ann Arbor. Daniel McGrew, tenor; Nathaniel Pierce, tenor. Hans Werner Henze Three Auden Songs; Claude Debussy Cinq poèmes de Charles Baudelaire; Arnold Schönberg 15 Gedichte aus “Das Buch der hängenden Gärten” von Stefan George, op.15. Sunday, February 28, 2021, 4:00pm; The First Congregational Church of Ann Arbor. Albert R. Lee, tenor. Robert Owens Silver Rain, op.11. Margaret Bonds Three Dream Portraits and “Troubled Water”; John Musto Shadow of the Blues; Ricky Ian Gordon “Harlem Night Song,” “Dream,” “Delinquent,” “Dream Variations,” “Daybreak in Alabama,” “In Time of Silver Rain,” “When Sue Wears Red,” “Stars” from Only Heaven; Saturday, March 21, 2021, 8:00pm; Walgreen Drama Center, Stamps Auditorium, the University of Michigan. Dakota Cotugno, cello; Elisha Willinger, clarinet; Fazil Say Four Cities: Sonata for Cello and Piano, op.41, Sonata for Clarinet in B-flat and Piano, op.42.AMUMusic: PerformanceUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/169874/1/jetsell_1.pd