Graduate recital in piano

Includes recorded audio files in WAV and MP3 formats, 74:50 in length.The goal of this graduate recital was to present a varied program.\ud The artistic performance demonstrated the continued development of piano\ud literature in terms of style and form from the Classic, Romantic, and\ud Impressionistic Periods of music. Representative composers from these\ud periods were Carl Maria von Weber, Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt, and\ud Maurice Ravel.\ud In the Sonata in D Minor, Carl Maria von Weber wrote music considerably \ud more advanced in terms of harmony and virtuosity than others at\ud the time. The music was full of awkward stretches, difficult jumps,\ud and brilliant running passages.\ud Robert Schumann's Symphonic Etudes, in the form of variations,\ud were an embodiment of the depths, contradictions, and tensions of the\ud romantic spirit. They could be visionary and vehement, ardent and\ud dreamy, whimsical and learned. Rhythmic novelty, especially syncopation \ud and cross-accents gave it an element of freshness. His piano\ud music WAS thoroughly idiomatic and the virtuoso element was always\ud subordinate to the poetic idea. \ud Franz Liszt had the gift of combining the technique of showmanship \ud and poetry. His harmonic procedure, characterized by advanced modulations\ud and chords, and novel and extensive use of chromaticism constituted\ud one of Liszt???s most original contributions to the language of\ud music. The programmatic piece, Funerailles, was a blending of those\ud elements.\ud The Prelude, Forlane, and Toccata from the suite Le Tombeau de\ud Couperin, were evidence of Maurice Ravel's development away from impressionism\ud to a precise, and often witty, ironic style based on\ud traditional harmonies. The source of his inspiration however was more\ud often poetic than abstract. The pieces were arranged in chronological order. This procedure\ud pointed out overlapping of the composers lives and the growth of\ud their pianistic styles