April 10, 2016 @ 3 p.m.

JPL Program Calendar

Linda A. Cionitti, clarinet

Georgia Southern University Faculty Artist
Maila Gutierrez Springfield, piano
Valdosta State University Faculty Artist

Elliot Del Borgo (1938-2013)
Elegy

Victor Babin (1908-1972)
Hillandale Waltzes [Hear it on Youtube]
Thème – Valse elegante – Valse passionée
Valse sombre –Valse volante – Valse triste
Valse de bonne humeur –Valse brillante et joyeuse
Valse oubilée

Carlos Guastavino (1912-2000)
Tonada y Cueca [Hear it on Youtube]

Louis Cahuzac (1880-1960)
Cantilène [Hear it on Youtube]

Maurice Saylor (b. 1957)
Romanza (from Comic Symphony)

Paul Hindemith (1895-1963)
Sonata for Clarinet and Piano
II. Lebhaft [Hear it on Youtube]
IV. Kleines Rondo, gemächlich [Hear it on Youtube]

James M. David (b. 1978)
Historias y Danzas [Hear a demo on Soundcloud]
II. En forma de Habañera
IV. En Forma de Tango (y Mambo)

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Maila Gutierrez Springfield is an instructor at Valdosta State University and a member of the Maharlika Trio, a group dedicated to commissioning and performing new works for saxophone, trombone and piano. She can be heard on saxophonist Joren Cain’s CD Voices of Dissent and on clarinetist Linda Cionitti’s CD Jag & Jersey. MusicWeb International selected Jag & Jersey as the recording of the month for February 2010 and noted that Maila “is superb in the taxing piano part with its striding bass lines and disjointed rhythms”. For Voices of Dissent, the American Record Guide describes Maila as “an excellent pianist, exhibiting solid technique and fine touch and pedal work." Twice-honored with the Excellence in Accompanying Award at Eastman School of Music, Maila has been staff accompanist for the Georgia Governor’s Honors Program, Georgia Southern University, the Buffet Crampon Summer Clarinet Academy and the Interlochen Arts Camp, where she had the privilege of working with cellist Yo-Yo Ma. She has collaborated with members of major symphony orchestras, including those in Philadelphia, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Los Angeles and Jacksonville. She was awarded a Bachelor of Music degree from Syracuse University, and a Master of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music.

Linda A. Cionitti, an active international performer, presents recitals at significant events such as the International ClarinetFest, the Music Teachers National Association Conference, the College Music Society Convention, and the University of Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium. In May 2009, she released Jag & Jersey, a CD featuring premiere recordings of works by Libby Larsen and James David, both of whom were considered for a Grammy Award. The American Record Guide states: “Cionitti is a wonderfully expressive player who pours her soul into all her performances; her phrasing is very natural, and she is never afraid to push boundaries with dynamics and tempo.” MusicWeb International selected Jag & Jersey as the February 2010 Record of the Month and said, “I cannot praise the playing of Linda Cionitti too highly. This is extraordinarily fine clarinet playing. Technically beyond reproach what I particularly admire is the way she varies her tone, vibrato (so very subtly applied), attack and whole musical personality to suit the period and style of each piece.” Dr. Cionitti began studying clarinet with her father, Nick Cionitti, followed by lessons with Valentine Anzalone and Michael Webster. She received her B.M. degree from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, studying with Alan Woy. Her M.M. and D.M.A. degrees are from Michigan State University, where she studied with Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr.

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PROGRAM NOTES [CLICK HERE for Program Notes (pdf)]

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Including music for the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, American composer Elliot Del Borgo (1938-2013) published over 600 compositions, which he described as reflecting "the aesthetics of 20th-century musical ideals through its eclectic nature and vigorous harmonic and rhythmic style." He taught instrumental music in the Philadelphia public schools and was professor of music at the Crane School of Music, and also was known internationally as a conductor.

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In 1961, Russian-born Victor Babin (1908-1972) became Director of the Cleveland Institute of Music, but he first gained international fame performing with wife Vitya Vronsky as the husband half of Vronsky & Babin, which Newsweek called "the most brilliant two-piano team of our generation." Presenting variations on a theme by Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837), Babin’s Hillandale Waltzes were written in 1947 for Anne Archbold, an arts patron in Washington, D.C., whose estate was called “Hillandale.”

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With music described as "lushly romantic," Argentine composer Carlos Guastavino (1912-2000) was able to earn a living solely from the royalties and performance rights for his music. Among his 600+ works, Guastavino is best-known for his songs, some of which have been performed by international luminaries including Teresa Berganza, José Carreras and Kiri Te Kanawa; his complete works for piano, as well as samples of his guitar and chamber works also have been recorded. Composed in 1965, Guastavino's Tonada y Cueca ("Love Song and Cueca Dance") retains a favored place in the clarinetists' repertoire, amply demonstrated by the many performances available on Youtube!

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Louis Cahuzac (1880-1960) was one of few 20th-century clarinetists who performed primarily as a soloist rather than as orchestral/ensemble player, and career highlights included making the firstever recording of Carl Nielsen's Clarinet Concerto, and (at age 76) recording Paul Hindemith's Clarinet Concerto with the composer conducting. As one might expect, Cahuzac wrote mostly for his own instrument. According to the notes for his complete works recording, Cahuzac’s birthregion of Southern France provided his inspiration, reflected in his Cantilène by its “radiant Mediterranean light," while its "echo-type effects suggest open, mountainous spaces."

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Based in Washington, D.C., Maurice Saylor (b. 1957) describes his work as "tuneful and quirky scores" that "blur the boundaries of style and genre." The Romanza is a movement from his Comic Symphony for clarinet and piano, based on tunes from an abandoned 1991 musical on Moliere's Le Malade Imaginaire (The Imaginary Invalid). First recast as a symphonic work, for the final duo version Saylor elaborated and expanded the tunes to take advantage of the solo talents of clarinetist Ben Redwine. Retaining "symphony" in the title for the 2012 publication, Saylor explains that "it's the nature of the music that makes it a symphony and not the scoring."

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Along with Stravinsky, Bartók and Schoenberg, German composer, violist, teacher, and music theorist Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) is often cited by musicologists as a central figure in music of the first half of the 20th Century. Although performances of his music have become relatively rare, his Clarinet Sonata (1939) provides an ever-popular exception. A staple on recitals and recordings, it easily qualifies as one of Hindemith's "greatest hits."

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James M. David (b. 1978) is associate professor of composition and music theory at Colorado State University. He has won multiple awards for his music, which has been performed throughout North America, Europe and Asia, and recorded for the Naxos, Albany, Summit, Luminescence and MSR Classics labels. David describes his 4-movement Historias y Danzas (2014) as "incorporating elements of Afro-Latin dance music, along with contemporary techniques and virtuosity." He adds that "En forma de Habeñera is based on the beautiful vocalise by Ravel and features a particularly melismatic clarinet part against an uncharacteristically wavering ostinato," while "En Forma de Tango (y Mambo) was meant to be an unfiltered homage to the great tradition of tango, but my love of mambo rhythms could not be entirely suppressed!"