“This is perhaps the most dramatic of all the Beethoven sonatas,” Moyer said. “It’s in the same key as the famous Fifth Symphony, and even more tempestuous.”
Contemporary American composer William Bolcom has won the Pulitzer Prize, National Medal of the Arts and two Grammy awards. His Second Sonata for Violin and Piano is “quite varied in style,” Moyer said. “Some is very modern and dissonant—you gotta love a movement titled ‘Brutal,’ and it is. Some of it is very jazzy.” The final movement is dedicated to Giuseppe “Joe” Venuti, an early 20th century Italian-American musician considered the first star of the jazz violin.
The music of 20th-century French composer Gabriel Fauré is “famously lyrical and gorgeous,” Moyer said. His Sonata No. 1 “mixes the lyrical with some drama, though not nearly as intense as the Beethoven or the Bolcom.”
Violinist Cindy Moyer and pianist John Chernoff perform on Sunday, November 8, at 8 p.m. in Fulkerson Recital Hall at HSU. Tickets are $10 general, $5 students, seniors and children from the HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. More information: http://HSUMusic.blogspot.com. This Faculty Artist Series concert is produced by HSU Music Department.