Claude Debussy: Reverie, Arabesque No. 1, Clair de Lune

Samuel Barber: Sonata, Op. 16

Johannes Brahms: Two Pieces from Op. 119: Intermezzo in B Minor, Rhapsodie in E-flat Minor

Pianist Mark Valenti received his Master of Music from Northwestern University and Bachelor of Music from the Philadelphia Musical Academy. He has studied with such notable teachers as Benjamin Whitten, Zoltan Kocsis, and Mary Sauer. In addition to giving solo recitals in cities throughout the U.S., Mr. Valenti has performed in France, Belgium, Hungary, and Luxembourg, as well as for former First Lady Barbara Bush in Washington, D.C. Mark Valenti has performed in recital on WFMT Classical Radio. He has also performed extensively in the Jazz field, including performances with Gregory Hines, Frank Foster, and Al Grey, and television appearances with Joe Sudler’s Swing Machine and singer/actor Christopher Durham.

Formerly Professor of Music at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Xavier University in Chicago, and the Loire Valley Music Institute in France, Mr. Valenti currently teaches at his studio in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago and is available for lessons for all levels and all styles.

Program Notes

In keeping with the tradition of his youth, Claude Debussy endowed us with lovely examples of French Romanticism before embarking on his radical shift in style. Reverie, a simple but no less beautiful work, is quintessentially Parisian. In Arabesque, frilly patterns weave the texture of the melody and accompaniment, reflecting the style of Arabian Art. Finally, Clair de lune is the apotheosis of French romantic lyricism. Samuel Barber’s Piano Sonata is a mixture of conventional and modern techniques, including elements of the twelve-tone system. The eerie mood of the sonata as a whole strikes me as something Dracula would have composed. The first movement follows the traditional ABA form, while the second movement —a scherzo — is a dance perhaps for impish, puckish fairies. The third movement is a doleful lament. A bebop and modern jazz influence can be heard in the final Fuga movement, which transcends all the technicalities associated with this seemingly outdated compositional form. From the opening Charlie Parker-esque fugue subject through all its transformations, Barber pulls all the stops out and dazzles us with this Herculean tour de force. The Intermezzo in B minor by Johannes Brahms is a deeply introspective and intimate gem. It contrasts gently descending arpeggios with sustained melodic tones.  The Rhapsodie in E-flat major is majestic and stately, culminating in a bold, romantic assertion, paradoxically in the minor key.