# Leila Josefowicz with John Novacek at Hertz Hall, November 8, 2015

[Cal Performances](http://calperformances.org/performances/2015-16/recital/leila-josefowicz.php) presents a recital by [Leila Josefowicz](http://www.leilajosefowicz.com/) with [John Novacek](http://parkerartists.com/John-Novacek.html)  
2015-11-08  
[Hertz Hall](http://www.calperfs.berkeley.edu/)  
[U.C. Berkeley, Bancroft Way at College Ave, Berkeley, CA](http://maps.google.com/maps?q=U.C.+Berkeley,+Bancroft+Way+at+College+Ave,+Berkeley,+CA&hl=en)  
3:00 PM, Sunday, November 8, 2015

[[2015-11-07|Back to the previous event!]] ☸ [[:#section2015|Up to the 2015 yearbox!]] ☸ [[:2015#November_events|Up to the 2015 event list!]] ☸  [[2015-11-09|On to the next event!]]

## Tentative Program

* Falla: _Suite Populaire Espanole_
* Messiaen: Theme and Variations
* Schumann: Sonata No. 1 in A minor
* Erkki-Sven Tüür: _Conversio_
* John Adams: _Road Movies_

## Set One

[3:00 PM lights down, announcements by Matias Tarnopolsky; long stretch of dead air waiting for the performers to enter]

### Falla: Suite Populaire Espanole

Manuel de Falla (1876-1946): _Suite Populaire Espanole_ (1914), arr. Kochánski (1925)

01. [3:07 PM] _El Paño Moruno_: Allegretto vivace
02. [3:09 PM] _Nana_ (Berceuse): Calmo e sostenuto
03. [3:11 PM] _Canción_: Allegretto
04. [3:12 PM] _Polo_: Vivo
05. [3:14 PM] _Asturiana_: Andante tranquillo
06. [3:16 PM] _Jota_: Allegro vivo  
[work ends 3:20 PM]

### Messiaen: Theme and Variations

Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992): Theme and Variations (1932)

01. [3:20 PM] Thème: Modéré
02. [3:21 PM] Variation I: Modéré
03. [3:23 PM] Variation II: Un peu moins modéré
04. [3:24 PM] Variation III: Modéré, avec éclat
05. [3:25 PM] Variation IV: Vif et passionné
06. [3:27 PM] Variation V: Très modéré  
[work ends 3:29 PM]

### Schumann: Sonata No. 1 in A minor

Robert Schumann (1810-1856): Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano in A minor, Op. 105 (1851)

01. [3:31 PM] Mit leidenschaftlichem Ausdruck
02. [3:39 PM] Allegretto
03. [3:43 PM] Lebhaft  
[set ends 3:48 PM; lots of applause, off after a minute or so]

## Set Two

[4:08 PM lights down]

### Erkki-Sven Tüür: Conversio

01. [4:09 PM] Erkki-Sven Tüür (b. 1959): _Conversio_ (1994)  
[work ends 4:19 PM]

### John Adams: Road Movies

John Adams (b. 1947): _Road Movies_ (1995)

02. [4:20 PM] _Relaxed Groove_
03. [4:25 PM] _Meditative_
04. [4:31 PM] _40% Swing_  
[show ends 4:36 PM; plenty of applause, several door calls, no Encore; all done by 4:39 PM]


## Performers

* [Leila Josefowicz](http://www.leilajosefowicz.com/): violin;
* [John Novacek](http://parkerartists.com/John-Novacek.html): piano.

## Notes

Today's program was an interesting blend of older works (set one) with the new (set two) -- you know, a little this, a little that, and pretty soon we're cooking up a tasty stew!

My favorites were the two set closers, from Schumann and Adams, which isn't meant as a slight against the other three works -- they were all pretty good! Reading about the Falla piece provoked me to wonder whether I've heard the original for soprano -- answering that will take a bit of research.... And I was really surprised by the Messiaen piece. Although it was shorter than I expected, I found it quite dense, and hard to parse. I only caught one division between the variations, even though I was paying close attention! I definitely need to add that one to my classical listening queue -- if only to develop a better sense for the nuances that I missed on this first listen.

_Conversio_, opening the second half, was interesting, but kind of a one-trick pony effort. I like the initial rush and hustle, but the denouement wasn't quite interesting enough. Ok, but not really exciting. I wouldn't mind having another listen, but I don't think I'll be seeking it out again.

_Road Movies_ was a treat. I'm sure I've heard it before, though I seem to have misplaced recollections of an alternate piece -- the program notes say nothing about this being a transcription or reduction, but my recall was of hearing something for a larger force. Memory works in strange ways, doesn't it! My guess at the moment is that I'm conflating this with another work -- perhaps something by Riley or Harrison? In any case, today's performance was righteously good. Launching into with that propulsive driving cadence so evocative of the rhythm of the road put me right into a trance. Yay! On the road again!

{{tag>music Leila_Josefowicz John_Novacek Hertz_Hall}}

[[2015-11-07|Back to the previous event!]] ☸ [[:#section2015|Up to the 2015 yearbox!]] ☸ [[:2015#November_events|Up to the 2015 event list!]] ☸  [[2015-11-09|On to the next event!]]