William Chiang  

Project Title: Vignettes from Vienna
Date & Time: Tuesday, August 22, 2023, 2:00 PM
Location: Cedarwood Station

Performers: William Chiang, piano Teresa Wang, violin Nao Kubota, viola

Project Description:

The theme of this program of short works for solo piano and string-piano duo is celebrating the positive aspects of life in these difficult times. Related subjects are the desire for exploration and learning new experiences. Music is a powerful healing force that can transform lives, encourage unity, and inspire love and understanding.

Entitled “Vignettes from Vienna”, the program of European classical works includes music primarily associated with Vienna, such as through composers who lived there or works inspired by Viennese culture. Vignettes are a type of picture, and in Austria, vignettes also refer to toll tags used on the motorways. Each work on the concert program is paired with a small card representing a musical “toll tag” with newly created artwork related to the subject of the musical work. These will be distributed to the audience as each piece is performed, which can be kept as keepsakes. Related to the theme of travel, audience members will be invited to share any past travel experiences they had related to the cities or countries associated with the musical work. Utilizing conversation and artwork, this concert will be a musical trip through various locations in Vienna and across Europe.

With this project, I hope that music can serve as a reminder that there is always much to experience and find joy in even through the difficulties of our time. Additionally, all the emotions we feel and the memories we remember throughout our lives should not be suppressed, and hopefully through this concert and our own life experiences and travels around the world, we can not only find joy in these little musical vignettes but perhaps also reflect on the events of our own lives.

Repertoire: (total length: ~52 minutes):

Brahms: 5 Waltzes from Op. 39

Schumann/Liszt: “Widmung”

Schubert/Liszt: “Erlkonig”, “Fruhlingsglaube”

Beethoven: Piano Sonata #32 in C Minor, Op. 111
I. Maestoso-Allegro con brio ed appassionato

Elgar: “Salut D’Amour” for Violin and Piano, Op. 12 (with Teresa Wang)

Bach: Viola da Gamba Sonata #2 in D Major, BWV 1028 (with Nao Kubota)
I. Adagio
II. Allegro

Rachmaninoff: “Vocalise”, Op. 34 (arr. for viola and piano) (with Nao Kubota)

Dvorak: Romantic Piece, Op. 75, #1 for Violin and Piano (with Teresa Wang)

Kreisler: “Liebesfreud”, “Liebesleid” (with Teresa Wang)