Season 32 • Summer Concert Series
Aug 9 • Jeff Garza in Recital
3:00pm • First Unitarian Universalist Church
This concert is generously supported by Angela Pfeiffer
Mainframe Tropics for Horn, Violin & Piano*
Mason Bates (b.1977)
Silicon Blues
Marine Snow
Greyhound
*This piece features a prepared piano, which is a piano that has had its sounds temporarily altered by placing bolts, screws, mutes, rubber erasers, and/or other objects on or between the strings. Its invention is usually traced to John Cage who used the technique in his Bacchanale (1940).
Sonata for Horn & Piano, Op. 7
Jane Vignery (1913–1974)
I. Allegro
II. Lento ma non troppo
III. Allegro ben moderato
Interstellar Call
Olivier Messiaen (1908–1972)
Trio for Horn, Violin & Piano in E-flat Major, Op. 40
Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
I. Andante
II. Scherzo (Allegro)
III. Adagio mesto
IV. Allegro con brio
Performers
Jeff Garza, Horn
Sandy Yamamoto, Violin
John Novacek, Piano
Program Notes
Mainframe Tropics, Trio for Horn, Violin & Piano (2009)
Mason Bates
​One of the most frequently performed American composers of his generation, Mason Bates is known for drawing inspiration from both the classical tradition and the technological world. In addition to his work as a composer, Bates has been active as a DJ, and many of his works explore rhythm, texture, and sound colors associated with electronic music. Bates has served as composer-in-residence with several major American orchestras and was the first composer-in-residence at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Written in 2009 for violin, horn, and prepared piano, Mainframe Tropics reflects Bates's interest in the intersection of technology and nature. The title juxtaposes the image of a computer mainframe with that of a tropical environment, and the prepared piano expands the ensemble's sonic palette through a variety of altered timbres and percussive effects. The three movements, Silicon Blues, Marine Snow, and Greyhound, present contrasting musical landscapes. The first emphasizes rhythmic motion and mechanical energy, the second takes its name from a deep-sea phenomenon, and the third concludes the work with renewed momentum and drive.​​
Sonata for Horn & Piano, Op. 7 (1942)
Jane Vignery
Belgian composer and violinist Jane Vignery studied at the conservatories of Ghent and Brussels before continuing her musical training in Paris. Her studies in Paris brought her into contact with some of the most influential musical figures of early twentieth-century Europe, including Nadia Boulanger and Paul Dukas. Though she composed a relatively small body of works, her Sonata for Horn and Piano has become an important contribution to the horn repertoire and remains her most frequently performed composition.
Written in 1942, the Sonata reflects on the musical languages of early twentieth-century French and Belgian music. Vignery treats the horn and piano as equal partners, giving each instrument an active role throughout the work. The Sonata piece unfolds in three movements. The opening movement, Allegro, introduces contrasting themes that alternate between dramatic and lyrical character. The central Lento ma non troppo features a broad melodic line and expressive dialogue between the two instruments. The final movement, Allegro ben moderato, brings renewed energy, combining strict rhythmic patterns with challenging technical demands for both performers.
Interstellar Call (1971)
Olivier Messiaen
French composer, organist, and teacher Olivier Messiaen was one of the most influential musical figures of the twentieth century, known for drawing inspiration from nature, birdsong, spirituality, and innovative approaches to rhythm and harmony. Messiaen often experienced synesthesia—associating specific musical harmonies and chords with distinct colors—which influenced his approach to orchestral and harmonic writing. Interstellar Call is the sixth movement of Des canyons aux étoiles… a large-scale work inspired by the landscapes of Utah and the vastness of the cosmos. Written for solo horn, the work explores the instrument's full expressive range through contrasting passages of powerful calls, virtuosic flourishes, and moments of quiet reflection. The title suggests a signal traveling across immense distances, and the music unfolds as a series of distinct musical gestures that highlight the horn's unique capabilities.
Trio for Horn, Violin & Piano in E-flat Major, Op. 40 (1865)
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms composed the Horn Trio in 1865, shortly after the death of his mother, and the work reflects a more personal and reflective side of his writing. Scored for natural horn, violin, and piano, it is unusual in both instrumentation and texture, with the horn treated as an integrated chamber voice rather than a conventional solo instrument.
Brahms had a strong admiration for the horn’s natural resonance and its connection to the outdoors, especially the sound world of hunting calls. He wrote the part specifically with the natural horn in mind, favoring its open harmonics and color over the more standardized sound of the valve horn that was becoming common at the time. The opening movement, Andante, presents long-breathed melodic writing shared across all three instruments. The Scherzo is driven by vigorous rhythmic figures with a folk-like character. The slow movement, Adagio mesto, is more inward and song-like, while the finale, Allegro con brio, returns to the spirit of the horn’s natural calling figures, bringing the work to a direct and energetic close.