Poulenc and Liebermann 

This Concert is sponsored by Ariel Premium Supply, Inc.

February 15
​4:30 PM

Free Admission 

Central Presbyterian Church
7700 Davis Dr, Clayton, MO 63105

Free parking in the church parking lot
PROGRAM

​Lowell Liebermann: Trio for Flute, Alto Saxophone, and Piano, Op. 137
Lowell Liebermann: Sonata for Flute and Piano, Op. 23
Francis Poulenc: Oboe Sonata played on saxophone
Francis Poulenc: Trio for Oboe, Bassoon and Piano, FP 43

FEATURED ARTISTS

Matthew Mazzoni, Piano
Jennnifer Mazzoni, Flute
Nathan Nabb, Saxophone
Andrew Gott, Bassoon
Phillip Ross, Oboe
Program notes by Ann Fink
Lowell Liebermann: Trio for Flute, Alto Saxophone, and Piano, Op. 137
Lowell Liebermann is a living, award-winning American composer. He was born in New York, New York in 1961, and currently lives in Weehawken, New Jersey. Liebermann was drawn to music from a young age. He began taking piano lessons when he was 8 and started composing soon after. Liebermann graduated from the Juilliard School with a BM, MM, and DMA. Although he is an accomplished pianist and trained as a conductor, he spends the majority of his career immersed in composition. Liebermann has written over 150 works representing all genres of classical music and combinations of instruments. It is difficult to classify his compositions, and an effort to do so may be unappreciated by the composer. Liebermann currently teaches at the Mannes School of Music where he has been faculty of the composition department since 2012.

Trio for Flute, Alto Saxophone, and Piano was commissioned in 2022 for the Yargo Trio by Louis and Susan Meisel. The Yargo Trio premiered the piece in Ramsey Concert Hall at the University of Georgia’s Performing Arts Center. 

Lowell Liebermann: Sonata for Flute and Piano, Op. 23
Liebermann was commissioned by the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC to compose the Sonata for Flute and Piano. He dedicated the piece to flautist Paula Robison who premiered the work at Spoleto alongside pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, in May of 1988. The sonata is not only one of Liebermann’s most famous works, but it is one of the most performed works of American flute repertoire.

Francis Poulenc: Oboe Sonata played on saxophone
Francis Poulenc was a French composer and pianist who lived from 1899 until 1963. His mother was a talented pianist and began giving Poulenc piano lessons at the age of five. However, his father was a manufacturer of pharmaceuticals and it was assumed that his son would follow in his footsteps. Although Poulenc had a great love of music and developed into an accomplished pianist, his father did not allow him to attend a music conservatory. When the time came for Poulenc to attend a university, he was sent to an academic college, Lycée Condorcet.

In spite of the rigorous curriculum at Lycée Condorcet, Poulenc managed to further his piano studies and because of friendships with composers Eric Satie and Georges Auric he also continued to compose. In 1917, Poulenc had his debut as a composer with his piece Rapsodie nègre, written for baritone and chamber group. Stravinsky was in attendance at the premiere and was so impressed by the piece that he connected Poulenc with a publisher. This was a key moment in launching Poulenc’s career as a successful composer.

Francis Poulenc: Trio for Oboe, Bassoon and Piano, FP 43
From 1918 until 1921 Poulenc served in the French army during World War 1. During these years Poulenc kept composing, but there was never a guarantee that instruments or musicians would be available to perform his pieces. He grew accustomed to composing for whatever and whoever was available. He didn’t finish composing the Trio for Oboe, Bassoon, and Piano until 1926, but it was perhaps because of his earlier experience composing for unique instrumentation that gave him inspiration to compose for such an unusual group. Poulenc spent two years working on the piece and spent the last months in isolation in order to finish the work. The premiere of the trio which took place in Paris, was well received. Poulenc performed the piano part himself.
The Oboe Sonata, composed in 1962, was Poulenc’s last work. Poulenc dedicated the work to Sergei Prokofiev.