Andrés Díaz, world famous cello soloist and faculty member of the Meadows School of the Arts, will perform a recital Monday Nov. 8 with works for cello that range considerably in style, time period and culture.
Díaz has included compositions that bring out the strengths and artistic character of the talented faculty members from SMU.
Two of the works that Díaz will play were composed by current Meadows faculty. One of them is Dean Bowen’s Etude in Eternal Twilight for piano and cello. Bowen, who will play his own piano part with Díaz, says the piece was influenced by Shostakovich and is both melodic and atonal. He wrote the piece while he was a senior in college.
In addition to Dean Bowen’s “Etude,” Díaz will perform Meadows faculty member Xi Wang’s virtuosic and emotionally driven “Rhapsody” for solo cello. Dr. Xi says Díaz loves the challenges “Rhapsody” poses to the performer in terms of technique and strength of playing. Díaz also plans to perform “Rhapsody” while on tour in Europe.
Chris Anderson, associate professor of sacred music at SMU, will perform with Díaz in an unusual work for organ and cello, In Croce, written by Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina. Díaz says Gubaidulina is a deeply religious composer and the title In Croce refers to the importance placed by Christianity on the symbol of the cross.
Lucille Chung and Alessio Bax, both internationally renowned concert pianists and members of the piano faculty at SMU, will also lend their musical performance abilities to Díaz’s recital. Díaz and Chung will perform Kevin Putz’s Air for piano and cello. Bax also will join Díaz in playing Johannes Brahms’ timeless “Sonata No. 1” in E minor for cello and piano, Op. 38. Dr. Carol Leone, associate professor and head of piano, will perform with Díaz on Claude Debussy’s cello sonata.
Venturing outside of the Music Division, Díaz will collaborate with Stan Wojewodski, Jr., chair of the division of theatre, on “Of Fables, Foibles and Fancies” by Grant Beglarian. The work is divided into four short movements, with Wojewodski narrating a different story for each movement with cello accompaniment.
Tickets to the Faculty Artist Series concert are $13 for adults, $10 for seniors, and $7 for students, faculty and staff. For tickets or more information, call the Meadows box office at 214.768.2787.
