The Friday Morning Music Club Foundation, Inc. Presents

Dominic Doutney, piano

The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Terrace Theater

Runtime

100 Minutes (Including a 10-Minute Intermission)
Price

FREE with Reservation
Ticket Limit

4
View Details

Patrons are requested to silence cell phones and other electronic devices during performances.

The taking of photographs and the use of recording equipment are not allowed in this venue.

This performance is an external rental presented in coordination with the Kennedy Center Campus Rentals Office and is not produced by the Kennedy Center.

Program

4 Klavierstücke, Op.119Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Intermezzo in B minor: Adagio
Intermezzo in E minor: Andantino un poco agitato
Intermezzo in C major: Grazioso e giocoso
Rhapsodie in E flat major: Allegro risoluto

Concert Etude No. 1 (Il Lamento)Franz Liszt (1811-1886)

Sposalizio, from Années de pèlerinage, deuxième année: ItalieFranz Liszt (1811-1886)

Transcendental Etude No. 12 (Chasse-neige)Franz Liszt (1811-1886)

13 Preludes, Op. 32 Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)

No. 1: Allegro vivace
No. 2: Allegretto
No. 3: Allegro vivace
No. 4: Allegro con brio
No. 5: Moderato
No. 6: Allegro appassionato
No. 7: Moderato
No. 8: Vivo
No. 9: Allegro moderato
No. 10: Lento
No. 11: Allegretto
No. 12: Allegro
No. 13: Grave

This concert is presented with the generous underwriting of the Alice and Arthur Nagle Fund.

Meet the Artist

Program Notes

By Dominic Doutney

**Brahms: 4 Klavierstücke, Op. 119**

The 4 Klavierstücke, Op. 119, are Brahms’s swansong for the piano, an instrument that played a pivotal role in his compositional output, from the publication of his very first piece, the Piano Sonata in C major, some sixty years earlier. As with many of his late piano works (in Opp. 116, 117 and 118), all but the final piece have the enigmatic title of Intermezzo, as if to suggest that these pieces are transitory, or fleeting. Or perhaps the decision to give such unremarkable titles to the works is indicative of Brahms’s general unsentimental approach. Regardless, these works represent Brahms at his artistic zenith; the product of a late surge of creativity, they are among some of the most beloved works in his entire oeuvre.

The first piece in the set, B minor, contains one of the starkest and harmonically striking openings in all of Brahms’ repertoire: a single F-sharp, followed by droplets of falling thirds that form complex harmonies, which he gradually pieces together as the work unfolds. In a letter to his lifelong friend Clara Schumann, Brahms wrote, “Every bar and every note must sound like a ritard[ando], as if one wanted to suck melancholy out of each and every one, lustily and with pleasure out of these very dissonances! Good Lord, this description will [surely] awaken your desire!” By contrast, the second thematic idea seems to depict a certain optimism, with Brahms’s characteristic rhythmic gameplay. It is as if in the recollection of a bitter experience a fonder memory comes to mind, recalling happier times.

Though the opening of the second intermezzo remains stern in tone, there is more of a sense of urgent energy, which builds throughout the first section, culminating in a lavish climax. What follows is a middle section of intense beauty, with a graceful simplicity reminiscent of his famous lullaby.

The third intermezzo is the most capricious of the set. Jumping from one remote key to another and hopping through different registers, this is a firework of color and virtuosity, brief though unforgettable.

The final work, Rhapsodie, is bold and heroic in tone, capturing the same kind of energy and contrasts as we see in the Op. 79 Rhapsodies. It has an irresistible sense of rhythm, with a somewhat simple, rustic main theme. There are moments of capriciousness throughout, but the piece ends in a curiously stormy mood, in E-flat minor (having started in E-flat major). The character of the music feels like a fist shaking in defiance.

**Liszt: Concert Etude No. 1 (Il Lamento)**

While the third of the Three Concert Etudes, S. 144, Un Sospiro, is by far the most popular, the first, Il Lamento, is undeservedly neglected. It is the archetypal Romantic piano work, portraying extremes of emotion expressed through highly varied textures and moods. The titular lament is expressed through a sad whimper in the melody’s first statement; a sudden glimmer of hope, as the tension in the music builds; an ecstatic outburst, in the work’s numerous climaxes; and something of a beleaguered acceptance, in the work’s closure.

Liszt: Sposalizio, from Années de Pèlerinage: Italie

Sposalizio (‘Marriage’), the first work in Liszt’s Années de pèlerinage: Italie, takes its inspiration from Raphael’s The Marriage of the Virgin. The bell-like motif at the start sets the scene for a work of magisterial beauty. For the most part, the work has a dreamlike, intangible quality, with unexpected harmonic shifts and almost entirely quiet dynamics. Eventually, the piece gathers momentum and the various thematic components throughout combine to create an intensely passionate climax, with cascading octaves and spine-tingling modulations. Ultimately, Liszt’s musical message in this work is a depiction of solemnity and joy.

**Liszt: Transcendental Etude No. 12 (“Chasse-neige”)**

Liszt decided to end his extraordinary set of Transcendental Etudes not with the fireworks of Wilde Jagd or Mazeppa, but with something deeply lyrical and moving. Though the work is ostensibly about a snowstorm, there’s a particular sadness to it that, in combination with its placement at the end of the etude cycle, feels like a sad farewell. Though the piece reaches a tumultuous climax, ultimately, we end as we began: “Not with a bang but a whimper.”

Rachmaninoff: 13 Preludes, Op. 32

The Op. 32 Preludes mark the completion of a project first begun by Rachmaninoff some 28 years previously, with the composition of one of his most well-known pieces, the C-sharp minor Prelude. Having subsequently written ten more preludes in 1903 ( 10 Preludes, Op. 23), Rachmaninoff composed the final 13 preludes in 1910 to complete his mission of writing 24 preludes in different keys, à la Bach and Chopin. The Op. 32 set contains some of Rachmaninoff’s most creative, intellectual, and characterful writing for the piano.

We begin with an explosion of color and harmonic ingenuity, with the C major Prelude. Right from the outset, Rachmaninoff signals a shift from the relative diatonic feel of the Op. 23 set to a chromatically bolder and more complex sound-world. No. 2 is defined by a siciliano rhythm (long, short-short), the first instance of Rachmaninoff utilizing Baroque dance forms. Like others in the set, this work feels somewhat archaic in tone, seeming to depict a bygone era – perhaps even the rhythmically taut final section depicting medieval knights on horseback. The third prelude, much like the E-flat major Etude-Tableau, to me seems to depict the hustle and bustle of a Shrovetide fair. It begins curiously like a Bach invention, before opening out to a lush build-up, which culminates in a climax that mirrors the optimistic, full-throated sound-world of his B-flat Prelude from Op. 23. The fourth prelude is one of the more elusive of the set. The piece is defined by extreme changes of mood and texture, from the unusual, dark chordal opening, through the nostalgic, slow middle section, to the brutally virtuosic climax. Prelude No. 5 in G major is simply one of the most beautiful of all Rachmaninoff’s works. A light, whirling left hand figure accompanies a delicate, yearning melody in the right hand. To me, this has the feeling of a lullaby, with the left-hand figuration depicting a mobile spinning above a baby’s crib. I can’t help but imagine Rachmaninoff, the doting father, watching his child sleeping, feeling the pinch of sadness but ultimate acceptance of the transience of the moment. The next prelude, No. 6, is the polar opposite, a thrilling pursuit with cascading triplets and mesmerizing harmonic shifts. After the tempest of this prelude, No. 7 is like the eerie calm after a storm. A lyrical melody in the treble is accompanied by gentle repeated chords in the middle of the texture, the result being a work of grace and simplicity. The calm is short-lived, No. 8 is as tempestuous as No. 6, beginning with Bach-like textures as in No. 3. No. 9 has the delicate lilt of a barcarolle, beginning gracefully, before developing into some of the most Romantic moments in the entire set. No. 10, apparently Rachmaninoff’s personal favorite, was inspired by Arnold Böcklin’s The Homecoming. This is Rachmaninoff at his most brooding, hopeless, despairing. After this prelude, what follows this is a work of beautiful ease and lightness. No. 11, like No. 2, is defined by its use of the siciliano rhythm, which gives it that same antiquated feel. Perhaps Rachmaninoff was picturing his beloved estate, Ivanovka (where he composed the set) as it would have been some few hundred years earlier, with people dancing to simple harmonies in simpler times. No. 12, one of the most famous of the set, is deeply nostalgic, its opening right-hand gesture like the icy breeze in a desolate Siberian tundra. The yearning quality of the melody at the opening gradually becomes more and more desperate throughout the piece, exploding at the work’s climax, as if the tension has simply become too overwhelming. The final prelude is a deeply complex, enigmatic, yet life-affirming piece. Beginning with a chorale-like texture, we then move to something much starker and distant, before the work starts to build momentum towards its climax. This piece is littered with references to the work that started it all, the famous C-sharp minor Prelude, Op. 3 No. 2. Rachmaninoff truly pushes the piano to the limits in the finale of this prelude, creating enormous sonorities like an organ in a grand cathedral. It is a fitting end to one of the most remarkable sets of piano works in the entire literature.

Board of Trustees

Friday Morning Music Club Foundation, Inc.

The Foundation was founded in 1948 to sponsor the annual Washington International Competition for young performing artists not yet under management. The FMMC Foundation hosts The Johansen International Competition for Young String Players (Ages 13-17), established in 1997.

Officers

Director - - - Grace McFarlane

Strings Competition Chair - - - Daryl Yoder

Strings Assistant Competition Chair - - - Yuri Chayama

Composition Competition Chair - - - Mark Simon

Johansen International Competition Chair - - - Michael Casassa

Treasurer - - - Charlotte Saslowsky

Secretary - - - Rachel Hixson

FMMC President (ex officio) - - - Albert Hunt

Trustees

Carol Bartholomew

Frank B. Conlon

John Sutherland Earle

Simon Finlow

Lois Smith Jones

Katie Katinas

Eunju Kwak

Leslie Luxemburg

Valerie Matthews

Karen Primack

Chen-Li Tzeng

Ben Wallis

Co-Administrative Directors for the Johansen International Competition

Harriet Kaplan & Danielle Stoebe

The Friday Morning Music Club Foundation

The Friday Morning Music Club Foundation

The Friday Morning Music Club Foundation, Inc., a subsidiary of the Friday Morning Music Club, sponsors both the Washington International Competition (WIC) for artists ages 18-32, held annually in a three-year rotation for piano, strings and voice, and the Johansen International Competition for Young String Players (JIC) for young artists ,ages 13-17. Originally known as the National Auditions, the WIC was founded in 1948 through a generous bequest of Ms. Gretchen Hood, with professional guidance from Patrick Hayes. The goal was to help promising young musicians in launching their professional careers. The name Washington International Competition was officially adopted in 1970.

An additional WIC competition was added in 1976, and held concurrently with the WIC strings, for the composition of a chamber work for strings alone or with piano. The JIC, established in 1997 and occurring every 3 years since, is made possible through the generosity of a charitable trust established by the late Anna Storch Johansen.

Both competitions are judged by experts of international status and attract outstanding young musicians from around the world. Prizes include substantial cash awards, complimentary FMMC membership, and performance opportunities in the Washington DC area. Competitions are open to the public and provide a rare opportunity to hear exceptional artists in a variety of works.

Past winners have become active professional musicians and dedicated music educators. Notable winners have included Jessye Norman, Ben Holt, Solomon Howard, Adela Peña, Jane Coop, Robert McDonald, Jeffrey Siegel, Ralph Kirshbaum, Ory Shihor, Marcy Rosen, Roberto Diaz, Daniel Foster, David Requiro and Matthew Lipman.

The Foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees composed of and elected by members of the FMMC and is subject to oversight by the FMMC’s Board of Governors with respect to financial practices, budget, and governance. It depends on volunteers to perform the many tasks associated with running the competitions, and in addition, relies on special gifts and bequests to its endowment fund to support its performance awards and administrative costs.

The Friday Morning Music Club

The Friday Morning Music Club has promoted classical music in the Washington area since 1886. FMMC was founded by 15 women who performed on Friday mornings in each others’ homes, as they were disappointed by the lack of performance opportunities for women with their skill level in DC at that time. As time went on, membership was opened to men, performances opened to “friends,” and FMMC began to achieve recognition for its professional quality. In the 1930s FMMC had an important role in founding the National Symphony Orchestra and in the 1960s contributed to the development of the Washington Performing Arts Society (now Washington Performing Arts). In 1974, FMMC began offering weekly concerts to the public, becoming the major presenter that we are today. We strive every day to embrace our history and step into the future. Today, we continue to work to make live classical music available free to all, bringing communities together to share the love of music!

We ordinarily produce around 90 free concerts each year, all performed as a public service. We foster the development of local talent through competitions for area students and recitals by student members. We reach out to seniors with our Outreach Program, and sponsor many at-home music groups. Club membership is open to all music lovers and musicians. We offer all members opportunities to collaborate with other members in informal music-making and to participate in operating our many programs. Auditioned members perform in our public solo and chamber programs at venues throughout the DC area and play in our Avanti Orchestra or sing in the Arioso Chorale. Our Composers Group members have their compositions played at our public performances. All members are encouraged to participate in our Outreach Program and to assist in running the student instrumental, vocal, and composition competitions we sponsor each year. Members also help conduct the FMMC Foundation’s international competitions.

The 2024 Washington International Competition for Piano

In its 75 ^thyear, the competition was open to pianists 18 to 30 years old, who are not under professional management. A panel of respected preliminary round judges listened to the submitted video recordings of applicants and selected 16 semifinalists, who performed their repertoire at George Washington University on Saturday, May 25 ^thin the semifinal round. A panel of three distinguished judges selected 6 finalists who competed on Sunday, May 26 ^thin the Terrace Theater of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

The 2024 Jury

Semifinal and Final Rounds

Olga Kern

Wael Farouk

John O’Conor

Preliminary Round

Frank Conlon

Vyacheslav Gryaznov

Elissa Miller-Kay

Anna Ouspenskaya

Ryo Yanagitani

In Honor of GEORGE MANOS

The FMMC and FMMC Foundation are beneficiaries of the legacy of the late George Manos, one of Washington’s leading musicians, who died in 2013. He was an honorary member of FMMC and for many years served the club as Director of the FMMC choral ensemble, as pianist for benefit recitals, and as official pianist for the National Vocal Awards Competition (which later became the Washington International Competition for Voice). The memory of his dedication and musical collaboration in FMMC will now be perpetuated through performance awards for both the Club and Foundation.

George Manos graduated from the Peabody Conservatory and Juilliard School of Music. His early musical career included a tour of duty in the Marine Band as Concert Pianist. Sgt. Manos was dubbed “The White House Pianist” by President Harry Truman. Following his military years, Mr. Manos served as Music Director of Washington’s National Gallery of Art and Conductor of the Gallery Concert Orchestra for eighteen years, presiding over 600 Sunday evening concerts and recitals. He was founder and conductor of the Washington Oratorio Society and official pianist for the National Symphony Orchestra under Howard Mitchell. His international career included conducting appearances in Mexico, Brazil and Scandinavia and he was founder/director of the Killarney Bach Festival in Ireland for ten years. His academic career included serving as Director of the Wilmington School of Music, as well as Associate Professor at The Catholic University of America.

The First Prize in the 2024 Washington International Competition for Piano was named in his honor.

Awards

Performance Awards

Solo with the FMMC Avanti Orchestra

Solo recital in the Terrace Theater of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC (Alice Nagle Fund)

Cash Awards

First Prize - $10,000 – Dominic Doutney

The George Manos Memorial Award

Second Prize - $5,000 – Yu Lei

The N. Meyer and Sarah Sugar Baker Memorial Award

Third Prize - $3,000 – Derek Hartman

The Ann Schein and the George L. Shields Foundation Third Prize Award

Three Finalist Prizes (each) - $1,000 – Youjin Kim, Jonathan Mak & Seth Schultheis

The Louis A. Potter Memorial Award

Audience Prize - $1,000 – Dominic Doutney

The Viola Musher and Amelia Stieglitz Wishner Award

Prize for the Youngest Finalist - $1,000 – Yu Lei

The Dorothy Cross Bourgin Award

FMMC Foundation Donors

The FMMC Foundation is deeply grateful to all of our generous musical enthusiasts who share our vision and have provided support for our programs. Other funds and generous donors include the Adele Hargreaves Woolsey Fund, the Anne Yano McGuffey Fund, the Phyllis Gieseler Young Fund, Norman and Joan Sugarman, Albert and Betryce Prosterman, Edward Earle Ferguson, Josephine Bever Estate, Mildred Henninger Fund, Bill Weaver, Jan and Nick Timbers, Judith Shapiro, Genevieve Mason, Mary Price, and Lois Smith Jones.

The following patrons have contributed to the Foundation in the 2023-2024 season:

Jerome Barry

Judith Block

Grace McFarlane Bottelier

Michael Casassa

Li-Ly Chang

Yuri Chayama

Jay H. Chung

K. J. Kown Chung

Simon Finlow

Immanuela Gruenberg

Yaun Dahm Han

Brooke Higdon

Lois J. Jones

Harriet Kaplan

Suellen and Bruce Keiner

Anjali Kumar

Valerie Matthews

David Mead

Ann Myongsook Le

Leslie Luxemburg

Robert Park

Young Ho Park

Young Whan Park and Sun Kyung Park

Revocable Trust

Janice Faye Rosen

Jeanne Rosenthal

William Ross

Charlotte Saslowsky

Judith Shapiro

James Smith

Alex Tang

Kathryn Tessin

Deborah Thurlow

Mary Kathryn Traver

Chenli Tzeng

Cheryl Weisberg

Barbara B. Wing

Hans Wyss

The next WIC for Strings and Composition will take place in 2025, Voice in 2026 and Piano in 2027. For more information, visit fmmcfoundation.org.

Staff

Staff for the Terrace Theater

Theater Manager Xiomara Mercado*

Head Usher Randy Howes

Production Manager Kate Roberts

Master Technicians Richard Haase and Susan Kelleher

Box Office Treasurer Ron Payne

*Represented by ATPAM, the Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers.

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The box office at the Kennedy Center is represented by I.A.T.S.E, Local #868.

Steinway Piano Gallery is the exclusive area representative of Steinway & Sons and Boston pianos, the official pianos of the Kennedy Center.

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The technicians at the Kennedy Center are represented by Local #22, Local #772, and Local #798 I.A.T.S.E., AFL-CIO-CLC, the professional union of theatrical technicians.

The Friday Morning Music Club Foundation, Inc. Presents Dominic Doutney, piano

The Friday Morning Music Club Foundation, Inc. Presents Dominic Doutney, piano

Sat. Nov. 2, 2024 2p.m.

Program

Meet the Artist

Program Notes

Brahms: 4 Klavierstücke, Op. 119

Liszt: Concert Etude No. 1 (Il Lamento)

Liszt: Sposalizio, from Années de Pèlerinage: Italie

Liszt: Transcendental Etude No. 12 (“Chasse-neige”)

Rachmaninoff: 13 Preludes, Op. 32

Board of Trustees

Friday Morning Music Club Foundation, Inc.

Officers

Trustees

Co-Administrative Directors for the Johansen International Competition

The Friday Morning Music Club Foundation

The Friday Morning Music Club

The 2024 Washington International Competition for Piano

The 2024 Jury

Semifinal and Final Rounds

Preliminary Round

In Honor of GEORGE MANOS

Awards

Performance Awards

Cash Awards

FMMC Foundation Donors

Staff

Staff for the Terrace Theater

The Friday Morning Music Club Foundation, Inc. Presents

Dominic Doutney, piano

The Friday Morning Music Club Foundation, Inc. Presents

Dominic Doutney, piano

**Brahms: 4 Klavierstücke, Op. 119**

**Liszt: Concert Etude No. 1 (Il Lamento)**

**Liszt: Transcendental Etude No. 12 (“Chasse-neige”)**