Prelude, Dream, and Fugue

Viola & Piano

Wang Jie

About

Sometimes my mind wonders about the viola. It’s like thinking about the Mets: they will never be the Yankees (Thank god! Violinists look away now). As the season inches towards the playoffs, the Mets get more and more creative towards a losing streak. How can you not love them? Although I will never manage a baseball team, I believe the two thoughts are related: what makes the Mets the Mets? In other words, what kind of music makes viola a viola? I could be wrong, but I can’t imagine a manager for the Mets never played baseball. I, on the other hand, have never touched a viola. If you twist my arm, I will find notes on them. But my ideas of what it’s like to play the viola boils down to best guesses. Just think of a Mets hitter waiting for a pitch from a major league arm. Best hitters in baseball guess correctly up to 40% of the time. Those are the best of the best athletes.

Somehow, the difficulty of this mental exercise led me to discover: since age 4, I have been mentored by composers who were all pianists. What are the chances? And that’s who I am. While pursuing my composition studies, I was also trained as a concert pianist. One would think: oh, in that case, the piano part would be a piece of cake. Not so fast. The task in hand was creating a space for both viola and piano, specifically, a musical space where both of them can feel most free to achieve their best, not just individually, but together. Team work. The Mets pitcher is only as effective as his catcher. And visa versa.

At this point, I can’t stop this Mets metaphor from flushing out all the way. Audiences of my viola sonata, would you be the fielders? Keep your eyes and ears on the ball at all times? It’s true, on a good day, only 40% of the time the wood and the ball make contact. Maybe even less in this piece. But when I do, when my bat sends the pitch towards you, will you be there to catch the ball?

Performance

Wang Jie Prelude, Dream, and Fugue
I. Prelude
II. Dream
III. Fugue
  Duration
11:00
  Commissioning Year
2017
  Premiere
November 9, 2018
Field Concert Hall, Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia, PA
  Recording
November 9, 2018
Field Concert Hall, Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia, PA

Artists

  • Wang Jie Composition

    She defies presumptions of appearance. She wears her heart on the sleeve. Many consider Wang Jie’s musical versatility is a rare trait among today’s composers. Unveiling poetry in the human condition, re-bearing the beauty of classical music, and paving new paths for lasting public engagement are at the heart of her artistry.

  • Erika Gray Viola
  • Janice Carissa Piano

    A Gilmore Young Artist and winner of Salon de Virtuosi, Janice Carissa has “the multicolored highlights of a mature pianist“ (Philly Inquirer) and “strong, sure hands” (Voice of America) that “conveys a vivid story rather than a mere showpiece.” (Chicago Classical Review) She has garnered great acclaims at renowned concert halls, including the Sydney Opera House, Carnegie Hall, United Nations, Kennedy Center, Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, Louis Vuitton Foundation, Saratoga Performing Arts Center.

    Following her Philadelphia Orchestra debut at age sixteen, Janice has substituted Andre Watts as soloist with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and gone on to perform with the Kansas City, Amarillo, Des Moines, John Hopkins, St. Peters by the Sea, Symphony in C, Eastern Wind, Bay Atlantic and Midwest Young Artist symphonies. In 2023, she will be a featured soloist with Sacramento Philharmonic, Promusica Chamber Orchestra, Curtis Symphony Orchestra, and the Tacoma and Battlecreek symphonies.

    Janice’s passion for chamber music has lead her to performances with Brooklyn Chamber Music Society and Jupiter Chamber Concert Series; collaborations with Vadim Gluzman, Miriam Fried, Paul Neuebauer, Lucy Shelton, Marcy Rosen, David Shifrin, Jennifer Cano, Peter Wiley, among other distinguished musicians; and appearances at Marlboro, North Shore, Ravinia, Caramoor, and Kneisel Hall festivals.

    A pupil of Gary Graffman and Robert McDonald, Janice left Indonesia in 2013 and entered the Curtis Institute of Music with full scholarship from Gerry and Marguerite Lenfest. Now graduated with Bachelor’s Degree, she is presently pursuing her Master’s Degree at The Juilliard School with Robert McDonald. When away from the piano, Janice is an avid foodie and loves going on strolls with her camera.

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