Music Performance
Composed by Clifton Callender
Program notes
The title comes from Kandinsky’s text Point and Line to Plane, which analyzes non-representational visual art in terms of these fundamental geometric objects. In the same way that a painting by Kandinsky (such as the diagram below, taken from his text) arises through the combination of these visual elements, this solo piano piece is based on the extension and progressive interaction of very generic musical elements: trills, chords, and arpeggios that are clearly presented at the opening. Of course, color is also an important element in Kandinsky’s work, expressed here by large harmonies loosely based on the upper partials of the harmonic series. Point and Line to Plane was premiered by Hui-Ting Yang.
Performance by Hui-Ting Yang
Originally from Taiwan, Hui-Ting Yang has received degrees from Florida State University, Ohio University, and Taipei Municipal Teacher’s College. She is interested in developing and exploring new repertoire, especially contemporary music. She gave the world premiere of Clifton Callender’s Point and Line to Plane for piano solo, which was composed for her, in the Festival of New Music at the Florida State University, and has also performed this work at the national conferences of the College Music Society and Society of Composers, Inc. Her performance of Ladislav Kubík’s Portrait at the 2007 “The Days of Contemporary Music” festival in Prague was broadcast on Czech Radio, and a recording of the performance will be released by Arco Diva in 2009. With Emily Hanna Crane, she has recorded Ju-hwan Yu’s Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1 and will premiere a new piece by Clifton Callender, commissioned by the Florida State Music Teachers Association, this summer. Dr. Yang has also presented numerous lecture recitals on the Taiwanese art songs of Hsiao Tyzen. Hui-Ting Yang is a Lecturer of Music at Troy University.