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It was a quiet Sunday afternoon, as the audience patiently waited in Old Cabell Hall for the second of the Department of Music\u2019s Chamber Music Series. These concerts highlight faculty and guest musicians playing a wide variety of instruments. This edition<\/a> starred Dr. Jiyeon Choi, the senior clarinet lecturer at the University and the principal clarinetist at the Charlottesville Symphony.<\/p>\n Spanning five pieces and a little over an hour, and also including accompanying performances on piano and violin, Choi\u2019s concert drew from a diverse range of genres and time periods, including both classical and contemporary works. This was intentional on Choi\u2019s part, as she wanted to widen the audience\u2019s perspective on music.<\/p>\n \u201cI just want everyone to be open-minded \u2026 to new music,\u201d Choi said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The first piece, \u201cAriaria\u201d by Korean composer Jiyoun Chung, was released just two years ago. The work is divided into three distinct movements, each utilizing the clarinet to mimic a traditional Korean instrument or musical technique. This included \u201cPansori,\u201d a style of singing, the \u201cHaegeum,\u201d a stringed instrument, and the \u201cDaegeum,\u201d a bamboo flute. With a melancholic tone throughout, Chung created this piece as a way to grieve for victims of anti-Asian violence.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAriaria\u201d allowed Choi to showcase styles of playing not often seen in music for the clarinet. Fourth-year College student Henry Allen was impressed by the way she was able to mimic instruments from non-Western musical styles.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s always unique when someone\u2019s able to bring a non-Western timbre into a Western instrument,\u201d Allen said. \u201cYou can definitely hear bits and pieces from other instruments \u2014 it wasn\u2019t just a clarinet on that stage.\u201d<\/p>\n Choi continued in the realm of contemporary music with \u201cSpirit\u201d by Shulamit Ran. Written in 2018, the piece honors Ran\u2019s late friend and clarinetist Laura Flax, who had passed the year prior. The work is melodically loose and utilizes the full range of the clarinet. \u201cSpirit\u201d allowed Choi to display her masterful control of the clarinet, showcasing her acrobatic agility and powerful sound.<\/p>\n Her next three pieces marked a departure from the contemporary style and mournful tone of the previous two. The third piece, \u201cLittle Suite of Four Dances\u201d by William Bolcom, was written in 1984 as a tribute to the father of the composer\u2019s close friend Conrad Josias. \u201cLittle Suite of Four Dances\u201d is a much more playful tune, drawing from classic American styles such as ragtime<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Notably, this was also the only piece in which she played on the Eb clarinet, which is smaller and higher-pitched than the usual Bb clarinet. The instrument is less often seen and is considered harder to play. Fourth-year College student Tillie Reagler, who also takes lessons with Dr. Choi, spoke on watching her play.<\/p>\n \u201cI was really excited to see her play the E flat clarinet,\u201d Reagler said. \u201dWatching what you can do with a smaller version of the clarinet was kinda crazy and cool.\u201d<\/p>\n After a brief intermission, Dr. Choi returned with \u201cDrei Romanzen, Op. 94\u201d by Robert Schumann, the most overtly classical piece in the program. Written as a Christmas gift for Schumann\u2019s wife, Clara, Dr. Choi perfectly expressed the emotional passion and romance of the piece. Reagler spoke about Dr. Choi\u2019s connection to Schumann\u2019s works.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cShe really likes Schumann, I think she studied him at some point in her career,\u201d Reagler said. \u201cShe talks a lot about the tonality and dynamics he incorporates into his works \u2026 so watching her do what she\u2019s taught me to do was super interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n For her last piece, \u201cSuite for Violin, Clarinet, and Piano, Op. 157b\u201d by Darius Milhaud, Dr. Choi invited Shelby Sender on piano and Daniel Sender on violin, both faculty at the University.<\/p>\n The music is adapted from the play \u201cLe Voyageur sans bagage\u201d by Jean Anouilh, which is about a World War I veteran who must reckon with his lost memories. Much like the overall program, the piece was varied in its musical styles, flipping between somber passages and lively dances. First-year College student Parker Walls noted how the three musicians played in perfect synchronicity.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI really liked how they incorporated three instruments and \u2026\u00a0 how the melodies played off of each other,\u201d Walls said. \u201cI really liked how the piano and clarinet harmonized, it was almost difficult to differentiate between two tones of the instruments, and it made it sound like one.\u201d<\/p>\n Overall, Dr. Choi\u2019s chamber concert presented a rich tapestry of global music, illustrating the unique possibilities that the clarinet has to offer. She also gave space for people to think about those close to them, both living and dead, through her thoughtful selection and rich playing. With her concert, she demonstrated a unique ear for music that others might not be aware of, which Allen mentioned.<\/p>\n \u201cShe always delivers when it comes to broadening your musical horizons,\u201d Allen said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n