J.S.Bach (1685-1750)
Partita nNo. 1 in B Flat Major, BWV 825 (1726)
Bach here uses his preferred instrumental format – The Suite (or Partita, in this case) – Which
comprises of several sections, or Dances:
1. Praeludium
2. Allemande
3. Corrente
4. Sarabande
5. Menuet I
6. Menuet II
7. Gigue

The Pianoforte (Just called the piano today) was introduced at the time of Beethoven (Late 1700s), after Bach’s death in 1750. The Partitas were originally intended for Organ, Harpsichord or Clavichord (Earlier keyboard instruments). Scholars often speculate on what Bach’s response might have been to the piano’s advanced capabilities in colour, touch, and articulation that were afforded to Beethoven, yet we find today’s pianist, Nicholas Ho completely at ease performing Bach on the piano.

Remarkably and especially on the piano, Bach’s music can appear deeply romantic. Personal
emotions (In Music) were not en vogue during Bach’s time. In the Baroque Period, emotional content was normally directed towards God. The composer was a medium via which God spoke and as such, several compositional rules applied. Bach was deeply religious, however his music appears to show a human aspect that went beyond the surrender to the divine. It would take almost a hundred years to reach Schubert’s Wanderer Fantasy (1822) – a similarly sized early Romantic Period composition – Where emotional freedom was now
solely the composers’ prerogative. (Schubert was agnostic).

The Partita No.1 belongs to the last known set written by the composer. Bach’s compositional genius, Which is so effortlessly demonstrated in the Partita No. 1 shows complete mastery in handling the rigid baroque form whilst employing harmonic and melodic elegance that are both functional to the Baroque rule book and aesthetically fresh 300 years on.

Elliot Carter (1908-2012)
Piano Sonata (1945-46)
The earliest of only eight piano works composed by Carter the Piano Sonata (1945-46) was written just after World War II. It was an early composition but attributed to his “mature style” with strong links to composers Aaron Coopland and Igor Stravinsky.

Stravinasky’s Rite of Spring warped the fabric of music forever in 1913 and like so many before and after, Carter was not spared its influence. Stravinsky left an indelible mark on Carter’s compositional style and this work with its accented and fugal strategy throughout is a brilliant example.

Carter drew inspiration also from Charles Ives, Alban Berg, Schoenberg, and George Gershwin. During what became one of the longest careers in musical history, Carter wrote in various styles and formats until his death at 103 years of age.

Carter developed clever and amusing compositions. In his Third String Quartet, the four players are split into two duos who play different music at different speeds simultaneously. In the Concerto for Orchestra Carter splits the ensemble into four each associated with a different harmony and a different kind of motion.

Nicholas Ho (b. 1992)
Inner States of Mind, op. 3
i. What If?
ii. Rainbows
iii. Étude: Mirror Image
iv. Benediction
v. Vantage Point

“This suite describes own spiritual and emotional journeys since moving to the Midwest. Each shortnpiece is part of my own narrative: In the first piece, I ask myself many deep questions. In the second piece, I question the validity of joy. The third piece an etude adapted from an earlier opus, represents chaos. The penultimate piece is areinterpretation of the hymn as I seek for divine guidance. The final piece describes a vantage point set in the future as I see and finally understand, How all things work together.”

(Nicholas Ho)
Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Après une lecture du Dante: Fantasia Quasi Sonata S161/7 (1849)
(also known as: Dante Sonata)

To contextualize Liszt’s piano solo compositional style, Italian violinist Niccolò Paganini (1782-1840) is often mentioned as a source of influence. Paganini was Europe’s most celebrated violinist. His compositional style demanded extreme technical ability which amazed Europen audiences and propelled Paganini to stardom.

Liszt was so impressed after a hearing Paganini in 1832,That he was determined to become the “Paganini of the Piano”. As a result, Liszt’s piano compositions require complete mastery of the keyboard with speed and power given a priority.

The Dante Sonata – colloquially named was originally a work entitled Fragment after Dante
consisting of two thematically related movements inspired by the reading of Dante Alighieri’s most famous epic poem, The Divine Comedy. Liszt completed the final version in 1849.

The Dante Sonata represents one of the pinnacles of technical achievements for any pianist. It is thus considered one of the most difficult pieces to perform and not often done so live. It ranges from virtuosic, brilliant passages to sincerely moving emotional statements.

Program Notes: Gabi Faja-Holm

Photo by: Sakura Engly

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Pianist Nicholas Ho hails from Singapore and graduated with a Bachelors of Music in Piano Performance (Distinction) from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, where he studied with Professor Edward Auer. He had previously studied with American pianist Tedd Joselson in Singapore.

In 2006, Nicholas appeared in the Channel News Asia mini-documentary series, “Wonder Kids of Asia”, and went on to have his concerto debut with Mozart’s 14th Piano Concerto in 2007. He had subsequently made several concerto appearances with various orchestras in Singapore, including Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto, Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto, and most recently, the world premiere performance of Robert Casteel’s Concerto pour piano et orchestra de chambre. His performance of Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto was described by The Straits Times as “electrifying”. Also an avid recitalist, Nicholas has given numerous recitals in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, for various charitable causes. In addition, he has also given Asian and American premieres of new solo piano works. Nicholas was a Piano Fellow at the 2018 Manchester Music Festival, where he performed major chamber works including Schumann’s Piano Quintet, Shostakovich’s Piano Trio no. 1, and Milhaud’s La Creation du Monde.

Amongst various accolades, Nicholas was awarded the Jury Special Prize at the 5th Asian Youth Music Competition Open Category in 2012, First Prize at the 2015 Edward Auer Summer Workshop Solo Competition, and Second Prize at the 2018 Young Concert Artists International Audition. Nicholas is currently a second year Masters student at the Chicago College of Performing Arts, under the tutelage of Edward Auer and Junghwa Moon Auer.

Also a composer, Nicholas completed an original suite for piano, Inner States of Mind, in 2018, and is currently working on his Sonata for Violin and Piano. His most recent composition, Elegy – In Memory of Rosalie, a flute and cello duet, was premiered in Banff, Canada, in February 2019. Previous works include Two Études (2017), which he premiered in Northbrook, IL in September 2017. Nicholas studies composition privately with eminent Singaporean composer Tan Chan Boon. Nicholas also enjoys solving puzzles; he developed the “Sandwich Method”, a direct-solving method for higher order Rubik’s cubes (4x4x4 and above).

For more about Nicholas Ho please check website www.nicholashopianist.com