By Ainsley Green, Staff Writer
On March 22, Jack Kane ’24 performed his senior recital at 8:30 p.m. in Paul Recital Hall. Kane is a music major and philosophy minor, and this recital fulfilled part of his degree requirements for his undergraduate career. Many friends, family members and members of the college community attended to hear Kane perform a variety of pieces from different musical eras and genres, many of which were accompanied by Collaborative Pianist of the Sunderman Conservatory Dr. Scott Crowne.
(Photo Courtesy of Jake Kane ’24)
In terms of preparing his recital, Kane remarked, “The preparation for my recital felt like an opportunity to test everything I’ve learned. I decided to take a well-rounded approach by including music of varying difficulties, styles and time periods to reflect my preference for many kinds of music.”
Kane began his recital by performing “Hamburger Sonata in G major” by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach with Crowne on the piano. The piece had two movements, starting with the “Allegretto,” which demonstrated the Classical period variant called Empfindsamkeit with a melody and ornamentation that were very suitable for the flute. The “Rondo: Presto” was a faster movement that further accentuated and supported the texture of the piece. Next, Kane performed a piece for solo flute by Georg Philipp Telemann entitled “Fantasie No. 4 for Flute in Bb major,” recognized for its galant style and contrapuntal technique. The three movements, the “Andante,” the “Allegro” and the “Presto,” got progressively faster as they went on, displaying Kane’s talents on the flute.
Kane then performed another piece accompanied by Crowne: the nuanced, expressionist style “Ballade for Flute and Piano” by Frank Martin. The piece had an eerie quality and showcased a lot of technicality and emotion from both instruments. There was then a five-minute intermission.
Kane’s first piece following the intermission was one of his own original compositions called “Chemical Suite for Flute.” The four movements, aptly named “Carbon,” “Oxygen,” “Sulfur” and “Hydrogen,” embodied moods and motifs that Kane associated with each of the distinct elements.
When describing how composition has been an unexpected and exciting new prospect for his professional career, which is represented by the inclusion of “Chemical Suite,” Kane said, “I plan on pursuing further studies into music and potentially graduate school with a focus on musicology, composition, and a focus on music in interactive media such as video games.”
Kane ended his performance with the lively “Czardas” by Vittorio Monti, a recognizable and creative tune arranged for flute.
Kane spoke of his time with the Conservatory: “This experience helped me appreciate music more than I ever imagined a few years ago. My instructor Dr. McIver has always been supportive of my efforts to push the limits on what I thought I could do on the flute. I still have a lot more to learn, but this undergrad experience was essential to my outlook on the future, of which I’m excited to see where it takes me.”
Kane’s recital was a part of an exciting schedule of upcoming Conservatory events this semester. Be sure to be on the lookout for future senior recitals featuring members of the Class of 2024 musicians.
