French Composer Cécile Chaminade's simple & delightful L'Ondine, Op. 101 (Pianist Duane Hulbert)
Cécile Chaminade published this short, whimsical piece in 1900. In it, you can hear Chaminade's gift for melody and her ability to paint musical colors brilliantly. Chaminade was one of the few women composers in the late 19th, early 20th century to have a successful career. As one teacher/composer at the time said of Chaminade, "This is not a woman who composes, but a composer who is a woman." Ondine means water sprites. Can you hear them frolicking about in this piece?
Notes from pianist Dr. Duane Hulbert:
'As a budding pianist in the late 1970s, my grandfather Howard Hulbert gave me a large book of piano pieces from the early 1900s that he kept after my grandmother Phoebe died in the 1930s. In this book were over 100 salon pieces that were popular at the turn of the century. I loved that book! I spent many hours on Saturdays reading through as many of the pieces as I could. One of the first pieces I learned was Cecile Chaminade's Scarf Dance. I ended up losing the pages and tearing up the book from overuse! Many years ago, I found a wonderful book in a music store with a compilation of works by this remarkable composer. It was only then that I realized Chaminade was a brilliant composer! Her style was rich in the use of late romanticism that was all the rage in the late 1800s and early 20th centuries. So far, I've played five of the nine works. Perhaps another CD may result from this wonderful set of music in the near future?
Keep watching! "
Dr. Duane Hulbert received his BM and MM from The Juilliard School of Music and his DMA from The Manhattan School of Music. Hulbert received the Gold Medal at the 1980 Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition, and also won prizes in the 1981 Leeds Competition and 1985 Carnegie Hall International American Music Competition. He has performed as a soloist with symphonies across the United States and has given recitals at Merkin Hall in New York, Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and Benaroya Hall in Seattle. In 2002, his recording of the piano works of Alexander Glazunov was nominated for a Grammy Award. Dr. Hulbert taught at the university level for over thirty years.
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