Ben Lizon Graduation Recital: Program Notes

April 10, 2026

All program notes by the recitalist, Ben Lizon

Concerto nach Italiænischen Gusto (Italian Concerto), BWV 971

by J.S. Bach (1685-1750)

J.S. Bach’s Italian Concerto is a peculiar work in just how uncharacteristic it is of the master of polyphony. The title, translated literally to “Concert in the Italian Taste,” has Bach working in a concert genre he is not characteristically known for, in an Italian style, which he admired. The piece is also peculiar due to its lack of orchestra, which is typical for the genre. Instead, Bach creates the impression of a concerto using the manuals on a double manual harpsichord, for which it was originally written. The piece is filled with generic Italian cliches, academically known as “schemas,” decorated in ways that their familiar ring sounds fresh, yet inevitable.

Piano Sonata No. 4, Op. 30

by Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915)

The fourth sonata is the first in Scriabin’s oeuvre that truly foreshadows what is later known as his “late” style and as distinct from many other composers. This two-movement sonata is the last multi-movement sonata in his set of 10 yet can also be read as his first single-movement sonata in the cycle. The two movements are performed one after the other, with the first serving as an introduction, and the second as the true “action” of the sonata space. Furthermore, they are bound together by the melody that opens the movement. If you listen closely, you will hear the tune from the first movement return in the second but transformed. First, around the half-way point, where the tune shines through briefly, only to die away, and finally at the end, where the initially longing and languid theme is turned ecstatic at brilliant.

Nocturnes, Op. 62

by Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)

The last two Nocturnes written by Fryderyk Chopin show all the hallmarks of a genre redefined by the composer while presenting several harmonic and textural innovations. These pieces do not challenge any claims to Chopin’s love of the Italian Bel-Canto composer Bellini, but he brings his own twist to these two operatic arias written for solo piano. The B major nocturne is especially operatic, with the main tune returning three times, with additional frills and ornaments. The final return has every note of the melody trilled, potentially paying homage to the human voice’s ability to create a vibrato effect.

Piano Sonata No. 30, Op. 109

by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Beethoven’s Op. 109 is one of the clearest cut demonstrations of the composer’s late style. The first movement opens with a Romanesca, a gesture so integral to Baroque and Galant music it is effectively cliche. However, written in 1820, Beethoven was clearly looking back in this composition, while incorporating his many innovations to the high classical style. The first movement is like a Baroque fantasia meeting strict classical sonata form. The juxtaposition of the free fantasia-like elements and the strict classical form gives this movement a surreal quality only late Beethoven seems to produce. The second similarly strict, though even shorter and denser. Together, the two movement combine to only half the third’s length, which is a theme and variations on a Baroque dance. Each variation references a historical genre, such as a Sarabande, a toccata, an invention, and a fugato among others. The theme returns again at the end of the movement, now even simpler, yet somehow more profound, than the first time.