Yale Bulletin and Calendar

March 29-April 5, 1999

Volume 27, Number 26

'Missing' work will be performed
for first time in nearly 40 years

On Tuesday, March 30 at 8 p.m., the audience in Morse Recital Hall in Sprague Memorial Hall will hear a work that hasn't been performed for almost 40 years.

"Theme and Variations for Violin and Piano," composed by School of Music professor and former dean Ezra Laderman, will be one of the selections offered during a free concert presented by the school.

The score and parts for "Theme and Variations" were thought to be permanently lost after a 1954 premiere and a few subsequent performances, says Laderman.

"When the work premiered, I kept my music in our New York apartment and it was easy to keep track of," the composer recalls. "Then we [Laderman and his wife, scientist Aimlee Laderman, a lecturer and research affiliate at the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies] moved to Teaneck, New Jersey, where we raised a family. I kept boxes of my music in the attic of our Teaneck house. We eventually bought a home in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Now there were two places where my music was kept."

When Laderman accepted a position at Yale in 1988 and acquired a home in New Haven, his music became dispersed among three residences.

Fast forward to the mid-1990s, when Laderman signed a deal with Albany Records to record a range of his chamber music, from the 1950s to the present. He wanted to include "Theme and Variations," but there was one problem: He couldn't find the music. He considered the piece permanently lost until earlier this year when he came across an envelope in his New Haven home. Inside was a photographic negative copy of the original score. "I screamed to my wife, 'Aimlee, it's here!'" he says. "I was absolutely delighted."

Laderman was particularly happy to find the composition because of its sentimental value, he says. "It was written during a time in my life that was fun and optimistic. It also reflects a time in my career where I'm finding my way writing for violin and piano, and I'm learning what works for me as a composer."

Written in the key of F# minor, Laderman's "Theme and Variations for Violin and Piano" is an energetic, tonally based piece, he says. "It's very rhythmic and fun to play -- really quite accessible, with a feeling of exuberant optimism."

Laderman's compositions, which range from solo instrumental and vocal works to large-scale choral and orchestral music, include music written for two Academy Award-winning films. "Theme and Variations," rediscovered after all these years, stands the test of time, Laderman says. "I wouldn't change a note," he remarks.

Tuesday's concert, presented as part of the School of Music's Faculty Artist Series, will feature violinist Kyung Hak Yu, assistant professor (adjunct), and pianist Elizabeth Sawyer Parisot, associate professor (adjunct) at the school. In addition to the Laderman work, Yu and Parisot will perform Mozart's "Sonata in G Major," John Corigliano's "Violin Sonata" and Brahms' "Sonata in d minor."

For more information, call 432-4158.

-- By Felicia Hunter

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Noted historian to present talk on 'moral authority' of U.S. presidency
Bennett will continue efforts to strengthen Yale's libraries
This year's DeVane Medals go to two English professors
League commissioner David Stern to speak on managing 'Global NBA'
Drama student sharing her love of dance in campus classes
Technology's impact on nation is topic of Sheffield Lecture
Coach Dick Kuchen resigning after 13 years at the helm . . .
'Missing' work will be performed for first time in nearly 40 years
Vladimir Petrov dies -- taught Russian at Yale
Grants support innovative new projects using digital media
Campus Notes