By Danielle Bettendorf Asst. living and arts editor
Susquehanna professor Leslie Cullen performed a recital with Bucknell professors Lisa Caravan and Qing Jiang on Jan. 28 in Stretansky Concert Hall.
The recital featured Cullen on flute, Caravan on cello and Jiang on the piano.
The group performed “Trio in D major, Hob. 16” by German composer Franz Joseph Haydn, “Trio for Flute, Cello, and Piano” by Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů and “Vox Balaenae, for three masked players” by American composer George Crumb.
“Vox Balaenae, for three masked players” was specifically singled out in the program: “Vox Balaenae,” or “Voice of the Whale,” tells a story of time through the song of the whale. According to the program, it is both a “celebration of and a lament for” planet Earth.
The work begins with a flute cadenza entitled “Vocalise,” in which the flutist sings into the instrument while using the keys to mimic sounds made by the humpback whale.
The middle section is entitled “Sea-Theme,” and each variation within it is named after a geologic period. As the section goes on, the intensity of the music builds and climaxes with the arrival of humankind in the finale.
In the final section, entitled “Sea-Nocturne,” Crumb said he wanted to “suggest a larger rhythm of nature and a sense of suspension in time.”
The piece ends with a mixed feeling of greatness and fragility, with the music evoking a “shimmering quality” throughout.
Some audience members specifically noted the final piece and appreciated the meaning and specifics behind the work.
“I thought that ocean piece was amazing. It was one of the coolest chamber pieces I’ve ever heard,” sophomore Cathrina Kothman said.
“The idea of something beautiful, but tenuous—I really thought that was captured in the music,” Kothman continued.
Audience members also noted the technical ways in which the musicians altered the piano to produce different sounds for the final work.
“I was especially intrigued by the pianist,” first-year Addy Wolfe said. “I wouldn’t even know how to go about trying to figure out the [technical] stuff in the piano.”
“You can put screws and paper clips and rubber bands [in],” Kothman added.
“But the crazy thing was [that] she had to mess with the screws and all of the different noises,” Wolfe said. “Think about how long it probably took her to do all of those noises.”
Audience members also appreciated not only the music played but how the musicians presented themselves while they were performing.
“I really liked the way they interacted with each other on stage,” sophomore Rosemary Butterly said. “I feel like it added another level to the performance: not only did you have the right music, but you also had a really nice visual behind it.”
Other students noted the fervor with which all three performers brought to the that pieces they played.
“They all seemed really into it,” first-year Elizabeth Hebert said. “They put their heart and soul into the music itself. They’re very passionate about it, and you could really see it.”
Some audience members were also familiar with Cullen prior to the recital and enjoyed seeing another side to their professor.
“Part of it is just seeing your professor in action,” Kothman said. “I thought it was really good to see the performance side of her.”
Cullen is an adjunct flute professor at Susquehanna and has performed throughout the United States and collaborated with multiple chamber ensembles and orchestras. Caravan and Jiang are associate professors of music and piano, respectively, at Bucknell, and have also collaborated with numerous musicians and groups in their respective fields.
