Certificate Recital: Adrian Rogers, Violin

By Adrian Rogers

Por Una Cabeza (Gardel 1935)
Oozing with swagger and style, Por Una Cabeza is a tango written by Carlos
Gardel. Translated to “By a Head,” the original lyrics detail a man derailed by
gambling on horse races. Despite the somber subject matter, the tune has gone
on to receive widespread popularity, appearing in films like Schindler’s List and
True Lies. This arrangement, created by Augustin Hadelich, takes the piece’s
original motifs and imbues them with dynamic virtuosity. Here each violinist is
allowed to shine, with the duo trading the main themes and embellishing them
with dramatic flairs. Harkening back to old-school virtuosos, this piece is a
modern take on a classic tune.

e/Immigrance (Jones 2023)
When I originally approached both Toussaint and Sunny with an idea for a
commission for my recital at the beginning of the summer, they both jumped at
the idea of creating a piece that featured dialogues between the violin and
narrator. What resulted is e/Immigrance, a series of eclectic musings written for
violin, piano, and narrator. While the piano provides robustness and structure to
the piece, Toussaint uses the violin to full effect by employing a wide range of
techniques, and textures to make the instrument shine. Simultaneously, poetry
is woven into the fabric of the piece, with the narrator inserting their musings
throughout the work.

Notes from the Narrator: This piece started with a simple idea: leaving home.
Over time, it evolved into something more complex. As we discover through
our naíve but hopeful narrator, sometimes it is absolutely necessary to leave
home, despite the risks, in order to seize the fullest and most beautiful life that
one can. She “leaves” in a very literal sense, setting out towards the mountains
with nothing on her person but her own determination to see and do
everything. Her naivety eventually gets the best of her and she falls fatally ill, but
is fortunate enough to be reclaimed by the earth and join the vast ecosystem of
creatures, earth, and plant life at the base of the mountains. At its heart, this is a
story about wanderlust, the joy of being alive, and making the most of one’s
brief and magical time in this world. (Written By Soncera Ball)

Violin Sonata (Debussy 1917)
Debussy’s violin sonata takes a major departure from the form, resembling the
traditional violin sonata in name only. Instead, Debussy seeks to create a sonic
landscape that shifts unpredictably throughout the three movements. Heavily
inspired by both Spanish music and jazz forms, the piece pulls in tunes that
would more likely be found in late-night clubs than a concert hall. The structure
is similarly untraditional, following a more nebulous, meandering path rather
than a more stringent sonata form. While the sonata is uncharacteristic in many
ways, some elements remain consistent with Debussy’s compositional style.
Wandering arpeggios in the piano often provide sonic allusions to the ocean, a
popular subject for Debussy, while the effervescent colors and textures in the
violin part create a dreamlike character reminiscent of La fille aux cheveux de
lin.

The Serenade, after Plato’s Symposium (Bernstein 1954)
Written in 1954, the Violin Serenade was Bernstein’s first and final journey into
writing a concerto. Originally scored for solo violin, string orchestra, percussion,
and harp, the piece is inspired by Plato’s seminal work: The Symposium. While
Bernstein insisted that the piece was not programmatic, each movement is
named after an important philosopher in the Symposium, and the tone of each
movement seems to correspond with the character of each of the five major
figures of the work.

The first movement begins with an impassioned decree from the solo violin,
before turning into a fervid and embittered conversation between the Following
this, Bernstein utilizes the five-movement structure to allow for a wide range of
characters and colors within the middle three movements. Not limited to a
single structure, these include a playful folk tune, a frenetic scherzo, and a
sorrowful lament that concludes with another powerful cadenza. Finally,
Bernstein concludes with “Socrates,” a bold and boisterous finale that feels at
home with some of his more American tunes

Adrian Rogers ’23 is a senior at Princeton University majoring in economics
with certificates in Music Performance (Violin and Conducting), Architecture
and Engineering, and History and the Practice of Diplomacy. Hailing from New
York City, he has almost 20 years of classical music experience spread
throughout studies in piano, violin, viola, and conducting. Recently, Adrian has
brought his violin playing into musical ventures outside of the classical sphere,
exploring Jazz and Rock as extensions of his more traditional background.

Adrian began his music journey at the age of 3 on the Piano. Since then he has
gone on to compete in the International Besançon Competition for Young
Conductors, and currently serves as the artistic director of Princeton Camerata,
a chamber orchestra dedicated to highlighting underrepresented artistic voices
and expanding the 20th century musical canon. Through Camerata, Adrian has
been able to explore a wide range of repertoire, programming works by
Sibelius, Ginastera, Korngold, Resphigi, Kodaly, Akiho, and several commissions
by young composers. Adrian is also a teacher at the Trenton Youth Orchestra,
and an avid violinist in the Princeton University Orchestra. He currently studies
violin with Anna Lim, and conducting with Michael Pratt as part of the Princeton
Music Performance Program.

Eugene Liu ’24 is a third-year student studying computer science, statistics,
and machine learning and has been a violinist for over 17 years. Based in the
Boston area, Eugene is an alumnus of the New England Conservatory PreCollege
Program and studied violin under both Maria Benotti and Donald
Weilerstein.

A former member of the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, Eugene served
as concertmaster during the 2018-2019 concert cycle. Eugene has since gone
on to perform as a soloist with his former youth orchestra, the Boston
Community Chamber Orchestra, and the Boston Philharmonic under the baton
of Benjamin Zander. A lover of the finer things in life, Eugene is an avid collector
of classical vinyl, fountain pens, watches, and Star Trek memorabilia. In his free
time, he enjoys playing pick-up basketball and finding new restaurants to try!

Soncera Ball ’25 is a philosophy major from Point Pleasant, New Jersey
pursuing certificates in creative writing and conducting. She is a member of the
climbing team and the Princeton University Orchestra, as well as being the
assistant conductor of Princeton Camerata. In her free time, Sunny can be
found writing poetry, hiking, jamming with friends, and ruminating.

Toussaint Jones ’25 is a music major from Albany, New York. He is a selftaught
composer and a multi-instrumentalist. His notated music essays seek to
depict images, nature, paintings, histories, and other inspirational wellsprings
with an accuracy beyond the capacity of words. In addition to writing
orchestral, chamber, and solo music, he is a member of the Princeton-based
band Strawberry Milk, fulfilling his childhood dream of being in a progressive
rock band. Toussaint loves pre-medieval history, birds, the Catskill Mountains,
Adrian’s violin playing, and Sunny’s poetry.

Richard Qiu’ 23 is a senior from Newbury Park, CA, who majors in Economics
with certificates in Music Performance for piano, Statistics and Machine
Learning, and Technology and Society. At Princeton, Richard is involved in
keyboard performance, including harpsichord continuo with Early Music at
Princeton (EMP), chamber music with Opus, and piano arrangements with
Princeton’s Pianists Ensemble (PPE). He has recently had his concerto debut
with the Princeton University Orchestra after winning the 2022 PUO Concerto
Competition for Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24 and with Sinfonia for Bach’s
Harpsichord Concerto in D minor. Richard currently studies piano at Princeton
with Dr. Kampmeier from the Manhattan School of Music and previously with
Mr. Lavner from the Colburn School of Performing Arts. He also studies the
harpsichord with Professor Young.