CMFW Fall Festival 2019
“Memory of Love”
Artists’ Concert II
Saturday, October 12th, 4 pm
At Oak Hill United Methodist Church, 7815 US-290, Austin, TX 78749
Francesco Mastromatteo, cello
Johan Botes, piano
F. Mendelssohn: Sonata n.2 op. 58
Allegro assai vivace; Allegretto Scherzando; Adagio; Molto allegro e vivace
S. Rachmaninov: Sonata op.19 per violoncello e pianoforte
Lento – Allegro moderato; Allegro scherzando; Andante, Allegro mosso
B.Orr: Carmen Fantasy
Program description
This program links intense passion with charming poetry — the dark tragedy of Carmen and her claim to be free to love, with the marvelous Russian novel revealed in notes of Rachmaninov’s cello sonata. It is a Russian sonata that is a personal journey in search of a soulmate; in search of a home woven together with fulfilling relationships; in search of peace built upon personal understanding and acceptance. The cello and piano duo is the voice of the narrator, and the Mendelssohn sonata, with its exuberant themes, its cheerful allegretto, its meditative and poetic adagio, and its virtuosic and optimistic finale, is a perfect prologue for the intensity of the two other works. In Mendelssohn, our feelings appear at the center of the human stage, but still there is a possibility to keep them in balance and to enjoy and preserve their outcome, whether positive or negative. With Rachmaninov and Bizet, everything becomes extreme, without room for compromise. The door of our heart is wide open and now we see its truest glory and saddest misery.
Francesco Mastromatteo, cellist
Described as a “virtuosic and passionate musician” by the Dallas Morning News, Italian-born cellist Francesco Mastromatteo regularly performs throughout Italy, varied European countries and the USA. He currently acts as Artistic Director for both the Associazione Amici della Musica “G. Paisiello” in Lucera, Italy, and the non-profit organization Classical Music for the World in Austin, Texas. From 2008-13, he was the Artistic Director of the Spring of Harmony Concert Series held at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Dallas. He is currently on faculty as Professor of Chamber Music at the Conservatory “U. Giordano” in Foggia, Italy – Residency of Rodi Garganico.
Dr. Mastromatteo has performed as soloist with the Meadows Symphony Orchestra, Round Rock Symphony, Balcones Community Orchestra, Orchestra Sinfonica “Città di Pescara”, Orchestra Sinfonica della Provincia di Foggia, the orchestra “Suoni del Sud”, Meadows Wind Ensemble and Starlight Symphony. He also performed J.S. Bach’s solo suites in the US and in Italy at the prestigious Ravenna Festival (2009). He maintains a busy international schedule as chamber musician and is currently the cellist of the Duo Mastromatteo. He performs frequently in duo with pianists Christina Wright-Ivanova, Andrew Wright, Michael Schneider and Viviana Lasaracina. He also has collaborated with pianist Antonio Pompa-Baldi on a CD recording of Grieg’s Cello Sonata, which can be heard on Centaur Records. He has been invited to perform solo recitals and teach master classes at such institutions as Oklahoma City University, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Southern Methodist University, Keene State College.
As an advocate for both historically informed performances and contemporary music, Dr. Mastromatteo has performed with critically-acclaimed baroque ensembles such as Concerto Italiano and Camerata Anxanum. He also has performed several world premieres, including Thomas Sleeper’s Cello Sonata, as well as works for solo cello by composers such as Stefano Taglietti, Robert J. Franck, and Kevin Hanlon. He won the first prize in the National Cello Competition “G. Turci” in Ravenna, and first prize as a duo with pianist Tommaso Cogato in the International Competition “Città di Padova”. He also served as Principal Cellist of Orchestra Sinfonica Umberto Giordano of Foggia from 2002 to 2004.
Dr. Mastromatteo completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Cello Performance at the University of Texas at Austin in 2012 under the mentorship of Bion Tsang. He holds a Master of Music degree and an Artist Certificate from Southern Methodist University, where he studied with Andrés Diaz. In Italy, he worked with teachers such as A. M. Mastromatteo, M. Shirvani and L. Piovano and R. Filippini.
Following a deep passion for all arts, he also holds a Master’s Degree with Honors in Literature and History of Arts from the Università “Aldo Moro” in Bari. Published written works include a volume on Italian composer Umberto Giordano for Bastogi Editrice, and an article on Kodàly Solo Sonata for Cello, op. 8 for the International Journal of Musicology.
Johan Botes, Pianist
Johan Botes is known for his extraordinary versatility as a soloist, collaborative musician, and teacher — a career which has brought him recognition in concerts around the world.
A native of South Africa, Botes showed musical promise from an early age. Among many notable awards in his native country, he was the 2007 First Prize Winner of the Third UNISA/Vodacom National Piano Competition playing Rachmaninoff’s technically demanding Third Piano Concerto to a standing ovation — a performance for which he also won the Desmond Willson Memorial Prize for best concerto in the final round.
In 2008, Botes moved to Europe and continued his studies in London with British pianist Martin Roscoe at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. That year also resulted in master classes with Imogen Cooper, Alexander Rudin, Paul Lewis, Leslie Howard, Leon Fleisher and Richard Goode, as well as regular coaching classes with pianist Graham Johnson and soprano Margaret Humpfrey-Clark.
As a soloist, Botes has performed in venues worldwide. He has appeared as soloist with the Juneau Symphony in Alaska, Bainbridge Symphony and Auburn Symphony in Seattle, the Chamber Orchestra of South Africa, Pro Musica Orchestra in Johannesburg, the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra in Durban, the University of Pretoria Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Texas Chamber Orchestra at UT Austin. He has also performed in Prague with the Hadrec Kralove Orchestra in 2003, and in 2005 he toured to Bulgaria where he played with the Varna Philharmonic Orchestra in Varna.
In 2010, Botes won the Sidney M. Wright Presidential Scholarship Competition in Piano Accompaniment and in the same year began collaborative Piano Trio work with cellist Francesco Mastromatteo. Their first performance in October 2010 resulted in critical acclaim, winning them Prize for the best Chamber Music Recital at The University of Texas at Austin in 2011. In 2015 he participated in a discussion panel about Graduate School at the annual MTNA conference.
Dr. Botes holds a D.M.A in Piano Performance from the University of Texas at Austin and a M.M from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. He received another M.M. as well as his B.M. from the University of Pretoria in South Africa. He is currently Assistant Professor at Marshall University in Huntington, WV where he leads the Class Piano program. Before Marshall, Botes was lecturing in Piano, Group and Collaborative Piano at The University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.