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by Michael Albrecht (Other), Alicja Usarek-Topper (Author)
Bartók's 1907 Violin Concerto, expressing his love for Stefi Geyer, sounds various allusions to Wagner's paean to unrequited love. The work presents a musical crossroads contrasting Stefi's ideal world and peasant realism.
Author Biography
Alicja Usarek-Topper is a professor of Music at Collin College in Texas. She maintains a diverse profile as teacher, solo violin recitalist, chamber and orchestra musician, and scholar in twentieth-century music. The "Professor Alicja Usarek Annual Scholarship Award" of the Collin College Foundation and the "Scholarship Award in Recognition of the String Area" were established in her honor. Usarek helps students appropriate their ethnic background to foster the mutual enrichment of music and heritage. She is married to Matson Topper, a professor of Music at Dallas College. Their sixteen-year-old son Austin, who etched the drawing for the cover of this book, is preparing for a career as cellist.
