Tyler Colvin, bassoon
Gail Novak, piano
1't Masters Recital

Katzin Concert Hall I Sunday, March 19,2017 | 7:30 p.m.

Program
Bassoon Sonata

No.

Giovanni Antonio Bertoli
(c.1600-1645)

1

Charles Koechlin
(1 867- 1 e50)

Trois Pieces. Op. 34
I: Lent
II: Andante Moderato
III: Andante Sostenuto

Marcel Bitsch

Concertino pour basson et piano
I: Andante
II: Allegro Vivace

(t92r-20rr)

INTERMISSION
Etude No. 5, Variations on Streets of Laredo for solo bassoon

John Steinmetz

(b.

Francisco Mignone
(18e7-1e86)

Concertino for bassoon and orchestra
I: Assai Moderato

II:

Allegro

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ARIZONA

lesl)

STATE

UNIVERSITY

School of Music

Giovonni Antonio Bertoli: Bossoon Sonofq No. I
.l500-1645)

wos o well-known violinist, composer, ond virtuoso
Itoliqn-born Giovonni Bertoli (c.
,l645,
published
of nine sonotos for bossoon ond continuo,
his
collection
Bertoli
bossoonist. ln
colled Composifioni MusicolidiGio. lt is the oldest known collection of sonotos. Notobly, o
sonoto for boss instrument with continuo wos scorcely developed yet.
work is divided into two sections, or smoll "movements." The sections differ in chorocter, but
cohere over their shored growth of virtuosic intensity throughout. Eventuolly, the themes ore so
ornomented thot everything should sound improvised, iherefore odhering to the lZth-century
stylistic conventions.

This

Chorles Koechlin: Trois Pidces op. 34 pour bosson et piono
Chorles Koechlin (1867-1950) begon his studies of the Conservotoire in 1890 under the honds of
Mossenet ond Fourd. Fourd, os well os Debussy, contributed o porticulorly significont influence
upon Koechlin's colorful ond mildly impressionistic siyle.
.l902,
,l898
stonding of the opening threshold of
ond
The lrois Pidces were composed between
Koechlin's chomber-writing. The first movement is o single long swell ond decoy within the soito
voce color of the bossoon's sound. The second movement moves us olong o little, with o much
more metered feeling. The lost movement brings us bock into the lull of the first movement, bui

shies owoy from beouty
expectotions.

ond enters into ihe sublime, removing oll grotificotion of

ourol

Morcel Bitsch: Concertino pour bosson el piano
Morcel Bitsch wos born on December 291h,1921 in Toulouse, Fronce, ond died on September
21't,2O1l in Poris. Beginning in 1939, Bitsch wos o counterpoint student of Noel Gollon ond o
student of Poul-Henri Busser of the Conservotoire de Poris. Bitsch won his first Prix de
composition
,l943
ond his second in 1945. ln 1956, he took his former teocher's position os the
Rome in
Professor of Counterpoint of the Conservotoire. ln oddition to his bossoon concertino, Bitsch hos
produced o comic opero, o bollet, symphonic ond chomber music, vorious musicologicol
publicotions, ond numerous other instrumentol competition pieces for the Conservotoire
students.

Among the responsibilities of composition professors of the Conservotoire wos the composition
of pieces for instrumentol students' competitions ond evoluotions. This cycle of piece writing for
vorious instruments, which would revisit o single instrument obout once every eight yeors or so,
wos known os the Concours de Poris. The bossoon concertino by Morcel Bitsch, composed in
1948 is one such piece.
The composition begins with gentle chords in the piono setting up for on otmospheric colordriven sojourn of the bossoon thot explores the depth of the bossoon's vost polette of colors
ond timbres, os well os demonstroting the performer's obility to contoin them. After the

codenzo, the piece tronsitions inio the second section of ihe piece, which is o wild ride over
extrovogont gestures thot donce oll over the ronge of the bossoon, ond between the bossoon
ond piono. So fosten your seotbelts, ond enjoy the ride!
John Sleinmetz: Efude No.

5: Voriqtions on "sfreefs of Llredo"

for solo bossoon

,l981,
is o unique synthesis of o contemporory piece written in the ltolion
piece, composed in
Boroque style. John Steinmetz describes thot he owoke one morning in Colorodo with on old
folk tune in his heod, fhe Sfreets of Loredo. This meloncholy cowboy tune is resounded once
unornomented by the evocotive sojourn of the bossoon, then followed by increosingly
ornomented voriotions, composed by Steinmetz with this tune stuck in his heod.

This

As / wo/ked out in fhe sfreefs of Loredo
As I wo/ked out in Laredo one daY
/spied a young cowboy o// dressed in whife linen
A// dressed in white linen and co/d os the cloy.

Froncisco Mignone: Concertino for Bqssoon and Orchesfro
Brozilion composer Froncisco Mignone (1897-1986) wos eorning o living of the oge of 13 ploying
the piono, conducting smoll donce orchestros, ond ploying flute in the lorger orchestros in Sdo
pouio, Brozil. Mignone loved to improvise with street musicions on the flute. At ihe beginning of
his coreer, Mignone wos composing strictly pop music, but hod o thorough clossicol
educotion. After returning to Brozil from o ten-yeor tenure of work ond study in ltoly, Mignone
enthusiosticolly joined the Brozilion Notionolist Movement. As o member of this movement, he
Mignone met bossoonist Noel Devos, o bossoonist who inspired him to write over o dozen works

for this instrument.
The Concertino for Bossoon ond Orchestro, being one of these works, reolly demonstrotes
Mignone's synihesis of his clossicol ond populor influences. The first movement presents o
provocotive explorotion of ihe bossoon's registers ond numerous chorocters. The second is fost
ond nimble, ond will leove you topping olong to it in your seot. Both movements implore upon
the pionist ond bossoonist to donce wiih eoch other ond give the piece o sense of

improvisoiion.