Gabrielle Hsu & Rittika Gambhir, bassoons Gail Novak, piano Elizabeth Henderson & Ruchika Gambhir, oboes Student Recital Series Recital Hall I February 25, 2016 I 5:00 P.M. Program Solo de concert, Op. 35 Gabriel Pierne (1863-1937) Sonata for bassoon and piano, Op. 71 I. Andante Moderato -Allegretto Scherzando II. Nocturne III. Final Charles Koechlin (1867-1950) Sonata in F major I. Andante IL Allegro III. Largo IV. Allegro Johann Friedrich Fasch (1688-1758) Intermission Recitative, Sicilienne et Rondo Eugene Bozza (1905-1991) Sonata in e minor, 1WV 41 :e5 I. Cantabile IL Allegro III. Recitativo - Arioso IV. Vivace Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767) Duo Concertant No. 1, Op. 3 I. Allegro IL Rondo Frarn;:ois Devienne (1759-1803) ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY School of Music Program Notes by Gabrielle Hsu & Rittika Gambhir Although most of us know Gabriel Pieme as a composer, he also had a long and distinguished career as the conductor of the Colonne Orchestra in Paris. During his 22 years in this position, he conducted the premieres of many works by influential composers such as Debussy, Ravel and Stravinsky, including the world premiere of Stravinsky's Firebird at the Paris Opera in 1910. Of conducting, Pieme once said, ''To read a score, weigh up its merits with your instinct, infallible sense of science and good taste; to reason, to compare, to understand and admire, this gives true satisfaction." The Solo de Concert is the first of two solo bassoon works that Pieme was commissioned to write for the Paris Conservatoire concours (the other being his Prelude de Concert, Op. 53). Intended to show off the ability of the player, the Solo de Concert is a vibrant piece full of excitement and energy. It opens with a dramatic theme in D minor, which is contrasted by a passionate espressivo section and a light, playful scherz.ando before coming to a triumphant end in D major. Charles Louis Eugene Koechlin (1867-1950) was born in Paris, France, in November of 1867. The Sonate Op. 71 pour bassoon et piano, written in 1918 and revised in July 1919, is an exception. The first performance of Op. 71 was in 1938 by Monsieur Gustav Dherin, bassoon, and J. Guieysse, piano.Shockingly, the first printed edition of the work wasn't until 1990, 71 years after the completion of the work and 50 years after the composer's death. The bassoon sonata, however, follows neither of the three-movement tempo structures: fast-slow-fast or slow-slow-fast. Koechlin was influenced by two great composers while writing the accompaniment for Op. 71. In the first movement, the accompaniment at the very beginning is the arpeggiated chords often associated with music of Faure. Koechlin studied with this great master and it is no surprise that Faure influenced Koechlin's compositional style. The second great composer influencing Op. 71 is Chopin. The second movement accompaniment has an ostinato bass pattern that is a cross between Chopin's Barcarolle, Op. 60 and Nocturne, Op. 72 no. 1 . Koechlin takes the two-ostinato patterns from Chopin and combines them; giving it a modem feel and his own influence.The bassoon sonata was originally to have four movements; however, Koechlin cut the fourth movement from the sonata and instead used the material in his Silhouettes de comedic, Op. 193 (194 3), far bassoon and orchestra. Luckily, Sonate pour basson et piano is an exception and has become a staple to the bassoon repertoire. Johann Friedrich Fasch (1688-1758) was born on April 15, 1688, in Buttelstedt near Weimar. The Sonata in F majorfor two oboes and two bassoons is delightful from start to finish. Fasch's part-writing, with the two bassoons gracefully filling the dual role and supporting the elegant melodic lines played by the oboes. Georg Philipp Telemann is one of the most prolific composers in musical history and wrote over 3000 works during his lifetime. He was born into a family of clergymen who disapproved of music and forbade him from studying it, but Telemann continued in secret and composed an opera by the time he was twelve. He went on to become not only a composer but a successful music director in several prestigious positions, including the Hamburg Opera, and a talented performer on many instruments including violin, viola da gamba, recorder, cello and harpsichord. Telemann's Sonata in e minor, TWV 41:e5 was originally written for the viola da gamba, a string instrument that was popular during the Renaissance and Baroque periods. However, it translates beautifully to the bassoon, showcasing its singing tenor register in the opening cantabile and its agility in the dancelike allegro. The freeness of the recitativo in the third movement displays the voice-like quality of the bassoon, followed by a flowing arioso before the piece culminates in a brilliant vivace. Eugene Joseph Bozza (1905-1991) was born in Nice on April 4, 1905 . He received his first training at the Paris Conservatoire, winning First prizes for violin in 1924 and conducting in 1930. A composition of student Henri Busser, Bozza was awarded the Grand Prix de Rome in 1934. In 1939 he became conductor of Opera Comique, and later in his career, he was named director of the Conservatory of Valenciennes. A prolific composer, Bozza significantly has enlarged the woodwind repertoire. Recit, Sicilienne et Rondo for Bassoon & Piano (1936) is an attractive showpiece for the bassoon. This piece was used for the Concours at the Conservatoire de Paris in 1935. Bozza dedicated this piece to Gustave Dherin, the bassoon professor at the Conservatoire de Paris from 1934-1957. It is perhaps the most commonly performed bassoon work in Bozza's canon. The Ricit is a lengthy cadenza for bassoon employing the entire range of the instrument. Typically, the Sicilienne is characterized by a lyrical melody with dotted rhythms and a flowing arpeggiated accompaniment. The Rondo establishes the feeling of a march with the eighth note accompaniment in the piano.The joyful bassoon melody starts simply and gradually builds intensity with higher range and increasing ยท chromaticism. Fran~ois Devienne's music was so highly esteemed that he was nicknamed "the French Mozart." In fact, one of his bassoon concertos was originally attributed to Mozart. He was very successful during his lifetime and composed about 300 works, mainly for wind instruments, including six bassoon sonatas and five bassoon concertos. Unfortunately, his career was cut short when he was committed to an asylum in Charenton, France and died a few months later at only 45. His obituary read, "Devienne was a born musician. There is a Mass which he composed at the age of 10, of such quality that it could readily be performed publicly... Because Devienne practically lived with the pen in his hand, he has composed a multitude of works which, when not always in a great and exalted style. are always agreeable, gracious, tender and never superficial." Perhaps because Devienne himself was a virtuoso bassoonist and active performer, at one time playing in Opera de Paris, his Duos Concertantes are beautifully written for the instrument and present an equal challenge for both players. This particular piece, the Duo Concertant No.1, Op. 3, is a perfect example of Devienne's elegant writing, opening with a charming allegro and ending with a lively, spirited rondo. Sources http:/ /www.allrnusic.com/ album/johann-friedrich-fasch-oboe-sonatas-mwOOOl 396527 http:/ /www.arkivmusic.com/ classical/Name/Fran%C3%A7ois-Devienne/Composer/3009-1 http:/ /www.baroquemusic.org/bqxfasch.html Fletcher, Kristine Klopfenstein. The Paris Conseniatoire and the Contest Solos for Bassoon. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1988. Print. http:/ /www.metmuseum.org/ collection/ the-collection-online/ search/ 503219 "Music Written for Bassoon by Bassoonists: An Overview" by Michael Burns in The Do11ble Reed, vol. 24-2, 2001 http:/ /www.naxos.com/person/Francois_Devienne/ 19714.htm http:/ /www.naxos.com/person/Gabriel_Pieme/21178.htm Orledge R. Charles Koechlin (1867-1950) : his life and works. Chur, Switzerland; New York: Harwood Academic Publishers; 1989.