Olivia Fletcher, bassoon
David Gatchel, piano
Graduate Recital Series
Katzin Concert Hall | February 23, 2021 | 7:30 p.m.

Program
Bassoon Concerto in A Minor, RV 498
I. Allegro
II. Larghetto
III. Allegro

Antonio Vivaldi
(1678-1741)

Double Helix for Bassoon and Piano
I. Prelude
II. Entrechat
III. Divertissement
IV. Soar
V. Postlude (Epilogue)

Jenni Brandon
(b. 1977)

Intermission
Bassoon Concerto B flat Major, K. 191
I. Allegro
II. Andante ma adagio
III. Rondo: Tempo di menuetto
Sonata for Bassoon and Piano, Op. 9
I. Allegro ma non troppo
II. Largo
III. Allegro

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
(1756-1791)

Gustav Schreck
(1849-1914)

Olivia Fletcher is in the studio of Dr. Albie Micklich. This recital is presented in partial
fulfillment of the requirements of a Master in Music Performance degree.

Olivia Fletcher, MM Recital
Program Notes
Antonio Vivaldi, Bassoon Concerto in A Minor, RV 498
Italian priest, violinist, and composer Antonio Vivaldi was a master of the Baroque concerto
and also an important “puzzle piece” in the timeline of female bassoonists. Vivaldi served as the
music director at an orphanage and conservatory for girls, Pio Ospedale della Pietà (Devout
Hospital of Mercy) in Venice. The most talented students in the program became assistant
teachers and members of his prestigious orchestra. Vivaldi composed expressive, invigorating,
and virtuosic works for mostly strings but also numerous works for woodwinds and voice.
Among these works are hundreds of concertos, including 37 completed concertos for the
bassoon, which were performed by the young women at the conservatory. Other than this
purpose, it is unclear why Vivaldi composed so many high-quality works for an instrument that
was seen as bass support in Baroque orchestras of his time.
These standard concertos provide bassoonists with opportunities to learn about Baroque style
and explore ornamentation. The Italian solo concerto is a fast-slow-fast three movement form.
The first movement of the Bassoon Concerto in A minor, RV 498 features flashy arpeggios,
scales, leaps, and sequences which are evidence of Vivaldi’s violin background. The second
movement is a sensitive bassoon aria in F major with antiphonal interaction between the high
and low registers. The third movement barrels through sequential patterns with an air of light
excitement.
In recognition of his contribution to female bassoonists, the Meg Quigley Vivaldi
Competition and Symposium (MQVC) was formed in 2010. The MQVC is an organization that
provides professional, financial, and social support to young female bassoonists in the Americas.
Each competition year, one of Vivaldi’s compositions are selected for the competition. Today,
his works are just as educational and striking to listeners and performers around the world as
they were to his female students at the Pietà.

Jenni Brandon, Double Helix for Bassoon and Piano
Jenni Brandon is currently a force of nature in the realm of wind and double reed
composition, composing a high volume of colorful works double reed solo and ensemble. Her
works capture nature and a wide range of emotions in an idiomatic, well-informed and accessible
light. Double Helix was commissioned in 2014 by my former teacher and mentor, Dr. Christin
Schillinger to perform with pianist and her good friend, the late Jed Moss. The duo premiered the
work at UCLA in 2015. Dr. Schillinger is currently the assistant professor of bassoon at Ithaca
College in Ithaca, New York. This work is inspired by the sculpture “Double Helix” by sculptor
Susan Hawkins of Long Beach, California. The sculpture depicts two dancers circling each other
but never touching. In this warm and vibrant piece, the bassoon and the piano become the
dancers and their separate stories intertwine. It is inevitable that this piece will become a
standard work for bassoon due to its captivating story that the bassoon captures so well. Other
notable works for double reeds by Brandon include Cane: Bassoon Concerto with Reed Quintet
and Colored Stones for solo bassoon.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Bassoon Concerto in B flat Major, K. 191
Composed in 1774, Mozart’s Bassoon Concerto is the most well-known work in the solo
repertoire. Almost every graduate school and professional orchestra requires this piece as a part
of the audition. It is a great example of Classical concerto as well as galant style. It is also one of
the last works composed during Mozart’s Salzburg period. Its light melodies and simple form are
due to the fact that this was Mozart’s first wind concerto written when he was just 17 years of
age.
The first movement is written in sonata form with an orchestral accompaniment and
showcases the improved articulation, flexibility, and newly expanded range of the bassoon,
singing from a low B-flat below the bass staff to an A above the staff. Proper execution of
ornamentation such as trills and the Eingänge (short improvisatory passage before the entrance
of a theme) are critical to a successful performance of the piece. The second movement is a
sensitive, operatic sonata without a development that features a theme from the aria “Porgi,
Amor” from Mozart’s opera the Marriage of Figaro.
Mozart’s more interactive accompaniment showcases the improved dynamic capabilities
of the pianoforte during the Classical period. Cadenzas in the first and second movement provide
opportunities for the performer to showcase their expressive and technical skills, their knowledge
of the Classical bassoon’s limitations and standards, as well variations on themes from the rest of
the concerto. It is the responsibility of the performer to re-invent Mozart’s melodies in a different
key, registers, or rhythm. The more accessible third movement, a standard rondo in compound
time, ends the piece in a dignified and extraverted light.
Gustav Schreck, Sonata for Bassoon and Piano, Op. 9
Gustav Schreck was a German composer, teacher, and musician that is most well-known
for his choral works and piano reductions of Bach’s cantatas. He taught at Leipzig University
between 1887 and 1892 where he was awarded an honorary doctorate degree. In 1892, he was
appointed to choirmaster of the St. Thomas School, a position held in Leipzig until 1918. The
Sonata for Bassoon and Piano is a standard piece because it is one of the only true Romantic
sonatas in the bassoon repertoire. It is unknown if Schreck wrote this sonata for a specific
bassoonist in particular, but it should be noted that famous pedagogue and performer Julius
Weissenborn also resided in Leipzig until 1888.
The work showcases Schreck’s vocal writing style, especially the aria-like second
movement. The accompaniment is interactive and virtuosic, though it can be difficult to balance
because the writing is so heavy. The work showcases the traditional form and expression of the
Romantic period as well as the bassoon’s advancements in range and agility. With much room
for rubato, both performers have ample opportunity to showcase their personalities through
Schreck’s beautiful and charming work.