Ruminations. Bassoon Works of Eugène Bozza Amy Pollard, Bassoon

Transcription

1 Ruminations Bassoon Works of Eugène Bozza Amy Pollard, Bassoon

2 Ruminations Bassoon Works of Eugène Bozza Amy Pollard, Bassoon Eugène Bozza ( ) Concertino, Op. 49 (1946) 1. I. Allegro con moto 2. II. Andante scorrevole, tranquillo 3. III. Allegro vivo 4. Nocturne-Danse (1967) Duettino pour deux Bassons (1954) 5. I. Allegro moderato 6. II. Andantino 7. III. Allegro ma non troppo (stretto canonique) 8. IV. Allegro ma non troppo 9. Récit, Sicilienne et Rondo (1936) Divertissements pour trois Bassons (1954) 10. I. Allegro moderato 11. II. Adagio, ma non troppo 12. III. Allegro giocoso 13. Fantaisie (1945) Suite Brève en Trio pour Hautbois, Clarinette et Basson, Op. 67 (1947) 14. I. Allegro moderato 15. II. Allegro vivo 16. III. Adagio espressivo 17. IV. Final- Allegro vivo Sonatine pour Flûte et Basson (1938) 18. I. Allegro 19. II. Andantino 20. III. Vif 21. Aria (1936) For digital release: Burlesque (1957) 2

3 Eugène Joseph Bozza Eugène Joseph Bozza was a proliic French composer who was active for the majority of the 20th century. Although Bozza wrote vocal music, stage works, ballets, and orchestral works, he is best known for his wind chamber music and wind instrument solo works. he printed catalog of Bozza s works by Alphonse Leduc (the major publisher of Bozza s compositions) lists 228 titles and 167 of these are for wind instrument solos or chamber groups. Many of his instrumental solos were used at the Conservatoire de Paris as examination pieces, testing students performance at the close of each semester. Bozza s compositional style varies with each work, and he writes both technically demanding passages along with beautiful, lyrical melodies. He frequently uses recurring thematic material, both within an individual piece as well as between separate works. Seth Brodsky, Professor of Music and the Humanities at the University of Chicago, states: he marvelously capable composer Eugène Bozza is one of those countless creatures in the forest of modern music who never made it into the mitten. A prodigious talent coming of artistic age in Paris between the wars, Bozza lived through virtually the entire century, and was a coeval of every musical -ism imaginable (expressionism, futurism, objectivism, serialism, minimalism, maximalism). But none of them stuck to him, and he appears to have been quite ine with that. He composed music with no stories attached, immaculately crafted and attentive to the playing idioms of all instruments. He wrote music primarily for the players, and left the historical mitten largely alone. Bozza was born April 4, 1905 in Nice, France to an Italian father and French mother. At the age of ive, he began studying violin with his father, Umberto, who was employed as a violinist by several casinos in Southern France. After the family moved to Italy in 1915, Eugène began studying violin, piano, and solfege at the Royal Conservatory of Saint Cecilia in Rome, receiving a Professor of Violin diploma in Bozza spent two years studying violin 3

4 at the Conservatoire de Paris and earned a Premier Prix in He was then hired as solo violinist of L Orchestre Pasdeloup and spent ive years touring Europe with the orchestra. Bozza returned to the Conservatoire de Paris in 1930, earning a Premier Prix in conducting in 1931 and a Premier Prix in composition in he latter was an important year in Bozza s career, as he was also awarded the Grand Prix de Rome, a prestigious composition award. Bozza spent the next four and a half years living and composing in Rome as a result of this award. During this period, he composed Récit, Sicilienne et Rondo, Sonatine for lute and bassoon, and Aria, a signiicant early composition in the developmental history of the saxophone. In 1939, Bozza was hired as Chef d Orchestre(conductor) for the Opéra Comique in Paris. He continued to compose a large number of works for wind instruments, and his compositions Fantasie, Suite Brève en Trio for oboe, clarinet, and bassoon, and the Concertino for bassoon and chamber orchestra all come from this period of his career. Bozza took a position as the director of the École National de Musique in Valenciennes, France in 1950 and remained in this position for twenty-ive years. Lois Kuyper-Rushing, Bozza scholar and Head of Music Resources at Louisiana State University, contends that these were Bozza s most productive years as a composer. She states his reputation as a composer primarily of solo and chamber wind-instrument works dates from this period. He published more than 150 compositions in these years, and fewer than twenty of these were written for strings, voices, or large ensemble. It was in these years as director that Bozza wrote Burlesque, the Duettino for two bassoons, Divertissements for three bassoons, and Nocturne-Danse. Both the Duettino and the Divertissements were composed in the same year, 1954, and are Bozza s only compositions for multiple bassoons. Bozza was granted many awards and honors in his lifetime and retired from the École National de Musique in He died on September 28, 1991 in Valenciennes. 4

5 Amy Pollard Amy Pollard is the assistant professor of bassoon at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music at the University of Georgia. She formerly served as lecturer of bassoon at Baylor University and has also been on faculty at the University of Dayton and the Interlochen Arts Center Advanced Bassoon Institute. She is currently second bassoonist with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle. Pollard has performed with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the North Carolina Symphony, the Virginia Symphony, and the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, among others. An avid chamber musician, she performs frequently with her bassoon-percussion duo, Col Legno ( and with the Georgia Woodwind Quintet. She has taught master classes and performed recitals across the country as well as in Argentina and Belgium. Pollard received her Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, studying with William Winstead, and a Bachelor of Music degree from Louisiana State University, studying with William Ludwig. Damon Denton Damon Denton is a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music and the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. He received a Master of Music degree from Juilliard School where he was faculty assistant to the renowned Russian pianist, Oxana Yablonskaya. He was one of the top prize-winners at the Fourth International Piano Competition held in Pretoria, South Africa. Damon has been a faculty pianist at he University of Georgia since He performs solo, concerto and collaborative concerts with artists worldwide. You can reach Damon directly at: damonpiano@gmail.com. 5

6 Angela Jones-Reus Internationally acclaimed lutist Angela Jones-Reus is recognized for her multi faceted career as soloist, chamber artist, orchestral player and teacher. She is currently Professor of Flute at the University of Georgia, Principal Flutist of the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra and is a regular guest with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (since 1999). Having held the Principal Flute position of the Stuttgart Philharmonic (Germany) from , Jones- Reus has performed extensively throughout the Europe, the United Kingdom, Asia, the United States and South. She is a Fulbright Scholar, graduate of the Julliard School (MM) and the North Carolina School of the Arts (BM). D. Ray McClellan D. Ray McClellan is Professor of Clarinet at the University of Georgia. Formerly a soloist with he President s Own United States Marine Band, he has performed as guest principal clarinetist and soloist with many regional orchestras. As a reputable teacher of national and international master classes, McClellan is co-founder of the Clarinet Academy of America. He is a performing artist for Bufet Crampon Clarinets and Vandoren. Reid Messich Dr. Reid Messich serves as the Assistant Professor of Oboe at the University of Georgia s Hugh Hodgson School of Music, and is an active member of the Georgia Woodwind Quintet. Since 2005, Messich has been an active member of the IRIS Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Michael Stern and currently serves as co-principal oboe. In 2009 Messich joined the Masterworks Festival for Christian Performing Artists in Winona Lake, IN where he serves as the Instructor of Oboe. Messich is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music (BM), where he studied extensively with Mr. Richard Woodhams. He also holds a MM and DMA in oboe performance from the Florida State University where he studied with Dr. Eric Ohlsson. 6

7 William Ludwig William Ludwig joined the faculty of the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University as Professor of Bassoon in August of 2007 and was appointed Chair of the Woodwind Department in Previous to this appointment he had been Professor of Bassoon at Louisiana State University since Since 2001 he has been in residence at the Brevard Music Center as principal bassoon of the Brevard Music Center Orchestra and artist-teacher faculty. His orchestral experience also includes principal bassoon with the Baton Rouge Symphony and the Florida Orchestra. He holds degrees from Louisiana State University and Yale School of Music and had the privilege of studying with John Patterson, Sol Schoenbach, Leonard Sharrow, Bernard Garield and Arthur Weisberg. Darrel Hale Darrel Hale serves on the faculty of Louisiana State University s School of Music as the Assistant Professor of Bassoon. An active orchestral performer, Mr. Hale has performed with the Cincinnati Symphony, Dayton Philharmonic, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Chattanooga Symphony, Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Chamber Players, and most recently as the Acting Principal Bassoon with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. A passionate chamber musician, Darrel Hale performs with the Timm Woodwind Quintet, and the Conundrum Reed Trio. His principal teachers include Per Hannevold, Yoshi Ishikawa, and William Winstead. 7

8 Program Notes Concertino for bassoon and chamber orchestra, Op. 49 (Alphonse LeDuc 1946 ) his work was originally composed for bassoon and chamber orchestra. he piano reduction, done by Bozza, includes optional cuts in order to make the accompaniment more technically approachable. he irst movement includes strong rhythmic drive and thick, emphatic chords in the piano which create a heroic and robust mood from the outset. he bassoon part in this movement is full of scalar passages with chromaticism, sweeping arpeggiations, and brilliant technical acrobatics. he second movement is marked Andante scorrevole tranquillo, with scorrevole translating to gliding, lowing, or sliding. Soft chords and constantly moving chromatic lines in the piano serve as the foundation for a sinuous and haunting bassoon melody. In the third movement, Bozza writes a rollicking staccato melody in the bassoon (marked ironico ) that plays with hemiola elements throughout, blurring the sense of pulse with awkward accents and rhythms. Nocturne-Danse for bassoon and piano (Alphonse LeDuc 1967) Bozza dedicated this work to Aron Koza, Professor of Bassoon and Saxophone at the École National de Musique in Valenciennes, France. his work was also adapted by Bozza for alto saxophone in Underneath the title of the work, Bozza added the inscription: (KIDDUSH). he Kiddush is a Jewish blessing ceremony, involving recitations over wine to sanctify it before the Friday meal celebrating the beginning of the Sabbath. his indication from Bozza, coupled with the titular Nocturne creates an evocative image of a sacred evening prayer. Flowing arpeggiations in the piano create an undercurrent for the bassoon recitative melody with a constant ebb and low of tempo and dramatic sweeping lines. he Danse section begins with a darkly playful piano motive, setting the stage for the accented, staccato bassoon melody. he Danse closes with a iendish whirlwind that accelerates to the inal chord. Duettino for two bassoons (Alphonse LeDuc 1954) he jaunty melody of the irst movement is based on repeated, accented notes and scalar lines with ofbeat accents. An elegant middle section features graceful arpeggiations in the second bassoon and soaring melodic lines in the irst bassoon. he second movement is full of imitation with both bassoons exchanging understated stepwise melodies and elegant arpeggios. he third movement is marked stretto canonique (a canon recurring at a close interval of time), and here Bozza uses staccato, ofbeat accents, and large leaps to create the feeling of a comic waltz. In the fourth movement Bozza takes advantage of the humorous qualities of the bassoon, writing a cartoonish march with an abundance of staccato markings, dissonances, and large leaps. here are frequent instances where the two parts are written a half-step apart, creating a comedic dissonance reminiscent of a cartoon soldier who cannot quite march in the right direction. 8

9 Récit, Sicilienne et Rondo for bassoon and piano (Alphonse LeDuc 1936) his piece was used for the Concours at the Conservatoire de Paris in he Concours was a musical examination at the end of the academic term in which the student learned a new piece in the span of a month and then performed it for the faculty. Bozza dedicated this piece to Gustave Dherin, the bassoon professor at the Conservatoire de Paris from It is perhaps the most commonly performed bassoon work in Bozza s canon. In the Récit, the bassoon is given great freedom, creating dramatic sweeps that go from the depths of the instrument s range to the heights and back again. he intense mood of the Récit quickly dissolves into the beautiful Sicilienne, comprised of harp-like arpeggiations in the piano and a sophisticated, lilting bassoon melody. he Rondo establishes the feeling of a march with the eighth note accompaniment in the piano. he joyful bassoon melody starts simply and gradually builds intensity with higher range and increasing chromaticism. Divertissements for three bassoons (Alphonse LeDuc 1954) he irst movement is comprised of lengthy canons, although the three parts align for major cadences and a few sections with a single melodic line and a more traditional accompaniment. he second movement is an interesting contrast of haunting, melodic sections and pointed, aggressive chromatic episodes. In the third movement, the pointed melody in the irst bassoon and the awkward accents in the second and third parts are reminiscent of Shostakovich in their sardonic nature. here is a profusion of imitation and dialogue between the bassoon parts throughout this movement. Fantasie for bassoon and piano (Alphonse LeDuc 1945) his was another of Bozza's works used as the bassoon contest piece for the Concours at the Conservatoire de Paris. Just as with Récit, Sicilienne et Rondo, Bozza dedicated the Fantasie to Gustave Dherin, bassoon professor at the conservatory from he Fantasie begins with an extensive bassoon cadenza, with sweeping melodic lines leading to the top of the bassoon s range. A middle section creates a dreamlike mood with pulsating chords in the piano and wandering melodic lines in the bassoon. A quasi improvisando section closes the reverie and startling piano chords announce the inal allegro section. his last section is spirited and almost sinister with its unusual accents and awkward rhythms mixed with chromatic technical lines. Suite Brève en Trio, Op. 67 (Alphonse LeDuc 1947) Bozza composed this work for an instrumental combination popular in Paris, the trio d anches ensemble of oboe, clarinet, and bassoon. he irst movement contains several canons amongst the three instruments as well as interweaving counterpoint. he second movement has a more traditional melody and accompaniment construction, with playful banter, pointed accents, and quick rhythms that obscure the triple meter. he third movement has a beautiful hymn quality in the opening, with a simple melody and a gentle, lowing accompaniment. he cheerful fourth movement contains technical ireworks in all three of the instrumental parts, which converse throughout the movement. 9

10 Sonatine for lute and bassoon (Alphonse LeDuc 1938) Dedicated to Jacques Ibert, a fellow French composer who also studied at the Conservatoire de Paris, the Sonatine is a charming work with challenging aspects for both instruments. he spirited lute melody in the irst movement is repeated by the bassoon and this exchange continues throughout the movement. A mysterious bassoon solo introduces the second movement followed in canon by the lute. In the inal measures, the melody is presented in octaves by both instruments, the stark texture adding to the peculiar and enigmatic mood of the movement. In contrast, the third movement is joyous and lively. Playful arpeggiations in the lute and pointilistic grace note igures in the bassoon are pervasive in this movement and alternate with sections of chromatic passages. Aria for saxophone and piano (Alphonse LeDuc 1936) his work was dedicated to Marcel Mule, the famous French classical saxophone performer and pedagogue. Bozza designated that the Aria could also be played on lute, clarinet, violin, or cello, and although he did not specify bassoon as an alternate instrument, the adaptation is certainly a good it. his transcription, done by the author, transposes the saxophone part one octave lower. he Aria is a beautiful and haunting composition with an elegant, singing melodic line over a pulsating and increasingly complex chordal piano part. he texture and the melody of the work are very similar to the third movement of J.S. Bach s Pastorale in F Major, BWV 590 for organ, a stylistic departure for Bozza. he melody alternates passionate long notes with gently moving sixteenths, all soaring over constant eighth note chords in the piano. A recapitulation of the opening theme leads to a sorrowful and forlorn ending, exquisite in its desolation and simplicity. CD Credits: Producers: William Ludwig, Reid Messich, and Mark Morette Recording Engineer: Mark Morette Editors: Fred Betschen and Amy Pollard Album Photography: Amy Pollard Recorded May 12-14, 2014 in Ramsey Recital Hall, University of Georgia Performing Arts Center his CD was funded in part by a grant from the University of Georgia Willson Center for Arts and Humanities and a grant from the University of Georgia Provost. his CD is dedicated to William Ludwig and William Winstead, two of the greatest musicians and mentors. hank you for your guidance, your patience, and your artistry. 10