Bassoon Concertino

Solo bassoon and fl, cl, vln, vla, vc
Date of composition: 1998

PROGRAM NOTES:

Of all our Western instruments, the bassoon has (for me, at least) the greatest personality.  It can be witty (listen to Stravinsky’s bassoon parts), it can mournfully sing, it can be raw and aggressive, it can be pale and faint.  In my Bassoon Concertino, I endeavor to present, within its four movements, the many facets of the bassoon’s multi-personality.

The First Movement features the bassoon’s hip-hop, short-note staccato.  The instrument is heard making athletic jumps from register to register.  The other instruments join in this jumping game, until the violin interrupts with a lyrical theme, which is later picked up by the flute and clarinet.  The bassoon, however, all along continues pecking at its pitches, until once again the whole ensemble becomes involved in a brief, clock-like repetition.  Then it’s back to fun and games, pungent pitches popping up here and there.  Finally, the bassoon winds down, but not without one last staccato bit.

The Second Movement takes it departure from the bassoon’s melancholic side.  It might be thought of as a slow song, soft and sweet for the most part.  Near the end the bassoon dies away, and the movement ends with five pizzicato figures on the open strings of the cello.

The Third and Fourth Movement are played without pause in between: the Fourth becomes the foil for the Third, especially in tempo and rhythm.  The Third is a scherzo, but rather serious in its tricky, off-beat rhythms.  The ensuing Fourth Movement immediately puts us on a more solid rhythmic track.  Musical figures are traded off by all six instruments.  There is one brief, contrasting lyrical section, but soon the downbeat rhythms return.  The Movement ends with a chuckle, being interspersed with unexpected silences.

                                                                         James Sellars / Hartford, Connecticut / January 1998

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