ensemble

Bassoon and Piano

duration

Five movements, approx. 14 minutes.

I. Nocturne: Circles (Approx. 3 minutes)
II. Caprice: Branches (Approx. 2 minutes)
III. Chorale: Spaces (Approx. 3 minutes)
IV. Air: Impressions (Approx. 3 minutes)
V. Fantasy: Arches (Approx. 3 minutes)

Recordings

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Score

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Notes

Silhouettes for bassoon and piano was composed for my bassoon teacher at the University of Michigan, Dr. Jeff Lyman. Because I was a composer, our lessons only started with the bassoon. Jeff always encouraged me to bring in historical background and cultural contexts that shed a holistic light on the music that excites me. After I graduated, Jeff shared with me some of the research he’d been doing around the Paris Conservatory’s Concours competition piece tradition, and we had a great conversation about the topic of virtuosity.

Silhouettes is loosely inspired by the Concours tradition in that it is a virtuosic large-scale work for the bassoon. However, I tried to go beyond the more obvious elements of virtuosity (fast/high notes) and explore other aspects of playing that would challenge the virtuoso, such as radical dynamic shifts, extraordinarily long lyrical phrases, unfamiliar melodic construction, and tests of endurance in all registers. I also explored virtuosity in terms of ensemble—the piano part is an equal voice throughout! I hope that performers and listeners of Silhouettes will walk away with a sense of my admiration for Dr. Lyman’s teaching and share in the sheer love that went into composing it—appreciation for live performance, adoration for the bassoon, fascination with harmony, and the joy of collaboration.

Commissioned by

Jeffrey Lyman

World Premiere

Virtual World Premiere: Sep 4, 2019 by Jeffrey Lyman, Recorded at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan

In-person World Premiere: January 4, 2022 by Kelly Cunningham, Beall Concert Hall, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon

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