BRIEF DESCRIPTION:  A four-movement work for bassoon and piano, employing a variety of styles throughout. (See the "PROGRAM NOTES" tab below for more details about the piece.) This piece will be available for purchase in the fall of 2024.

SOUND CLIPS & SCORE SAMPLES: (sound clips coming soon)
♦  I. Andante lamentoso — Più mosso — Maestoso (duration: 3:30)  / 
       SCORE SAMPLE
♦  II. Allegro grazioso  (duration: 2:10)  /  SCORE SAMPLE
♦  III. Lento ed elegiaco  (duration: 3:40)  /  SCORE SAMPLE
♦  IV. Allegro giocoso  (duration: 3:30)  /  SCORE SAMPLE

TOTAL DURATION:  ca. 13:00

DIFFICULTY LEVEL:  This piece was written for professional players.

PDF PRICE:  $35

DEDICATION:  Written for Benjamin Coelho, bassoonist

This new bassoon sonata is fresh, accessible, and fun to play. It integrates many neo-classical styles into one four-movement work. While there are a variety of styles in the piece, there's also a sense of cohesion, thanks in part to the central key being Bb throughout. My inspiration in revisiting the classical forms of the past is Stravinsky's Pulcinella, which brilliantly combines the old with the new.

I.)  The first movement is written in a somewhat Americana style, with simple, flowing melodies that are tinged with nostalgia and sadness. A brief middle section is playful and mysterious, which then gives way to a majestic series of austere chords.

II.)  The second movement is a zippy, joyful piece, recalling the optimism of some of the mid-20th century's best music.

III.)  The third movement is a neo-Baroque elegy in Bb minor, with modern touches. In the middle of the piece, there's a solemn fugue in three parts, but the original theme returns at the end, with the bassoon playing a virtuosic countermelody to the piano's original theme.

IV.)  The fourth movement is a playful neo-Baroque fugue, with modern harmonies thrown in for fun. Joyful and fast, this movement brings the work to a satisfying conclusion.