PROGRAM NOTES
Malagueña (No.3) from España (op. 165), Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909) Isaac Albéniz composed España for solo piano in 1890. This work was composed towards the end of the Romantic era. Each of the six movements has a distinct Spanish flair, and the Malagueña is a specific type of Spanish folk dance. As fun as this is to play there’s a repetive motive throughout the movement and an overall melancholy feel. Roe Goodman has arranged a fair amount of music, especially for wind trios. Roe Goodman is a bassoonist currently based in London.
Concert champêtre, Henri Tomasi (1901-1971) Moving from a Spanish to a French composer, Tomasi’s beautiful trio for the trio d’anche, or reed trio, has a beautiful medieval and folk-dance character. All the movements are named after “peasant” folkdances. Our favorite movement is the Nocturne because it is so beautiful with its many cryptic overtones. Henri Tomasi began his career as a pianist like many composers but hated performing because he felt like a trained animal. He performed to make a living but preferred conducting and composing. He lived in the time when radio was a new medium and became one of the first radio conductors. It might be safe to say Tomasi favored writing for the clarinet as there are numerous chamber works with clarinet and a major concerto, sonata and other solos.
Fugue in C Minor, Johannes Sebastien Bach (1685-1750) J.S. Bach’s music sits at the pinnacle of the musical cannon representing the Baroque era. He is one of the most prolific composers of all time. This arrangement is from the Prelude and Fugue in C Minor, No. 1 BWV 847, book No. 1 from The Well Tempered Clavier. The music was intended for a keyboard instrument like harpsichord, clavichord, or forte piano. It is challenging to create a delicate blend of the reed instruments in order to imitate the rich enmeshment of a keyboard instrument and make the three instruments sound like one.