Music from America & Abroad for Oboe, Bassoon & Piano WORKS BY Graham Waterhouse // Alan Richardson // Nikola Resanovic // Bill Douglas // Michael Stockigt // Michael Head // Umberto Bertoni WWW.ALBANYRECORDS.COM TROY1544 ALBANY RECORDS U.S. 915 BROADWAY, ALBANY, NY 12207 TEL: 518.436.8814 FAX: 518.436.0643 ALBANY RECORDS U.K. BOX 137, KENDAL, CUMBRIA LA8 0XD OBOE TEL: 01539 824008 John Dee © 2015 ALBANY RECORDS MADE IN THE USA DDD Timothy McGovern BASSOON WARNING: COPYRIGHT SUBSISTS IN ALL RECORDINGS ISSUED UNDER THIS LABEL. Cara Chowning PIANO The Composers and The Music an Italian opera bassoonist, his concerto is lyrical, sentimental, virtuosic and of substantial length. In the last few years, this concerto has frequently appeared on recital programs in the United States Graham Waterhouse (1962-) is a British composer who has clearly been drawn to chamber music. The and is quickly becoming a standard repertoire piece for bassoonists. intimacy and sense dialogue within small instrumental combinations appeal to his musical sensibilities. This is the case in his Toccatina Precipitando, Op. 24b for Oboe, Bassoon and Piano. Since 1992, Bill Douglas (1944-) is a Canadian-born bassoonist, pianist and composer. In 1994, Canada’s Waterhouse has lived in Munich where he is active as a freelance composer and cellist. His other Trio SOCAN presented him with their classical composer of the year award. His compositions are per- piece, Gestural Variations for Oboe, Bassoon and Piano was dedicated to and premiered by John Dee. formed by major orchestras and chamber ensembles around the world. Alan Richardson (1904-1978) was a Scottish composer, Professor of Piano at the Royal Academy Michael Head (1900-1976) was a British composer, pianist, organist and singer. After serving in and his wife was oboist, Janet Craxton. He wrote in a melodious and polished style and his works World War I, Head completed his studies at the Royal Academy of Music. At the outbreak of World often had descriptive titles. John Dee was given the French Suite for Oboe and Piano by the late War II, he returned to London and continued teaching and performing, giving hundreds of concerts in Principal Oboe of the Philadelphia Orchestra, John De Lancie. This recording of the French Suite is factories and in small towns. being dedicated to his life and friendship. Nikola Resanovic (1955-) is a British composer who is currently serving as a Professor of Music at the University of Akron. Drawing from his Serbian heritage, his works are heavily influenced by the rhythms The Performers and harmonies of that nation. The Last Dance was composed for Rosanovic’s late University of Akron colleague and bassoon professor, Lynette Diers Cohen. It comes from the second movement of his John Dee is the Bill A. Nugent Endowed Professor of Music Performance and the Professor of Oboe Sonata for Bassoon, which was premiered by Timothy McGovern in 2004 at the University of Illinois. Studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He has received the National Endowment for the Arts, Outstanding Teacher Award several times, he appears in Who’s Who Among American Michael Stockigt (1957-) is a German composer and pianist has toured throughout Europe and the Teachers and his oboe students have won significant professional performance and teaching positions Middle East. His works have been performed by several orchestras, including the Leipzig Consort, the throughout the world including the Metropolitan Opera and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. His oboe Dresden Philharmonic and the Berlin Symphony Orchestra. He currently teaches in Berlin and at the teachers have included June Wollwage, Robert Mayer, Daniel Stolper, Gladys Elliot, Ray Still and John University of Music and Theatre in Rostock. The Sonatine for Bassoon and Piano was composed in Mack. Before starting his work at UIUC in 2004, he was Principal Oboe of the Florida Philharmonic 1976. The rhythm and harmony in this virtuosic piece are strongly influenced by jazz. Orchestra and Florida Grand Opera while also Oboe Professor at the University of Miami and the Harid Conservatory of Music for 23 years. Before this, he was Principal Oboe of the Florida Orchestra Umberto Bertoni (1883-1954) was an Italian composer and bassoonist who performed in opera (Tampa) for three years and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. John has been featured in weekly national orchestras most of his career. Among bassoonists, he is perhaps best known for his bassoon etudes, broadcasted radio programs with the Florida Philharmonic on more than 140 stations and his solo 12 Studies for Bassoon. He composed the Concerto in F Major in 1954. As one might imagine from performances of the Strauss and Mozart Oboe Concertos with the FPO have met with critic acclaim. The Miami Herald wrote, “his shading and inflection were worthy of major recording artists who trot University of Michigan. His bassoon teachers include L. Hugh Cooper, Sherman Walt, Willard Elliot, the globe as oboe soloists.” His solo CD “Under a Near Sky,” (Klavier Records) was reviewed by the Wilbur Simpson and Ronald Noble. Professor McGovern has performed with the Chicago Symphony International Double Reed Society Journal, “I was delighted to encounter Robert Bloom’s Recording Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Delaware Symphony Orchestra, (NBC,Toscanini Orchestra), Robert Sprenkle’s (RPO), and later John Mack’s version (Cleveland Grant Park Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Opera Theater Orchestra,among others. He has Orchestra) but even happier to recommend John Dee’s interpretation.” He has been the featured performed with many legendary musicians such as Itzhak Perlman, Cecilia Bartoli, Isaac Stern, soloist with I Solisti Aquilani in Italy, has assisted Yamaha, Japan in developing their professional Joshua Bell, Yo-Yo Ma, Mstislav Rostropovich, Kiri Te Kanawa, Andrea Bocelli, Leonard Bernstein, model oboe, has performed in Beijing and Shanghai, and has returned to Spain and Korea to perform Sir Neville Marriner, Charles Dutoit, and Seiji Ozawa. He has recorded approximately 30 CD’s of and teach by invitation. He is invited to perform at leading music festivals and with such ensembles diverse orchestral and chamber music repertoire with London/Decca and other recording companies. as the Alexander, Miami, Ying, Pacifica, Jupiter and Lark String Quartets. He has performed and Recent recordings include “Turbulent Winds” and “Gale Force” with the Prairie Winds Woodwind recorded with orchestras such as the Chicago, Saint Louis and Atlanta Symphony Orchestras and Quintet. His premieres of new solo and chamber pieces include works from composer’s Bill Douglas, with such conductors as Sir Georg Solti, Carlo Maria Giulini and Claudio Abbado. His televised solo Nikola Resanovic, James Stephenson, Arthur Weisberg, Elaine Fine and many others. He was the performances may be seen as filmed throughout Alaska, Vancouver and Victoria B.C. at Saint Mary’s Overall Winner of the Performers of Connecticut International Solo Competition for woodwinds and and Grace Cathedrals in San Francisco for the internationally syndicated television series, “The Joy voice. The following year he was named the Co-winner of the East/West Artists International Solo of Music,” with organist Diane Bish. Professor Dee has performed for Saint John Paul II and he has Competition in New York City. He is the recipient of two Tanglewood Fellowships. Professor McGovern collaborated with nearly every major performing artist in the world including Luciano Pavarotti, Jose has performed at numerous national and international conferences and festivals, on many public Carreras, Placido Domingo, Kiri TeKanawa, Cecilia Bartoli, Renee Fleming, Dawn Upshaw, radio and television programs, at numerous universities throughout the United States and on cham- YahudiMenuhin, Isaac Stern, Nathan Milstein, Uto Ugi, Itzhak Perlman, Josh Bell, Pinchas Zukerman, ber music series in 30 of the 50 states. He performed his New York City solo recital debut at Weill Yo-Yo Ma, Lynn Harrell, Janos Starker, MstislavRostropovich, Van Cliburn, Yefim Bronfman, Martha Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in 1987. Tours with orchestras and chamber groups have taken him Argerich, Andre Watts, Emanuel Axe, Lang-Lang, Julio Iglesias, Gloria Estefan, Linda Ronstadt, Mel throughout North and South America, Europe, and the Far East. Robert Sherman, in a New York Times Torme, Frank Sinatra, Nelson Riddle, Ella Fitzgerald, Peter Nero and Wynton Marsalis. review, said, “Timothy McGovern is quite an extraordinary talent. His playing was indeed consistently musical and compelling: It had expressive warmth, a natural feeling for line and phrase and, when In addition to his appointment as Associate Professor of Bassoon at the University of Illinois, needed, amazing agility.” Timothy McGovern is currently Woodwind Division Chair, and Principal Bassoonist with the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Champaign/Urbana Symphony Orchestra and Illinois Chamber Orchestra. He Equally at home in vocal and instrumental repertoire, Cara Chowning is in demand as a coach and is also a current member of the Prairie Winds Woodwind Quintet. For seven years he was Associate collaborative artist. She has performed extensively throughout the United States, South America, Principal Bassoon of the Montréal Symphony Orchestra and Principal Bassoon of the Montréal and Europe as duo partner, chamber musician and orchestral pianist. She has served on the Symphonette and McGill Chamber Orchestra.