Robert Blocker, Dean
faculty artist series
Frank Morelli, bassoon with Wei-Yi Yang, piano and Janna Baty, mezzo-soprano In celebration of 25 years on faculty at the Yale School of Music Wednesday, January 30, 2019 | 7:30 pm | Morse Recital Hall in Sprague Memorial Hall
The YSM bassoon studio contains photos of my faculty predecessors Elias Carmen (1912–1973), Arthur Weisberg (1931–2009) and Stephen Maxym (1915–2002). Their artistic and teaching legacies are remembered this evening. Thanks to outstanding faculty colleagues Wei-Yi Yang and Janna Baty, as well as to exceptional YSM students Hilda Huang and the YSM Bassoon Class, for taking part. We are also honored to share YSM graduate Lori Laitman’s I Never Saw Another Butterfly as part of this silver anniversary celebration.
Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky 1840–1893 arr. Frank Morelli
The Seasons, Op. 37a World premiere IV. April: Snowdrop VI. June: Barcarolle VIII. August: The Harvest X. October: Autumn Song In memoriam, Elias Carmen, YSM Faculty 196?–1973 XI. November: On the Troika Wei-Yi Yang, piano
Arthur Weisberg 1931–2009
A Song and a Dance for solo bassoon (1992) In memoriam, Arthur Weisberg, YSM Faculty 1974–1989 I. Song
As a courtesy to others, please silence all devices. Photography and recording of any kind is strictly prohibited. Please do not leave the hall during musical selections. Thank you.
Lori Laitman ’76MM b. 1955
I Never Saw Another Butterfly (1996) I. The Butterfly Pavel Friedmann II. Yes, That’s the Way Things Are Koleba III. Birdsong Anonymous IV. The Garden Franta Bass V. Man Proposes, God Disposes Koleba VI. The Old House Franta Bass Janna Baty, mezzo-soprano
intermission
Ezra Laderman 1924–2015
Elegy for Stephen Maxym (2002) In memoriam, Stephen Maxym, YSM Faculty 1989–1994
Camille Saint-Saëns 1835–1921
Sonata for bassoon and piano, Op. 168 I. Allegretto moderato II. Allegro scherzando III. Adagio IV. Allegro moderato Hilda Huang ’19 MM, piano
Sergei Prokofiev 1891–1953
Humorous scherzo, Op. 12, No. 9 Bassoon Ensemble
George Friedrich Handel 1685–1759 arr. William Schmidt & Frank Morelli
“Lascia ch’io pianga” from Rinaldo, HWV 7b Bassoon Ensemble
The YSM Bassoon Studio 2018–19 Dana Brink ’19 MM Eleni Katz ’20 MM Ethan Lippert ’19 MM Philip McNaughton ’20 MM Andrew Sledge ’20 MM Kristy Tucker ’19 MMA
Artist Profiles Frank Morelli, bassoon
Janna Baty, mezzo-soprano
Frank Morelli studied with Stephen Maxym at the Manhattan School of Music and later became the first bassoonist to be awarded a doctorate by The Juilliard School. He has made nine solo appearances in Carnegie Hall, and performed at the White House for the final state dinner of the Clinton Presidency. Co-principal bassoonist of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, he was principal bassoon of the New York City Opera for 27 years. His more than 170 recordings include solo CDs From the Heart, Romance and Caprice, Bassoon Brasileiro, and Baroque Fireworks. Gramophone Magazine proclaimed: “Morelli’s playing is a joy to behold.” The American Record Guide wrote that “[his playing] is a good as it gets.” Orpheus’ CD Shadow Dances, which features Frank Morelli, won a 2001 Grammy Award.
Mezzo-soprano Janna Baty enjoys an exceptionally versatile career. She has sung with many of the world’s most celebrated ensembles, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Daejeon Philharmonic, Hamburgische Staatsoper, L’Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, under the batons of James Levine, Seiji Ozawa, and Robert Spano, among numerous others. A noted specialist in contemporary music, Baty has worked with many influential composers. She is an alumna of Oberlin College and the Yale School of Music. She joined the Yale School of Music faculty in 2008.
Along with numerous appearances at prestigious festivals, Morelli is a member of Festival Chamber Music and the woodwind quintet Windscape, which is in residence at the Manhattan School of Music.
Wei-Yi Yang, piano
Morelli joined the Yale faculty in 1994. He also serves on the faculties of The Juilliard School, the Manhattan School of Music, and SUNY Stony Brook. He compiled the landmark bassoon excerpt book, Stravinsky: Difficult Passages, for Boosey and Hawkes. With numerous transcriptions in print, his revision of the widely used Weissenborn Bassoon Method and Studies will soon be published by Carl Fischer. » morellibassoon.com
» jannabaty.com
Pianist Wei-Yi Yang has earned worldwide acclaim for his captivating performances and imaginative programming. Winner of the gold medal at the San Antonio International Piano Competition, he has appeared at major venues across America, Asia, Europe, and Australia. He was recently praised by The New York Times for a “sensational” performance of Messiaen’s TurangalîlaSymphonie at Carnegie Hall. Yang studied in the U.K., then in America with Arkady Aronov and Boris Berman at the Manhattan School of Music and Yale School of Music, respectively. Yang received his doctorate from the Yale School of Music in 2004 and joined the faculty in 2005.
Texts I Never Saw Another Butterfly Lori Laitman
Birdsong Text by Anonymous
The Butterfly Text by Pavel Friedmann
He doesn’t know the world at all Who stays in his nest and doesn’t go out. He doesn’t know what birds know best Nor what I want to sing about, That the world is full of loveliness. When dewdrops sparkle in the grass And earth’s aflood with morning light, A blackbird sings upon a bush To greet the dawning after night. Then I know how fine it is to live. Hey, try to open up your heart To beauty; go to the woods someday And weave a wreath of memory there. Then if the tears obscure your way You’ll know how wonderful it is To be alive.
The last, the very last So richly, brightly, dazzlingly yellow. Perhaps if the sun’s tears would sing against a white stone.... Such, such a yellow Is carried lightly ’way up high. It went away I’m sure because it wished to kiss the world good-bye. For seven weeks I’ve lived in here, Penned up inside this ghetto. But I have found what I love here. The dandelions call to me And the white chestnut branches in the court. Only I never saw another butterfly. That butterfly was the last one. Butterflies don’t live in here, in the ghetto.
Yes, That’s the Way Things Are Text by Koleba: Miroslav Kosek, Hanus Löwy, Bachner I. In Terezin in the so-called park A queer old granddad sits Somewhere there in the so-called park. He wears a beard down to his lap And on his head, a little cap. II. Hard crusts he crumbles in his gums, He’s only got one single tooth. My poor old man with working gums, Instead of soft rolls, lentil soup. My poor old greybeard!
The Garden Text by Franta Bass A little garden Fragrant and full of roses. The path is narrow And a little boy walks along it. A little boy, a sweet boy, Like that growing blossom. When the blossom comes to bloom, The little boy will be no more.
Man Proposes, God Disposes Text by Koleba I. Who was helpless back in Prague, And who was rich before, He’s a poor soul here in Terezin, His body’s bruised and sore.
II. Who was toughened up before, He’ll survive these days. But who was used to servants Will sink into his grave.
The Old House Text by Franta Bass Deserted here, the old house stands in silence, asleep. The old house used to be so nice, before, standing there, it was so nice. Now it is deserted, rotting in silence– What a waste of houses, a waste of hours.
Program Notes I Never Saw Another Butterfly Lori laitman Lori Laitman Published by Enchanted Knickers Music ©1996 and 2018, Lori Laitman. Permission to use the English translation of the texts was granted by The Jewish Museum of Prague, copyright holder. In 1995, soprano Lauren Wagner asked me to write a song cycle using texts from I Never Saw Another Butterfly, an astonishing collection of poems written by children from the Terezin Concentration Camp. One cannot help but be touched by the hope, innocence and truth of the poems. Around this time, I was also considering writing a piece for saxophonist Gary Louie, and the idea of using saxophone as the sole partner for the voice seemed perfect, as the sound of the saxophone could be haunting and soulful, as well as reminiscent of Klezmer music. I later created versions for clarinet and bassoon, each of which contributes its own unique timbre. I chose to set 6 poems, creating a dramatic arc that proceeds from hope to despair.
“The Butterfly” opens with a cantorialstyle saxophone line, conjuring up images of a fluttering butterfly. The voice enters with melodic speech-based rhythms. The saxophone’s function alternates — sometimes it takes center stage, as in the cadenza, which symbolizes the butterfly’s freedom; and sometimes it accompanies the voice, providing a harmonic under- pinning that sets the tone for the poem’s subtext. This poem was written by Pavel Friedmann, who was born January 7, 1921. He was deported to Terezin on April 26, 1942 and died in Auschwitz on September 29, 1944. Despite the tremendous sadness of the text, the message of the poem is one of undying spirit. “Yes, That’s the way things are” was written by three children – Kosek, Löwy, and Bachner – who wrote under the name Koleba. To reflect the irony of the poem, I created music with a folk song feel. The dancing, shifting rhythms combine with a modal melody that switches between a minor and major seventh, and the vocalising, here sung on the syllables “ba-de-dum,” is typical of Jewish folk song. Miroslav Kosek was born on March 30, 1932 at Horelice in Bohemia and was sent to Terezin on February 15, 1942. He died October 19, 1944 at Auschwitz. Hanus Löwy was born in Ostrava on June 29, 1931, deported to Terezin on September 30, 1942, and died in Auschwitz on October 4, 1944. There is no information on Bachner.
The author of “Birdsong” is unknown. The poem is preserved in manuscript, and most striking is the author’s ability to rise above the horrid living conditions to focus on the loveliness of life. Ascending phrases are used to portray hope, and a vocalise is again employed as an interlude and postlude, where voice and saxophone combine in a passionate duet. The feelings of hope manifested in the earlier songs die in “The Garden”. The poem was written by Franta Bass, who was born in Brno on September 4, 1930. He was sent to Terezin on December 2, 1941, and died in Auschwitz on October 28, 1944. The little boy walking along the garden path is portrayed by a weaving saxophone part with subtle rhythmic changes. Both parts build to a climax, then abruptly come to a close as “the little boy will be no more.” “Man Proposes, God Disposes” was also written by the three children who signed their name Koleba. The poem recognizes that those who were “rich before” would perish much faster in the camps than those accustomed to a harsher life. This short song employs simple melodies, and the use of vocal glissandi projects a cabaret atmosphere. “The Old House,” also written by Franta Bass, ends the cycle. The barren image of the deserted house is captured by the saxophone repeatedly playing one note, like a bell tolling. As the poet recalls happier days, the voice and saxophone become more expressive and expansive in range, but then return to the sparse
opening texture. The phrase “rotting in silence ” is repeated sequentially three times, descending to bring the cycle to a close with the voice alone, whispering.
Upcoming Events feb 3 Il flauto magico Collection of Musical Instruments The recorder ensemble Boreas Quartett Bremen performs works by Tallis, Byrd, Bach, and more, with guest artist Han Tol. 3 pm | Collection of Musical Inst. Tickets $30, Yale staff, seniors, and museum associates $25, students $15
feb 22 Philharmonia in Sprague Yale Philharmonia The Yale Philharmonia performs its annual concert in the intimate Morse Recital Hall in Sprague Memorial Hall. 7:30 pm | Morse Recital Hall Tickets start at $12, Yale faculty/ staff $8, students $5
feb 13 Roberto Prosseda, piano Horowitz Piano Series A performance by guest artist Roberto Prosseda, whom Gramophone said “has a fiery and fluent technique.” 7:30 pm | Morse Recital Hall Tickets start at $23, students $11
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feb 15 Eugene Onegin feb 16 Yale Opera feb 17 Yale Opera presents a new production of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin with the Yale Philharmonia. fri & sat 8 pm | sun 2 pm Shubert Theater Tickets start at $19 • shubert.com
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