Isang Yun: Monolog for Bassoon (1983-1984)

00:00 - I. Monolog (a.k.a. Monologue)
_____
Bassoon: Fany Maselli
Year of Recording: 2015
_____
"Isang Yun’s Monolog for bassoon was mainly composed between the years 1983 to 1984, however the actual roots of this work had begun some years prior along with his other work Clarinet Concerto. The Clarinet Concerto was composed by Yun in the year 1981 especially for Swiss clarinetist Eduard Brunner, who was the principal clarinetist of Munich’s Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra for about 30 years. He premiered the work in Munich on January 29, 1982. Certain points which were notable about the Clarinet Concerto is the usage of bass clarinet instead of clarinet because of the solo voice during the middle movement. In the following year, Yun removed the solo line from the second movement and then used it as the structural basis for a solo bass clarinet work. The resulting composition of this which was written for Dutch bass clarinet virtuoso Harry Sparnaay, became Yun’s Monolog for bass clarinet and was then premiered on April 9, 1983. Expecting some changes and more likely to accommodate range, Yun also published a version of the same work for bassoon. Yun was quoted in an interview with Bruce Duffie in 1987 that he composed strictly by commission, and his scores typically included a dedication to the commissioner. However, the Monolog for bassoon contains no such dedication and it is unknown whether it was created for a particular individual. It was premiered on February 3, 1985 by French bassoonist Alexandre Ouzounoff. Precedent for Yun’s solo works being performed on other instruments had been set several years prior with Piri, a composition for solo oboe. Piri was composed in 1971 for oboist Georg Meerwin, which immediately gained quick popularity. Before long, musicians of other instruments took notice of Piri and began to perform it. Clarinetists specifically performed and recorded Piri, which also including Eduard Brunner. Wolfgang Sparrer was quoted on his observation about about Piri as: “Although it was originally written for oboe, the composer has allowed interpretations for other instruments. Due to its high demands regarding playing technique and successful balance between construction and expression, Piri achieved so much popularity within only a few years that it was often chosen as a compulsory piece in music competitions.” Due to this well spread acceptance and versatility of Piri, Yun may have anticipated the idea of creating an alternate edition of Monolog for bass clarinet for bassoon. Since there are distinct differences in range, key, and clef notation between the two instruments, publishing a new version of the work for bassoon was necessary to encourage performances." (Laura Hauser)
_____
© COPYRIGHT Disclaimer, Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976. Allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

[nicole-uypw]

A solo bassoon piece, with no accompaniment at all, is truly difficult to write. From the very first bar, the master has captured my attention. I don't feel any sense of showing off technical skills, the entire piece uniquely documents the style.

The aspect I appreciate most about this piece is that the master did not force to change the musical content out of fear of loneliness. The consistency throughout the entire piece is quite strong, and the ending leaves the listener with a sense of completeness (although it also feels quite lonely)

Nowadays, it's quite possible that for many people, listening to such a 12-minute piece of music would feel very boring. But if one can leisurely appreciate the subtle changes in this piece, it can also be very exciting.

[connorcmusician]

oooo i gotta learn this, any advice on where i can get the music from?