Betsy's View

BYU School of Music Professor and Associate Director Geralyn Giovannetti gave a faculty oboe recital at Madsen Recital Hall at Brigham Young University on September 29th.

Accompanying Giovannetti on piano was Jed Moss, and bassoonist Christian Smith joined Moss and Giovannetti for Francis Poulenc’s Trio for Piano, Oboe and Bassoon.

Giovannetti’s event was my first oboe recital and I was looking forward to this new musical experience.  I had previously heard Giovannetti, Moss and Smith perform together as The Sundance Trio, which I very much enjoyed, but I wasn’t sure what to expect with purely an oboe recital.

In the past year, I’ve found myself in various concert halls, opening myself to experience music in all forms.  I’ve been to the symphony, I’ve seen piano concertos performed by today’s leading pianists, I’ve had the privilege of hearing undiscovered virtuosos, and I’ve had the great opportunity to see professional musicians, teachers, help guide the next generation of musicians.

When I attend a performance, I’m always a bit giddy.  I wonder with anticipation what the performers will present.  Will I recognize the piece? Will a musician dazzle me?  Will a conductor? What will I take away from the performance, and what will I learn?  Will I love it or will I walk away feeling uninspired?

There are so many questions that dash around in my head as I sit and await a performance.  Geralyn Giovannetti’s recital brought forth an additional question. Would I like the oboe as a solo instrument, or would I prefer to hear it as part of the orchestra?

Giovannetti welcomed the audience and introduced Simon Sargon’s Homage to Hafiz, which Sargon wrote to celebrate the life of the beloved 14th-century Iranian poet Hafiz.  I particularly enjoyed the middle eastern sounds in the work and the second movement, Ghazal (Song of Love), was melodious, romantic and peaceful.  I was also more than surprised when I saw that Moss would be accompanying Giovannetti for this first piece.  In fact, Moss accompanied Giovannetti for each work, and I later learned that most recitals have piano accompaniment.  I learned something new already!

The second work, English composer Thomas Dunhill’s Friendship’s Garland: A Suite of Five Miniatures, op. 97, was written to commemorate five of his close friends.  Each movement represents a different friend, and by listening to each piece, I imagined what Dunhill’s relationship with each was like. I heard compassion, frivolity, respect, adventure and joy.  What more beautiful way is there to celebrate life and friendship than with song?

The third work presented was English composer Madeleine Dring’s Three Piece Suite.  The Sundance Trio performed another of Dring’s works, Trio, on their debut CD, and I found Three Piece Suite immediately familiar.  Even without the bassoon, Dring’s style was cheerfully recognizable to me and I felt very comforted listening to it.

After the intermission, Giovannetti and Moss performed perhaps my favorite piece of the evening, Robert Cundick’s Turnabouts. Dr. Cundick is a highly-respected composer, particularly at BYU where he held a faculty position for 24 years.  At 83, Cundick has been a part of American music history with deep spiritual roots, including a 27-year tenure as Mormon Tabernacle Organist.

After Giovannetti and Moss performed Turnabouts, Giovannetti thanked Dr. Cundick and the audience turned to find that he was in attendance for the performance!  He received a resounding applause from the audience and it was clear that everyone was surprised and excited to see him.  Dr. Cundick later told Giovannetti that their performance was the first time he had seen it in 20 years!

For the final piece of the evening, Giovannetti invited her Sundance Trio ‘buddies’, Moss and Smith, to join her for French composer Francis Poulenc’s Trio for piano, oboe and bassoon. Trio is said to be the gold standard for this trio, and it was a wonderful piece.  I enjoyed how the instruments mimicked each other, and the piece is very lively and intricate.  I enjoyed listening to the trio as an ensemble as well as listening to each performer’s solo moments. Giovannetti, Moss and Smith were wonderful.

The big question of the evening was would I enjoy oboe as a solo performance.  And the answer is yes!  I enjoy the oboe as part of the orchestra, but I’ve gained a greater appreciation for the oboe by listening to Giovannetti during her faculty recital.  Giovannetti makes it look far too easy and she plays beautifully.

Listening to the trio taught me to listen to three instruments as an ensemble, but it also taught me to try to concentrate on an individual instrument and see how it integrates with the others.  At times I enjoyed picking out an instrument to hear it play a melody or supporting role, and at other times I just found myself lost in the music, enjoying it as the composer intended!

And to answer those other questions, I did recognize familiarity with Dring’s composition, the music and performers did dazzle me, and I learned that more contemporary and modern works are as inspiring as what I hear at the symphony.  I also learned that in spite of the preconception that ‘recital’ refers to young, inexperienced children on a school stage, ‘recital’ is actually synonymous with ‘concert’, reflecting the experience and aptitude of professional musicians.

I’m looking forward to my next recital!

More information about each piece and its composers can be found below:

Simon Sargon, b. 1938   Homage to Hafiz
Listen to samples of Homage to Hafiz, movements 1-3 here
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Thomas Dunhill, 1877-1946  Friendship’s Garland: A Suite of Five Miniatures, op. 97
Listen to samples of Friendship’s Garland, movements 1-5 here
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Madeleine Dring, 1923-1977   Three Piece Suite
Listen to samples of Three Piece Suite, movements 1-3 here
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Robert Cundick, b. 1926   Turnabouts
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Francis Poulenc, 1899-1963   Trio for piano, oboe and bassoon
View Trio on YouTube here