An Afternoon of Solo and Chamber Music

“That Modinha That Villa Didn’t Write”
Francisco Mignone (1897–1986) was one of Brazil’s most important composers of the twentieth century. His music reflects a distinctive synthesis of European classical traditions and the rhythms, melodies, and musical character of Brazil. Throughout his career, Mignone composed extensively for orchestra, chamber ensembles, piano, voice, and solo instruments, while developing a strong personal connection to Brazilian popular and folk traditions.

“That Modinha That Villa Didn’t Write” is part of Mignone’s extensive exploration of the waltz and Brazilian musical idioms. The title refers to the modinha, a lyrical Brazilian song tradition that developed from the Portuguese tradition and became an important part of Brazil’s musical culture. The subtitle also playfully alludes to fellow Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, suggesting a musical conversation with the Brazilian nationalist tradition while establishing Mignone’s own individual voice.

Although written for unaccompanied bassoon, the work demonstrates that the instrument can function far beyond its traditional orchestral role. Across the sixteen short waltzes, Mignone explores a remarkable range of colors, characters, articulations, rhythmic gestures, and expressive possibilities. The bassoon alternates between singing lyrical lines, playful rhythmic figures, dramatic gestures, and passages that evoke the intimacy of Brazilian popular music.

The waltz serves as both a familiar European dance form and a vehicle for distinctly Brazilian expression. Mignone transforms the traditional triple-meter dance into a highly personal musical language, incorporating elements of Brazilian song and dance while taking advantage of the bassoon’s distinctive warm, resonant, and sometimes humorous character.

For the performer, the work presents both technical and interpretive challenges. Without accompaniment, every musical detail—including rhythm, phrasing, articulation, dynamics, and changes of character—must be communicated by a single instrument. The sixteen miniatures therefore become a showcase not only of the bassoon’s technical versatility but also of its ability to sing, speak, and convey a wide spectrum of human expression.

In Sixteen Waltzes for Solo Bassoon, Mignone creates an intimate musical portrait of Brazil while demonstrating the extraordinary expressive potential of the solo bassoon.

Romance, Op. 62, for Bassoon and Piano by Edward Elgar
Edward Elgar (1857–1934) was one of England’s most important composers of the late Romantic period. His music is characterized by lyrical melodies, expressive warmth, and a distinctive sense of orchestral color. While best known for works such as the Enigma Variations and Pomp and Circumstance Marches, Elgar also composed several intimate chamber works that reveal his more personal and lyrical side.

Composed in 1909–1910, Romance, Op. 62 was originally written for bassoon and orchestra and later arranged for bassoon and piano. The work was dedicated to Edwin F. James, principal bassoonist of the London Symphony Orchestra, who gave the first performance in 1911 with Elgar conducting.

The title Romance reflects the work’s lyrical and intimate character. Rather than emphasizing the bassoon’s often humorous or rustic qualities, Elgar treats the instrument as a beautiful singing voice. The solo line moves gracefully between moments of quiet reflection and more passionate passages, requiring great sensitivity in phrasing and expression. The piano is more than an accompaniment, providing harmonic color and engaging in a subtle musical dialogue with the bassoon.

Romance, Op. 62 is a fine example of Elgar’s ability to create emotional depth within a relatively small-scale work, allowing the bassoon to reveal its warm, expressive, and remarkably lyrical character.

Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109 by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
Composed in 1820, Beethoven’s Sonata in E Major, Op. 109 is one of his most intimate and searching works for piano. Rather than emphasizing the heroic drama of his earlier music, Beethoven turns inward, creating a sonata of striking contrasts, freedom, and reflection.

The opening movement alternates between passages of gentle, almost improvisatory beauty and moments of sudden intensity. A brief and turbulent second movement follows without pause. The heart of the sonata is its final movement: a simple, deeply expressive theme followed by six variations. As the variations unfold, the music becomes increasingly elaborate and luminous, eventually reaching an extraordinary passage of sustained trills and cascading sound.

Then, almost as if returning from a great distance, the original theme appears once more in its simplicity. Beethoven ends not with a grand gesture, but with stillness and quiet reflection.

Notturno e Tarantella, Op. 28 by Karol Szymanowski
Karol Szymanowski’s Notturno e Tarantella, Op. 28, was composed in 1915 during one of the most creatively productive periods of the composer’s life. Written for violin and piano and dedicated to Szymanowski’s close friend, the Polish landowner August Iwański, the work was composed at estates in Zarudzie and Ryżawka in what is now Ukraine. It received its first performance in Warsaw on January 24, 1920, by the distinguished violinist Paweł Kochański and the composer’s brother, Feliks Szymanowski, at the piano.

The two movements present a striking contrast. The Notturno opens in a mysterious, dreamlike atmosphere, with delicate ornamentation, expressive melodic lines, and exotic colors. Szymanowski’s musical language reflects his fascination with cultures and musical traditions beyond his native Poland, particularly those of the Mediterranean and Middle East. The sensuous harmonies and ornamental gestures create an atmosphere that is both intimate and otherworldly.

The Tarantella provides a dramatic change of character. Marked Presto appassionato, it is fast, energetic, and brilliantly virtuosic. Its driving rhythms and Spanish-inspired character recall the nineteenth-century tradition of virtuoso violin music while incorporating Szymanowski’s more modern harmonic language. The work was written in close collaboration with Paweł Kochański, whose extraordinary violin technique and imagination strongly influenced Szymanowski’s writing for the instrument.

Together, the Notturno and Tarantella form a captivating study in contrasts: stillness and movement, mystery and excitement, sensual lyricism and dazzling virtuosity. Although relatively brief, the work demonstrates Szymanowski’s remarkable ability to transform the violin and piano into a richly colored sound world. Lasting approximately twelve minutes, Notturno e Tarantella remains one of his most accessible and engaging works for violin and piano.