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Volume 38, No. 2 |
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News Briefs |
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Introduction to InfoHawk |
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Longevity of University employees recognized |
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Seminar series on cold war America continues |
Faculty back from Brazil, to premiere new work in U.S.
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| Rehearsing for
their Sept. 8 recital are (left to right) Diana Gannett, professor
of music, David Gompper, associate professor of music, and Katherine
Eberle, associate professor of music. Photo by Rex Bavousett. |
Although there is little original repertoire for voice and double bass, Eberle and Gannett were invited to perform together for the V Einco, a double bass convention held in Brazil at the end of August.
"When we got the invitation, we began researching appropriate repertoire," Eberle explained.
What they found were pieces that were suitable to be adapted to voice and bass. Inspired by a famous violin showpiece, the "Carmen" Fantasy by Pablo de Sarasate, Gannett arranged four excerpts from Bizet’s "Carmen."
"These excerpts were particularly well suited to the duo," Eberle said, "since Carmen is one of the major roles in every mezzo-soprano’s repertoire." Gannett arranged the selections with the "Carmen" Fantasy in mind, to show off the virtuoso possibilities for extensive ornamentation in the double bass.
In addition to the "Carmen" excerpts, two songs by Johannes Brahms that were originally written for voice and viola were found that transposed nicely to the double bass. And four songs by Tchaikovsky also fit the combination well.
In addition Gompper, director of the Center for New Music, wrote two songs for Eberle and Gannett. Gompper chose texts from Poetry from a Midsummer’s Night by Iowa Poet Laureate Marvin Bell, a professor in the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Gompper set "Like Words, Like Music" for voice, double bass, and piano, and he composed "How the Lovers Found True Love After All" for Eberle and Gannett alone. Gompper’s Two Songs were premiered by Eberle and Gannett in Brazil on Aug. 24, and the UI concert will be their U.S. premiere.
For the UI recital, Gompper arranged two Gershwin songs to close the program: "The Man I Love" for double bass and piano, and "Mine" for all three performers.
Article
by Peter Alexander