Reflection of a Life - 2BSN

Reflection of a Life

for two bassoons

by Sunny Knable, American composer

ABOUT THE MUSIC:

Reflection of a Life was commissioned by Erika Andersen and Scott Pool and is dedicated to the memory of bassoonist Erik van der Veer Varner.  The question that kept coming back to me at that time was, "how does a person make an impact on your life?"  Every person we meet affects us in one way or another, and how is that reflected in each of us?  Musically, I represent that idea as a conversation between the two bassoons, each reflecting the other.  You'll hear the lowest note of the bassoon as a frequent and fundamental note from the very start, and from there, a musical language is built on the natural overtone series.  (Scott Pool remarked to this composer that this is reminiscent of "Taps," the frequently played tune played at military funerals, and I agree!)  Against this, you'll hear a reflection from higher notes downwards--the inversion of the natural state (let's call it a man-made state).  From there, a story is told to a dramatic conclusion followed by a somber coda.  At the end of the piece, I think you'll hear as I intended that each of us is a reflection of others; and as we inevitably find out in life and death, though we remain essentially ourselves, we are forever changed by those who leave us.

ABOUT THE COMPOSER: 

SUNNY KNABLE (b. 1983) is an award-winning composer, a multi-instrumental performer, an educator, and an author of multiple essays and books. Some of his awards include three Best Composition Awards from the Festival of New American Music and the ANALOG ARTS Iron Composers Award, for which he wrote a four-minute piece in five hours. Knable’s music has been described as "well-crafted" (New York Concert Review), "great!" (TheWholeNote), "genius" (Anchorage Press), "entertaining" (Audiophile Audition), "witty, romantic and lilting" (TheaterScene.net), offering up "sparks of color and inventiveness" (Sacramento Bee), and possessing a "wealth of thematic invention" (feastofmusic.com).  His prolific output is widely performed, including works for solos, chamber music, orchestra, and opera.  Dr. Knable serves as Music Director of The Church-in-the-Gardens; composer for The Garden Players, a theatrical group for children; and as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Queens College and LaGuardia Community College.  He holds a Ph.D. in Music Composition from Stony Brook University, a Master of Arts in Composition from Queens College(CUNY), and a Bachelor of Music degree in Composition, Piano Performance, and Jazz Studies from CSU Sacramento.  His discography includes his debut album "American Variations" on Centaur Records; his second composition album with bassoonist Scott Pool and pianist Natsuki Fukasawa, "Song of the Redwood Tree" on MSR Classics; and his third composition album "Keys" featuring Faythe Vollrath and Matthew Lau on Trouvère Records.  His bassoon works, Song of the Redwood-Tree, The Busking Bassoonist, and Reflection of a Life, are published by TrevCo Music Publishing.  All other works are published by Trouvère Music Publishing.  He is the editor of the book "Looking Within: The Music of John Palmer", and the author of "The Quarantine Chronicle of a Composer" on Vision Edition, UK.  He resides in Forest Hills, NY, while fulfilling commissions nationwide.