PASSING THROUGH (2011)

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DOWNLOAD PROGRAM NOTES (English)
DOWNLOAD PROGRAM NOTES (German)

(click on images of excerpts to enlarge)

Stream on Spotify (album link, tracks 6-8)
Stream on YouTube:
1. Bounce
2. Evening Song
3. The Flea

More information about the recording of Passing Through
on the GRAMMY®nominated album PASSING THROUGH
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Purchase the sheet music for Passing Through at:
Theodore Front Musical Literature, Inc.
Trevco Music
sheetmusicplus.com

Reviews:

“Written in 2011, Passing Through for oboe and bassoon can also switch oboe for clarinet and bassoon for bass clarinet. The jazz element comes through with the 7/8 bassoon line in the first movement, “Bounce.” This is a superb performance: Listen to the sense of ensemble in the opening flourish, or the way the fragmentary latter moments comprise figures beautifully and skillfully passed between the two players, oboist Jennifer Johnson and bassoonist Judith Farmer; the central “Evening Song” is wonderfully crepuscular, and hints at Americana. The finale, “The Flea” is deliciously jumpy and delivered here with maximal confidence and svelte style. It must be very rewarding to play: The players must have been itching to get into the studio. (There are some puns that are difficult to resist, no matter how hard one has to work to get them in there.)”

Colin Clarke, Fanfare

“Passing Through  (2011) is a three movement work for oboe and bassoon, played by Jennifer Johnson and Judith Farmer. The first movement, “Bounce” is characterful and perky, full of quirky humour, whilst the second movement “Evening Song” is slow spare and quite intense at times. The final movement, “The Flea” combines rhythm and lyricism. All three movements, written in a highly effective manner for the two instruments, bringing out a real sense of character.”

Robert Hugill, planethugill.com

“Bassoonist Judith Farmer returns and is joined by oboist Jennifer Johnson for “Passing Through”, a bouncy, even a bit cheeky three movement divertimento. Highlighting the short work is the slow, threadbare middle movement “Evening Song.”  Plaintive birds, slowly passing clouds, and setting suns all make an appearance in this satisfying 3-minute tone poem.  The final movement, “Flea,” as jumpy and unpredictable as the annoying little bug, is a quirky little romp that concludes with some spry humor with dots of lyricism. Farmer and Johnson are outstanding masters of their instruments, remarkable for the many colors and moods derived from the limited resources of the two similar instruments.”

Don Clark, icareifyoulisten.com

“It’s rare to hear a work scored for oboe and bassoon, as the album’s title work is, but the effect is refreshing. That Stravinsky connection is clearly intimated, to cite one instance, during its opening movement, “Bounce,” in the nimble interplay between the two woodwinds.”

textura.org

“Its opening movement, “Bounce”, is—guess what?—full of jumps and starts. I was visualizing the two players jumping on a trampoline as they were playing this—or at least until the bassoon went into an extended and metrically free cadenza. Particularly interesting to my ears was Wolfgang’s 21st-century updating of the Medieval concept of heterophony. In this case, the instruments often play a passage mostly in octaves, but with rather frequent notes diverging from the octave interval. “Evening Song” settles down a good bit, as the two players spin out their lines in lyrical counterpoint, often in contrary motion. “The Flea” resumes something of the bounciness of the opening movement, albeit with a bit more use of pauses between the phrases.”

David DeBoor Canfield, Fanfare

“The opening “Bounce” is assisted with its 7/8 rhythmic pattern, connecting to this concept of groove music quite well.  A more relaxed moment, hinted at in the first movement’s lyrical central section, in “Evening Song” provides another view of the composer’s beautiful lyric writing before we are treated to an exciting finale that skitters every which way and is appropriately called “The Flea.”

Steven A. Kennedy, Cinemusical

“BOUNCE … A “hide-and-seek” scherzo for Jennifer Johnson’s superb oboe and Judith Farmer’s bassoon … EVENING SONG …Wistful, quiet, shyly tentative phrases that seem to start a dialogue and vanish … then a duet for both instruments … THE FLEA …Nervous, playful … but more than one flea!”

Rafael de Acha, rafaelmusicnotes.com