Rudolph Palmer is equally distinguished as composer, conductor, and pianist. His creative output includes works for orchestra, chorus, chamber ensemble, and keyboard. A baroque specialist, Palmer has conducted numerous recordings, including premiere recordings of Handel's operas Imeneo and Siroe. He teaches at the Mannes College of Music. "My main concern in Contrasts for Four Bassoons was to write a piece with equal activity for all the bassoonists. The first movement is lyrical, consisting of long, breathless lines with an occasional punctuation. The second is a highly contrapuntal tour de force with a brief reminiscence of the first movement." R.P.
Vaclav Nelhybel (d.1996) studied at the Prague Conservatory and worked as a composer and conductor in Czechoslovakia and in Switzerland until 1957, when he emigrated to America. Nelhybel's output is extensive, and his symphonic works have been performed by many American and European orchestras. Nelhybel is the recipient of four honorary doctorates in America. Concert Etudes for Four Bassoons, composed for the NYBQ, is an exploration of many musical elements: various bassoon sonorities, contrasting contrapuntal ideas, snatches of chorales, and lively rhythmic patterns.
Katherine Hoover (b.1937) lives in New York. She was born in West Virginia and grew up in a Philadelphia suburb. Hoover has received commissions and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, American Academy of Arts & Letters, Ditson Fund of Columbia University, ASCAP, Meet the Composer, and many other organizations. Her works have been presented throughout the United States and abroad by such soloists and groups as John Cheek; Eddie Daniels; the Harrisburg and Santa Fe Symphonies; Women's Philharmonic; the Dorian, Sylvan, Hudson Valley and Richards Wind Quintets; Atlanta Chamber Players; New Jersey Chamber Music Society; Alard Quartet; and the Huntingdon and Verdehr Trios. As a flutist, Hoover has given concerto performances at Lincoln Center, performed in all of New York's major halls, and made numerous recordings. She holds degrees from the Eastman and Manhattan Schools of Music and has taught at Juilliard; the Manhattan School of Music; and Teachers College, Columbia University.
"The central section of Sinfonia, the Funeral March, was inspired by the form of a scene from Stiffelio, an obscure opera by Verdi. It features a repeating bass motif, with increasing layers and densities of sound. The Introduction is a bit freer and more experimental in nature. The last movement is an up-tempo fugue, with elements of jazz and some rather silly and difficult grace-note figures." K.H. Other works by Hoover on Leonarda: comphi.html (takes you to composer bio in alphabetical list with links to recordings)
Peter Schickele has, as a serious composer, received commissions from the St. Louis Symphony, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Pilobolus Dance Company, Canadian Brass, Minnesota Orchestra, and many other groups. He has written for virtually every musical medium, including television (Sesame Street) and movies (Silent Running and Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are). His notoriety as Professor Peter Schickele, sole discoverer of the works of the highly figmental P.D.Q. Bach, is worldwide; a 1990 Grammy award shows just how far out of hand things have gotten. Last Tango in Bayreuth, written in 1973, is a tongue-in-cheek tribute to Richard Wagner, and is based on motifs from his operas." P.S.
Donald Erb is Distinguished Professor of Composition at the Cleveland Institute of Music. He was formerly Composer-in-Residence with the St. Louis Symphony, and has received hundreds of performances by orchestras in the United States, Europe, South America, Africa, and Australia. He has been honored with fellowships, commissions and awards from the Ford, Guggenheim, Naumburg, and Rockefeller Foundations; National Endowment for the Arts; and National Institute of Arts and Letters. "The Concerto's one movement is divided into three sections. The first is a little march-like in character. The second presents the solo instrument in a more lyric light and also makes use of a very high register. The melodies played by the contrabassoon frequently contain jazzy bends. The last section makes use of the very lowest register of the instrument, which can sound quite earthy." D.E.
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