Frank Morelli & Gilbert Kalish - From the Heart: 20th Century Music for Bassoon and Piano (2013)

The title From the Heart has many layers of meaning. I’m drawn to works that invite the performer and the listener to interact with the music and each other in a personal way. The music on this CD, spanning much of the 20th century and written by composers from the heart of Europe, speaks to and from the heart.

Frank Morelli maintains a stellar performing career that is entering its fifth decade. Introduced to the bassoon in public school in Massapequa, New York, Morelli studied with Stephen Maxym at the Manhattan and Juilliard Schools of Music. He was the first bassoonist to achieve a doctorate at
Juilliard. A long-time member of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, he recorded the Mozart Bassoon Concerto with Orpheus on the Deutsche Grammophon label. That recording, as well as his three previous MSR solo releases won international critical acclaim. The Orpheus disc “Shadow Dances,” which features Morelli, won a 2001 Grammy Award. He has made nine appearances as a soloist in New York’s Carnegie Hall and appeared with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center on numerous occasions, including at the White House for the final State Dinner of the Clinton Presidency. As a member of the renowned wind quintet Windscape, an ensemble in residence at the Manhattan School of Music, he has participated in numerous acclaimed performances and recordings. Morelli also currently serves on the faculties of the Juilliard School, Yale School of Music, SUNY Stony Brook and the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory in Toronto. Editor of the landmark excerpt book, “Stravinsky: Difficult Passages for Bassoon” [Boosey & Hawkes], he has a number of transcriptions to his credit published by TrevCo.

Pianist Gilbert Kalish leads a musical life of unusual variety and breadth. Recipient of the Paul Fromm Award (Chamber Music America’s Service Award) and the George Peabody Medal, Kalish’s profound influence on the musical community has established him as a major figure in American music making. Pianist of the Boston Symphony Chamber Players for thirty years, he was a founding member of the Contemporary Chamber Ensemble. A frequent guest artist with many of the world’s most distinguished chamber ensembles and an artist member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Kalish’s discography of some 100 recordings encompasses classical repertory, 20th Century masterworks and new compositions. As an educator, he is distinguished professor and head of performance activities at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. From 1969-1997, he was a faculty member of the Tanglewood Music Center and was its “Chairman of the Faculty” from 1985-1997. Kalish serves as the director of the International Program at the Music@Menlo Festival and often serves as guest artist at distinguished music institutions such as The Banff Centre, the Steans Institute at Ravinia, and Yellow Barn.