From Sam's Second Master's Recital
12 Arias from “The Barber of Seville” for two bassoons, was originally transcribed by François René Gebauer, a bassoonist with the Paris Opera, in 1819. Then another opera bassoonist, Frank Morelli, came along in 2008 and revised these original duets. In his arrangement, Morelli borrows more motivic material from the opera, as well as extending the arias with cadenzas and repetition. I’ve selected three arias from the collection of twelve: I. Ecco ridente in cielo, II. Largo al factotum, and V. Una voce poco fa.
Joining me in my performance tonight is my good friend Xayvion Davidson. Xayvion and I originally met at the online bassoon camp “Bassoons Without Borders,” in 2020. However, we had not gotten close or met in person until this school year when he and I were assigned to be “reed buddies.” Since the fall, Xayvion and I have spent around three hours a week making reeds and playing duets together. I knew when planning my recital he and I needed to play something as our last hoorah!
Video: Max Arakaki