From the Soul
Frank Morelli; Wei-Yi Yang; Janna Baty; Callisto Quartet
Musica Solis MS202602 (musicasolis.com/from-the-soul-frank-morelli)
From the Soul is a collection of five chamber pieces for bassoon, three with piano, one with mezzo-soprano and one with string quartet, recorded by the American bassoonist Frank Morelli. Morelli is one of the top teachers of bassoon in North America, having taught for many years at such places as Yale, Juilliard, and even at our own Glenn Gould School, and his playing credentials include groups like the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He’s a player in demand and you can hear why on this disc: lots of fluidity on the instrument, and lots of expression. Some listeners might find the vibrato excessive, but life is short and I’ll always support the goal of more expression, not less.
Morelli leads off the disc with Elegy for Innocence by Jeff Scott, an episodic and lyrical piece with some very pretty moments. The best music here comes from Wynton Marsalis and his 1999 jazz-infused piece Meeelaan written in three movements for bassoon and string quartet: some nice grooves, impressive turns of phrase and even some gritty moments where the normally mellow bassoon gets downright raunchy. My favourite piece on the album is Prayer, written in 2022 by Nirmali Fenn, in which the composer evokes the exotic sounds of the duduk, and the inside-the-piano effects are fascinating. The Callisto Quartet sounds cohesive and compelling on this disc, as does Morelli’s dramatic and expressive pianist Wei-Yi Yang.
