Marsalis, Wynton: Meeelaan (2000) 13'
for bassoon and string quartet
Programme Note
In the summer of 2000, Wynton Marsalis composed Meelaan for bassoon and string quartet, in honor of bassoonist Milan Turkovic. The world premiere took place on August 14, 2000 at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires.
"In the spring of 1998 I was on a three week tour travelling across the USA with Wynton Marsalis. This was part of a joint project with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Wynton and I became good friends. So, one day Wynton decided he would write a piece for me... I called Wynton in New York and asked, 'How should they call the piece in the programme?' Wynton just answered, 'Meeelaan,' which is how he pronounces my first name in his distinctive accent. If you ask the composer which kind of style the music represents, whether it is to be categorized within the jazz or the 'classical' repertoire, he just answers, 'It’s music.'
The piece (duration ca 13 minutes) consists of three movements: Blues, Tango and Bebop. The score is written in a way that makes it accessible for classically trained musicians who express the ability to perform the music of a composer who comes from the jazz aesthestic, and who are highly attuned to the characteristics of the Blues and Bebop."
-Milan Turkovic
for bassoon and string quartet
Programme Note
In the summer of 2000, Wynton Marsalis composed Meelaan for bassoon and string quartet, in honor of bassoonist Milan Turkovic. The world premiere took place on August 14, 2000 at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires.
"In the spring of 1998 I was on a three week tour travelling across the USA with Wynton Marsalis. This was part of a joint project with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Wynton and I became good friends. So, one day Wynton decided he would write a piece for me... I called Wynton in New York and asked, 'How should they call the piece in the programme?' Wynton just answered, 'Meeelaan,' which is how he pronounces my first name in his distinctive accent. If you ask the composer which kind of style the music represents, whether it is to be categorized within the jazz or the 'classical' repertoire, he just answers, 'It’s music.'
The piece (duration ca 13 minutes) consists of three movements: Blues, Tango and Bebop. The score is written in a way that makes it accessible for classically trained musicians who express the ability to perform the music of a composer who comes from the jazz aesthestic, and who are highly attuned to the characteristics of the Blues and Bebop."
-Milan Turkovic
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