Ole Bull: 'Adagio Religioso' (bassoon and piano)

This tribute to Norwegian violinist Ole Bull (1810-1880) recorded by me and my accompanist, Geoffrey Wieting, on October 8, 2011, features Bull's Opus 1 'Adagio Religioso' performed with bassoon and piano instead of violin and piano. During my research on Ole Bull, as I prepare for our Longfellow Choral Festival, March 2, 3, 4 and 5, 2012, 'Ole Bull, Longfellow & Elgar: Scenes from the Saga of King Olaf,' I have gotten to know a number of Bull compositions. 'Adagio Religioso,' or 'A Mother's Prayer,' is especially adaptable for just about any instrument. What shines through is the warmth of Ole Bull's personality.

Our Longfellow Choral Festival 2012 will highlight the friendship between Ole Bull and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882). As you can see in this video, Bull and his wife, Sara Chapman Bull, sent Longfellow a birthday greeting telegram on February 27, 1877, in which Bull calls Longfellow the "Viking Skald," or Viking poet. Longfellow and Bull would exchange birthday greetings in person in February 1880.

The Longfellow Chorus will present two rare performances of Elgar's cantata, 'Scenes from the Saga of King Olaf,' in South Portland, Maine, on March 3 and 4, 2012. Elgar's text comes from Longfellow's 1863 'Tales of a Wayside Inn,' featuring a fictional Ole Bull as musical storyteller of the King Olaf saga.

For more information, please visit www.longfellowchorus.com

Charles Kaufmann, Artistic Director
The Longfellow Chorus
PO Box 5133
Portland, Maine 04101

director@longfellowchorus.com

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