What sounds like a farting goose and isn't Leo Kottke?
I am listening to double reed music after having decided that, while I do want to do a double-reed show in the spirit of the accordion show, I can't really justifying playing the whole of Rite of Spring (nor will I consider playing only part), even though we did just get some reputedly great recording and even though it does begin with a famous bassoon solo, and want therefore to make sure that I'll actually have the material ready to hand. (ISTR reading Greg Sandow claim that the opening solo should sound really raw, or words to that effect; the CD I have lacks that feature, and I'm considering playing Univers Zero's "Ronde", even though it's not the best track on its album, mostly because of the skronky overblown-sounding bassoon solo somewhat early on (and it's really not bad, it just doesn't measure up to "Complainte" or "Malaise"—though in terms of showing off the bassoon it might be better, hmmm).) The point: while I still maintain a theoretical devotion to the bassier instruments, I'm finding Hindemith's sonata for contrabasson and piano kind of hard going. The last time I heard a contrabassoon (in … 2002, maybe?) it sounded much more musical.
I discovered via wikipedia that some charlatans are trying to call an instrument the "tenoroon", which is utterly ridiculous.
By way of an update: Gerald Oshita's contrabass sarrusophone playing on the album Space (with Roscoe Mitchell and Thomas Buckner) suits me right down to the ground.
Comments
on 2007-01-31 12:14:39.0, rone commented:
Maybe they'd prefer to call it the big fagot.
and, further, on 2007-01-31 3:30:07.0, A White Bear commented:
I used to date a fagottist. He was also one of the only contrafagottists in the northern midwest, so he had a lot of travelling gigs. That's the thing about the bassoon; sometimes people want to "highlight" it, but it's only tokenism. You, sir, have no lasting commitment to the bassoon.
and, further, on 2007-01-31 9:16:46.0, ben wolfson commented:
That is a libel on so many levels it's nearly inexpressible. Libel!