Last May in Amsterdam a remarkable three-day festival devoted
to the bassoon was staged by the 'Muziekzentrum De ljsbreker'.
An exemplary organization which could only exist there, it stages
contemporary music events throughout the year; the pleasant canal-side
premises comprise a bar-cum-restaurant, two concert venues and
an exhibition area. In the past similar mini-festivals have featured
such relatively neglected musical instruments as viola, accordion
and saxophone. This time the well-known Dutch bassoonist Henk
de Wit was commissioned to mastermind a varied and comprehensive
weekend of bassoon-related events. In addition to 14 concerts,
there were interviews, film shows, bassoon-maintenance sessions,
as well as an exhibition (complemented by a superb illustrated
catalogue) of Henk's fine collection of bassoonalia.
In addition to a well-judged selection of core repertory, the
programmed music included no fewer than 20 world premieres. Among
those composers commissioned for the occasion were the American
Eliott Schwartz, Wlodzimierz Kotonski from Warsaw, and Annette
Schlunz, a remarkable young avant-garde composer from Dresden.
In addition to a few 'bassoon band' ensembles, there were 29 solo
performers, drawn from Benelux, Austria, Germany, Great Britain,
Norway, Canada and the United States, including such well-known
names as Milan Turkovic, Dag Jensen and Jesse Read. Among the
highlights (for me) were: hearing both the bassoon works of Sofia
Gubaldulina (the duo, and the concerto with Milan Turkovic); Munich
prize-winner Dag Jensen in Isang Yun's Monolog; a 'walkabout'
concerto for Luc Loubry accompanied by 11 'bassons' and two 'contrabassoons'
disposed in three separate groups: the tenor bassoon's modern
debut - Richard Moore in a new Sonatina by Victor Bruns; the monumental
Skalkottas Sonata (Henk de Wit); the startling effects achieved
by New York bassoonist Johnny Reinhard. And on a more personal
note, the privilege for my wife and me of premiering an important
addition to the repertoire: Eliott Schwartz's Chamber Concerto
#5 for bassoon, piano and string quartet.
Programs of the Amsterdam Bassoon Festival
Saturday
Sunday and Monday
