Anthony St. Pierre--Burnout among oboist
Paul T. Debevec--Out of print music
Harold W. Kohn--Goslee recording
Bill Fetcher--Sarrusophone fingerings
Henry Skolnick--Performances in Florida
Dear Mr. Stolper:
I am proposing to write an article on "burnout" among
oboists and am looking for subjects to interview. I suspect few
I.D.R.S. members are prematurely retired from professional playing;
but perhaps some will know of such former players to whom I could
speak or write. (In this group, I do not include players who left
because of a medical condition, nor players whose professional
aspirations were unfulfilled.)
Could you please print this letter in the next I.D.R.S. Journal
indicating my interest and giving my address (below) so members
may contact me?
Thanking you very much in advance, I am ... Sincerely yours, Anthony
St. Pierre, M. Mus. Schola Cantorum Concerts 60 Aldwych Ave.,
Toronto, Ontario, M4J 1X2 CANADA (416) 465 9596
August 6, 1992
Dear Professor Klimko:
I hope that you are familiar with the "Index of Bassoon Music
including Index of Baroque Trio Sonatas" by Wayne Wilkins.
I own a copy of the 1979 second printing. I wrote to Mr. Wilkins
at the address in the index, The Music Register, P.O. Box 94,
Magnolia, Arkansas 71753, but the letter was returned to me. Do
you know if Mr. Wilkins still offers supplements to his index,
and do you know how I may contact him?
I hope that I can bother you with another question. I am sure
that you have a good appreciation of how much music is out of
print. Do you know of dealers that specialize in out-of-print
music? Out-of-print book stores are rather common so I would think
that somewhere there must be an out-of-print music store. I usually
order from Carl Fischer in Chicago, but they have been unable
to find a copy of a listing in the index: Mozart (Bellison), 12
Duets, K. 487, Franco-Columbo. I noticed the last time I was at
Car, Fischer that many, many of their music folders were empty.
They have three floors of filing cabinets of music. They told
me that they keep the folders only to remind themselves that they
once had the music but that it is now outof-print. ( I have also
tried to order this piece from Eble Music in Iowa City.) I would
greatly appreciate any suggestions that you may have of
possible sources of this selection and out-of-print music in general.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely yours,
Paul T. Debevec 708 W. California St. Urbana, IL 61801
(If any reader can help Paul in his inquiries, they can write
directly to him at the above address. ED)
Dear Mr. Klimko:
I just bought a recording that your readers might be interested
in. It's called "By the Light of the Moon" and it's
available from "Strings Wood be Nice," 944 East High
Street, Mount Vernon, Ohio 43050 - $11.00 for a tape cassette,
$16.00 for a compact disk. The title song, "By the Light
of the Moon" features a bassoon obbligato by George Goslee
and is a touching tribute to a gentleman who has spent a lifetime
bringing the best to one of the finest orchestras in the country.
Most of the songs are originals by Sarah Goslee Reed (what an
appropriate last name!). She is a highly talented musician who
sings beautifully, also plays guitar, violin and dobro. The quality
of the recording is professional and the backups consist of bass,
mandolin, banjo, percussion and keyboards and are tastefully done.
Yours sincerely, Harold W. Kohn Columbus, Ohio
Dear Ron,
You have asked readers to respond to the Double Reed cover featuring
the Boston Symphony woodwind section of 1925. I'm pleased to add
that I have a copy of bassclarinetist Paul Mimart's "Method
for Alto and Bass Clarinets And Sarrusophones," first published
in 1922 by the Cundy-Bettoney Co. of Boston. These instruments
share a commonality; they all transpose to treble clef. I've sent
photocopies of the sarrusophone fingering chart to sarrusophone
enthusiasts. For what it's worth Mimart includes charts for the
Albert System alto and bass clarinets.
Very truly yours,
Bill Fetcher
Steamboat Springs, Colorado
April 26, 1992
Dear Ron,
I am writing with two news items for "bassoonists in the
news."
The first relates to a performance I was involved with on April
5 with two colleagues from the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra.
John Dee is the principal oboist of the FPO and is the oboe instructor
at the University of Miami. Jose Lopez is the FPO pianist. The
real news on the program was the premiere of a new work by Kevin
Hiatt, Cornucopia, for oboe, bassoon and piano. Mr. Hiatt is one
of the more successful composers in the Miami area, and has been
receiving commissions from across the country in recent years.
Cornucopia contrasts lyric and virtuoso ideas, and shows a variety
of style influences, but is above all clearly the work of Kevin
Hiatt. This new trio is an outstanding contribution to the meager
repertory for oboe, bassoon and piano, and will be of happy use
in programmes including the Poulenc trio. It will soon be available
from Miami Music Editions, P.O. Box 4491, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
33338.
The other event was an extraordinary senior recital by Rene Castro
at the University of Miami, on April 19. Mr. Castro is a student
of Luciano Magnanini, professor of bassoon at U.M. and principal
bassoonist of the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra.
Mr. Castro's performance was nothing short of breathtaking. His
tone has an ideal balance between body and clarity. His intonation
was flawless and his technique is awe inspiring. But above all,
he possesses expressiveness and musicality that is rare in an
artist so young.
The programme began with the Telemann Sonata. Mr. Castro's grasp
of ornamentation was apparent in his inventive rendition of the
slow movements and his athletic approach to the fast movements
set an exciting mood for the recital. This was followed by a marvelously
crisp and brilliant rendition of the Serenade by Cor de Groot
for oboe and bassoon. The very able oboist in this was Michele
Fernandez, band director at Miami Senior High School. Next came
the Sarabande et Cortege by Henri Dutilleux. This performance
focused on the chamber music character of the work in which pianist
Bonny Miller was a sensitive and flexible partner. The Prelude
et Scherzo by Paul Jeanjean was next after a brief intermission.
Mr. Castro managed to give the free form "Prelude" direction
and found in it a fine vehicle for his expressive and flexible
tone. This was followed by the too seldom performed Suite by Alexandre
Tansman. The program ended with a spirited performance of the
Octet for winds by Igor Stravinsky. The ensemble was made up of
members of the wind chamber music class at U.M. and was conducted
by Luciano Magnanini.
A programme of this weight and length would be a feat for a seasoned
professional. Rene Castro's performance was not just an accurate
"final exam," but an artistically accomplished and exciting
recital by a young bassoonist I expect we will be hearing more
about.
All the best to you!
Henry Skolnick
Fort Lauderdale, Florida