Stephen Basson -- Principal Bassoon, Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Symphony.

9/78. World premiere of John Downey's Fantasy for Bassoon and Orchestra with the Milwaukee Symphony, Kenneth Schermerhorn, conducting. The composition was written for the soloist by Milwaukee-based Downey. From a newspaper review (Louise Kenngott, Milwaukee Journal): "Downey's new score follows styles he's been developing within the past few years: a poignant emotion filters through the work, no matter how complex the technical writing. This is a wandering minstrel of a piece set in epic tones. The bassoonist moves from declamation to jazzy pseudo-improvisation in stream of consciousness style. The opening comes with foreboding, a heavy sound in the strings. The end fades into quiet, with a feeling that there was nothing left to say." ". . .Stephen Basson, for whom Downey wrote the score, gave it a superb premiere-- a performance that, like the score, deserves repetition ."

Roger Birnstingl -- London, England.

9/78. A chamber recital of excellence with the English Taskin Players: flute, Peter Lloyd; oboe, Neil Black; Mr. Birnstingl, bassoon; and harpsichordist Elizabeth Werry. The program included Boismortier's Sonata in A minor for oboe and bassoon, M. Corrette's Bassoon sonata in D minor, a Loeillet Trio in G minor and a Handel Trio in B-flat plus other works.

Robert Cochran -- Bassoon faculty, Ohio State University and Principal Bassoonist Columbus Symphony Orchestra.

5/78. A recital program at New York's Carnegie Recital Hall. With assisting artists Frank Marks, piano; Adah Toland Mosello, flute; and William Baker, oboe; Mr. Cochran performed Boismortier's Sonata No. 2 in A minor, Variations for Solo Bassoon on a Theme by Paganini, Op. 40A of Marcel Farago, Alvin Etler's fine Sonata, the Villa-Lobos Bachianas-Brasileiras No. 6 for flute and bassoon, a Suite Breve by Louis Maingueneau, and the Francis Poulenc Trio. A New York Times review of the concert (Donald Henahan) mentioned, "Robert Cochran's debut. . consisted of five works in which he proved himself an able bassoonist as well as a musician able to submerge his talents into the large whole."

Charles Holdeman -- Wilmington, Delaware, free-lance bassoonist.

8/78. Charles, a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Philadelphia has recently adopted the French bassoon as his principal performance instrument, and after a year of study in Paris with Maurice Allard, has made several solo and ensemble appearances with his Buffet. In a program of Music for Bassoon and Organ at Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, with organist Herbert Tinney, Mr. Holdeman played Sonata Prima of G.A. Bertoli, a Sonata of J.B. Boismortier, Alan Stout's "Serenity", his own composition, "Souvenir de Balsac" (movements titled La Plui and Une Sorte de Bouree), and Michel Corrette's Premiere Sonata from "les delices de la solitude."

Peter Lutek -- Burlington, Ontario, Canada.

5/78. This young bassoon virtuoso continues to impress listeners with a rare musicianship and technical command of the instrument. On a short trip with the Stratford (Ontario) Boys Choir, Peter was featured as bassoon soloist on each evening's programme. In Ottawa, Peter performed Movement One of Vivaldi Concerto in A, Canzona I of Frescobaldi, J.B. Senaille's "Allegro Spiritoso", a Caprice of David Stanley Smith, the Rondo of Weber's "Andante and Hungarian Rondo", and two pieces of L. Kogan, Intermezzo and Humoresk-Scherzo.

MOSKQUINTET, Moscow State Symphony Woodwind Quintet

First tour ever of a Russian wind chamber ensemble to Western countries. The quintet is comprised of principal players of their orchestra, has toured extensively in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and has recorded for Melodia discs (U.S.S.R) The 1978 tour of Canada and the U.S. included Hawaii, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories (Canada) and many other cities. Members of the quintet are Valenti Zverez (flute), Anatoly Lubimov (oboe) Vladimir Sokolov (clarinet), Sergei Krasavin (bassoon) and Boris Afanasiev (horn).

Peter Schoenbach -- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1/78. On a concert presented by The Philadelphia Chamber Ensemble, (with the exception of Mr. Schoenbach all members of the Philadelphia Orchestra), Peter performed the Divertissement for Bassoon and String Quintet by Jean Francaix. Although a fully professional artist bassoonist (having as mentor his father, Sol Schoenbach, formerly solo bassoonist of the Philadelphia Orchestra), Peter has held the position of Dean of the Curtis Institute and has taught Latin American Literature and Civilization at Temple University and at the University of Minnesota.

Paul Girton -- Recital

12/78. University of Minnesota at Minneapolis. With assisting flute, oboe, clarinet, piano (see circular program below)

(Read-out of the circular "notes". . . Similar to several scores in circular musical notation currently in vogue, vis. George Crumb's pieces -- ) "In seventeen twenty-three, when polyphony was becoming increasingly complex, a young bohemian from Prague had recently returned home from his studies in Dresden with the famous master of counterpoint, Joseph Fux. With the young bohemian's head full of his native folk tunes, Jan Dismas Zelenka set about to write a set of six sonatas for three voices that elaborated his native Czech musical heritage with the most progressive innovations that had ever been devised or dared. Making a present of these sonatas to the Archduke of Prague, and casting pearls before swine, it seems, these six sonatas were not only censored, but confiscated and banned, then lost for a quarter of a millenia until their first publication by Hortus Musicus in nineteen sixty-one. Since then Jan Dismas Zelenka has been making a remarkable return from his previous and pronounced obscurity."

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