1983 will probably have to be called the Year of the Bassoon." Besides the George Eastman Prize of $5,000 for the best work featuring the bassoon with up to sixteen collaborating instruments/voices (deadline May 1, 1983--for further information write to: George Eastman Prize, Eastman School of Music, 26 Gibbs St., Rochester, NY 14604), the IDRS Gillet Competition for 1983 will be for the bassoon with the semi-finals and finals performed at Florida State University in Tallahassee in August 1983. In conjunction with this competition the exciting news has been received that Maurice Allard will chair the distinguished panel of judges for the competition! Mr. Allard will also probably be one of the headliner performers at the Conference, so it looks like FSU is one not to miss at all costs.
From William Waterhouse comes the exciting news that he will assume the editorship from Lyndsay Langwill for the 7th Edition to the Index of Wind-Instrument Makers. Bill plans on collaborating with the antiquarian, Tony Bingham, who will both publish the book and provide data-process storage facilities for future reference as the great amount of information is compiled by Bill's research. Organologists who are able to assist in both compiling new information on wind instrument makers and in correcting or adding to information from Langwill's earlier editions are urged to contact Bill directly: (William Waterhouse, 86 Cromwell Ave., London N6 5HQ, England).
From Milan Turkovic comes word of an exciting series of master classes in which he participated in August, 1982 in Mexico City:
"The ESCUELA DA PERFECCIONAMIENTO, a Music School attached to the Philharmonic Orchestra of the City of Mexico has a series of Master Classes each summer with some distinguished artists from many countries on their faculty. Last summer a chamber music concert with Hindemith's Kleine Kammermusik, Poulenc's Trio for oboe, bassoon and piano and Mozart's Quintet for piano and winds brought together flutist Alain Marion (Paris), Ray Still, CSO's principal oboist, LA Philharmonic clarinetist Michele Zukovsky, Guelfo Nalli, principal horn in Torino and Buenos Aires, and Milan Turkovic, bassoonist from Vienna with pianist Edison Quintana."
From Minneapolis, Minnesota, comes word of the formation of The Minnesota Bassoon Association. According to James Preus, one of its founders:
"The concept of a bassoon association which would bring together professional and amateur players interested in studying the instrument was John Miller's. Mr. Miller, principal bassoonist with the Minnesota Orchestra, assembled a number of us to determine whether there was interest in forming a collegial association oriented toward stimulating interest in improving the quality and range of performance and expanding the repertoire. There was and five of us, John Miller; Charles Ullery, principal bassoonist with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra; William Jones, a professional free-lance player, conductor and educator; and two amateurs, Dr. Reuben Berman, a cardiologist; and myself, an administrator at the University of Minnesota; made the necessary arrangements to incorporate as a nonprofit corporation under Minnesota law. A first meeting of the Association was held in January, 1983, with twenty-five area bassoonists in attendance, some of whom traveled 100 miles to be a part of the beginning of the Association. Dues are $10 ($5 for students).
Of course the Association is still in a formative stage. Plans include demonstrations and master classes by visiting artists, a newsletter which includes an exchange of information about equipment and performances, a lending library of ensemble music, a commissioning program for new music for the bassoon, and perhaps even a bassoon camp."
Persons interested in joining this new organization may write directly to the Secretary, Dr. Reuben Berman, 5620 Edgewater Blvd., Minneapolis, MN 55417. The IDRS applauds the efforts of the MBS to advance the cause of the bassoon.
From Roger Birnstingl comes news of an ultimate reed tip cutter that is absolutely error proof made by Georg Rieger, Alois- Deglerstrasse 42, D-7560 Gaggenau, West Germany. The cost is expensive (DM 129), but it is of excellent quality.
The French bassoon in America recently got a little boost from Gerald Corey and the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Ottawa, Canada, when he and second bassoonist Michael Namer played the Bizet Symphony and Ravel's Tombeau de Couperin using "Buffets" (and the complete Stravinsky Pulcinella using Heckels.) The next day the orchestra recorded the Bizet for RCA in New York with Eduardo Mata. Bravo Jerry and Michael!
June 1st has been designated as the cutoff date for ordering tapes of performances at Towson from Recording Services (3400 Pendleton Drive, Wheaton, MD 20902, (301) 933-7799 or (202) 635-5588). Those interested in still ordering these tapes (which are of excellent quality, I might add) may either use the order form printed in the fall Double Reed or write/telephone directly to the above address.
The principal woodwinds of the Philadelphia Orchestra will again give a one week seminar on chamber music during the July 4th week at Temple University. There will be daily master classes for 4 hours and chamber music for two hours. The teacher/performers involved will be Murray Panitz flute; Richard Woodhams, oboe; Anthony Gigliotti, clarinet; and Bernard Garfield, bassoon. Further information can be obtained by writing directly to the College of Music, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122.
From Finnish bassoonist Antero Ojanto comes news of the publication of a book on the bassoon, Fagotti by a Helsinki musicologist, Heikki Halme. The 226 page book covers both the existing literature (history, reedmaking, repertoire) and fascinating interviews with modern Finnish bassoonists. The publisher is Gramex. Antero also writes of a suburb in Helsinki, Kannelmaki, which is named after the Finnish national instrument, the zither-like Kantele, which has streets named after various instruments, one of which is Fagottipolku or "bassoon path"!
The following advertisement for the performance by the Detroit Symphony Bassoon Quartet speaks for itself!
On a sadder final note comes news of the recent death of noted Viennese bassoonist, Hugo Burghauser in New York at age 86. During the Nazi era Burghauser was forced to flee Vienna because he invited Toscanini to Salzburg. Also it was for Burghauser that Richard Strauss composed the Duo Concertante for clarinet, bassoon and strings. The bassoon world mourns his passing.
From Dr. Michael Jolviet, Seattle, WA, comes the following unsigned pencil sketch of a bassoonist which he found on a recent trip to Europe in Hay-on Wye, a very small town north of London which specializes in book selling. The title roughly translates: "The contest of a Conservatory: Bassoon soloist in love with his art and his instrument."
