The Fourteenth Annual Conference of the International Double Reed Society met in Boulder, Colorado on August 11th through the 14th. Red tiled roofing is not restricted to Graz, we found. As we converged on the College of Music building of the University of Colorado to register, we could see the beautifully uniform U.C. buildings with stone walls and tile roofs.
This year, the meeting was very ably hosted by Boulder bassoonist Robert Olson. As a bassoonist attending the conference, I was most delighted with the wealth of performances and sessions on bassoon and was gratified to see many offerings for the oboists as well. The Gillet competition for young bassoonists was an exciting event and the exhibits were an outstanding plus.
The opening event was a Sunday evening concert with a delightful variety in programming. The Colorado Wind Quintet gave an enjoyable and musically effective performance of the new Concerto for Wind Quintet by Richard Rodney Bennett (commissioned jointly by the Flute, Clarinet, Horn and Double Reed Societies), a major work requiring musicality and virtuosity in performance. Alan Azoff and Susan Barrett of the Marx Duo gave an excellent performance of works, old and new, for various sized oboes. For me a highlight of the Marx Duo was their performance of Two Oboes Troping by Harvey Sollberger. The intermission was long enough to provide plenty of time to renew old acquaintances among the audience and to make several new ones. Following the intermission we heard some jazz with Ray Pizzi performing on both bassoon and flute, providing a wonderful contrast to the more classically oriented playing of the first part of the evening's program. Pizzi played a number of his own jazz compositions, including some of my favorites: Song for Grandpa and Prayer for Simon, with marvelous impromptu guitar accompaniment by John Chiodini. [Ed. Note: In a recent conversation with him, Mr. Pizzi informed me that his Pentatonic Scale jazz Studies are available for $18.95. See Ray's article in the Spring 1985, Double Reed for the address.]
For those of us who stayed and ate in Nichols Hall, just across the street from the College of Music building, it was simple to attend any and all events. Monday provided ample opportunity to visit the exhibits since the schedule was a bit freer than the other days to follow. But that allowed those interested to immediately satisfy their curiosity about what was being offered by the exhibitors. There were indeed many wonders in the exhibits. New instruments, music, reed tools, cane, old instruments, T-shirts, and various other items were on display. One marvelous feature of an I.D.R.S. convention showcase is that the instruments one can try are in relatively perfect adjustment (or at least practically all the instruments, there were a couple that were unplayable). Even with several hours that day for perusal of the exhibits, there was not nearly enough time to accurately assess the value of all materials in the two exhibit rooms. Like many others, I purchased more than my share of music and certainly tried my share of instruments. I was very impressed with several bassoons on display and found instruments and instrument technicians to recommend to my colleagues and students. I even made arrangements to have my Heckel overhauled shortly after the convention. As many other registrants at the Conference, I found myself making repeated trips back to the exhibits whenever I could steal a few minutes here and there between recitals and events during the remaining days of the Conference.
On Monday, there were several interesting sessions as well as a relatively brief and very efficient I.D.R.S. business meeting chaired by Noah Knepper. At the conclusion of the regular meeting we heard from Ron Bukoff, our newly appointed historian, who would like to act as a resource for members as well as documenting of the Society; and we also heard an address by Anne Miller to encourage the start of local I.D.R.S. chapters.
The sessions that day included a cataloguing of high altitude performance problems, alerting us to some of the phenomenon that occur when performing in "high" places (unfortunately without providing many actual solutions). Nora Post provided an interesting presentation on the largest member of the oboe family, the bass oboe; and Marvin Feinsmith had an informative presentation on cane shrinkage, particularly as it affects the large pieces of contra-bassoon cane.
A personal highlight of the Monday offerings was the performance of the Boulder Bassoon Band under the marvelous leadership of Boulder bassoonist/pianist Bill Douglas of the Naropa Institute. I had the privilege of playing in several performances of the Boulder Bassoon Band in the summer of 1979, so I was delighted and thrilled to hear the fantastically entertaining concert which included many of the pieces I had played that summer long ago, as well as several new presentations. This performance was, in fact, practically a reunion of those who were in the original group back in 1978. Everyone who was hearing the group for the first time was impressed, I'm sure, by their totally entertaining approach, utilizing everything from Renaissance works and jazz, to rhythmic verbal "scat" etudes that use no instruments at all. Usually performers are the ones who have fruit thrown at them - in Banana, one of the many works on the program by Bill Douglas, the BBB was tossing bananas at the audience!
Monday evening's performance was both special and different, special because of Richard Kilmer's fine oboe playing, and different from the other events with the visit of the City of Denver Pipe Band featuring our sister instruments - the bagpipes - with some fine Scottish dancers. Of Richard Kilmer's program the Alec Wilder Sonata was especially gratifying.
Tuesday was packed with events, starting with an interesting session by Frederick Moritz on special bassoon fingerings for the upper register. The problems with this session centered around unidentified tapes and equipment that did not seem to suit intended functions. However, we will all be able to see Moritz' examples and text in a coming issue of I.D.R.S. publications, since his material is to be published there in full. [Mr. Moritz's article will appear in the Winter issue of The Double Reed. Ed. .] Of course, the article, as it is to be published, will not be accompanied by the wonderful recorded orchestral excerpts that we heard in the session that morning. I am very sorry for that, since many of them were truly spectacular.
While Kevin Schilling gave a workshop in Baroque oboe performance practice, the bassoonists heard recital presentations by Ronald Klimko using French and German bassoons and by Ed Lacy demonstrating Romantic literature for the bassoon. Ron Klimko's performance was quite a tour-de-force with rather difficult works for both instruments, played very well. The current fascination with music of the Romantic era by other wind instrumentalists (particulary the flutists) has prompted many oboists and bassoonists to look into the appropriate works for their own instruments, and the program by Ed Lacy illustrated some of the choices for bassoon programs.
Lora Lynn Snow gave a fascinating presentation outlining her use of ultrasonic cleaning devices for performing double- reed players. Her use of the machines to clean the cane she uses is outlined in an article in The Double Reed, Vol. 7, No. I (Spring 1984). She is now cleaning her oboe reeds at every use and has found the ultrasonic cleaners to not only improve the playing qualities but also to extend the life of her reeds.
This lecture along with the demonstrations available at her exhibit booth were very helpful in spreading her message to other players that keeping the reeds and cane very clean produces some dramatic results.
On Tuesday afternoon there was a session on "Baroque music on Baroque Instruments" presented by Harry Vas Dias, Phil Levin, Grover Schiltz and Susan Funkhauser with several performances utilizing historic instruments and demonstrating some very interesting ensemble works for double reeds. Also a session on new bocals for oboe d'amore, English horn, and baritone oboe was presented by Steve Lickman of Dallas, who has become quite an authority on the subject.
An early afternoon recital featured two bassoon quartets, from Georgia and the University of Northern Colorado. The two rather dry works that the UNC Bassoon Quartet performed were arrangements of works by Wagenseil - I thought one of the quartets would have been sufficient. The Brehm Colloquy and Chorale performed by the Georgia group was a very good performance of a good work, but the highlight of that concert for me was the performance by William Davis of his own Recitative and Scherzo.
Following that recital, was yet another recital, this time a performance of Czech music by Ludmila Jezova and Miloslav Masier including two duets for oboe and bassoon recently written for them. I was particularly taken by the Duo by Otomar Kvech which was premiered in this performance. The performance closed with Aria Regina Coeli by the Baroque Czech composer Bohuslav Mate Cernohorsky which utilized a harpsichord along with the two solo instruments.
If I had to choose one favorite work of all of those performed at the Conference, it would probably be the opening work of the Tuesday evening performance: Johann Sebastian Bach's Cello Suite No. 4 in F, BWV 1010 as arranged by Ryohei Nakagawa for four bassoons and contra, and performed by the Tokyo Bassoon Quartet (plus one). Both the performance and the arrangement were astounding and delightful, with the single-line original melody passing between the players, and beautiful harmonies weaving a texture for the tune to pass through. Nakagawa's prowess as an arranger was certainly evident that evening, since every work on the program credited him as the arranger. The many works for bassoon quintet and the several works for standard woodwind quintet (very capably shown off by the Colorado Wind Quintet) were all fresh and delightful approaches to the works. Another favorite of the concert was Nakagawa's arrangement of the J.S. Bach: Chaconne from BWV 1004 (originally for solo violin) for solo bassoon and piano, which he himself performed admirably with the assistance of Diana Torbert.
The concert of "New Music" for double reeds given on Wednesday morning opened with a performance that made me proud to be a Montanan. The Montana Double Reed Trio (3 oboes) gave an outstanding performance of a work specifically written for them by the husband of one of the performers, Cynthia Green. Roger McDonald and Ken Decker joined Cynthia in David Thomas' Hydra which uses swirling sounds and explores the sonic capabilities of the ensemble very fully. Of the other performers on this program the most amusing and entertaining work was by John Steinmetz (an affiliate of the Boulder Bassoon Band) entitled Fish Phase for 2 contra-bassoons and a bowl of goldfish - the guest soloists. This amusing work utilized theatrical approaches along with very few notes for the contras; for full effect you need to have witnessed the performance. Other fine performances were given on the first half by Nancy Warfield (Brad Albers: Nexus for Oboe and Tape), and by Valarie Mullison and John Husser (Jon Polifrone: Trio for Oboe, Bassoon and Piano). The second half of the program included two works with the composer on stage: Al Bartlett performed Chant by Richard Bourassa (with the composer playing piano); and John Corina performing his own Sonet (with piano reduction of the string orchestra parts). Ginette Keller's Ebauches was given an exciting reading by Yoshi Ishikawa (who incidentally is to host the 16th Annual I.D.R.S. Conference in Las Vegas in 1987). The performance of new music concluded with a very effective performance of Butterflies by Raymond Gariglio, by the University of Colorado Double Reed Ensemble under the direction of host Bob Olson. That performance made me wish there had been more works for the unique sound of the double reed ensemble - oboes, English horn, bassoons and contra - included in the programming for the Conference.
Wednesday afternoon certainly was busy with the finals for the Gillet bassoon competition (reported on elsewhere in this publication), the Bert Lucarelli Master Class, a bassoon recital by Mark Kelley with a varied program, and a fascinating presentation by Artemus Edwards on adjusting plastic bassoon reeds. The latter presentation began with a demonstration performance and was the first time I had ever heard a plastic reed that actually sounded good! The techniques that were presented by Artemus have been derived over a period of a number of years and certainly were not things that most of us would have come to on our own. I am sure that there will be a lot more bassoonists trying out plastic reeds this coming year! Without the demonstration, I imagine that most players would not even admit the possibility of using synthetic reeds in performance.
The final evening performance on Wednesday evening was another excellent performance, this time with David Breidenthal of Los Angeles. He was joined by Michelle Zukovsky playing clarinet and jean Barr on piano in a very well performed program of Romantic and Twentieth Century music. The Michail Glinka Trio Pathetique was a highlight of the evening. David Breidenthal's playing in the Poulenc Sonata for Clarinet and Bassoon and the Saint-Saens Sonata for Bassoon and Piano was exciting and worthy of the great ovation from the crowd.
Of course the Conference would not have been complete without a performance of Handel's Fireworks Music - with the stage filled with I.D.R.S. Conference participants and conducted by Don Christlieb. The thrill of playing in the group or even just hearing the massed sound of all those players, who were joined by local trumpet, horn and percussion players, was certainly great enough to have us all making plans to meet next year in Winston-Salem. The Annual I.D.R.S. Conference is such an important place to meet, talk, party a little, hear inspiring performances, and learn about new products and techniques, that it is simply impossible to contemplate missing even one year.
About the writer...
Alan Leech has taught at Montana State University in Bozeman since 1972. He is a solo and chamber music performer and is also a member of the Montana Consort, a unique mixed ensemble that performs classical, jazz, and world musics, in which he performs on a variety of instruments. The group has become well known throughout the Northwest U.S. for its delightfully innovative programming.