Between April 3rd and May 14th of this year, the English Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Daniel Barenboim, made a tour of much of our world, stopping for concerts at sixteen or so far flung points. I have heard the orchestra on two occasions, at Stratford, Ontario, Canada in 1968 (I believe their first North American visit), and in New York this April. Their playing as an ensemble is spirited, graceful, and representing the best standard of English performance. The winds used on each tour were single flute, oboes, bassoons, and horns in pairs. The bassoon team was Martin Gatt and Deirdre Dundas-Grant, both of London.
On the 1969 recent World Tour, Mr. Gatt performed a concerto by Stephen Dodgson. I believe this work was composed for the tour, but haven't yet heard the work and expect to find out more about it this summer when I travel to England.
I enjoyed meeting these bassoonists after their Canadian performance last summer. We had a very late evening of talk on English vs. North American music making, bassoons, and all the usual communication we always enjoy when travelling. No one enjoys being away from home and family for long, but we're partly compensated by the comradeship of fellow players we meet along the way. Gatt and Dundas-Grant are each fine players who perform in lead chairs in two different large orchestras at home. Their balance and matching of style in the English Chamber Orchestra is particularly laudable and always interesting.
Points visited on the April-May 1969 tour were: New York Los Angeles, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide (Australia), Christchurch, Wellington, and Auckland (New Zealand), Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Ein Lev (Israel), Cyprus, Florence, Milan and home.