If you went out on the street with a collection of wind instruments and you ask everyone which ones they can name, the recorder and trumpet wouldn’t be much of a problem. The oboe and clarinet are already having a bit more trouble, but they can also count on a few bright boys. But what is that strange reddish-brown rod? You always see him protruding above the strings in an orchestra, but whether you clearly hear what sound is coming out, no. People who play bassoon never have it easy when they have to explain what they are playing at a party.
In order to be able to be at a party of recognition, a real bassoon festival was held last weekend in the Maastricht conservatory: International bassoon festival Bassoons for future. Dozens of bassoonists, amateurs and professionals from home and abroad saw tables full of displayed bassoons and bassoon parts on every floor, with builders behind them promoting their wares and offering repairs. Repeating bassoons of masterclass participants sounded from all directions. In the high windows of each rehearsal room at least one bassoon pointed upward. At a competition, participants competed for the title of best bassoonist. At lunchtime and also in the evening renowned bassoonists and ensembles gave performances.
It is of course not true that you do not hear the bassoon in an orchestra. It is a bass instrument; his sound is soft, warm, airy but coarse and extremely colorful in the low range. Like no other he knows how to merge with any instrument. Although he rarely comes to the fore, you hear him continuously, but you would only notice that if he suddenly wasn’t there. If he does come to the fore, it is often in a higher register, which he can do perfectly. Then it is as if another instrument is sounding: pinched, trumpeter.
Frayed and brittle instrument
Early birds at the festival got from bassoonist and co-organizer Suzanne van Berkum at nine o’clock in the morning already a warm-up. Young and old played together Father Jacob in canon. In the ensemble lessons there is finally an opportunity to play the bassoon for sixteen voices, because for that purpose Rieteke Hölscher composed a piece that was rehearsed by an occasional ensemble.
“Those reeds of yours, you still have to get a knife over them,” says Freek Sluijs, bassoonist in the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and workshop leader ‘sustainable reeds and tools’, peering intently through a magnifying glass clicked on his glasses. He taught bassoonists how to cut the extremely fragile reeds (the mouthpiece). “And dry your reed before every coffee break, so it will last longer.” About ten students jokingly took notes. In the meantime, workshops such as ‘sustainable bassoon maintenance’, ‘posture and ergonomics’ and ‘eighteenth-century play decorations’ are underway in other rooms. For the (remarkably many) young bassoonists there were children’s workshops throughout the weekend.
photo Michel Claus
Non-bassoon players could especially get to know the instrument during concerts. On Friday afternoon, the oldest playing techniques of the bassoon were nicely contrasted with the very latest: baroque bassoonist Andrew Burn played with a frayed and brittle instrument that summed up the entire sound of any baroque orchestra. The slower parts gave a great opportunity to take in the old sound well and to compare it with what bassoonist Thomas Dulfer could do afterwards with his modern bassoon and all kinds of connected electronics. Improvising to the rhythm of the live monitored heartbeat (Dulfer is also a cardiologist) of four spectators in the front row, for example. Reed Quintet Calefax gave a sold-out preview of their new program in the evening fantastic music with extra added a few pieces in which the bassoon could shine in its own modest way.
Maastricht was a lovely little bassoon paradise this weekend. Everyone knew what a bassoon is.
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