Miniature Suite - Ralph Nicholson
I oppened the second half of the performance with a Contra-Bassoon solo.
Accompanist: Andrew McKelvey
Program notes:
A bit about the contrabassoon: Contra being double, the instrument is twice the length of the regular bassoon for a total of about 16 feet of tubing and sounds an octave lower. The range starts at lowest note of a piano and theoretically expands up about 5 ½ octaves, although the last octave is rarely used. Tonally it is similar to the bassoon, albeit deeper and capable of more organ pedal like to almost volcanic qualities in the lower register when needed. Often sounding below tubas, the contra-bassoon is often used as a foundation for the rest of the orchestra or band.
Solo work for the bassoon is a rare treat indeed. Nicholson's writing shows the wide range that a contrabassoon can perform. The first movement is surprising virtuoistic, which is not a quality thought to be had by such a low and cumbersome instrument, with sweeping lines of notes running from the lower to upper registers of the instrument. Contrabassoons were popular in church music in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and the second movement is reminiscent of what the instrument may have sounded like in this setting. Listen for the distinct organ pedal sound quality that the contrabassoon mimics. Light is not a word that should be associated with the instrument by any stretch of the imagination, so the third movement, Waltz, can only be a waltz of the hippos. Finally, Finale provides what is expected of a contra-bassoon, chunky and humorous, but not without displaying some of the virtuoistic elements seen in the first movement.