The Neikrug Bassoon Concerto

As I mentioned in a post a while back, I am part of a four-orchestra co-commission to perform Marc Neikrug’s Bassoon Concerto with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra coming up on November 8 and 9.  I’m in the throws of learning the piece and having a great time!  The last movement poses the biggest challenges for the bassoonist with it’s mixed meter and shakes (which are trills between large intervals).  I love the second movement with it’s almost Impressionistic qualities.

It’s been a very interesting process to be a part of.  The piece was premiered in Boston with Richard Svoboda and the Boston Symphony Orchestra last November and has since been played by Sue Heineman and the National Symphony. I’m up next and Chris Millard performs it with is orchestra, The National Arts Centre Orchestra, in Ottawa this coming January. Though most of the detail work was done with Marc and Richard, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Marc two summers ago at his home in Santa Fe and working with him for a while so he could get all his bassoon-type questions answered.  I showed him all the things the bassoon was good at and bad at, what it’s comfortable range is, how loud and soft it goes, where the instrument sounds best, etc.  I really think Marc did a beautiful job in the piece of showing all of those great qualities. There’s even something in the piece just for me!  I happened to mention to him that I have this amazing fingering for the highest Eb on the bassoon that you can play out of nowhere, so he the made the last note of the second movement be that note!!

Aside from the concerto the concert is filled with more great music!  It opens with Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony and ends with Moussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.  Carlos Kalmar of the Oregon Symphony will be on the podium.  I have worked with Carlos many times when I used to sub with the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra.  I loved working with him there so this should be a great experience.  I’m also happy to only be playing the concerto.  Every other time I have played a concerto in my life, I have had to play the second half of the concert as well.  This week will be a luxury!

If you can make it, I do hope you’ll come. It should be a great concert and how often do you get to hear a new bassoon concerto?!?!