MERA Bets On A Bassoonist...And Wins

Feb 27, 2013

Tom Shoebridge, who organized the Blue Jeans Classical Concert series at the MERA Schoolhouse, recalled that the idea to book a bassoonist for the final concert of the series was greeted with hesitation. “Some said that if we booked a bassoonist - no one would come...”.

However “they” were proved very, wrong indeed. Not only did people come, but they filled the hall and gave an uproarious standing ovation to acclaimed bassoonist Richard Hoenich and his accompanist Scott Richardson following an exceptionally entertaining concert on February 17.

The bassoon is thought of by many as the most clownish instrument in the orchestra but Hoenich's varied musical program and his masterful playing quashed that stereotype from the beginning. The program included a wide variety of well-known classical pieces covering a huge historical time period and vast emotional ground. The concert opened with a light and cheerful Mozart Andante originally written for flute and orchestra, which showed the bassoon at its most elegant and refined. This was contrasted with the next selection, Schumann's anxious, unsettling and vexing fantasy suite in three movements, which were written when the composer was in a desperate mental state, and which demonstrated the bassoon's more serious side. Both pieces showed Hoenich's mastery not only of the instrument but also his ability to express the wide range of feelings that these two very different composers intended.

The program also included a number of contemporary pieces, including one by Eric Ewazen titled "Allegro Vivace", a jaunty, rapid fire piece with the two players often sounding like they were playing a game of musical tag.

At this point I should mention the incredible ability and versatility of accompanist Scott Richardson, who not only met Hoenich's playing note for note (and in the Schumann piece played three notes to Hoenich's one), but also stole the limelight on many occasions, demonstrating his flexibility and dexterity as a player. It was interesting to watch the subtle connection the two maintained throughout the concert.

Hoenich also has the gift of the gab and shared many amusing tales, like his experiences studying with famed conductor and West Side Story composer Leonard Bernstein. Hoenich recalled him as a genius who often struggled with his desire to become as respected and well known for his compositions as for his conducting. Hoenich played one Bernstein composition- “Cool”, the instrumental piece that animates the tense fight scene in West Side Story between the Sharks and the Jets. He and Richardson nailed it in all of its staccato and fitful finger-snapping glory.

In his second set Hoenich educated listeners about the bassoon, a member of the woodwind family, which, if it were stretched out, would measure 8 feet in length. It arrived on the music scene in 1540 in Italy and there is called “fagotta” because in its early forms, it resembled a bundle of sticks. He spoke of the mechanics of the instrument, how the sound is created and how store-bought reeds require meticulous reshaping to make them sound right. Continuing the program, Hoenich played a Camille Saint-Saens piece written in 1921, the one and only piece in the entire program written specifically for the bassoon. He also played an Astor Piazzolla tango titled “Oblivion”, a more mellow type of tango with long tender melody lines and a dreamy piano accompaniment. He ended the program with his 1 minute/10 second rendition of "Flight of the Bumble Bee", which of course brought down the house. Hoenich, I learned is not only an acclaimed player and recording artist but also a conductor, who served both as principal bassoonist and associate conductor with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, was resident conductor at the New Worlds Symphony in Miami as well as director of orchestras at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. Currently he also runs a well-known bassoon camp in the summer months in Lanark County. He is not only an articulate, funny, knowledgeable and very generous performer who loves to share his experiences and has a penchant for telling great stories, but most importantly, he is a passionate musician helping to keep classical music alive and well in the area.

Those who missed the concert, have no fear. Due to the success of the Blue Jeans Classical Concert series, MERA organizers are planning more classical concerts in the near future. Hopefully Hoenich and Richardson will be back.