Have you ever been to an orchestral concert and wondered what the rather odd-looking, long wooden instrument was in the back of the woodwind section? Have you listened to its tones which can range from melancholic and sonorous to mischievous and quirky? What you have heard and observed is a double-reeded instrument known as a bassoon or a contrabassoon; the difference is that the contrabassoon is one octave lower.
It has been given a prominent part in various orchestral works including Paul Dukas' The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring and Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky's Symphony #6 as well as the theme to Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Composers like Franz Danzi, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Carl Maria von Weber have composed concertos for it. In spite of this, it has been referred to as the "Rodney Dangerfield of the orchestra."
To remedy this sad state of affairs, the Bassoon Brothers Quartet was formed by members of the Oregon Symphony. The mission of these four bassoon players is to raise the image of their instrument by educating the public and performing for new audiences. Their not-to-miss act may be seen courtesy of the Oregon Public Broadcasting System.
