The versatility of the bassoon! The singing quality as well as the powerful articulation of the double reed. The firm low register and the expressive higher register. The resemblance to the human voice and also the nature-based, earthy sound.
In the fast section, the composition is technically challenging but full of playing pleasure and joie de vivre: a game between the musicians. The meditative melodies are an (inner) search for balance, a form in which we as people can be with each other and in the world, an invitation to reflection.
The 4 different versions of the piece are basically the same. The original version is for bassoon and 4 wind instruments (together a quintet), while the version for bassoon and piano is the one-to-one translation of the former. The version for baroque bassoon and harpsichord is transposed but follows the tension curve. The version for double bassoon is transposed with omission of a-typical (read: very high) passages.
Composers in the crosshairs of our attention