Masters of the Bassoon
One of the best things you can do for yourself as a musician is to listen to examples of great music making on your instrument. This will give you an idea of what kind of sound you should be emulating when you play, as well as give you some inspiration of the incredible things that can be achieved on your instrument. The following masters of bassoon are some of the best players in the world on this great instrument. Here are some links to professional webpages and exemplary performances for these great musicians.
Klaus ThunemannHis many admirers will assert that Klaus Thunemann is the greatest bassoonist of all time. Certainly, critics and public alike have long considered him one of the finest bassoonists of his generation and arguably the most celebrated. He is generally viewed as the leading German bassoon teacher and has probably made more recordings than any other bassoonist with the possible exception of Milan Turkovic. Thunemann has performed as an orchestral member, chamber player, and soloist, and possesses a vast repertory in all areas, from J.S. Bach and Vivaldi to Mozart and Beethoven; and from Schubert and Carl Maria von Weber to Hindemith and Sofia Gubaidulina. Thunemann is one of those rare musicians who grasps virtually every feature of his/her instrument, not just the interpretive and technical ones.
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Milan TurkovicMilan Turkovic originates from an Austro-Croatian family, grew up in Vienna and became internationally-known as one of the few bassoon soloists. Over the past two decades, he has become a successful conductor, making appearances all over the world. He performed as a soloist in almost all the musical centers of the world with numerous renowned orchestras and was a member of Concentus Musicus Wien, of Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and a founding member of Ensemble Wien-Berlin. His discography currently consists of 9 CDs as a conductor, 15 CDs with solo repertoire, 26 CDs with chamber music and over 200 CDs with Concentus Musicus.
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Judith LeClairJudith LeClair joined the New York Philharmonic as Principal Bassoon in 1981, at the age of 23. Since then, she has made more than 50 solo appearances with the Orchestra, performing with conductors such as Sir Colin Davis, Sir Andrew Davis, Alan Gilbert, Christopher Hogwood, Rafael Kubelik, Erich Leinsdorf, Lorin Maazel, Kurt Masur, Zubin Mehta, André Previn, John Williams, and Andrey Boreyko.
Ms. LeClair is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, where she studied with K. David Van Hoesen. She made her professional debut with The Philadelphia Orchestra at age 15, playing Mozart’s Sinfonia concertante with colleagues from the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia, where she studied with Shirley Curtiss. Before joining the New York Philharmonic, she was Principal Bassoonist for two seasons with the San Diego Symphony and San Diego Opera. |
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Susan NigroContrabassoon crusader Susan Nigro, a native of the south side of Chicago, has made a name for herself as one of the world's very few soloists on the contrabassoon. Not content merely with orchestral freelance work, the "Contrabassoonist with a Cause" has made it her mission to bring this little-known but important instrument the long overdue attention and respect it deserves.
Her innumerable recitals and solo appearances have occurred in such places as Salzburg, Montevideo, Rome, and throughout the United States. On many occasions, she has been a featured artist at the annual conferences of the International Double Reed Society, and has also played as a guest artist with the Northern Hills Bassoon Ensemble as well as with the St. Luke's Bottle Band. In recognition of her status, she served as a "permanent substitute" with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for five seasons, from 2008 to 2013 - and is currently contrabassoonist with the Illinois Philharmonic, the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra, and the New Philharmonic of DuPage. |