26 June 2019
Today seven of our bassoonists enjoyed the excitement of being introduced to the contra (or double) bassoon – a fabulously sonorous instrument that sounds an octave below a standard bassoon and found its way into symphonic music thanks to Ludwig van Beethoven in his famous 5th Symphony.
Bassoon teacher, Erica Tugwell, has been using a contra bassoon in some bassoon ensemble music and, following the enthusiasm of several of our bassoonists, decided to invite a couple of her friends who also own contras to come in for a workshop and play-along with these fine instruments – we had three contras and seven standard bassoons together!
This bassoon-fest involved the boys being given intensive help working on fingerings and sound projection and then lots of fun playing some large ensemble arrangements for such famous tunes as The Elephant and the Can-Can from Saint-Saens’ Carnival of the Animals.
The event took place in the foyer of the Amey Theatre and the photographs show the boys in action including the full age range of the School – from First Year, George Coombs, to Upper Sixth former, James Ashby. There was a buzz of excitement throughout, a great sense of fun – and some fruity resonance emanating from the Amey foyer!
Our thanks to Mrs Tugwell and her friends for arranging such a fun and informative event.
