Richard as a bassoonist, I absolutely love this idea to replace an existing contrabassoon or any other instrument with a newer instrument that hasn't been created until now to experiement with a newer sound that hasn't been heard before, that "may" actually sound better now with an extended range in the bassoon section! Instead of having the 50 millionth time a performance of a piece with the same instrumentation is always done, we should sometimes replace existing instruments with a newer instrument in the same family to see how it sounds. You won't know unless you try it, no harm done! I actually would like to ask for a crazy request when you someday get the keywork on the instrument in this category of experimentation is to have a performance of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring with replacing the second contra/4th bassoon or first contrabassoon part with a subcontrabassoon as an experiment! Going back to the days when Stravinsky was experimenting with his music (with all the controversary behind it) in the early 1910s!
Rite of Spring would be tough to justify. The only passage I can think of that could benefit from subcontra is the pesante portion of Spring Rounds, where the 2 contrabassoons are in parallel fifths. If you really wanted to show off the subcontra, you could have the third bassoon double on subcontra for that passage (doubing the 2nd contrabassoon down an octave). The one I really want to do is the organ pedal solos from The Planets: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-YpoUTg4T0yY.html
@@Subcontrabassoon I know that passage would be interesting to hear with a contra and a subcontra and that would make it even more grumbling sounding. I think regardless whichever place you find a way to include the instrument in the work. One other idea you could try is including the subcontra as another new auxiliary in the same section along with the 4 bassoons and the 2 contras in the same section and create a new part with the sub-contra that would double say the 3rd bassoon in that one section. So maybe a little rewriting with the octaves might be needed possibly. I think it could work but you never know unless you try it.
I hope you have a good audience for this programme - the Bernstein and Gorecki are fabulous pieces, and Ms Khalil is an amazing soprano (I've had the good fortune of working with her in Canada). Enjoy your channel a lot - and I practice to your drones almost daily!! Bob Fraser - bass trombone Victoria Symphony (Canada)
I understand this is a ticketed performance, so I know it's unlikely, but will there be a recording of at least those excerpts available after the concert? A new orchestral premiere is huge, and for an instrument I've been excited about for so long, but I won't be able to make it to that concert due to school (I would've made the 6 hour drive if I could!) Even if that's not possible, major congrats on your instrument's premiere! I wish you the best in the rest of prototyping/production of this incredibly niche instrument and can't wait to see it make its second appearance at a concert!
Definitely a big step forward for this instrument becoming more of a reality! We won't know until more performances and especially when that keywork with get added to the instrument with opening up more music opportunities for the instrument.
For licensing reasons (the piece is still under copyright), it's unlikely we'll be able to release that excerpt of the performance. But there's nothing to prevent me from recording a bunch of octave E's by myself after the performance.
I used to play in an orchestra that was pretty liberal with letting the percussion section find gear from anywhere in any kind of condition to play very particular features in several pieces. Guys literally could pull a random crankshaft from their uncle's garage if it would play the role. Relatively speaking, the SCB's prototype state ain't that big a deal.
