He plays bassoon like a first violin
OrchestrasThis year’s Fanny Mendelssohn Prize goes to the bassoonist Emanuel Sint, playing sonatas by Tansman and Weinberg. Sint, 19, is the son of the pianist Elisaveta Blumina.
The jury’s citation read: Auch das Fagott kann die erste Geige sein – in his hands, the bassoon can sound like a first violin.
What does that even mean? That bassoon finally sounds like a “noble” instrument? Not very clever.
I think ‚can play first fiddle‘ might be a more helpful translation. Not a matter of sound but outlook.
The author of the article translated the title from German meaning “the bassoon can also be the first violin” and definitely confused some readers. What I meant by it is the outlook of the bassoon. Making the bassoon more popular so more people see it as a solo instrument is a goal I want to achieve:)
The bassoon is an amazing instrument and I wish you all the best in your journey!
Of course I am biased because my son also plays this – yes – noble instrument.
I studied violin first as a first grader but fell in love with the piano because it has such great literature written for it. The violin is always playing with someone else. Bach,Bartok,Ysaye have written solo music but little compares to the Romantic era’s plethora of pap &masterpieces. Anyway all needed to say was I’ve written3 bassoon concerti and 6 for cello. 3incomplete for viola a ND started a sketch for doublebassand percussion winds & brass.Of course I’ve written hundreds of piano pieces. Started a chaconne fir solo violin threw it away. Hey,hey.
It’s rather obvious, even in a questionable translation. Give the young man the respect he obviously deserves and stop being a curmudgeon.
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If he had met Peter Schickele, he could’ve made the bassoon sound like a trombone.
Maybe he’s talking about technique and facility.
This is something I’ve encountered more than once as a violist. Someone complimented a recording of my teacher “he sounds like a violinist” which made me laugh because my teacher would have considered that the gravest insult possible. “No no, I mean he plays in tune”.
:eyeroll:
Somebody give him Don Juan and let’s see how true that statement is.
Give a first violin the bassoon part to Ravel Piano Concerto & see how THEY do! And have them do it with nine thumb positions & on a reed they’ve spent hours making.
Having played bassoon from 7th grade through my college music education degree, many of us can play bassoon, but few can make it sing, especially once you go about middle C. The fingerings get complicated and you are a slave to your reed. My hats off to this young man.
Congratulations to him. We need bassoonists.