Pictures at an Exhibition à la bassoon: surprisingly multi-facetted and amusing


At the second concert of the series “Frisch Gepresst – Kunst unter der Kuppel” (Freshly Squeezed – Art under the Dome) at the Dresden bank, the Quadriga Ensemble was able to win over every single listener, showing how multi-facetted and virtuoso a bassoon, or even four or five of them, can sound. Modest Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” seemed as if it had been originally written just for this ensemble: first they twittered the Ballet of the Chicks in the highest range, then performed waggish leaps, led to the next piece in a homogeneous ensemble sound during the Promenade and got the melancholy character of the “Language of the Dead” exactly right.

The long-lasting applause of the over hundred listeners clearly showed their enthusiasm for the unusual ensemble. Christian Prager, Director of the Dresden Bank in Leipzig thanked the musicians for this delightful encounter with an otherwise rather unfamiliar orchestral instrument. In the moderation led by Tobias Wolff, the musicians (all of whom are orchestra members in Berlin and Zurich) spoke amusingly of their love for the bassoon and about their young ensemble.

After the concert, over a glass of wine and tasty snacks, there was a friendly encounter between GENUIN, the artists and the numerous concert-goers lasting until late in the evening.

This successful series is to be continued next autumn at the latest. Pertinent information will soon be available at this site.

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