• 2bn
  • 7 min

Programme Note

Thea Musgrave asked to meet with me in NY to discuss a set of duets she was writing, and we got together over coffee near Carnegie Hall for an in depth discussion about the bassoon. I confess to having had momentary misgivings when asked to list things that were difficult to do on the instrument, envisioning for a moment an etude of unforgiving notes, difficult dynamics, uncomfortable articulations, clumsy cross fingerings and the like, arranged back to back in an endurance test to challenge the best players on their best day.

What she has in fact created is delightful – a charming set of pieces full of character, wit, color, and yes, challenge, perfectly suited for student and teacher alike, and wonderful recital works to boot. I couldn’t be more pleased to have had some part, however small, in their roots, and am looking forward to calling these pieces – and Thea Musgrave - lifelong friends.

Marc Goldberg
NYC 2011

Scores

Score sample