Daugherty's bassoon gang

Composers Datebook

Synopsis

When your instrument is nicknamed “the burping bedpost,” it’s hard to get respect in refined circles. So it’s understandable that the bassoon section of, say, a major London orchestra might indulge in a bit of day-dreaming in which a gang of hot-rodding motorcycling bassoonists blow into town and take over a concert hall. And guess what? That is exactly the scenario of a piece written for Britain’s Philharmonia Orchestra by the American composer Michael Daughtery.

Hell’s Angels is a concerto for bassoon quartet that received its premiere in London on today’s date in 1999, with Daughtery commenting, “I find the bassoon to be an instrument with great expressive and timbral possibilities, ranging from low and raucous rumbling to plaintive high intensity.”

Daugherty often takes inspiration from icons of American pop culture, so it’s not surprising that he should choose Hell’s Angels for inspiration.

After all, he wrote, “the bassoon is similar in size and shape to the drag pipes found on Harley Davidson motorcycles … When the noise-curbing mufflers are illegally removed from the drag pipes, they create a deafening roar. I have removed the traditional mufflers on the bassoon repertoire in order to compose [my] concerto for bassoon quartet and orchestra.”

Music Played in Today's Program

Michael Daugherty (b. 1954): Hell’s Angels; Oregon Symphony; James DePreist, conductor; Delos 3291