The Busking Bassoonist By Sunny Knable – Video: Sara Pettinella

“The Busking Bassoonist” (2013) by Sunny Knable (b. 1983) Scott Pool, bassoon; Natsuki Fukasawa, piano From the album “Song of the Redwood-Tree” MSR Classics, 2020

NOTES from the composer: The Busking Bassoonist came about for 13 reasons. In 2013, Scott Pool approached me about the idea of putting together a consortium commission for a new bassoon sonata. Shortly thereafter, 13 amazing bassoonists signed up to hire me, led by Scott and his frequent collaborator, pianist Natsuki Fukasawa. The proposition was for a piece based on New York City – the noisy, irrepressible and talent-laden place I call home. The result is a three-movement work exploring the busking bassoonist in different settings.The first movement, Underground Blues, imitates the sound of the noisy subway station juxtaposed with brief respites of intermittent melody. The second movement, Park Bench Ballad, imagines the busker relaxing in a park on a breezy afternoon, surrounded by people reading their papers and novels.The third and final movement, Street Changes, finds the musician on the hard, dirty pavement, intermingled with the fast and busy sounds of an unrelenting city.

Audio recording June 2019, Texas A&M University, Corpus. Christi, Texas Audio recording engineer/editing/mixing by Paul Bissell Audio mastering engineer: Jessica Thompson Sheet music published by TrevCo-Varner Music Video recording September 2018, NYC Videographer/editor: Sara Pettinella, Little Comb Productions