REEDS, BENDING

8pm, Saturday 20th November 2021

Music and arrangements for 5 reed instruments

An oak and a reed were arguing about their strength. When a strong wind came up, the reed avoided being uprooted by bending and leaning with the gusts of wind. But the oak stood firm and was torn up by the roots. (Aesop)

Josh de Graaf - Oboe
Justin Beere, Paul Champion - Clarinets
Tim Murray - Bassoon
Niels Bijl - Saxophones

Saxophonist Niels Bijl is a relative newcomer to the Australian arts scene, having arrived in Victoria just before the global pandemic closed all the borders. Halfway through this year Niels received an invitation to join Orchestra Victoria for the September production of Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. Unfortunately the latest rounds of lockdowns and restrictions meant that all the orchestra’s productions have been put on hold for the remainder of the year. 

But reeds are meant to vibrate, bend and never break under pressure. Upon hearing the cancelation of beautiful plans Niels immediately teamed up with his friend Paul Champion, to put together a program for reed quintet, with a selection of key woodwind players of Orchestra Victoria: Justin Beere, Josh de Graaf and Tim Murray.

On this program: A selection of original music and arrangements from the portfolio of the Dutch reed quintet Calefax, with Debussy’s Children’s Corner, JS Bach’s Goldberg Variations, Josquin Desprez’ Nymphes des Bois and Ton Ter Doest’s Circusmuziek.