Classical Music

Summarise your instrument
‘Sonorous, expressive, flexible and undervalued.’

Best thing about it?
‘Its tone colour and flexibility, and its ability to blend with the other family groups of instruments.’

Worst thing about it?
‘Carrying it around – once it’s in the case, it’s a bit of a backbreaker.’

How often do you practise?
‘Daily.’
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Why did you choose the bassoon?
‘I didn’t. I wanted to play the oboe, but my music teacher at school wanted someone to play the bassoon; I was her victim.’

Do you ever wish you played another instrument?
‘No, although when I hear an instrument played beautifully, I wish that I could play it like that.’

Where do you sit in the orchestra?
‘In the middle, towards the back.’

What can you hear where you sit?
‘Clarinets to my right, wind in front and horns behind.’

How much is your instrument worth?
‘Bassoons can cost between £2,000 and £20,000. Mine is worth somewhere in the middle.’

Your favourite pieces for the instrument?
‘I enjoy playing most things by Mozart and Beethoven, but particularly Mozart’s “Bassoon Concerto”.’

When are you playing next in London?
‘On Tuesday at the Barbican, playing ‘Newly Drawn Sky’ – a premiere by Aaron Jay Kernis – Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No 1 and the Symphony No 4 by Vaughan Williams.’

Tell us a joke about bassoon players
‘I can’t, because I’ve never heard one; but that’s probably because they wouldn’t be told to us.’