The beginning
The Doune Bassoon Quartet’s origins go back as far as 2009 when Peter Wesley was asked to provide some musical entertainment for a Carol concert in the Rural Hall. The Hall had been gifted to the community and was in a poor state of repair with no heating, broken window panes and a large truss holding up one of the walls. The trio of bassoonists played in thick overcoats and with fingerless gloves and the event was repeated over the next few years as the Hall was gradually restored to its former glory.
World premieres
Encouraged by positive feedback from their Christmas audience the first concert ‘proper’ was given in April 2012 and with a recital by Arctic Winds a few weeks later there began a series of annual concerts. Playing so often in the same venue led to an in-depth exploration of the full gamut of bassoon quartet repertoire. In 2013 they commissioned a brand-new three movement work from Karel Janovicky which they premiered in Doune and performed again in Longniddry.
On tour
The quartet have been a regular feature at the Callander Summerfest, playing with the stunning outline of Ben Ledi in the background and more recently apperaed at Dunblane Cathedral. The quartet’s wide-ranging repertoire is being constantly updated with new pieces and arrangements, but their rendition of Peter Maxwell Davies ‘Farewell to Stromness’ remains a favourite.
The Players
The original players were Peter Wesley, Graeme Brown, Kath Nagl and Anthea Wood, but since Anthea moved ‘down south’ to sunny Bournemouth her place has been taken by Heather Brown (pictured above). The Doune concerts continue to flourish with a performance of Stravinsky’s ‘Soldier’s Tale’ (complete with narrator and conducted by Martyn Brabbins) in 2014 plus a variety of wind, brass and string ensembles and traditional music enhanced by the puchase of a Clavinova in 2023.
Photos by Barry Deacon and Simon Price.