Contrabassoon

by Kris on October 18, 2017October 20, 2017

A Contrabassoon has entered my life recently and I am very excited to start using it. This instrument was owned by Steve Braunstein. He ordered it from Heckel while he was playing with the Toronto symphony, it was finished 1984. Over the summer I trialled 2 other Heckel contras and this instrument was by far the standout. I am very lucky to be the custodian of this horn for a few years.

I get asked about the Contraforte vs. Contrabassoon and I mostly stay quiet. But I think that the entire repertoire is accessible to either instrument. I would like to experiment with using both instruments this season, choosing the instrument that fits the character of the piece.

Heckel Contrabassoon #1002 For Sale

by Kris on June 20, 2017June 20, 2017

Heckel Contrabassoon #1002 is up for sale. This contra is owned by Steve Braunstein who is the original owner, and he has kept fantastic care of it! The horn was ordered in 1982 while he was in the Toronto Symphony and he has since been playing it in the San Francisco Symphony. Contact him to arrange a visit and play test.

Thomas Adès and the San Francisco Symphony

by Kris on March 3, 2015March 8, 2015

This weekend (March 5,6,7) Thomas Adès with be conducting his own composition with the San Francisco Symphony. His piece “In Seven Days” is based on the seven days of creation outlined in the book of Genesis. It is a multimedia piece including video projection and he scored it using a contraforte!

Bay area people should all go and hear some contraforte in Davies hall!

SF Symphony Tickets

This is the first time that contraforte has been used in the San Francisco Symphony and it will be performed by Steven Braunstein.

Here I am visiting the Contraforte tamer