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Keeping music (a)live…

Bassoonist Laurence Perkins reflects on his activities during this
extraordinary period, and the opportunities it offers to us all.

The oft-quoted ‘Keep music live’ catch-phrase of the Musicians Union has Photographer credit: Christos Bainpakis
never been more appropriate than in 2020. The year that saw so many
“ clear that a great many people from all walks of life would be
personal tragedies and financial disasters with the coronavirus pandemic,
has also been a catastrophic turning point for music and the arts
throughout the world.
Laurence Perkins
I’ve always enjoyed and really valued being a freelance To start with, on-line was of course the only option. It was
player. This has given me a great deal of freedom and
flexibility to pursue one of my life ambitions - to make the
hugely under pressure and emotionally undermined by this
situation - also, moods and circumstances would change
bassoon and its wonderful music better known and
appreciated. When the profession hit the buffers following on a day-by-day basis. Music is a fabulous mood-changer,
lockdown in late March this year, I was left with a diary
just as empty as any other musician in the entire world.
so I quickly decided to set up an on-line series of short
A cue to tidy the garden? Maybe put up my feet and watch and I knew that I could offer positive help towards this -
programmes that I could easily host on my own website.
daytime television? No fear - this was a great opportunity
to create something new and relevant to the situation into
which we’ve all been plunged.

These programmes - mainly audio, but including five videos - were typically about 10 minutes in length (with a few
exceptions) which seemed right for a daily offering aimed at people who are likely to be hard pressed for time
and might appreciate a brief diversion. They were intended for literally anyone - not at all just for bassoonists
(as a few people assumed!) - and the content reflected that. They were free of charge, and very easy to access
on a mobile, laptop, iPad or main computer - no log-in required.

There were a few pieces from the that time? The next question was “for attention of BBC Radio 3, who invited
‘standard’ solo bassoon repertoire, how long do I run this series?” This was me onto the ‘In Tune’ programme twice -
including a regular weekly programme important to ensure that it had some once (right at the beginning) to talk live to
devoted to some wonderful baroque structure and was properly planned. I Katie Derham, and again about a month
music, but there was also a huge amount guessed - fairly accurately as it turned out later with Sean Rafferty when they
of music that would rarely if ever be - that the worst period when this series commissioned a special ‘Home Session’
heard on the instrument. This included would be most needed was in April and recording from me. This was a wonderful
a generous exploration into traditional May. I therefore launched the series on chance for me to make the world
folk melodies, many of which come 1st April (no foolish wisecracks, please!) première recording of an original work
from the 17th century Playford collection and I made the cut-off point the last day for solo bassoon - a delightful piece by
or similar sources. These wonderful of May - a total of 61 daily programmes. Francis Chagrin, ‘Souvenir Lointain’
old folk tunes (some of them miniature (‘Memories of Long Ago’), written in the
masterpieces in their own right) often From that moment, it was a daily task to 1960s.
work perfectly well in unaccompanied record new material which would then
performance, enabling me to record in be combined with some of the archive
my ‘home studio’ - a very glamorous recordings that I was able to use for this
name for the dining room! There is also a purpose. It was great fun doing it - a
specific link between Playford (and other huge amount of work, but of course it
similar-period secular tunes) and the kept me playing on a very regular basis.
bassoon - remember the instrument’s In the end the series gathered quite a
ancestor (the dulcian or curtal) and its following, with more than 7000 visits
place in the City Waites ensembles of to the webpage. It also attracted the