performers TODAY!

I've just started a new piece for bassoonist Martin Kuuskmann, who's
a "hot" young New York player, known for his "Elvis" renditions in
the Absolute Ensemble renditions of Michael Daugherty's DEAD ELVIS...

He wants a wild new piece for bassoon and percussion, and I mentioned
to him that I have been working in microtonality.

He said that he wasn't really "into" microtonality, but was
interested, instead, in extremes of range and dynamics on his
instrument.

The reason I bring all of this up is the fact that I got the
following encouraging message from him, when I mentioned that I would
like to, AT LEAST, use a few quartertones!

Kuuskmann:
> I will really look forward to your piece. Exciting! I have played
> Gubaidulina's music before as well as Isang Yun's, so the
quartertones are a "part of my scale now" and I will welcome the use
of them totally.

I think this is very encouraging news. It means that many
young performers today, who are not particularly "microtonalists" now
consider 1/4 tones just a "natural" part of their given language!
That's great!

It won't be long before it's even more!

________ ____ __ __ _
Joseph Pehrson