When you think of chamber music, a bassoon isn't the first instrument that comes to mind. A violin, yes. A cello, yes. But a bassoon?
If Kansas University alumna Isabel Jeremias has her way, no one will ever again question the wind instrument's inclusion. She is building a following for the bassoon in Costa Rica, where she teaches, and internationally with the Phoenix Bassoon Quartet, which she conducts.
Sunday afternoon, a modest crowd at the Lied Center witnessed the quartet's mastery as it presented a concert of Latin-American and Spanish music from the 16th to 20th centuries. (Kansas University Chancellor Robert Hemenway heard the ensemble during a visit to Costa Rica and suggested to Tim Van Leer, executive director of the Lied Center, that he should check the quartet out).
The quartet � Jeremias, Guillermo Rosabal, Cindy Bolandi and Catalina Guevara � were joined by Maria Clara Vargas on harpsichord for a set of early Baroque music. A favorite was "Hanacpachap," a slow-moving piece written by an anonymous composer in 1631 in Peru. The work had a sacred, solemn air that was enhanced by the players' phrasing and tonal control.
The second set was more contemporary, opening with the three-movement "Bagatelas," written in 1998 by Eddie Mora. The opening movement highlighted the quartet's fluidity. The second movement � a fractured-sounding waltz � and the finale � a quick-paced jaunt � gave the musicians a chance to show off their lung power and disciplined fingering.
The concert ended fittingly with KU music professor and bassoonist Alan Hawkins � Jeremias' teacher while at KU � joining the quartet for the lively and melodic "Alma Llanera."
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