''Sequenza XII'' is a

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography *Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include v ...

for solo

bassoon The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuo ...

, written by

Luciano Berio Luciano Berio (24 October 1925 – 27 May 2003) was an Italian composer noted for his experimental work (in particular his 1968 composition ''Sinfonia'' and his series of virtuosic solo pieces titled ''Sequenza''), and for his pioneering work ...

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

, and part of a series of fourteen '' Sequenze'' composed between 1958 and 2002. The work was written for, and dedicated to, the French bassoonist

Pascal Gallois Pascal Gallois (born 1959) is a French bassoonist, conductor and music teacher, specialising in contemporary classical music. Life Born in Linselles near Lille, Gallois studied with Maurice Allard at the École Normale de Musique de Paris. Si ...

, who gave the world première on 15 June 1995. ''Sequenza XII'' is the longest of all the ''Sequenze'', at 19 minutes. As with the other works in the series, it reflects Berio’s fascination with virtuosity, "understood not merely as technical dexterity, but as a manifestation of an agile musical intelligence that relishes the challenge of complexity" . In ''Sequenza XII'', Berio makes deliberate use of the different registers and explores the physical limits of performance through

extended technique In music, extended technique is unconventional, unorthodox, or non-traditional methods of singing or of playing musical instruments employed to obtain unusual sounds or timbres.Burtner, Matthew (2005).Making Noise: Extended Techniques after Exper ...

s, for example, through different uses of the tongue to modify airflow, by writing notes and phrases that are so long they require the performer to use

circular breathing Circular breathing is a technique used by players of some wind instruments to produce a continuous tone without interruption. It is accomplished by breathing through the nose while simultaneously pushing air through the mouth using air stored ...

, the use of ''

glissando In music, a glissando (; plural: ''glissandi'', abbreviated ''gliss.'') is a glide from one pitch to another (). It is an Italianized musical term derived from the French ''glisser'', "to glide". In some contexts, it is distinguished from the co ...

'', and multiple sounds producing by singing through the instrument while playing (; ).

Discography

*Luciano Berio. ''Sequenzas'' –XIII Ensemble InterContemporain members (Pascal Gallois, bassoon). Deutsche Grammophon 457 038 (3CDs), 1998. *Luciano Berio. ''Sequenzas I–XIV''. Various performers (Kenneth Munday, bassoon). Naxos 8557661 (3CDs), 2006. *Luciano Berio. ''The Complete Sequenzas''. Various performers (Noriko Shimada, bassoon). Mode 161/3 (4CDs), 2006. *Pascal Gallois (bassoon). ''Voyages'': music by Berio, Hosokawa, Schoeller. Stradivarius 33736 (1CD), 2006. *Duo Palmós. (Stefanie Liedtke, bassoon and Lorenda Ramou, piano) "Breathless": music by Skalkottas, Berio, Yun and Kyriakides. Spektral SRL4-08035 (1CD), 2008.

References

* * Compositions by Luciano Berio 1995 compositions Compositions for bassoon Music dedicated to ensembles or performers Contemporary classical compositions Compositions that use extended techniques {{classical-composition-stub