By Timothy Guy

By Timothy Guy

I must admit… I was a bassoon virgin.

Having never heard the sound a bassoon makes or even what it looks like, I went to the Riverside City College Flute and Bassoon studio recital on May 10.

And wow, not only was it enjoyable but the performances from the students was very impressive. Student Diana Jensen was the first to perform, with the flute, and she set the bar very high for the afternoon with her rendition of Mozart’s “Concerto in D, 3rd Movement.”

I have heard people play the flute before, but was still impressed with the long breaths that some parts of the music called for and Jensen did it flawlessly.

Next up was the first of the two bassoon performances, with student Lauren Rodriguez performing G. P. Telemann’s “Bassoon Sonata in F Minor, Triste.”

As Rodriguez took to the stage the first thing noticed was the size of the bassoon, which was a lot bigger than I thought. The size reminded me of the Australian wind instrument the didgeridoo.

The sound of the bassoon was a deep, rich sound that struck a nice balance with the piano (played by Judy Johansen, who was also great).

When the next student, Natalie Cambria, came onto the stage I expected the same sort of sound as with the previous bassoon performance, but I was pleasantly surprised. Cambria played Vivaldi’s “Bassoon Concerto in A Minor, Allegro” and it was an upbeat tone and had me wanting more.

Another surprise came when student Justin Myers started playing his flute with Bach’s “Sonata No. 4.”

He played with an intensity that I have never seen with a flute before and was so powerful that one could actually feel the higher notes reverberate through the auditorium.

The last few weeks of the semester are stressful with finals coming up and the weather is progressively getting hotter, so these student recitals are a great way to relax and get out of the heat. In addition, you can support not only the arts at RCC, but students as well.

There will be several more concerts that will run through May 31 and most of them are free.

For more information check out the calendar of events at http://www.rcc.edu.