List of Works || Swing out: Animations and Ruminations on a Double Reed

Commissioned by bassoonist George Zukerman, Swing Out explores the various timbres of the bassoon and asserts a vitality inspired by swing rhythm. In Swing Out, Weinzweig revisits the energy and style of Divertimento No. 3, written for solo bassoon and string orchestra, whose movement titles (“Moderate swing,” “Slow swing,” and “Fast swing”) make explicit his interest in swing rhythm. Weinzweig belongs to the large group of twentieth-century composers who found new musical inspiration in the jazz clubs and radio broadcasts of American blues and swing.

Much of Weinzweig’s chamber music of the 1990s emphasises dialogue. Swing Out is no exception; however, in this case, the bassoon converses with itself, using register, articulation, and a “dialogue” gesture to enact this exchange. This short work demonstrates the performer’s agility, expressive range, and dramatic sensibility.

Written by Alexa Woloshyn