Ron Chaplin wrote:

>Right now, I'm listening to Berio's Sequenza XII for Bassoon and I'm
>having a hard time hearing when the artist, Pascal Gallois, takes a breath!
>...  I've learned from a past list discussion that alot of editing of
>a recording can occur before it is put onto disc.  Is it possibile that
>the sounds of Gallois inhaling have been edited out of the recording? If
>editing has occurred, it wouldn't take away from my appreciation of all
>of the Sequenzias.  I'm just very curious.  Can anyone help me?

Do you hear any other incidental sounds of performance, such as page-turns
or key clicks? Bassoons are often even under the best conditions a bit
noisier than other woodwinds-the keywork is quite large and often covers
quite a distance.  Bassoon pieces in recital, in fact, often present
a stereophonic effect due to the sheer size of the instrument and the
distance between the toneholes which produce the lowest notes and those
higher in each register.

If so then the mike placement is so close that you should be hearing breath
sounds.  Editing those out would create a most unmusical effect I would
think.

One does learn to breath as musically as possible and in such a fashion as
to help shape the contour of the work, rather than out of physiological
desparation.

There's always the possibility that M. Gallois is using circular
breathing, a technique more common with double-reed players than with
clarinettists, although Charles Neidich for one uses it.  Sorry that I
can't describe it, but I've seen and heard it done.

Best of luck getting your question answered in more technical detail.  I
just conduct and leave it up to my colleagues how they work out the details
of survival!

Joel Lazar
Bethesda MD