In each of its 8 movements, Leslie Bassett's Metamorphoses for solo bassoon takes a famous fragment from the orchestral bassoon literature as the basis for a musical transformation.

The sources are:

I. Stravinsky - Rite of Spring
II. Prokofiev - Peter & the Wolf
III. Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 4
IV. Beethoven - Symphony No. 3
V. Beethoven - Symphony No. 1
VI. Beethoven - Symphony No. 8
VII. Scriabin - Poem of Ecstasy
VIII. Chabrier - Epana

Metamophoses was commissioned by friends, colleagues, and students of L. Hugh Cooper, Professor of Music (bassoon) at the University of Michigan, on the occasion of his retirement and in appreciation of this many contributions to performance, teaching, and research. The premiere performance was by Gwendolyn (Wendy) Rose at the University of Michigan on February 12, 1991, with immediate subsequent performances by Richard Beene.

Some fingerings and performance suggestions supplied by Mr. Cooper, Mr. Beene, and Ms. Rose are to be found in the work's index.