No one really chooses to play the cor anglais. Most start off playing the oboe first.

My sisters and I were taught to play the piano by my mum and then, when I was 12, I started playing the oboe. I didn’t play the cor anglais until I was about 20. I had always had an interest in the instrument, but was given a strong incentive at that time – the opportunity to play a solo piece for cor anglais and string orchestra by the Australian composer Colin Brumby.

Michael Pisani

Michael Pisani. Photo © Liam Hennebry.

I had to buy an instrument as I didn’t have one – and I didn’t have a big budget at that age either. I ended up with a secondhand cor anglais, but one with a bit of history. It had been personally made in France in the 1950s by Charles Rigoutat, the founder of one of today’s major oboe manufacturers.

I ended up performing Colin Brumby’s piece many times, including touring it overseas. It was such a great experience. So began my relationship with the cor anglais.

Over the next 20...