Customer Reviews

English Bassoon Concertos

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Here's a disc that isn't likely to jump out at you and say "I need to be bought." Concerti for bassoon are rather rare, especially if you throw out Vivaldi's efforts in the genre. Mozart and Weber's early efforts are about all that bassonist have to work with. The lowest of the woodwinds just isn't the [] of soloists imaginable. (In fact, it's hard to think of a less [] regular instrument!!)

That all said, this disc makes a good case for a reappraisal of the bassoon's solo possibilities, particularly given the colorful and soulful playing of Graham Savage. Not everything here is profound, but all four concerti are quality music.

Pride of place goes to Eric Fogg's D Major concerto of 1931. This is incredibly beautiful which digs a lot deeper than one would expect. Fogg eschews the idea of the basson as either a grumpy curmudgeon or a silly clown. Instead, he lets the instrument sing, particularly in the lamenting slow movement. This is a piece all bassoonists should know.

The second best piece here is Peter Hope's Concertino, written in 2000. It opens mysteriously with a melody very reminiscent of the score from "Lord of the Rings." In fact, this piece is redolent in memorable themes, from the bluesy slow movement to the bouncy finale. Hope keeps threatening to veer into Holywood kitsch or popular music, but he never quite slips into banality. Instead, he produces a piece that is a lot of fun.

The Addison and Butterworth pieces are somewhat less engaging but are certainly listenable and pleasant. In fact, there isn't a single harsh sound on this disk even though everything is clearly of the 20th century.

Also missing is much of the Vaughan Williams pastorale school that one might expect to find in this type of music. This is a bonus because 75+ minutes of pastorale musings could make one run to turn off the player.

Instead, I found this a quite charming and attractive disc. If the bassoon intrigues you as a soloist, give this mid-priced disc a try. I think you'll find that the grumpy curmudgeon of the orchestra is a more engaging solist than you might think.

ASV's collection of rare British bassoon concertos is a useful one, but I am less sure it really warrants a general recommendation rather than a specialist one (I am sure lovers of lighter modern British music will want it). The concerto by Eric Fogg is the oldest one by some distance. Composed in 1931 it is a modestly charming piece; none of the themes are particularly memorable but it is well written for the instrument. John Addison is probably most famous as a film music composer, but his concertino (1998) is pleasant enough. It really explores the possible ranges of the instrument, but apart from some light fun it has relatively little to be remembered for. Peter Hope's concerto is the most recent one (2000) and also the least interesting one, sounding desperately anodyne and uninspired. Butterworth's Summer Music (1985) is lyrically wistful and generates some interest in the composer (well served on Dutton at the moment) even if it does not really succeed in holding the listener's attention either. I have no complaints about the solo playing of Graham Salvage, nor really about the contributions from Gavin Sutherland and the Royal Ballet Sinfonia (although they don't, understandably, always sound fully inspired by the music). The sound is good, and if the music sounds like it may appeal I won't warn you against it - but you shouldn't expect very much and if you pass over the disc you won't have missed very much either.