Search - Fogg, Addison, Hope :: English Bassoon Concertos

Good music for an unlikely instrument

Valerie Wilson | Cambridge, MA United States | 05/01/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."