Search - Antonio Rosetti, Eckart Hübner, Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss :: Rosetti: Bassoon Concertos

A Notch or Two Below Mozart

J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 09/11/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's amazing how often a recording of obscure repertoire is released only to have a competing recording appear shortly afterwards. Only four months ago I reviewed a Naxos CD of four bassoon concerti by Antonio Rosetti (ca. 1750-1792, sometimes known as Anton Rosler) of which three were first recordings. The artists on that disc were Albrecht Holder, bassoon, and the New Brandenburg Philharmonic under Nicolas Pasquet. And superb they were. Well, here we have the exact same four concerti (three in B flat, one in F major). And guess what? These are superb performances as well. The bassoonist and conductor here is Eckart Hubner, a student of the renowned Klaus Thunemann and the possessor of a ripe singing tone and formidable technique. The orchestra is the Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss, a small group whose playing is alert and musicianly. The recorded sound is slightly more recessed on this CD compared to the Naxos. Otherwise, I have to say, there is little choose between them. The concerti themselves are in the Mozartean mold--tuneful, clever harmonically, frequently surprising, but sometimes rhythmically stolid. This is music worth exploring. If I had to chose between the two releases the budget pricing of the Naxos CD would influence me in its favor.Scott Morrison"