# Any bassoon works worth a listen?



## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

I already know and greatly enjoy the bassoon concertos of Mozart and Hummel. 

Anything else (from any era) that I should look into? Concertos, sonatas, chamber works, whatever - I'd be interested to go try it out.


----------



## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

For concertos: Vivaldi, Stamitz and C.M von Weber.


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

The Andante & Hungarian Rondo by Weber is delectable.


----------



## Delicious Manager (Jul 16, 2008)

Try this for size:


----------



## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

Delicious Manager; Thanks for the link. That's a bit off the beaten track. 

And YT cheerfully suggested more links. E.g. this one, on which I clicked simply because I liked the art, but the music is good too:






And another one with nice art work and music:


----------



## Janspe (Nov 10, 2012)

Gubaidulina wrote a concerto for bassoon and strings in 1975, it's an neat work that uses the instrument in interesting ways - recommended!


----------



## Bettina (Sep 29, 2016)

Saint-Saëns, Sonata for Bassoon and Piano, Op. 168. I have it on CD performed by members of the Nash Ensemble and they play it beautifully. Unfortunately, I couldn't find many good performances of it on Youtube - here's the best one that I managed to find:


----------



## musicrom (Dec 29, 2013)

Theofanidis' Bassoon Concerto was a nominee for the Grammys this year I think. I liked it quite a bit.


----------



## RRod (Sep 17, 2012)

BIS just released an album of bassoon works by Aho and Fagerlund that I liked a good bit. "Speaking a hundred names" by Nathan Davis was another one that I liked recently. If you haven't given Mozart's wind serenades a listen, they all have some hot lix for the old fagotto. I'd also give Berio's Sequenza a shot.


----------



## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

Thanks for all the recommendations - I'll go check them out.


----------



## Lenny (Jul 19, 2016)

For some unknown reason, I've always liked Hindemith's bassoon sonata, for example: 




Hey, now I realized why is that! It is beatiful music!

But be aware.... That sonata is a dangerous gateway to hard drugs, to the world of Hindemith.


----------



## bharbeke (Mar 4, 2013)

Beethoven: Romance Cantabile for Piano, Flute and Bassoon Hess 13
Crusell: Concertino in B-flat for bassoon and orchestra
Mozart: Duo in B-flat for Bassoon and Cell K 196c

You already said you know about it in the first post, but I want to emphasize that the Mozart bassoon concerto is _really_ something special.


----------



## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

The second movement of Beethoven's Wind Sextet Op 71 features the two bassoons and is very lovely.


----------



## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

brianvds said:


> Thanks for all the recommendations - I'll go check them out.


Another tip If I may be so bold: go to you tube and type : bassoon concerto.


----------



## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Lots of virtuoso bassonisizing in Zelenka's six trio sonatas!


----------



## Bettina (Sep 29, 2016)

bharbeke said:


> ...Beethoven: Romance Cantabile for Piano, Flute and Bassoon Hess 13...


Even though I am a Beethoven fanatic, I had never heard of this piece before (maybe my fanaticism isn't comprehensive enough ). Thanks to your suggestion, I'm listening to it on Youtube right now, and I'm quite impressed. Apparently Beethoven was only 15 when he wrote it. People don't usually think of him as having been a child prodigy, but he obviously was!


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Bettina said:


> Even though I am a Beethoven fanatic, I had never heard of this piece before (maybe my fanaticism isn't comprehensive enough ). Thanks to your suggestion, I'm listening to it on Youtube right now, and I'm quite impressed. Apparently Beethoven was only 15 when he wrote it. People don't usually think of him as having been a child prodigy, but he obviously was!


Preaching to the choir:

Bettina + Any Beethoven = Ecstasy!!


----------



## Bettina (Sep 29, 2016)

hpowders said:


> Preaching to the choir:
> 
> Bettina + Any Beethoven = Ecstasy!!


LOL! Yes, that is very true. But I had not expected that his teenage self would have the power to send me into ecstasy.


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Bettina said:


> LOL! Yes, that is very true. But I had not expected that his teenage self would have the power to send me into ecstasy.


I wouldn't doubt it.

A young genius so completely sure of himself.

I would simply ask him, "Hey, bro, do you have a sister?"


----------



## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

brianvds said:


> Thanks for all the recommendations - I'll go check them out.


Some very good recommendations already - Weber and Vivaldi [38 concerti - and, no, they do not all sound the same!! lol] - are staples of bassoon rep.

also try the Brazilians - neat stuff: 
*Villa-Lobos*: Ciranda das Sete Notas [7-Note Ciranda]; *Mignone *- Concertino, Solo Waltzes, and the wonderful Sonata for 2 Bassoons


----------



## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Rossini - Concerto For Bassoon And Orchestra - Sergio Azzolini

Happy listening.


----------



## pokeefe0001 (Jan 15, 2017)

One I've always liked is Burrill Phillips' Concert Piece for Bassoon and String Orchestra. Unfortunately, there are no good online recordings (that I've found). The best performance is a on a very old mono recording with very low fidelity. 




That will show how it should be played.
Most of the online recordings are with piano reductions of the string orchestra part. Not very satisfying as far as I'm concerned.

There's one recording of very good bassoon playing, ok string playing, and poor recording quality.




It's the San Francisco School Of The Arts Instrumental Music Department's Concert Orchestra with soloist Leigh Jacobsen. I hope she is still performing; she's good. The file was uploaded in 2011. I have no idea when it was recorded.


----------



## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

Pugg said:


> Another tip If I may be so bold: go to you tube and type : bassoon concerto.


Indeed, but then one gets overwhelmed - I want the GOOD stuff. 

Stumbled upon these delightful rarities:


----------



## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

The Burrill Phillips is a fun piece.. I've played it many times, both with strings, and with piano. Piano works well, if the accompanist is good....the percussive, jazzy stuff comes of nicely on piano...tougher to do with strings, unless the section is really good


----------



## Delicious Manager (Jul 16, 2008)

KenOC said:


> Lots of virtuoso bassonisizing in Zelenka's six trio sonatas!


Ah, yes! Bassoonists love and hate Zelenka in equal measure.


----------



## Tekrad (Apr 5, 2017)

*Bassoon Works*



brianvds said:


> I already know and greatly enjoy the bassoon concertos of Mozart and Hummel.
> 
> Anything else (from any era) that I should look into? Concertos, sonatas, chamber works, whatever - I'd be interested to go try it out.


Gustavo Nunez playing Vivaldi from the Pentatone label. Both the RBCD layer and MCH are first rate. His performance is flawless.


----------



## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

Tekrad said:


> Gustavo Nunez playing Vivaldi from the Pentatone label. Both the RBCD layer and MCH are first rate. His performance is flawless.


The Vivaldi concerti have been recorded many times by great artists - 2 of my favorite Vivaldi Bassoon CDs are by John Miller [long-time MinnOrch prinicipal] and Klaus Thunneman...The Naxos collection, by Tamas Benkocz is also quite good, and nearly complete, TMK. 
Maurice Allard recorded a stellar collection, on LP, which, sadly, TMK, never made it to CD. marvelous artist, Allard.

Do avoid the Daniel Smith CDs, however.


----------



## Bevo (Feb 22, 2015)

Rosetti / Danzi / Winter / Weber: Bassoon Concertos: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL89vuXdHOr_ozp05HuIBVedSarGtoxjHz
Check out this playlist with concertos by Rosetti, Danzi, Winter, and Weber. These composers were amazing in the genre of wind concertos. Such a shame they aren't as well known as they should be.


----------



## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Tekrad said:


> Gustavo Nunez playing Vivaldi from the Pentatone label. Both the RBCD layer and MCH are first rate. His performance is flawless.


I do agree with you completely, welcome to TalkClassical also.


----------



## Myriadi (Mar 6, 2016)

I adore Vivaldi's bassoon concertos - there's really nothing else like them. My CDs with them are with Sergio Azzolini, the Naive label set with the weird fashion photography on the covers.


----------



## StDior (May 28, 2015)

Gubaidulina - Quasi Hoquetus:


----------

