Kings of Basson - Wizards & Composers of XX Century (2021) Hi-Res

The album is opened with The Witches Frolic (also known as The Three Witches of the Night) by the British composer and conductor Sir Granville Bantock (1868-1946), the very fragment from a suite for bassoon trio was created in 1926 for the theatrical production of Shakespeare's Macbeth. The music is distinguished by ingenuity and contrasting moods, that way unleashing the creative potential and virtuoso possibilities of the musicians. Bantock was a professor of music at the University of Birmingham and director of the local Conservatoire. It was him who was at the origin of the famous Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

Continuing the British musical tradition of the 20th century, the CD features a suite of diverse folk dances by Geoffrey Hartley (1906-1992). The syncopated rhythm of the Scottish Hornpipe dance is followed by a romantic waltz and a lively march. A native of Oxford, Hartley learned to play fagot when a child, practicing an antique instrument from his father's collection. He gave more than a hundred concerts in London and its outskirts. Hartley was concertmaster of the bassoon group at the Chelsea Opera House under the direction of renowned Sir Colin Davis.

The work of the outstanding Danish composer Carl Nielsen (1865-1931), who mastered different genres, is represented by rare miniatures for the bassoons – three pieces, Op. 11: the eccentric Doll’s March, the whimsical Dance of the Lady’s Maids, and the sarcastic Jumping Jack. Nielsen's music is distinguished by its ingenuity, Nordic character, and developed polyphony. Karl Nielsen is an undoubted founder of the modern Danish school of composition. His symphonies, chamber and vocal pieces represent a reference example for this genre of the 20th century.

Another masterpiece by Geoffrey Hartley - "Jack and Jill" Trio for three bassoons - was inspired by the English folk nursery rhyme from "The Tales of Mother Goose".

The album is topped up with music by the German composer and bassoonist Viktor Bruns (1904-1996). Viktor was born into a German family on August 15, 1904, in a small town of Ollila (southeastern Finland) where his parents spent summer. They lived in St. Petersburg, so Viktor studied at the Petrograd State Conservatoire (later the Leningrad State Conservatoire) at the bassoon class of Alexander Vasiliev from 1924 to 1927, and the composition class of Vladimir Shcherbakov from 1927 to 1931. From 1927 to 1938 Viktor Bruns was a bassoonist of the Kirov Opera and Ballet Theatre Orchestra (nowadays Mariinsky Theatre). Among the vast composing heritage for wind instruments a special place is occupied by the Trio (for tenor bassoon, bassoon, and contrabassoon), Op. 97. This is one of his later works dedicated to the English bassoonist and musicologist William Waterhouse (February 18, 1931 - November 5, 2007), who played with famous orchestras, was a member of the Melos ensemble and a professor at the Royal Northern College of Music.

The four parts of the Trio are notable for contrasting drama, vivid imagery, and distinctive rhythmic patterns. Bruns used to say that "musicians always want something melodic, just to be rhythmic and interesting." He indeed tried to please them. The composer passed away in 1996 before his last work, the Octet for Bassoons, Op. 99, was completed. Only a fragment of this masterpiece remains. Here’s why the great attention is paid to his previous major work - the Trio, Op. 97, presented in this album.