Sonata for in C Major for Bassoon and Basso Continuo  (Johann Friedrich Fasch)

 

Johann Friedrich Fasch (1688-1758) was a contemporary of JS Bach and highly regarded by him. A prime example

of Fasch’s writing, the Sonata in C Major shows an intimate knowledge of the bassoon and its capabilities at the time.

The sonata is in four movements in the slow-fast- slow-fast sequence typical of the Italian Baroque.

The piece brilliantly exhibits the bassoon’s lyrical and virtuosic capabilities.

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Duo for Flute and Bassoon No.1  (Gernot Wolfgang)

 

Gernot wrote this piece when we were still living in Vienna and I was frequently performing chamber music

with flutist Maura St. Mary Bayer. Maura and I were always looking for new repertoire and Gernot kindly provided us 

with this piece! It is jazzy and fun to play! Here are the composer’s program notes:

 

Duo for Flute and Bassoon No.1, which is approximately 8 minutes long, was composed in 1992 and is dedicated to

the bassoonist Judith Farmer. The form of the composition is A-B-C-A’. Its melodic and harmonic language

is based on various synthetic scales (for instance, one described by Vincent Persichetti as “double harmonic”),

which in the course of the piece often appear simultaneously in different keys (polymodality).

Due to my background as a jazz musician the elements of rhythm and pulse have prominent roles.

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Interferénces I  for Bassoon and Piano (Roger Boutry)

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A multifaceted musician, an accomplished composer, conductor and pianist, Roger Boutry wrote over 10 works for the bassoon and considered Interferénces I one of his most inspired. The piano starts out energetically but is interrupted by dramatic cadenzas in the bassoon. Lyrical, playful and virtuosic passages follow, utilizing the full range of the instrument.

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Sonata for Clarinet and Bassoon  (Francis Poulenc)

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From 1987-1993 clarinetist Wenzel Fuchs and I were both members of the Radio Symphony Orchestra in Vienna. 

We recorded Francis Poulenc’s Sonata for Clarinet and Bassoon in 1990. 

 

Poulenc’s chamber works for woodwinds are generally light-hearted, melodic and tongue-in- cheek,

with abrupt juxtapositions of distinctly different characters ranging from humorous and witty to plaintive and melancholy.

The Sonata for Clarinet and Bassoon, written in 1922, displays all of these facets of his genius at an early age.

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