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Description
Lorenzo, the much-travelled clown, is a Venetian glass ornament belonging to the composer, Marcus Blunt. Lorenzo inspired both Blunt's work for bassoon and piano, at the heart of this disc, and a drawing by Frank Bayford, which emerged as a natural focus for a growing collection of chamber works for bassoon. The music of 'The Much-Travel'd Clown' captures the mercurial character of the bassoon: an outwardly cheerful clown who sometimes expresses an inner sadness.
Each of the seven composers featured on this recording makes an individual response to the technical and expressive resources of the bassoon. The bassoon is a wonderfully versatile instrument, with three distinct registers across a range of nearly four octaves, yet has too often been overlooked by composers - something Lesley Wilson has sought to rectify by commissioning new works for the instrument.
Alongside established works by Hans GÃ l and David Johnson, the CD features several pieces by living composers, all of whom explore different facets of the bassoon's character. As well as works for solo bassoon, the instrument is heard in combination with piano and in duet with the cello, in music ranging from the firmly diatonic to the luminously atonal, via the jazz-infused bagatelles of Michael Norris.
Lesley Wilson has always sought to extend the bassoon's technical range, and the programme includes Janet Beat's mysteriously evocative piece involving multiphonics and real-time synchronisation with electronics. All these works represent different facets of the clown's personality.
Lesley Wilson was principal bassoon with the Scottish National Orchestra (later, Royal Scottish National Orchestra) for 26 years, before embarking on a freelance career. She has taught for the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (formerly, the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama), the Royal Northern College of Music, and is Visiting Tutor in bassoon at the University of Aberdeen. Although appearing on numerous orchestral recordings, this is Lesley's first CD of solo and chamber works, and it reflects a lifetime's interest in commissioning new music. -
Tracklisting
- 1. Michael Norris: Six Bagatelles For Bassoon Trio, No. 1: Mild Swing
- 2. Michael Norris: Six Bagatelles For Bassoon Trio, No. 3: Study
- 3. Marcus Blunt: Caprice for Solo Bassoon
- 4. Marcus Blunt: Scotch Song for Solo Bassoon
- 5. Michael Norris: Six Bagatelles For Bassoon Trio, No. 2: Swing
- 6. Roger B Williams:Â A Small Suite For Solo Bassoon - Prelude
- 7. Roger B Williams:Â A Small Suite For Solo Bassoon - Minuet & Trio
- 8. Roger B Williams:Â A Small Suite For Solo Bassoon - Elegy & Scherzo
- 9. David Johnson -Â Sonata For Bassoon And Piano:Â Prelude - Fugue - Nocturne - Marche - Gigue
- 10. Janet Beat - Dreamscapes for Bassoon And Tape
- 11. Marcus Blunt - Lorenzo, The Much Travel'd Clown for Bassoon And Piano - I. Allegro Risoluto
- 12. Marcus Blunt - Lorenzo, The Much Travel'd Clown For Bassoon And Piano - II. Allegretto
- 13. Marcus Blunt - Lorenzo, The Much Travel'd Clown For Bassoon And Piano - III. Largo
- 14. Marcus Blunt - Lorenzo, The Much Travel'd Clown For Bassoon And Piano - IV. Allegretto Comodo
- 15. Hans Gal - Divertimento For Bassoon And Violoncello, Op. 90, No. 1 - I. Dialogue
- 16. Hans Gal - Divertimento For Bassoon And Violoncello, Op. 90, No. 1 - II. Scherzino
- 17. Hans Gal - Divertimento For Bassoon And Violoncello, Op. 90, No. 1 - III. Fughetta
- 18. Michael Norris - Six Bagatelles For Bassoon Trio, No. 4: Rag Time
- 19. Gemma McGregor - Strange Fish for Solo Bassoon
- 20. Michael Norris - Six Bagatelles For Bassoon Trio, No. 5: Blue
- 21. Michael Norris - Six Bagatelles For Bassoon Trio, No. 6: Fives
Disc 1
Side 1
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Prigioniero D'Amor
Aberdeen Early Music Collective
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O Sacrum Convivium
Choir of King's College Aberdeen
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Immortal Memory - A Burns Night Celebration
University of Aberdeen Chamber Choir & Paul Mealor
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Humming
Suk-Jun Kim
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Exiled: Music By Philips And Dering
Rose Consort of Viols, Choir of King's College Aberdeen & David J Smith
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A Much-Travel'd Clown
Lesley Wilson
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MISSA SALAMU - Sacred Music - 10 Variations on the M...
Robert M. Helmschrott
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AD UNUM OMNIA - The Continuous Dialogue
Robert M. Helmschrott
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Kevin Juillerat: Dammerung (funf Sonaten ohne Interl...
Kevin Juillerat (electronics), Cedric Pecia (prepared piano)
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Ernst Helmuth Flammer: Early Piano Pieces
Kaya Han
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LIAO Lin-Ni: Bagatelles
Helene Breschand, Laurence Bancaud, David Joignaux, Wilhem Latchoumia, Christelle Sery, Fanny Vicens, Wang Ying-Chieh, Ensemble Cairn, L'arsenale
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Chamber Music
Gunter Schwarze
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Karlheinz Stockhausen: MANTRA
GrauSchumacher Piano Duo, SWR Experimentalstudio, Michael Acker
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Georg Katzer: Mensch und Maschine
Georg Katzer, Matthias Bauer, Margarete Huber, Blaservereinigung Berlin, Bernd Casper, Gregorio Garcia Karman, Evelyn Saylor
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