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Track(s) taken from CDA67453

Bonny at morn

composer
traditional Northumbrian folk melody
arranger

Laurence Perkins (bassoon), New London Orchestra, Ronald Corp (conductor)
Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available
CD-Quality:
Studio Master:
CD-Quality:
Studio Master:
Recording details: July 2003
St Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb, London, United Kingdom
Produced by Andrew Keener
Engineered by Will Brown & Simon Eadon
Release date: November 2004
Total duration: 4 minutes 3 seconds
 

Reviews

‘One of the jolliest CDs to have crossed my desk in ages … the indefatigable Perkins has assembled some genuine rarities for our delight’ (The Mail on Sunday)

‘Perkins is a compelling advocate of the instrument, not only in his painstaking work as orchestrator and arranger, and his enthusiastic and well-researched booklet notes, but most of all in his playing … this is a delightful disc which will be of interest to a much wider audience than merely the bassoon-crazy’ (International Record Review)

‘Perkins is an excellent bassoonist who managed to collect some interesting and unusual pieces for his instrument, arranging others himself. His enthusiasm for the repertoire and the bassoon itself are immediately apparent. He plays with a spontaneity that makes us entirely forget technique, so that we never feel like we are witnessing a feat of bravura. His beautiful sound and effortless dexterity all work towards making the music gently caress the ear’ (Fanfare, USA)

‘I admire Perkins' playing very much; it is expressive and highly polished’ (Classical Music Web)

‘The playing here is not just comical (where required), it's also very beautiful—a lovely example of music-making’ (Manchester Evening News)
Almost a century before Cecil Sharp and Vaughan Williams, one of the pioneers in the collecting of folk songs was John Bell, whose findings in the early 1800s included a memorable tune from Northumberland that was eventually published in Northumbrian Minstrelsy in 1882. It almost certainly began life as an instrumental melody – it is often heard to this day as a solo on the Northumbrian pipes – but the title Bonny at Morn is taken from the words which describe a rather laid-back family life (‘Thoo’s ower-lang in thy bed, Bonnie at morn’) in a rural Northumbrian setting. I have to say that these words had very little influence on me when arranging this evocative melody which, when separated from the words, creates for me the image of a gentle sunrise on the beautiful Northumbrian coast. Once again, the bassoon’s lyrical sound seems to be the perfect voice for such an expressive, timeless melody.

from notes by Laurence Perkins © 2004

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