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Track(s) taken from CDA67453

Pièce en forme de habanera

composer
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
arranger
Arthur Hoérée (1897-1986)
1930

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: 3 minutes 11 seconds
 

Other recordings available for download

Han de Vries (oboe), Philharmonia Orchestra, Geoffrey Simon (conductor)

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)
The success of Emmanuel Chabrier’s orchestral piece España (1883) established a trend for music by French composers in a Spanish style which became so popular that one cynical commentator stated that all the best Spanish music was being written by French composers. Even Debussy (who visited Spain only once, for one day) was moved to write Ibéria as the second part of his Images for orchestra. Though something of a rebel as a young composer, the idea nevertheless captivated the thirty-two-year-old Maurice Ravel, and it was while he was composing his opera L’Heure espagnole in 1907 that he created his vocalise-étude, Pièce en forme de habañera. Being for wordless voice, it does of course lend itself very well to instrumental performance, and the versatile tenor register of the bassoon seems to me to be an ideal voice for this subtle, expressive music, especially with Arthur Hoérée’s delicious orchestration made in 1930.

from notes by Laurence Perkins © 2004

Other albums featuring this work

Ravel: Five o'clock foxtrot & other orchestral works
Philharmonia Orchestra, Geoffrey Simon (conductor)
SIGCD2160Download only

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