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Track(s) taken from CDA68441

Suite for bassoon and string quartet

composer
1968

Laurence Perkins (bassoon), Carducci String Quartet
Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available
CD-Quality:
Studio Master:
CD-Quality:
Studio Master:
Recording details: January 2020
Concert Hall, Wyastone Estate, Monmouth, United Kingdom
Produced by Andrew Keener
Engineered by Simon Eadon
Release date: May 2025
Total duration: 10 minutes 6 seconds

Cover artwork: Cover illustration by Ghislaine Howard (b1953)
Photo © Adrian Lambert
 

Reviews

‘Few people have done more than Laurence Perkins to promote the bassoon … do invest in this delightful little disc. Hours of fascinating listening await’ (The Mail on Sunday)» More

‘An entertaining and enlightening recital, planned with insight and executed with aplomb’ (Gramophone)

‘There is a sense of palpable enjoyment running through this appealing new album from leading British bassoonist Laurence Perkins  an altogether entertaining album, where everything from Perkins's thoughtful programming to his spirited performances and perceptive programme notes feel rooted in a terrific enthusiasm for the instrument’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘It’s a wonderful showcase for the instrument in all its guises—comic, serious, balletic—including a piece by Ruth Gipps called Honey-coloured cow, which is the title of the album and includes a ‘moo’ … compulsory for bassoonists, but sheer delight for anyone else’ (BBC Record Review)

‘This album aims to show you all the varying, miraculous colours and tones you can get from a bassoon … my pick for this week. It is just delightful from start to finish; it has a sense of humour because Laurence Perkins … is obviously a legend and knows how to have fun … go and listen to Hyperion's new album Honey-coloured cow!’ (ABC Classic, Australia)

‘This CD is another very successful piece of work from Laurence Perkins who has always remained individual and characterful. The playing is full of commitment and I recommend it highly. The recording quality from the Hyperion team at the wonderful Wyastone Concert Hall is excellent throughout’ (Double Reed News)» More
It often creates a special link when a composer writes music for a specific player. Gordon Jacob, a prolific composer of music for all wind instruments, wrote a bassoon concerto for Archie Camden in 1947, which was first performed by Camden at a Henry Wood Promenade Concert in August that year, with Sir Adrian Boult conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Twenty years later, Jacob’s inspiration was the bassoonist William Waterhouse, for whom he wrote this quintet, plus the Partita for unaccompanied bassoon. The quintet was commissioned by the Cheltenham Festival, written in 1968 and first performed the following year at Cheltenham Town Hall by Waterhouse and his colleagues in the Melos Ensemble. Its four movements explore a range of moods—a reflective prelude, a lively athleticism in the caprice, an elegy full of pathos, and a cheeky, light-hearted rondo to finish with.

from notes by Laurence Perkins © 2025

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