Philip Gottling, Austin, Texas

Beethoven.- Symphony No. 7, Op. 92; Fidelio Overture, Op. 72b; Octophoros (Paul Dombrecht, Marcel Ponseele, oboes; Hans Rudolf Stalder, Elmar Schmid, clarinets; Danny Bond, Donna Agrell, bassoons; Claude Wassmer, contrabassoon; Piet Dombrecht, Claude Maury, horns). Accent 8434 or CD 48434 D; GLA p.v.b.a., Eikstraat 31, B-1673 Beert, Belgium; U.S. distribution: AudioSource, Foster City, CA.

This has to be the most intriguing wind serenade recording I have ever come across. Imagine a gutsy rendition of Beethoven's Seventh in an arrangement for nine-part Harmonie wherein the composer himself strips away all the unnecessary (!) strings, played by some of the best original-instrument people around, and you will have an idea of what this record is about. Octophoros, a wind ensemble based more or less in the Low Countries, also plays Wenzel Sedlak's arrangement of the Fidelio Overture with a lot of panache.

This is a superior disc in every way. The recording quality is excellent (even more so, of course, on the compact disc version) and the playing is first-rate throughout. Octophoros creates a brilliance and transparency of sound which is laudable, and their intonation is a lot better than some modern-instrument groups. The program notes in French, German, and English are scholarly.

Rating: 3 CROWS

Konzertante Duos fur Fagott und Klavier; Eberhard Buschmann, bassoon; Monica von Saalfeld, piano. Da Camera Magna SM 92920.

Eberhard Buschmann and Monica von Saalfeld begin their recital record with the seldomheard Grand Duo Concertante by Ignaz Moscheles (1774-1870). Moscheles studied with Weber, Albrechtsberger and Salieri, and this piece bears the traces of these composers: it is virtuosic, characteristic of the bassoon, and a little bit predictable. Buschmann does his bit to alleviate the stylistic torpor by adding a bizarre little cadenza, culminating in a double-stop. The artists then play the Tchaikovsky Nocturne, a short but pretty piece which shows off Buschmann's rich, dark sound to best advantage.

Side two features the Saint-Saens Sonata in quite a respectable performance. The fast movements are quite fast, and Buschmann finishes the second movement with a brilliantly articulated scale up to high E. The record concludes with Dutilleux's Sarabande et Cortege, a wonderful recital piece that this reviewer wishes would be recorded more often. Buschmann's high register (the piece soars to a high F) might cause envy in some of our French colleagues.

Eberhard Buschmann is Professor of Bassoon at the Wurzburg State Conservatory. He is also a member of the Consortium Classicum with whom, according to the liner notes, "he made concert trips through all continents." I imagine them blazing their way through Antarctica. Ms. von Saalfeld is working "especially in the interpretation of imprinted piano music. " Improvisation, perhaps. In spite of the amusing liner notes translation and dry acoustics, this is a pleasant record.

Rating: 2 CROWS

James Jeter, bassoon,- Keith Romano, countertenor; Benton Hess, piano. Crystal S343, 2235 Willida Lane, Sedro Woolley, WA.

James Jeter is a New York bassoonist who has also played for several years in Switzerland. He and his able accompanist, Benton Hess, have dedicated their recital record to the WolfFerrari Suite- Concertino in F, Op. 16 the Gliere Impromptu and Humoresque, and three Russian songs arranged for countertenor, bassoon, and piano. The songs, although nicely sung by Keith Romano, are not ideally suited to this combination.

The recital concludes with a conservative version of the Weber Andante and Hungarian Ron - do. The sound quality is fine throughout. Worth a particular mention is the piano, a Mark Allen Concert Grand, which, according to the liner notes, "embodies new Sounding Board Technologies developed by the maker." All rather vague and mysterious, but it does sound good.

Rating: 1 CROW

The Song of the Bassoon,- Masahito Tanaka, bassoon; Seiko Sumi, piano. Pavane ADW 7155 (no address).

Masahito Tanaka studied at the Toho School in Tokyo, the New England Conservatory in Boston, and at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam. After playing as solo bassoonist in The Hague Philharmonic and the Sudwestfunk Orchestra, he is now soloist at the National Opera Symphony Orchestra in Brussels. As might be expected after an international education such as he has had, Tanaka has developed a very impressive personal style drawing on several national styles.

This is a second Tanaka-Sumi record on Pavane, and as on The Golden Age of the Bassoon, their previous offering, they play a selection of nineteenth-century showpieces and salon music. They offer here Julius Weissenborn's Arioso, Op. 9, No. 1, Saverio, Mercandante's Cavatina di Donna Caritea and John Field's Noc turne No. 5 (both arranged by Eugene Jancourt), Jules Demersseman's Introduction and Polonaise, Op. 30, Ludwig Milde's Romanze, and Eugene Bourdeau's Premier Solo. They also play Seiko Sumi's arrangements of Gaetano Donizetti's Una Furtiva Lagrima, Giulio Briccialdi's The Carnival of Venice, and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's The Flight of the Bumble Bee.

Tanaka plays throughout with a lot of verve and technique and has a dark, pleasing tone. As
on his last record, he re-composes a bit so as to be able to pop out a double-high C. Bravo! Tanaka has a lot of fingers, and his Carnival of Ven- ice ce is especially impressive. Let us hope that, on his next record, Tanaka turns his talents to some eighteenth- or twentieth-century music.

Rating: 3 CROWS

Barbara Novak, Spokane Symphony

The Bronx Ensemble. Octet, Op. 80, Heinrich Hofmann. Serenade for Solo Sextet, Op. 65. MHS 4925M - Musical Heritage Society, 1710 Highway 35, Ocean, NJ 07712.

It is obvious from the first listening that these are fine musicians who have played together for many years. Hoffmann's Octet, a good combination of sounds to begin with, is well played with excellent ensemble. The only mars in this performance are some intonation problems among the winds. The Serenade is also exquisitely played. Perhaps the finesse and nuance these musicians bring to the music is the most satisfying aspect in this recording.

Ron Klimko, University of Idaho

David DeBolt, Bassoon: Chamber Society Orchestra of Philadelphia, John Russo, conductor (CRS 8321: Contemporary Records Society, P.O. Box 321, Broomall, PA 19008). Concerto in G minor, F S. No. 11, Antonio Vivaldi; Concerto No. 6 in B-flat Major, Capel Bond; Concerto in C Major, F S. No. 3, Antonio Vivaldi; Elegie, Peter 1. Tchaikovsky; Two Sketches for String Orchestra, Gordon Jacob.

This recording features an absolutely luscious string sound over which David DeBolt and his bassoon can soar. And soar he does. Everything is done with quality and expertise from the playing to the balance and finally to the beautiful pressing itself. The slow movement of the G minor Vivaldi, for instance, features perfect balance between the bassoon soloist, the cello continuo, and the harpsichord realization. It is especially rewarding to be able to hear the harpsichord as an "equal" member of the ensemble. The most provocative touch in this recording is here as well, in the slow movement, as David's lyrical, singing bassoon style comes to the fore. An added treat besides the "bassooning" in this recording is the playing of the string works of Tchaikovsky and Gordon Jacob by the ensemble. I give highest marks all around to the performers and the recording engineers for this fine recording.

Daniel Smith, Bassoon: Ravina Chamber Ensemble; Vivaldi: Bassoon Concerti. (S344; Crystal Records, 2235 Willida Lane, Sedro Woolley, WA 98284.)

This must be the year for recordings of Vivaldi Bassoon Concerti! Here, however, Mr. Smith is not as fortunate as Mr. DeBolt to have such a fine ensemble for his accompaniment. The string playing here seems more uneven - one can hear the individuals sticking out of the ensemble much too much at times. The pressing, however, is first-rate with a full resonant sound that tends to favor the low register of the bassoon nicely. Overall, Mr. Smith's playing is technically clear, though he has a tendency to thin out in the upper register and occasionally be out of tune. His vibrato, too, lacks the warmth and richness so strongly felt in the DeBolt recording. It's also a pretty relentless "dose" of Vivaldi without having any other composer's style for contrast. This, however, is a fine recording, taken overall, and Mr. Smith is to be commended for bringing out some of the lesser known Vivaldi Concerti to our attention.

Jan Krtitel Vanhal, Concerto in F Major for 2 Bassoons and Orchestra; Symphony in F Major, Symphony in A minor. Annika Wallin and Arne Nilssov, bassoons, the Vmeo Sinfonietta, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, conductor. (LP-288 Stereo - Teldec Digital - direct metal mastering. Grammofon Abbis Varingavagen 6, S-182 63 Djursholm, Sweden.)

In the Spring, 1985 issue of The Double Reed I reviewed John Miller's new recording of the Mozart and Vanhal bassoon concerti. Well, this must be Vanhal's year too, because here's another GEM of a work by him!

Highest marks for this superb recording. Everything about it is of the highest quality. The DMM process has produced a lovely disc. The acoustics are full and rich. And finally the performances are first rate in every way. The Concerto is a wonderful new piece of music to emerge in recent years. It is a very melodious, accessible work that reminds one - right down to the same key - of the Concerto, Op. 75, by Carl Maria von Weber. The passage work is all very straightforward and crystal clear. The performance by Wallin and Nilsson is a joy to hear. The artists are so well matched in tone and style that it is impossible to separate one from the other. Also they play in true stereo -the first player sounds from the left speaker and the second from the right. It's absolutely dazzl- ing! Both artists are young Swedish professionals. And after the blitzkrieg of the two Swedish players, Christian Davidsson and Magnus Nilsson, at the Gillet Competition in
Boulder last summer, where they were first and second place finishers, one can't help but be im
pressed by the apparent depth of talent in the contemporary Swedish bassoon school. Gone
entirely is the "cracking" of the octaves in the middle register of their playing that one hears
so often in American players. (The French, too, find this offensive in American bassoonists.) In
stead they are always clear and concise -especially in this midrange. (Perhaps we Americans ought to re-assess our use of the vent keys for this mid-range!) Whatever the reason this is absolutely enthralling playing. I can't recommend this recording enough to you. The flip side also presents two early symphonies by Vanhal, who as a contemporary of Haydn and Mozart, deserves to reach a wider audience than he has so far. Get this recording. I keep playing it over and over again to revel in its exquisite playing and sumptuous sound.

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