Bram van Sambeek: Bassoon Kaleidoscope

The programme on this new recording spans nearly 400 years, and brilliantly showcases the many colours and moods that the bassoon is ideally suited to creating. The music ranges from the early Baroque sonata of Böddecker, dating from 1651, through to Saint-Saëns’s witty, elegant late sonata (1921) and Hagen’s remarkable Harlem Nocturne from 1939, featuring the innovative and brilliant combination of Hammond organ, drums, guitar and bassoon! Gubaidulina’s Duo Sonata of 1977, Piazolla’s Café 1930 and Dubois’s Sonatine Tango of 1984 provide dazzling and contrasting 20th century flavours, as does the splendid Trio for flute, bassoon and piano by Chick Corea, which appeared on his 1970s album Inner Space. This album is an audio kaleidoscope of sound, colour and moods, a tribute to the bassoon’s versatility.