Nikolaus von Krufft: Sonatas for Bassoon and Fortepiano

Verschuren: bsn/Cok: ftpno.. - Nikolaus von Krufft: Sonatas for Bassoon and Fortepiano

Nikolaus von Krufft: Sonatas for Bassoon and Fortepiano

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CD Details

Artist: Verschuren: bsn/Cok: ftpno..
Composer: Nikolaus Von Krufft
Conductor: Nikolaus Von Krufft
Performer: Wouter Verschuren
Performer: Kathryn Cok
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Import
CD Release Date: 2009-04-14
Music Label: Challenge Classics
Soundtracks:

Sonata for piano with bassoon obbligato in F major: Adagio sostenuto - Allegro brillante e con fuoco
Sonata for piano with bassoon obbligato in F major: Andantino con Variationi
Sonata for piano with bassoon obbligato in F major: Finale all' Ongarese - prestissimo all' Ongarese
Grand Sonata for piano with bassoon accompaniment in B flat major, Op. 34: Allegro molto moderato
Grand Sonata for piano with bassoon accompaniment in B flat major, Op. 34: Adagio

Music reviews of Nikolaus von Krufft: Sonatas for Bassoon and Fortepiano

Music Review: Two parts Chopin, one part schmaltz, one part chutzpah
Rating: 5 Stars

It's worth remembering that the classical music of today was the popular music of its time.

It's also worth remembering that in the days before amplification, a lot of the qualities of
an instrument that we now value were sacrificed in exchange for pure volume. The type that
would carry and even attract crowds. Perhaps in a crowded and noisy bier kellar.

So here we have a recording that is played on period instruments in what I believe to be a
faithfully period style. Accordingly we have a lot of squeaks, rattles, and buzzes that will
not be heard from the bassoon of today or even the modern grand piano. Instead we are treated
to a performance more like that of the period - where the music and musicians had to be loud
in order to be heard. If you are prepared to take the rough with the smooth, I think this CD
will prove rewarding. The bassoon parts in particular have a lovely colour and tone, very reedy.

As noted in the liner notes, this music features huge 'jumps' for Bassoon (as much as 2.5 octaves)
which no doubt contributes some of the many audible squeaks and buzzes. However, as the fortepiano
also buzzes at times, the general instrument 'feedback' is easy to ignore. At no point are there
any obtrusive fluid or 'gurgling' sounds from the bassoon, which makes it very easy to concentrate
on the actual music itself.

Nikolaus von Krufft is a wonderful find; trained as philosopher and lawyer, he became a civil
servant and diplomat, even accompanying Count von Metternich on his diplomatic missions. Given
his background, it is hardly surprising that he understood the nature of the dance. In the music
here, some of which is recorded for the first time, we are introduced to the interplay between
the two principals, largely in the form of the 'pas de deux'. A true renaissance man, who would
stay up 'burning the candle' with his music. A talented performer and composer, he studied music
all the while. As with Mozart and Devienne, it may have been his love for music that killed him,
as he died early of what the liner notes describe as exhaustion.

My favourite track is the 5th; imagine if Ludwig Van had written the Moonlight as a 'pas de deux'.
Now imagine the dance itself performed by the fortepiano while the bassoon provides atmosphere
and the actual moonlight itself. Wonderful.

I purchased this recording at the same time as 'Works for Bassoon & Piano' (the first volume) by
the husband and wife team of Dag Jensen and Midori Kitigawa. So comparisons are inevitable; both
couples display a flawless timing and technique, and they have both chosen very different styles,
which makes a very interesting comparison. Here we are treated to a style suited more to rough
and ready crowds, rather than the modern concert hall.

With the caveats noted above, recommended for anyone who enjoys fine chamber music performed
on period instruments.

Description of Nikolaus von Krufft: Sonatas for Bassoon and Fortepiano

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