Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Dedicated entirely to the baroque bassoon, The Elegant Bassoon features a rich variety of repertoire dating from the earliest days of the instrument’s existence, until the period in which the classical bassoon took over. Bassoonist Wouter Verschuren, who is currently principal bassoonist of the Amesterdam Baroque Orchestra, and Concerto Delaborde here present the instrument in exciting unusual ensembles, like bassoon and traverse or viola da gamba. The reason that these combinations of instruments were not used often in the past, lies in the fact that traverse and viola da gamba favor keys with sharps, such as D major, whereas the bassoon favors keys with flats, like F major. This album includes six world premiere recordings.

Classical Music

Classical Music

On Some Like It Plucked harpsichordist, organist, and conductor Patrick Ayrton successfully combines jazz and 20th century piano pieces in arrangements for harpsichord. Ayrton's ensemble Les Inventions and violinist Thomas Gould join in for the piece de resistance of this album: Joseph Horovitz' 1965 Jazz Harpsichord Concerto. In this highly entertaining concerto, Horovitz ingeniously crosses Vivaldian sonata and concerto forms with Gershwinian harmonies in what the composer describes himself as "an attempt to fuse Baroque structures into a modern conception of swing texture." This album is an important addition to the very limited repertoire of jazz recordings involving harpsichord. Patrick Ayrton works internationally as a conductor, harpsichordist and organist. He is also a passionate pedagog in the field of improvisation and a sought-for motivational speaker.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music