Without doubt, the
label that is doing most to bring us
relatively unknown but worthwhile music
at a very low price is Naxos. Most of
their issues are new recordings but
there is a company - Regis Records -
that seems to specialise in licensing
(from many sources) excellent recordings
languishing undeservedly in vaults after
full-price issue and deletion. These
generally contain worthwhile but not
mainstream music played by fine artists
which it is good have accessible at
bargain price. The present issue is
on their Forum label, the distinction
of which from the main label (Regis)
is not clear to me (the price is the
same – about £5) but it might be relevant
that the solo artist here is given as
the source of the licence. The disc
further affirms my experience of the
potential for affordable buried treasure
when you see the names Regis or Forum.
Gordon Jacob spent
many years as a Professor at the Royal
College of Music in London and was quite
a prolific composer. He seems under-represented
on disc – probably his most recorded
work is the orchestral arrangement of
Vaughan-Williams’s English Folk Song
Suite. The Suite recorded here was written
for one of his students – bassoonist
William Waterhouse, and he provides
the excellent notes to accompany the
disc. In its ten minutes the suite covers
a wide range of expression. The opening
prelude is slow and rather plaintive,
followed by a caprice which is fleeting
and as humorous as might be expected.
The Elegy is dark indeed and Jacob interweaves
the bassoon and strings to powerful
effect. Its ending is abrupt and the
Rondo which follows has a "life
goes on" feel to it.
Franz Danzi wrote plentifully
for wind instruments and his bassoon
concertos are reasonably well-known
(and available on Naxos). He wrote three
bassoon quartets for Jacques Hartmann,
a factory owner and amateur bassoonist,
and the last is played here. It is conventional
in terms of structure and material,
and looks back rather than forward considering
what Beethoven was writing at the time.
Nevertheless, admirers of Mozart’s chamber
music with wind will find it most enjoyable.
Anton Reicha’s Grand
Quintet dates from the next decade and
is made of less immediately attractive
but rather more solid material. A specialist
in Wind Quintets, Reicha dedicated this
one to the bassoonist Antoine Henry
but it has remained unpublished to this
day. Again, the structure is conventional
but Reicha’s writing for the bassoon
is most inventive. The finale, marked
Presto, is particularly impressive.
The American bassoonist
Daniel Smith is on fine form throughout
the disc. His intonation is perfect
and, whilst he makes the most of the
music, nothing is overstated. The Coull
Quartet are highly sympathetic accompanists
and blend in most effectively. The late
1980s sound originally comes from ASV
and is completely natural.
I can recommend this
disc highly to anyone. To those lacking
much music with the bassoon as a solo
instrument or by the composers represented,
I suggest that it should find an immediate
place on their wish-list.
Patrick C Waller
Daniel Smith (bassoon); Coull Quartet 
