Bassoon Music of the Americas

This first recording from bassoonist Jeff Keesecker contains works that are rarely, if at all, heard on CD. The sonata from American composer Alvin Etler is familiar to bassoonists as a standard in the repertoire. The Jose Siqueira Etudes will be a welcome introduction to most listeners. It shows the colorful variety and rich textures, sprinkled with the folk traditions of his native Brazil, in Siqueira's writing. Heitor Villa-Lobos's well known Ciranda das sete notas is offered in his arrangement for bassoon and piano. These works of Etler, Siqueira, and Villa-Lobos are infused with dynamic energy and depth through the pianistic talents of Helene Grimaud. The Rhapsody for solo bassoon by Canadian Willson Osborne will also be familiar to those listeners who know the bassoon repertory, presented here as a sentimental addition to this set. The Three Chorinhos are little Brazilian treasures not normally heard performed on the bassoon. They are given new life at the hands of guitarist Welson Tremura, whose playing conjures all the sounds and rhythms of an orchestra, with the underlying foundation provided by Nathan Stowell on the pandeiro.

Bassoon Music of the Americas Album: