America’s leading lady of the bassoon, New York Philharmonic principal Judith Leclair, steps into the limelight with an awe-inspiring performance of virtuoso chamber works featuring her instrument’s distinctive qualities.
Joined by two acclaimed American colleagues - Pittsburgh Symphony principal harpist Gretchen Van Hoesen, and eminent chamber pianist Jonathan Feldman - Judith offers a programme of late 19th- and 20th-century works linked by French origins or traditions. Undoubtedly an important document for bassoonists, this is also a disc full of discoveries.
From Roger Boutry’s modernist Interférences I and the Chopin-esque Andante and bravura Polonaise by the relatively obscure German bassoonist Ludvig Milde, to Bernard Andrès’ nostalgic Chants D’arriere-Saison (“Songs of a Season Past”), Camille Saint-Saëns’ magical Sonata and Reinhold Glière’s irresistible encore Humoresque¸ Judith Leclair and friends are sure to keep the bassoon to the fore.
Review
“the best kind of virtuosity, the sort that creates the illusion that the toughest demands were no trouble at all.”
- The New York Times
“the great bassoonist Judith Leclair, whose unparalleled artistry is a mystery and a wonder in itself.”
- composer John Williams
