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

Two parts Chopin, one part schmaltz, one part chutzpah

M. Ramshaw | 01/05/2010

(5 out of 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."