Caliban and Ariel (Ridout) - from CDA68371/2 - Hyperion Records

Reviews

‘Performer, teacher and promoter—Laurence Perkins was ideally placed to have created this anthology with ‘the bassoon leading a musical journey through the twentieth century’, as is confirmed over almost two and a half hours of often unfamiliar but always worthwhile music … an engaging guide throughout, Perkins gets sterling support from a wealth of fine musicians and ensembles. His booklet notes, setting each work in the context of relevant world events, are a quirkily perceptive enhancement of this enterprising and wholly recommendable project’ (Gramophone)

‘There are some real treats, such as Bantock’s splendidly imaginative incidental music for Macbeth, scored for bassoon trio and winningly played here in its disc debut (indeed, there are no less than six premiere recordings in this set) … fascinating’ (BBC Music Magazine)» More

‘An absorbing project from bassoonist Laurence Perkins … the textures keep changing—solo bassoon, sonatas, chamber music, to the Panufnik bassoon concerto. It's a really enjoyable chronological tour of twentieth-century bassoon’ (BBC Record Review)

‘The 20th century has been examined from multiple angles, but this week’s top album surely marks the first occasion when it has been seen from the perspective of the bassoon. Sometimes viewed as a comical instrument good for nothing but rude remarks, this long, thin creature, containing over eight feet of tubing partly doubled back on itself, is actually astonishingly versatile with a range of colours easily exceeding some paint charts. It’s especially impressive in the hands and lips of the British bassoon champion Laurence Perkins … Perkins’s partnership with the pianist Michael Hancock is especially joyous and the whole album represents the kind of triumph only possible from a small, imaginative, independent recording company’ (The Times)» More

‘Here we have that rare beast, a program of bassoon music. Laurence Perkins, Principal Bassoon with the Manchester Camerata until 2017, has assembled in chronological order a century’s worth of pieces by 14 composers that utilise his instrument in various ensembles … the program is ideally laid out for timbral contrast. Perkins plays with sensitivity and warm tone on the woodwind instrument with the most ‘human’ voice’ (Limelight, Australia)» More

‘Disc 1 has short works by British composers set amongst larger works by international figures … Bax’s 1936 Threnody and Scherzo for bassoon, harp and string sextet, is a wonderfully scored imaginative work that has the makings of a concerto rather than an occasional piece, if only he had extended it. Disc 2 is made up of more substantial works by British based composers. Elizabeth Maconchy called her 17-minute work concertino rather than concerto, but it is not light-hearted or frivolous. It was written as a showpiece for the great Gwydion Brooke and the bassoon is certainly put through its paces. Mr Perkins is more than up to its difficulties … Richard Rodney Bennett’s Bassoon Sonata, most gratifyingly a work for bassoon and piano and not bassoon with piano … is a marvellous synthesis of Bennett’s two styles, the serial and the tuneful. There are spikey chords in the piano but nothing that would scare a jazz aficionado while the bassoon is generally smoothly seductive. Mr Perkins' tone in the high register is exemplary’ (British Music Society Journal)» More

Introduction
English

1974: ABBA wins the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Waterloo, John le Carré blows open the world of espionage with his novel Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and—sadly—many other things are blown apart by a series of IRA bombings, prompting a state of emergency in Northern Ireland. The musical world lost Duke Ellington, Darius Milhaud and David Oistrakh, but gained Annie’s song from John Denver. As an ambitious twenty-year-old student, I was attending a summer school in Canterbury in July that year, taking part in masterclasses at St Augustine’s College given by Stephen Maxym from the New York Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Maxym was a legend among bassoonists—to this day he is regarded as one of the finest of all teachers on the instrument, and it was a real privilege to be able to perform in his masterclass. During the week, a local composer called in with the manuscript of a new work he had just written for solo bassoon. Unstoppable in my enthusiasm, I approached Alan Ridout and asked if I could play his new piece. Two days later, in an informal concert mainly for course players, I gave Caliban and Ariel its first-ever performance. Since then, I have played this more than any other solo piece, not only in concerts but also in a great many musical relaxation sessions for adult cancer patients. Ridout’s skill in his musical re-creations of the two Shakespearean characters in The Tempest is truly wonderful, revealing his detailed knowledge and understanding of the bassoon’s characteristics and using them to superb effect. The use of the lower-register articulation and angular intervals brings the character of Caliban to life—both the monster and, in Ridout’s gentler moments, Caliban’s human aspects. His use of the tenor register in ‘Ariel’, with evocative implied harmonies, paints a beautiful image of the airy spirit floating on clouds. Then, as Ariel takes off in flight, mercurial writing—mostly at a low dynamic—carries the listener on this effortless airborne journey over land and sea.

Recording details: January 2020
Concert Hall, Wyastone Estate, Monmouth, United Kingdom
Produced by Andrew Keener
Engineered by Simon Eadon
Release date: July 2021
Total duration: 7 minutes 7 seconds

Cover artwork: Cover illustration by Ghislaine Howard (b1953)
Photo © Adrian Lambert

Caliban and Ariel

Laurence Perkins (bassoon)

Reviews

Introduction