Mozart, M. Haydn, Stamitz, Weber - Bassoon Concertos (Perkins, Manchester Camerata, Boyd) (2002)

Neither the Michael Haydn Concertino nor the Stamitz Concerto is otherwise currently available on disc. Both are delightful, the first effectively a lyrical concerto slow movement, the second full of characteristic Mannheim energy, bold statements, bustling inner strings, soaring first violins. The Weber Concerto, Op. 75, which ends the disc is heard, literally, as never before – in Perkins’s own new edition. It reveals many hitherto hidden details and nuances, helped by finely incisive string-playing cutting through the expanded orchestral forces – full wind, trumpets and timpani. The virtuoso solo moments are dazzling. Hyperion’s perceptive talent-spotting has produced a charming disc from performers virtually new to the catalogue – unreservedly commended. (BBC Music Magazine)

'Perkins has played in the Manchester Camerata for nearly 30 years. They are clearly attuned to each other, and to Boyd, their new conductor. Perkins’s notes identify his aims in the Mozart concerto – ‘humour without caricature, virtuosity without note-spinning, and... lyricism’. While his modern bassoon doesn’t produce the fizzing, reedy quality Mozart knew, it’s a most alluring sound, especially singing above muted strings in the Andante. Transparent orchestral strings allow wind to display their full colours in the outer movements – newly-heard details had me rechecking my score. High horns deserve a special accolade.
Neither the Michael Haydn Concertino nor the Stamitz Concerto is otherwise currently available on disc. Both are delightful, the first effectively a lyrical concerto slow movement, the second full of characteristic Mannheim energy, bold statements, bustling inner strings, soaring first violins. The Weber Concerto, Op. 75, which ends the disc is heard, literally, as never before – in Perkins’s own new edition. It reveals many hitherto hidden details and nuances, helped by finely incisive string-playing cutting through the expanded orchestral forces – full wind, trumpets and timpani. The virtuoso solo moments are dazzling. Hyperion’s perceptive talent-spotting has produced a charming disc from performers virtually new to the catalogue – unreservedly commended. George Pratt' (BBC Music Magazine)

'Dynamic and expressive contrasts are carefully and adroitly created and the orchestra meticulously managed. The result is a lovely and technically superior recording, not to mention another star in the crown of the folks at Hyperion' (Fanfare, USA)

'La Manchester Camerata propose un excellent encadrement orchestral, spirituel, avec des tutti aux contours finement dessinés, une articulation franche et une pulsation énergique' (Répertoire, France)

'The bassoon has often been cast as the clown of the orchestra, but the five concertante works on this disc demonstrate how much wider its role is. Laurence Perkins brings out the tender beauty of the muted slow movement of the Mozart Bassoon Concerto, an early work too often dismissed but full of charm. The Stamitz concerto, elegant in the slow movement, vigorous in the outer movements, is equally attractive, and the two Weber concertante works show him in relaxed mood, with the Rondo in Hungarian style and the finale of the Concerto winningly rumbustious. Perkins brings out the fun in much of the inspiration as well as the lyrical beauty, warmly accompanied by the Camerata under another leading wind-player, the oboist Douglas Boyd. ' (The Guardian)

'a recording of airy clarity … a most recommendable disc, with much to enjoy' (International Record Review)

'The playing of the Manchester Camerata (on modern instruments) is excellent throughout … They and their oboist conductor support their principal bassoonist with such care and attention that it is fair to call this a labour of love all round. Enjoy' (musicweb.uk.net)

'The performances are all sophisticated … a pleasure to listen to' (American Record Guide)

'These five concertante works for bassoon make up a delightful and generous collection. Since 1974 Laurence Perkins has been principal bassoon of the Manchester Camerata, here buoyantly conducted by another leading wind player, the oboist Douglas Boyd.
The Mozart Concerto, with which the disc opens, has often been dismissed as the trivial inspiration of an 18-year-old, but Gwydion Brooke with Beecham brought out deeper qualities as well as charm. Perkins and Boyd may not be quite so individual as those predecessors, but the cleanness of articulation and clarity of texture, with some influence from period practice in the string playing and with the horns braying prominently, make for a comparably winning performance. The slow movement, curiously marked Andante ma Adagio, brings a touching moment of repose before the playful elaborations of the Minuet finale.
The Stamitz is equally successful, lighter and a shade clearer in texture than the rival ASV version with Nakanishi, elegant in the slow movement before the dashing, sharply focused account of the Presto finale. The two Weber concertante works bring similar qualities, with the brilliant Rondo zingarese and the rumbustious finale of the Concerto deliciously pointed. Klaus Thunemann on Philips disc may be even more brilliant at faster speeds, but he finds less fun in this light-hearted music, just as he is less tender in the Andante and the Adagio of the Concerto. Nakanishi with the London Mozart Players on the ASV Quicksilva disc offers a good alternative collection, with the Hummel Concerto in place of the Mozart, but the solo instrument is more backwardly balanced. The bonus offered by Perkins is the so-called Concertino of Michael Haydn which, as the soloist explains in his excellent note, is in effect the concertante slow movement of a Serenade, a charming piece, well worth performing on its own. The Hyperion sound is first-rate with textures a degree cleaner than on the rival discs I have listed. The Weber Concerto comes in a new edition specially prepared by the bassoonist and musicologist, William Waterhouse, ironing out generations of errors and inconsistencies in the parts. In all the concertos Perkins uses excellent, imaginative cadenzas of his own.' (Gramophone)