JEAN FRANÇAIX (1912-1997): Concerto for Bassoon and 11 Strings, Divertissement for Bassoon and String Orchestra, HENRI TOMASI (1901-1971): Concerto for Bassoon and Strings with Harp, ANDRÉ JOLIVET (1905-1974): Concerto for Bassoon, Strings, Harp and Piano, HEITOR VILLA-LOBOS (1887-1959): Ciranda das sete notas for Bassoon and Strings.

Description: The rarities among this release of (mostly) French bassoon concertos are the Françaix Concerto (1979), a rather long work for him in four movements and lasting some 23 minutes, humorous, ironic and sharp-witted as always with a very lovely Grave slow movement; and Tomasi’s 1961 concerto which is warmer, befitting the Corsican roots of the composer, with a particularly intimate and slow dance-like Serenade Nocturne slow movement and a Saltarelle finale. Also rarely heard is Jolivet’s 1954 concerto whose jazz rhiythms stand in for the mystical and incantatory fabric so often part of his music. Matthias Rácz (bassoon), Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra; Johannes Klumpp.