Le Basson Romantique Michel Bettez - basson / bassoon Pierre-Richard Aubin - piano ACD2 2198 THE ADMIRABLE BASSOON Accepted ideas are often persistent.   Despite the many arguments for and against it, the bassoon's reputation remains that of a buffoon, sometimes sad it is true, but one whose real nature returns with a rush with its staccato passages, its amazingly hoarse voice and the falsettos of its high-pitched notes.   It is undeniable that the bassoon is capable of comic effects.   One need only think of the motifs of the broom in The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Dukas and of the grandfather in Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf.   But limiting the instrument to this role is a mistake, and many composers have proved this. The bassoon is above all a lyrical instrument with a rich tone, warm and profoundly human.   Its sound is noble, tender and mystical in turn; its virtuosity enchants and dazzles.   It is to the oboe what the cello is to the violin.   Since the Baroque period, notably in the music of Lully and Bach, it has been one of the mainstays of the orchestra. … Edward Elgar (1857-1934)   1. Romance, op. 62     5:08 Eugène Bourdeau (1850-1925)   2. Premier solo     5:12 Alessandro Longo (1864-1945)       Suite, op. 69     13:36   3. I Andante con variazioni     4:20         Variazione I. Allegretto         Variazione II. Con moto         Variazione II. Vivace   4. II Romanza     4:45         Andante - Vivace - Tempo l   5. III Vivace - Poco meno mosso - Da Capo     4:31 William Hurlstone (1876-1906)       Sonate en fa majeur / Sonata in F major     15:44   6. I Vivace     4:19   7. II Ballade     4:41   8. III Allegretto     2:43   9. IV Moderato - Vivace     4:01 Balis Dvarionas (1904-1972)       Thème et variations / Theme and Variations     7:41 10. Thème (Moderato)       Var. 1 Moderato       Var. 2 Cantabile, espressivo       Var. 3 Scherzando, non presto       Var. 4 Allegro giusto       Var. 5 Andante cantabile e espressivo       Var. 6 In tempo giusto       Var. 7 Adagio, quasi fantasia       Var. 8 Allegro giusto Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)       Sonate, op. 168     11:39 11. I Allegretto moderato     2:43 12. II Allegro scherzando     3:22 13. III Adagio - Allegro moderato     5:34 ATMA Classique is distributed in Australia by Rockian Trading PO Box 44, Briar Hill, Vic, 3088, Australia Telephone +61 (0)3 9432 4149 ~ Telephone +61 (0)3 9444 6879