"Le Phénix," 18th-Century French Music for Bassoon

The 18th century was a golden era for the bassoon as a solo instrument, and for me the French wrote some of the most charming, joyful, and at times intimate music of the era. This CD includes my favorites by Boismortier, Corrette and Devienne. To learn more about this CD, CLICK HERE. To order a copy of "Le Phénix," CLICK HERE.

Michael Gandolfi's Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra

My friend, the wonderful Cambridge, MA based composer Michael Gandolfi wrote this concerto, commissioned by Yoichi Udagawa and the Melrose Symphony Orchestra, for me in 2007. I love this piece! Gil Rose and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project recorded it with me a few months after the premiere and include it on a disc of Michael Gandolfi concertos, one each for bass trombone, alto saxophone, and bassoon, titled "Michael Gandolfi: From the Institutes of Groove." To learn more about this CD and to check out all of the other great recordings by this wonderful and essential organization, CLICK HERE.

The Boston Symphony Chamber Players

Made up of ten principal players of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and regularly augmented by others in the orchestra, the Boston Symphony Chamber Players have released a few CD's in recent years that nicely feature the bassoon. The discs, "Plain Song, Fantastic Dances: Chamber Music By American Composers," "Profanes et Sacres: 20th-Century French Chamber Music," (a Grammy nominee), and "Brahms/Dvorak Serenades" feature an ensemble of first desk players in their prime and in my estimation make for some great listening. To order any of these discs please visit BSO.org.

Music

Daily Scale Exercises for the Bassoonist

A few years ago I decided to write out my scale warm-ups for my students. I discovered during the process that the scales as I had been doing them for decades were less than ideal, and so set out to improve them. The result is a book of daily scale exercises that are thorough yet concise, challenging and rewarding, musical, and, for me at least, fun to play. When I sit down to warm up, the exercises in this book are a big part of what I play.

To learn more about this book, and to access a free download, CLICK HERE.

To order a copy please visit either of the following online retailers:

The Music Source or Trevco Music.