January 29, 2021

  • Farming Chamber Music for Bassoon

     

    Judith Farmer Plays Favorites
    Judith Farmer, bassoon.
    Patricia Mabee, harpsichord. Andrew Shulman, cello.
    Susan Greenberg, flute; Vicky Ray, piano; Wenzel Fuchs, clarinet.
    VSIP Records 0001
    Total Time:  33:58
    Recording:   ****/****
    Performance: ****/****

    Bassoonist Judith Farmer’s new album brings together four diverse works exploring different musical aesthetics.  She currently performs with the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra, Pasadena Symphony, and Long Beach Symphony as well as freelancing for film and studio work.  She has appeared in a number of music festivals both in the states and in Europe.  Currently she teaches at the University of Southern California.  Her current release shows off her skills quite well in an enjoyable recital.

    The program opens with a work by Johann Friedrich Fasch (1688-1758).  Fasch was a well-respected composer who began his career as a choirboy in Leipzig and studied with Christoph Graupner in Darmstadt before finding his way to Prague.  There he would be Kapellmeister and court composer to Count Morzin.  He lost out to none other than J.S. Bach for the Thomaskantor position in 1722 after withdrawing from consideration.  Fasch’s music often shows a fine understanding of instruments and this is certainly the case for the Sonata in C which is among several early works for the bassoon that explore the different registers of the instrument in a way that moves it out of its continuo role.  Contemporaneous with the virtuoso Vivaldi concerti, it is likely Fasch may have found inspiration from his Italian models.  It is interesting though that the work is more like a sonata di chiesa in its slow-fast-slow-fast movement structure.  Farmer’s performance is excellent here with excellent articulation and shaping of the phrases.  It is also a good introduction to enjoy the timbre and richness of the instrument.

    The Fasch turns out to be the gentle entry into the remainder of the album which focuses on contemporary music.  First is a delightful Duo for Flute and Bassoon (1992)by Gernot Wolfgang.  Wolfgang’s style is to combine elements of jazz with polymodal harmonies and these are used as a unifying factor in this work.  The music is mostly tonal and provides a brilliant counterpoint to the Baroque work with its syncopated rhythmic ideas and interplay between the two instruments.  An important repertoire work, Roger Boutry’s Interferences I (1972) provides listeners with an opportunity to hear the progressive harmony of the 20th Century with its nods to French Impressionists.  There are some fascinating rhythmic ideas here that are coupled with quite expressive writing.  This work allows Farmer to showcase her technical facility and virtuoso performance abilities quite well.

    The album ends with a recording made in 1990 with Wenzel Fuchs (when both he and Farmer were members of the Vienna RSO).  Poulenc’s work always shows a bit of wit within the modernist harmonic writing.  This is certainly the case here in the Sonata for Clarinet and Bassoon (1922) which is equally populated with humorous musical interactions and joy that exploit the characters of the two instruments.  It too is excellently performed.

    The collection of chamber music here showcases Judith Farmer’s abilities both technically and interpretively.  But it also shows deft programming as aspects of each of these works have connections that make them fine partners.  The Fasch and Boutry explore technique and lyricism within their own musical languages.  The Wolfgang and Boutry provide contemporary explorations of harmony and interesting rhythmic ideas that challenge the technique of the performers.  And, the Poulenc and Boutry have their roots in Impressionist and 1920s modernism.  This makes the album flow quite well over its brief playing time.  Certainly worth tracking down for bassoonists and those interested in fine chamber music performance.