COMPOSERS: Bitsch,Boutry,Dutilleux,Faure,Gallon,Grovlez,Jancourt,Koechlin,Pierné and Debussy,Tansman
LABELS: Chandos
WORKS: Works by Grovlez, Tansman, Koechlin, Fauré, Boutry, Gallon, Dutilleux, Bitsch, Jancourt, Pierné and Debussy
PERFORMER: Karen Geoghegan (bassoon), Philip Fisher (piano)
CATALOGUE NO: CHAN 10521
Winning should not be everything, especially in music. It is wonderful, then, to see Karen Geoghegan’s career burgeoning.
Runner-up in the BBC Two programme Classical Star, this disc, like her earlier collection of concertos, is no mere TV spin-off, but a thoughtful and inventive programme, performed with tremendous style. Familiar names and works, such as Grovlez’s Sicilienne et Allegro giocoso or the Sarabande et Cortège by Dutilleux nestle alongside more specialist, but equally engaging fare, such as Boutry’s riotous Interférences I, or Noël Gallon’s Récit et Allegro.
More than ably partnered by Philip Fisher, Geoghegan is a spirited advocate of these gems. Her beautiful account of Jancourt’s Nocturne typifies her combination of natural musicality and exquisite tone, while her vivacious approach to Pierné’s Solo de concert and Bitsch’s Concertino underline why, at just 19, she is already a marvellous ambassador for the bassoon. Christopher Dingle