Reddit reviews Mozart & Well Beyond

Mike Sweeney, the principal in Toronto, commissioned an amazing piece from Marjan Mozetich for bassoon, marimba and strings. It's an incredible piece-- I've never played it and I've never heard anyone but him play it, which of course he makes sound easy, but I suspect it's actually incredibly difficult. You can hear it on this CD:http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Well-Beyond-Wolfgang-Amadeus/dp/B000CAFMEC and buy parts from the Canadian Music Centre.

Another option that I used for more or less the same reason for my senior recital: do the Mozart (or Weber, or whatever) with an orchestra! It doesn't have to be a huge number of people (I think I had 13, no conductor) But it might be enough that they'll want to have a larger space and a backstage that can accommodate a small orchestra. It's also more fun and is a good exercise for your organizational and rehearsal-planning skills.

Here are a few bassoonists you might want to consider:

Nadina Mackie Jackson is making a career for herself as a soloist and has a lot of recordings available on SoundCloud.

Michael Sweeney has a great CD available with a brilliant take on the Mozart Concerto plus some inspiring new pieces.

Judy LeClair has a few albums available.


I also really like this recording of Gil Shaham playing Barber's Violin Concerto.