The bassoon, the bass member of the woodwind family, is a surprisingly versatile, agile and expressive instrument. Its expression ranges from the joyful and even comic, sonorous, melancholic to the mournful.

Regretfully, classical composers wrote little of substance for the solo bassoon, so this new recording presents a selection of delightful arrangements of classical evergreens: Schumann’s Fantasiestücke Op.73 (itself written for clarinet or cello), a Mendelssohn Lied ohne Worte, Rachmaninov’s Vocalise, an original piece by Gabriel Pierné, a heartbreaking Pavane by Ravel, and two raucous Piazzolla tangos.

The pieces are beautifully played by one of the leading bassoon players of Italy, Massimo Data, conjuring up unheard‐of sounds from this magnificent and undervalued instrument.