BACCHANALE
WORKS
FOR TRUMPET & BASSOON
HINDEMITH, LUSSIER, PERSICHETTI & SHOSTAKOVICH
GUY FEW
trumpet
NADINA MACKIE JACKSON
bassoon
Toronto
Chamber Orchestra
KEVIN MALLON
$14.95 ~
MS1201
"Perhaps
most striking is Few's trumpet playing, which manages to be strong, confident,
very secure in the high register, and yet does not overpower the softer-voiced
bassoon...The Dance from Jazz Suite 2 is a witty ditty that shows Few and
Jackson's remarkable virtuosity...Guy Few is a versatile musician whose work as
a trumpeter and pianist have earned my praise more than once. I am more
impressed than ever, and I hope he continues to record. Ms. Mackie Jackson has a
dark, burnished tone and a sensuous way of playing that makes the bassoon seem
like a more modern instrument than is often the case. Fine support by Kevin
Mallon and the Toronto Chamber Orchestra; excellent sound."
American
Record Guide ~ March / April 2007
"...in a performance as
fine as the one recorded here [the Hindemith is] worth a listen... The rhythmic quirkiness and witty lightheartedness
of [Bacchanale's] second section make it a fun piece that deserves wider exposure...
The disc is filled out with arrangements of
two short Shostakovich character pieces that are the highlights of the album. Few and Jackson
play with polished tone, immaculate intonation, and infectious high spirits;
it's obvious they're having a blast."
All Music Guide ~ November 2007
"...stunningly
beautiful in every way...pure virtuosity by both
instruments...gorgeously together and breathtakingly in tune..."
April 2007, The Double Reed - Rating = 4 (!) Crows
*
* *
Two of today's most charismatic
wind soloists, trumpeter Guy Few and
bassoonist Nadina Mackie Jackson have joined forces to commission and record new
art music that expands the
repertoire for the unusual and brilliant combination of trumpet, bassoon and
orchestra. The refreshing flare and
energy of this pair of musicians has inspired listeners worldwide and is now
available on this ground-breaking disc featuring lyrical works written for
Guy and Nadina in company with the grand Double Concerto by Paul Hindemith.
*
* *
GUY
FEW is a virtuoso. As a
pianist, trumpeter, cornist and singer, he delights audiences with his intensity
and charm. Montreal's Le Devoir called him "outrageously gifted" and
"quite simply phenomenal". It is no wonder that he is in demand as a
soloist, performing with many orchestras and festivals in Canada and the United
States. Guy is equally at home in classical or contemporary genres. Through the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada Council and the Ontario Arts Council,
he has debuted new works by Canadian composers including Glen Buhr, Peter Hatch,
Alain Trudel, Melissa Hui, Boyd McDonald and Jacques Hétu, among others.
Jacques Hétu’s concerto, written for Guy, is available on Canadian Trumpet
Concerti with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony conducted by Raffi Armenian (CBC
SM5000). He has also recorded for S.N.E., Arsis Classics, Musica Viva, ibs,
Naxos and Hänssler Classics labels. Hänssler recordings include the Grammy
Award winning CREDO of Penderecki with the Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra under
Helmuth Rilling.
Guy
has been invited as a professor, adjudicator, soloist, principal and recitalist
to many festivals including the Festival of the Sound, Scotiafest, Kiwanis
National Music Festival, Ottawa Chamber Festival, Vancouver Chamber Festival,
Tanglewood, Takefu International Music Festival and Oregon Bach Festival.
Clinics and master classes have been presented internationally at institutions
such as the Montreal Conservatory, University of Toronto, Memorial University,
New York State University at Fredonia and Sonoma State University. Guy is a gold
medal graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University, Ontario and holds a Fellowship
Diploma from Trinity College, London, England. He performs and records on a
regular basis with Bellows and Brass, Nadina Mackie Jackson and Stephanie Mara.
Guy has appeared on CBC-TV, CTV, BRAVO, TV5 and European television broadcasts
and is heard regularly on CBC Radio and NPR.
Guy
lives in Elora, Ontario, and is a part time faculty member at Wilfrid Laurier
University where he conducts the Wilfrid Laurier Brass Ensemble and teaches
trumpet and duo piano. He is a Yamaha Artist and performs on XENO and Custom
trumpets.
www.greatconcerts.com
Combining
a virtuosic technique with an exuberant artistic flair, NADINA
MACKIE JACKSON has gained
a world wide following through her many solo recordings and recitals. One of
today’s most exciting and articulate performers she brings a creative spark to
her performances and has appeared with orchestras in Canada and the United
States. Many new works have been written for Nadina alone and in connection with
distinguished collaborators, including Guy Few, Patrick Gallois and David Swan.
An
active chamber musician, Nadina has formed many chamber groups in Toronto and
Montreal, the most well known being the Caliban Quartet of Bassoonists. Her
baroque chamber group, Musica Franca, released two CDs on MSR Classics in 2006,
and was described by Gramophone Magazine as "refined,
quicksilver & swashbuckling."
Nadina
is equally at home as an orchestral musician; for two years, she was the
principal bassoonist of the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra and can also be
heard on more than 50 of the Montreal Symphony recordings. She continues to
perform and record with such groups as Les Violons du Roy, Aradia Ensemble and
Toronto Chamber Orchestra. As a baroque bassoonist, she has appeared with such
groups as the Handel & Haydn Society of Boston, Tafelmusik, Ensemble Caprice
and the Theatre of Early Music. A founding member of the Council of Canadian
Bassoonists, Nadina is also on the Advisory Board for the Meg Quigley Vivaldi
Competition.
Nadina
is currently on faculty at Wilfrid Laurier University in Kitchener-Waterloo,
Ontario and the State University of New York at Fredonia along with the
University of Toronto and the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of
Music.
www.nadina.ca
The
Irish musician KEVIN
MALLON, now residing in
Canada, is quickly developing a worldwide reputation. With an impressive
background that includes conducting studies with John Eliot Gardiner and
composition with Peter Maxwell Davies, he was for some years concertmaster with
Le Concert Spirituel and Les Arts Florissants in Paris. In 1996 he founded and
became the Music Director of the Aradia Ensemble and has made 25 recordings for
Naxos. Since 2003, Kevin has extended his activities to include the Toronto
Chamber Orchestra. Kevin is also the Artistic Director of Opera 2005 in Cork,
Ireland, set up as part of Cork’s tenure as European Capital of Culture. The
company has received two nominations for Best Opera Production, from the Irish
Times Theatre Awards, for Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro (2005) and Rossini’s
Barber of Seville (2006). In addition to frequent guest conducting appearances,
Kevin is also Artistic Director of Ontario’s Grand River Baroque Festival.
The
TORONTO CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
draws its players from the
best orchestras in Toronto, with principal players from the Toronto Symphony,
Canadian Opera Orchestra, Canadian Ballet Orchestra, Tafelmusik and Aradia
Ensemble. Most of the players also play baroque instruments and all are well
versed in stylistic issues from the 18th century to the modern day. The Toronto
Chamber Orchestra has made twelve recordings for Naxos.
