The bassoon is generally regarded as the court jester among the sound-makers. It can cluck, reluctantly snarl or strike up a bassy aria in the lowest basement and in the next moment crow at breathtaking heights. Its lyricism is enchanting, and it can sing as a serious narrator of poignant stories. Dag Jensen presents the bassoon in all its many moods and characters. Two early Romantic classics from Germany and Finland fit well to the work of Norwegian composer Olav Berg (b. 1949), who wrote his new opus expressly for this recording – just as Carl Maria von Weber and Bernhard Henrik Crusell once wrote their concertos, because the virtuosos who wanted to take their pieces with them on tour were already waiting with packed bags. There is of course no trace of this felt on these recordings, but what we can see from beginning to end is a common use of staging where the protagonist can pull out all the stops – at times comical, melancholic, gregarious or in lonely contemplation...