Who would have thought Vivaldi composed 42 bassoon concertos? And it wasn’t only the Baroque master from Italy who loved this woodwind instrument. Twentieth-century composers such as Jean Françaix and Gordon Jacob also regarded the bassoon very highly – not only for the instrument’s versatility but also its humorous qualities. Christian Kunert – principal bassoonist of the Philharmoniker Hamburg – is in perfect command of the most abrupt staccatos, the widest leaps, and chromatic scale runs on this disc while putting the often unjustly neglected bassoon front and center for all to delight in.

Fanfare
"The recorded sound is strikingly beautiful, as is the norm for this label run by engineers, and if the soloist is too close in the sound picture, it is not to where it is off-putting. Therefore, to anyone who enjoys hearing bassoon, that marvelously expressive instrument, expertly played: nothing but the highest recommendation."
Review on the magazine Fanfare by Ronald E. Grames

American Record Guide
"Overall, Mr Kunert is a fine young bassoonist who seems to have a promising musical career ahead of him."
Review on the American Record Guide by David Schwartz, January 2013