Lyndon Watts… opens the disc with the most difficult work for the historic instrument: Fantasia di Bravura on themes from La Fille du regiment by Gaetano Donizetti as set by Giuseppe Tamplini. The control and finesse Watts exhibits on the Classical bassoon allow a wide dynamic range combined with a broad variety of articulations… Watts presents a clear and distinct voice for Classical bassoon.
Christin Schillinger, Early Music Vol.46, No.3, 2018

​

Lyndon Watts’ contribution to the Savary celebration is an amazing CD in terms of the musicality and proficiency of the performers. ... The first and last pieces featured ... give Mr. Watts the occasion to show his exceptional mastery of the instrument, displaying a dynamic range rarely heard on bassoon recordings, fast fingers, quick tongue, and an utterly satisfying understanding of the bravura style. The slow free introduction is played with perfect timing and an attractive wide variety of tone colors. The cantabile sections have all the smoothness one could ask for and the fast flashy passages are just as effective thanks to the outstanding virtuosity of Mr. Watts. ... Early music performers familiar with the challenges offered by period instruments will be flabbergasted by Mr. Watts’ technically and musically brilliant performance. As for modern players, this album is a very convincing testimony of what these instruments can do when put in skillful hands and will help to put an end to the myth that instruments have “progressed” over the centuries.

Marc Vallon, The Double Reed Vol.38 No.3

 

A reconstruction of an 1823 instrument by the great Parisian bassoon maker Jean Nicolas Savary can be heard on this CD, displaying a pithy yet lyrical sound in the hands of Lyndon Watts. Works include Beethoven's playful Trio for Flute, Bassoon, and Piano, WoO 37, Anton Reicha's Duo for Bassoon and Piano, a Cavatina from Rossini's La gazza ladra, and Giuseppe Tamplini's Fantasia di bravura, a showpiece built on themes from Donizetti's opera La fille du règiment.

"[Lyndon] Watts draws attractive sounds from the instrument ... with brilliance, spirit, and precision. Edoardo Torbianelli is an expert partner ... entering into the fun, and supporting the soloists in the fine way familiar from earlier recordings. The fortepiano he plays, a restored Viennese instrument from around 1840 ... is responsive and possesses a tone that complements the Classical bassoon and flute ... . [Marion] Treupel-Franck is a delight in the Beethoven Trio, playing a copy of an 1810 Heinrich Grenser ... . All of these pieces have received previous recordings, but none on a period instrument, and frankly, none better than these ... . Highly recommended to bassoon fanciers and admirers of fine chamber music performances."

Fanfare

 

Atemberaubender Fagottist

Während den vergangenen fünf Jahre entwickelte Lyndon Watts mit Kollegen an der Hochschule der Künste Bern einen Nachbau eines klassischen Fagotts nach dem Pariser Fagottbauer Jean-Nicolas Savary Jeune. Lyndon Watts selbst präsentierte das Instrument mit der Interpretation des „Andante e Rondo Ungarese“ für Fagott und Orchester, op. 35 J. 158 von Carl Maria von Weber. Mit seinem atemberaubenden Spiel und seinem Charisma zog er die Zuhörenden in seinen Bann. Dem Fagott entlockte er Töne, die ich so noch nie gehört habe. Über einem sonoren, erdigen Bassregister entwickelte das Fagott in den Mittellagen einen warmen, fast oboenartigen Klang und strahlte in den hohen Registern mit einem Obertonspektrum, das an eine Trompete erinnerte. Der Solist musizierte mit einer Leichtigkeit, die Staunen machte. Sympathisch stellte Lyndon Watts seine virtuose Spieltechnik in den Dienst der musikalischen Werkdeutung.

Das „Concerto Stella Matutina“ war dem Solisten ein guter Partner. Im gemeinsamen Wirken entwickelte sich eine mitreißende Darbietung. In der bis auf den letzten Platz besetzten Kulturbühne AmBach wurden Lyndon Watts und das Orchester stürmisch gefeiert.

Silvia Thurner, Zeitschrift für Kultur und Gesellschaft