Françaix, Schnyder & Others: Chamber Music Christoph Hartmann, Matthias Racz, Anna Kirichenko

• Jean Françaix (1912 - 1997): Trio for Oboe, Bassoon & Piano:
• 1 Françaix: Trio for Oboe, Bassoon & Piano: I. Adagio - Allegro moderato 03:54
• 2 Françaix: Trio for Oboe, Bassoon & Piano: II. Scherzo 03:40
• 3 Françaix: Trio for Oboe, Bassoon & Piano: III. Andante 03:44
• 4 Françaix: Trio for Oboe, Bassoon & Piano: IV. Finale 03:54
• Daniel Schnyder (b. 1961): Suite symphonique for Oboe & Bassoon:
• 5 Schnyder: Suite symphonique for Oboe & Bassoon: I. Arabesque 02:45
• 6 Schnyder: Suite symphonique for Oboe & Bassoon: II. Berceuse 03:09
• 7 Schnyder: Suite symphonique for Oboe & Bassoon: III. Humoresque 02:48
• 8 Schnyder: Suite symphonique for Oboe & Bassoon: IV. Fugue et rondeau 02:31
• Francis Poulenc (1899 - 1963): Trio for Oboe, Bassoon & Piano, FP 43:
• 9 Poulenc: Trio for Oboe, Bassoon & Piano, FP 43: I. Presto 05:15
• 10 Poulenc: Trio for Oboe, Bassoon & Piano, FP 43: II. Andante 03:31
• 11 Poulenc: Trio for Oboe, Bassoon & Piano, FP 43: III. Rondo 03:17
• Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887 - 1959): Duo for Oboe & Bassoon, W535:
• 12 Villa-Lobos: Duo for Oboe & Bassoon, W535: I. Allegro 03:48
• 13 Villa-Lobos: Duo for Oboe & Bassoon, W535: II. Lento 06:31
• 14 Villa-Lobos: Duo for Oboe & Bassoon, W535: III. Allegro vivace 05:37
• Total Runtime 54:24

Info for Françaix, Schnyder & Others: Chamber Music

"The bassoon is like a violet hidden in the bushes, which pours out its fragrance over the meadow, while it remains hidden in the wreath of flowers surrounding it, namely when it merely fills in and does not play solo. Castil-Blaze, De l'Opéra en France, 1820

The metaphorical words of the French composer and music critic Castil-Blaze come from a time in which the bassoon was undergoing a decisive development. It seems to him almost regrettable when the quality of the instrument only emerges in a hidden way. In fact, until the 18th century, the bassoon eked out an existence in the background. In the course of this century, however, its use shifted and the bassoon increasingly took on soloistic tasks - beyond its accompanying function in the basso continuo group.

After his first three albums with works by Robert Schumann for bassoon and piano, the great bassoon concertos by Mozart, Hummel and Weber and the great French bassoon concertos, Matthias Rácz has turned to chamber music with the fourth album. Together with the Merel Quartet, works by the two contemporaries Mozart and Devienne were recorded, which are certainly among the most significant contributions to the chamber music bassoon repertoire.

Once again, the outstanding soloist of this recording, Mathias Rácz, demonstrates that the bassoon can be assigned demanding and virtuosic soloist roles. His congenial co-players are Christoph Hartmann, oboe, and Anna Kirichenko, piano. 

Christoph Hartmann, oboe
Matthias Racz, bassoon
Anna Kirichenko, piano

Christoph Hartmann
“Live your dreams!” this is the belief of the oboist Christoph Hartmann. The native-born Bavarian devotes himself with enthusiasm, dedication and joy to things that inspire him, and continues to realize one dream after the other.

The parents who brought up Christoph Hartmann in Landsberg am Lech, knew how to support his hobbies – music making, running and cycling. That he would choose the Oboe as a professional career was pure coincidence, and was largely due to the local music school wanting to establish an oboe class. He only tried the instrument once but it was enough to become his passion. Shortly after he studied with Georg Fischer at the Conservatory Augsburg he continued his studies with Prof. Günther Passin in Munich. Before he finished his studies Christoph Hartmann had already worked as a Solo-oboist in 1991 with the Stuttgart Philharmonic. Within the next year, he had progressed to the prestigious Berlin Philharmonic.

From that time on Christoph Hartmann enjoyed a fulfilled life as a musician, playing in orchestral and chamber music concerts, teaching at the Herbert-von-Karajan-Academy, travelling outside of the orchestral fields as a soloist, conducting master classes and researching repertoire for his instrument, in archives and libraries.

At the point where most of his colleagues would finish their day, Christoph Hartmann’s second life begins: sport. He regularly runs marathons, he is a co-partner of the bike shop “Bikeline” in Berlin-Friedenau and has also developed his own bicycle brand: Pasculli. This brings us back to the beginning, the manuscripts of the Italian Oboe virtuoso Antonio Pasculli. These were found by Christoph Hartmann in an Italian library and prompted him to bring the forgotten music to blossom. The Operatic phrases of Antonio Pasculli, featured on the CD “Fantasia Italiana” has had tremendous success and has been received with both critical and public acclaim. This CD had been released by EMI as a world premiere.

Following his distinctive love for chamber music, Christoph Hartmann has invited since 1999 music colleagues to his hometown to participate in the small but exclusive festival: Landsberger Sommermusiken, a festival which he founded. The concept of making music on a professional level but in a relaxed atmosphere is so convincing that the musicians have returned for the past ten years to this festival. Out of this grew a regular ensemble, namely the ‘Ensemble Berlin, which now tours internationally and can be heard playing with Christoph Hartmann on his CD ‘Bella Napoli’. in combination with the Ensemble Berlin there came out more recordings, like the CD "Virtuoso", "Le tombeau de Couperin" and "Clair de Lune"

Matthias Racz
began his first musical training during his school days in Berlin. At the musical Carl-Philipp-Emanuel-Bach-Gymnasium he had the opportunity to study with Fritz Finsch, in these days professor for bassoon at the Conservatory Hanns Eisler. After graduation and numerous first prizes at the federal competition ‘Jugend musiziert’, he continued his studies with Prof. Dag Jensen at the University of Music and Theatre in Hanover and received various grants, such as scholarships by the ‘Jürgen Ponto Foundation’, the ‘Villa Musica’, the ‘PE Promotion for Students of Music’ and the ‘Study Foundation of the German people’. At the International Bayreuth Music Competition ‘Pacem in Terris’ in 2000 he received the 3rd prize in the overall ranking of all woodwind instruments. In 2002, the 1st prize at the International Music Betting competition "Prague Spring" followed and the same year he won also the International ARD Music Competition in Munich.

Matthias Rácz made his debut as a soloist at the age of 15 with the Cologne Chamber Orchestra in the German television production "Young Artists on the podium". Until today numerous concerts as soloist with renowned orchestras followed, among these the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra and the Ensemble Resonanz. As soloist with various ensembles and as well for solo recitals he was guest soloist at many important music festivals such as the Rheingau Music Festival, the Schleswig Holstein Music Festival, the Mozart Festival Schwetzingen and the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

His CD productions - including the Northwest German Philharmonic Orchestra and the major bassoon concertos by Mozart, Hummel and Weber and most recently with the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra and mainly French works for bassoon and small orchestra (both under the baton of Johannes Klumpp) - document his work, as well as the recordings of various TV- and radio broadcasters.

Since the start of his career Matthias Rácz is highly engaged in the advancement of young talents. Despite his young age, he was invited in 2003 by Maestro Seiji Ozawa to Japan as a lecturer to his academy project ‘Ongaku-juku Opera’. Since then numerous master classes are leading him around the globe. Moreover he is artistic director for bassoon at ‘The Muri Competition’ in Switzerland and holds the chair for bassoon at the Zurich University of the Arts.

At 21, he was already principal bassoonist of the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne. Since 2003 he is in the same position in the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra and in the Lucerne Festival Orchestra under Riccardo Chailly.

As official ‘Fox Artist’ Matthias Rácz is brand ambassador for the leading US-American bassoon manufacturer ‘Fox Products Corporation’.

Anna Kirichenko
first studied piano and composition at the "Neshdanova" College in her hometown of Odessa. She then continued her piano studies with Prof. Hans Leygraf at the Mozarteum Salzburg. Since her debut with the Odessa Philharmonic Orchestra, she has worked intensively with orchestras in Russia and Ukraine. Concert tours have taken her to Austria, Italy, France, Switzerland, the Baltic States and the USA, where she has performed as soloist and chamber music partner alongside Claudio Abbado, Pierre Boulez, Franz Welser-Möst, Roberto Scandiuzzi, Kurt Rydl, Klaus Thunemann, Karl Leister and Reinhold Friedrich.

The winner of the Prokofjeff Competition is a guest at many international festivals; several recordings have been made for Bayerischer Rundfunk, BBC, Radio France and Deutschlandradio. Since 1998, Anna Kirichenko has taught at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music in Berlin. From 2000 to 2002 she was also engaged at the Cologne Academy of Music.

This album contains no booklet.