Second Edits of the Braun Solos

David Bowles, my dear engineer for most of my solo projects, couriered CD copy of the second edits of the Braun Solos and I am really really pleased with the results.

I am considering a new approach to the liner notes... instead of listing my accomplishments and those of the composer, I am contemplating telling a story of this time in my life. Even though these unaccompanied small works represent style and taste in the noble French baroque, the music feels so utterly personal. In my case, this was my first project after my divorce was final, and I hear a growth in the course of the 24 solos, moving from a feeling of reserve in the first third of the CD, opening into a more confidently supple style, and nearing the end, self-consciousness slips away, and I hear humour, tenderness, and a lovely lyric madness that is mine alone.

You see, when I heard the first edits of the first few solos, I was dismayed by my seemingly reserved playing, but in the context of the whole work, a certain emotional logic emerges.

And this is the great huge gift of being an interpreter... these pieces will always belong to the person who is interpreting, any bassoonist who plays the music with interest and commitment. Simple, really, and a miracle notwithstanding.