Chandos signed Karen Geoghegan as an exclusive artist in 2007 following her wonderful performances on the BBC TV ‘The Classical Star' programme. This is her fourth recording with the label, following her CD of works by Hummel, Weber, Berwald, Jacobi, Elgar and Gershwin, her CD of French music for bassoon and piano, and her contribution, in the Suite-Concertino in F major, to Noseda's Wolf-Ferrari CD. All of these received much acclaim, and the expressive maturity and sensitivity of her playing have quickly cemented her status as a rising star:
Whereas Mozart's work is widely recognised as the veritable cornerstone of the bassoon repertoire, the compositions by Crusell and Kreutzer are little-heard but distinguished vehicles for the instrument. Rossini's Bassoon Concerto was completely unknown until relatively recently. It was only in the early 1990s that it came to light among a nineteenth-century collection of manuscripts that had been archived at the library in Ostiglia, near Mantua. Vigorous and exhilarating, but with a dreamy and pensive second movement, this Concerto was a real find. In the third movement, Rossini puts the bassoon through some hair-raising paces across the whole range of its available register, before finally providing a satisfyingly high-spirited ending to an intriguing work.
'...It's quite rare for bassoonists to have the opportunity to perform and record their repertoire, particularly for one so young, but Geoghegan is amply repaying the faith Chandos obviously has in her. This disc continues the fairy-tale outcome for Geoghegan and her Cinderella instrument of the orchestra and is worth exploring, particularly for the rarer repertoire.' International Record Review
'...Sound is exceptionally well balanced. In front of admirably fresh of orchestral textures (special paudits to high horns in Mozart) the bassoon stands out with almost three-dimensional clarity.' Performance 
Recording 
BBC Music Magazine
'Geoghegan, a young bassoonist from the Royal Academy of Music, is a player of formidable dexterity ...as she shows in these four works.' The Sunday Times
Editor's Choice: 'A young player commands attention in four concertos.' The Gramophone
