This is a splendid disc, full in sound, my only quibble
a too cello-biased balance with the harpsichord in passages for just
those two instruments. Sarah Francis is one of the great British oboists
of our time and imbues her playing not only with technical ease but
also a wonderful sense of phrasing, line and style. Backed by the evergreen
London Harpsichord Ensemble, founded over half a century ago by her
father John, it can lay claim to be ‘the longest-established chamber
music group in Britain’ and Francis fille has been its Director
for 21 years. This is a definitive collection and a nicely varied mix
of concertos and sonatas. Some of them seem very familiar (when you
look at the highly daunting display on the back cover with its endless
lists of movements totalling thirty-two tracks, the possibility seems
unlikely) such as the Menuet which ends the F major sonata, and indeed
this music turns up again in a later version as part of the Concerto
Grosso Op.3 No.4. The G minor sonata was actually written first for
violin with unplayable notes below the stave but alternatives written
in the autograph manuscript indicate that Handel probably approved the
use of the wind rather than the stringed instrument. There are some
other memorable moments, such as the beautiful Siciliana as the
third movement of the first concerto in Bb, while the main theme of
the finale to the third concerto turns up in at least three other works
including an organ concerto.
So it’s a mix of familiar music at times, and several
revelatory introductions to the relatively unknown at others, and what
looks a dull prospect is anything but in the hands of these accomplished
musicians. They clearly know what they are about. Incidentally Regis’s
choice of paintings and standard of reproduction for the covers of their
CD booklets is of a consistently high standard. In this instance it’s
a detail from Tournemire’s ‘La Barre and his musicians’ which is in
the National Gallery in London.
Christopher Fifield
Sarah Francis (oboe)