Thomas
Stacey is a fine player – he’s principal English hornist
of the New York Philharmonic. It for was for him that
Ned Rorem wrote his Concerto in 1992. Here he goes back
several centuries for a very attractive programme of
baroque concertos.
The
two works by Telemann are true concertos for oboe d’amore.
The G major work is in four movements with an easy-going
and very amiable
Amabile scorrendo. It is followed
by a lively, and very virtuosic
Allegro, with
some lovely imitation. The slow movement is a serious,
and beautiful,
Adagio, the solo part full of ornamentation.
It ends with another fast movement, full of good humour,
and a dance–like feel.
The
A
major Concerto begins with a
siciliano,
very stately and proper, which is succeeded by a sprightly
allegro – lots
of sparkling interplay between soloist and orchestra.
There is a rich slow movement, with short solos for
the organ continuo, and a rustic dance brings the work
to a pleasant close.
The
two Bach works are reconstructions. Tovey spotted the
fact that the Harpsichord Concerto BWV 1055 could in
fact be an oboe d’amore Concerto. Certainly it works
well for the instrument, and the opening phrase, played
in the lowest register of the instrument, is quite startling.
Thereafter it progresses as it should, with dialogue
between soloist and ensemble. Surprisingly, the final
50 seconds of the movement - which accounts for about
a quarter of the total duration - is given over entirely
to the ensemble. The slow movement is one long melody,
seemingly unending, for the soloist with the most discreet
accompaniment. The finale is a dance.
The
reconstruction of the
D major Concerto is more
complex, with music taken, rescued some might say, from
the Cantatas
Gott allein mein Herz haben, BWV 169 (the
Sinfonia and an Aria) and
Ich geh und such emit Verelagen,
BWV 49 (the Sinfonia). On the other hand, perhaps
the Concerto came first and Bach reworked the material
into the Cantatas. Whatever way the music came into being
it is delightful.
There
is nothing profound about these works. They are simply
very delightful and more colourful than one might expect.
This
disk is wholly successful, the performances are bright
and sprightly. However, don’t forget that because the
oboe d’amore is larger than the oboe it is harder to
handle and the allegros seem to be more moderato due
to its not being as agile as its smaller friend. There
is also a slightly darker hue to the music. That said,
these are lovely works which deserve to be heard.
Stacey
plays very well and is ably accompanied by the Toronto
Chamber Orchestra. The harpsichord is slightly backwardly
placed but is always in evidence. The recording is bright
and clear and the notes good.
Bob Briggs
see also review by Simon Thompson
Thomas
Stacey (oboe d’amore) 
