 |
|
|
alternatively
CD: MDT
AmazonUK
AmazonUS
Sound
Samples & Downloads
|
Antonio VIVALDI
(1675-1741)
Concertos for Oboe and Strings in:
a minor, F. VII, No. 13 [9:30]
D, F. VII, No. 10 [7:23]
C, F. VII, No. 6 [14:00]
a
minor, F. VII, No. 5 [9:04]
F, F. VII, No. 12 [8:34]
d minor,
F. VII, No. 1 [7:59]
C, F. VII, No. 11 [10:07]
F, F. VII,
No. 2 [7:48]
Alex Klein (oboe)
New Brandenburg Collegium/Anthony Newman
rec. 1-3 September 1993, Performing Arts Center, SUNY, Purchase,
NY
CEDILLE CDR7003 [75:00] 
|
|
|
Antonio Vivaldi was once famously derided by Igor Stravinsky
for having written one concerto which he then copied five hundred
times. One listen to these elegant and technically daunting
oboe concertos, some of the most demanding virtuoso pieces of
their time, will quickly put Stravinsky’s arrogant comment to
bed.
Precious little is known about Vivaldi’s life. We know that
he was the music teacher at the Ospedale della Pieta
in Venice, a publicly-funded institution for orphaned or abandoned
girls. We know that he was a priest and that he was one of the
most prolific and, as these works prove, innovative composers
of his day. He was a beloved teacher and it is assumed that
the majority of his instrumental works were written for the
girls in his care. That he created such abundant and original
material, music which challenges modern musicians even after
three hundred years, is testimony to the abilities of Vivaldi
as a teacher and to the talent of his students. There was no
other composer writing music like this for the oboe in his day.
Even Tomaso Albinoni, the most famous oboist in Venice, did
not compose concertos of this scope.
Alex Klein, playing on a modern oboe with a modern string band
to accompany him, brings these works to life with great elegance
and panache. It is often said that the oboe is the closest instrument
to the human voice. Klein not only understands brilliant virtuosity,
but he is quite capable of singing with his instrument. His
deft handling of the many blazingly fast passages in these works
is astounding not only for the accuracy of his playing, but
also for the apparent ease with which he brings them off. In
the slow movements, and they are all achingly gorgeous, Mr.
Klein plays with beautifully arched phrases and a sweetness
of tone that would rival the singing of the late-lamented Dame
Joan Sutherland.
Anthony Newman, long a big name in Baroque music, leads the
New Brandenburg Collegium with an understated elegance that
is the perfect accompaniment for these flashy displays. The
strings are warm and immaculately in tune. Mr. Newman’s harpsichord
provides a solid foundation without ever sounding too busy.
Recorded sound is balanced and just reverberant enough to give
us warmth without blur.
At seventy-five minutes, this is a generous program, and one
worth many a repeated listen. Originally issued on the Musical
Heritage Label in 1995, it is a welcome addition to the Cedille
catalogue.
Kevin Sutton
|
|
|
