This is a very strange
issue, not least because of its title
‘The Romantic Oboe’. The first CD does
come into that category, consisting
as it does of music by Camille Saint-Saëns.
CD2, however, is given up to Classical
and Baroque composers. My copy came
without any notes, and there are recording
details (and skimpy ones at that) only
for CD1. All very mysterious!
Then there’s the music
on CD1; Saint-Saëns’ Oboe Sonata,
with which it ends, is a most attractive
piece when played well, and a staple
of the solo oboe repertoire. But what
can I say about the sequence of sixteen
songs that precede it? Some of them
are lovely in themselves, and are rightly
celebrated. But as played by Schneemann,
I found them a dispiriting experience,
for he displays little variety or sense
of involvement, so that the lyrical,
vocal appeal has been almost entirely
lost. I found the fat, sleek tone rather
off-putting, too, and had to listen
for a little while to be sure it wasn’t
a cor anglais.
The sonata is much
better, and Schneemann turns in a passable
performance of the Mozart Concerto on
CD2; but this is still pretty dull stuff.
The Lebrun Concerto is stilted and predictable,
serving only to emphasise what a fine
work the Mozart is (even though the
composer isn’t really on top form here).
Bellini’s early concerto, on the other
hand, has a particularly jolly final
Rondo, though Quarantar’s performance
is pedestrian, and the instrumental
accompaniment plods along.
Rather more interesting
playing comes from Burckhardt Glaetzner
in the attractive D major work by Antonio
Rosetti (Bohemian despite the Italianate
name). The orchestral music is played
with real stylistic flair by Pfund and
his ensemble, and Glaetzner plays with
affection (though he is a little accident-prone,
and also sometimes a bit flat).
Robin Williams turns
in a rather charmless performance of
the lovely Marcello D minor, with sudden
bursts of rather alarmingly fast double
tonguing, which sounds like a bit of
a circus trick, without real musical
or stylistic justification. Not very
nice.
Sometimes, these cheap
and cheerful compilations can turn out
to be worth the very low outlay for
just one high-class track or item; not
so here, I’m afraid. The whole thing
smacks of the cutting-room floor.
Gwyn Parry-Jones
BRILLIANT CLASSICS 92449 [60:04 + 77:09] 
