Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #60244 in Music
• Released on: 1993-12-31
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 64 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni was a contemporary of Bach and Handel and though best known for "Albinoni's Adagio", which was actually composed by an Italian musicologist in the mid-twentieth century, was with Vivaldi one of the great composers of the Venetian Baroque. The oboe came to prominence in Venice in the 1690s, just in the period when the concerto was finding its classical shape, and Albinoni, who had written operas and cantatas, and whose wife was an opera singer, brought a "singing", lyric voice to his oboe writing. His Opus 9 collection (1715) was dedicated to the Elector of Bavaria, Max II Emanuel for performance at the Court in Munich. Of the 12 Concerti in the full work, four are for a single oboe and four are duets. In addition to Concerti 2, 5, 8 & 11, this album contains the duet Concerti 3 & 9 with Julia Girdwood, principle oboist with the Covent Garden Orchestra eloquently accompanying Anthony Camden, himself one of the founders of The London Virtuosi (and for 16 years principle oboe with the London Symphony Orchestra). Six baroque oboe concertos at once may seem like too much of a fine thing, yet this music contains such diverse melodic charms that an hour in this sparkling, elegant company becomes an exquisite pleasure. --Gary S. Dalkin

Customer Reviews

Safe but lacking lustre
Although a budget label of rather inconsistent quality, no-one can accuse Naxos nowadays of being unambitious or cheapskate. This collection of Albinoni oboe concertos from Opus 9 features a fine set of performers and soloists. On top of which we have notes by Michael Talbot, probably the leading authority on Italian Baroque music. Talbot makes a distinction between the oboe concerti of Vivaldi (which he terms violinistic) and those of Albinoni (operatic). These Albinoni works feature smaller intervals between notes and other stylistic features borrowed from opera - understandably, perhaps, since his wife was an opera diva, Talbot tells us.

But the works themselves are of varied quality. Some of them can sound inconsequential. Others, especially those in minor keys, have more gravitas. The Concerto in d (No 2 of the Opus 9 set) is highly distinguished - Talbot calls it the undoubted masterpiece of the set. All three movements share the same peak of inspiration. In this recording, however, Anthony Camden takes the opening Allegro more sedately than most. Although variations of tempo aren't usually worth commenting on (individual preferences being a combination of personal taste and conditioning) the lack of pace here contributes to a stilted and stiff reading. True, the first Allegro is marked 'non presto' but, for me, Camden's staccato in his opening phrase is a little too detached and deliberate.

Despite reservations (only one major key work, that for solo oboe in C, holds much interest and the spread of sound isn't very dynamic) this CD offers typical Naxos value. Talbot is probably right about the one masterpiece but the Concerto in g is another highly accomplished work, well executed by this talented ensemble. So, nothing revolutionary here, but nothing less than competent either.