Tomaso Albinoni John Georgiadis London Virtuosi - Albinoni Oboe Concerti Vol 2 (21 tracks) +Album Reviews

Everything is recommendable.

John Austin | Kangaroo Ground, Australia | 03/02/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Those who want to hear what other composers were doing during Bach and Handel's time should snap up some of the many CDs featuring the works of Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni in the Naxos catalogue. His oboe concerti are collected on three Naxos CDs. The works are charming, mellifluous and engaging. They are also amongst the first extended series of concerti written for oboe soloist with orchestra. Everything is recommendable in Volume 2 of the Naxos series: oboist Anthony Camden and the London Virtuosi provide polished, neat performances, the sound is natural, and the liner notes by Michael Talbot are fully informative."

Albinoni: Oboe Concerti, Vol. 2 ~ Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni

Bjorn Viberg | European Union | 03/17/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Albinoni was a contemporary of the better known JS Bach and in my opinion he is not as good as Bach but compared to modern composers he is quite accomplished. The oboe is a very sensual instrument and when one hears this it can easily lead to various states of emotionality. Albinoni does this quite well and the Naxos recording does this masterfull composer justice with a quite accomplished recording. Anthony Camden is a very skilled oboist and he brings the music to life and is an interesting read from what I read in the well-written booklet that comes with the music. This is a recording that I highly recommend and it is truly a pleasure to listen and experince should a fine recording."

Tomaso Albinoni

Justin G. Smith | United States | 08/18/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This was my first CD of music produced by Albinoni, and I was quite pleased. I first discovered Albinoni while listening to my local classical station. After hearing a fantastic Baroque piece, I jotted down the name of the composer and looked him up later. Albinoni's music is wonderful, especially if you are a fan of the classic Baroque style (as I am). This CD contains a superb collection of oboe concerti which rival any oboe pieces I have ever heard. Wonderful in your car, at the office, or just relaxing at home with a good book. Very nice collection!"

Precision, balance, elegance

C. B Collins Jr. | Atlanta, GA United States | 01/24/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni explores the warmth of the Oboe in this collection of Concerti. This CD is one of a series of three CDs which fully demonstrate Albinoni's skill and balance in contrasting the woody warm sounds of the oboe with the more stringent sounds of the string instruments. It is interesting that the oboe was perfected as an instrument in France in the 1650s and thus Albinoni's compositions of the 1690s are some of the first concerti written for this instrument. The notes that come with the CD point out that the instrument gained popularity in Venice and was first used in the opera in 1692 and then heard in St. Marco in 1696. Also, since the musicians of Venice played a pioneering role in the development of the concerto form and thus it was predictable that concerti for oboes would be developed. Vivaldi did compose concerti for oboe but Michael Talbot's essay indicates that he saw the oboe as a replacement for the violin in the concerti. This is in contrast to Tomaso Albinoni who found an alternative interpretation of the oboe in the concerti, that of evoking the human voice with the oboe. Albinoni was a singing teacher, married to an operatic diva, and a writer of operas, and thus approached the instrument with a different strategy than that of Vivaldi. Michael Taylor makes the point, which is so fully realized in this CD, that whereas Vivaldi would have th oboe double the first violin in opening passages of the concerto but Albinoni allows the oboe to hold back until the solo or until an entirely different line is established. You will hear this over and over in this masterful CD. Taylor also points out that Albinoni would present the opening solo twice, the first time truncated so that the concerto returns to the opening solo later and completes the passage. Taylor points out that this strategy is taken from the operatic aria of the time.

Taylor also points out that the naming of these works gives a clue to the presentation and composition. Albinoni indicated that these were concerti 'with' oboe rather than 'for' oboe, indicating that they were not composed to highlight or show off the instrument but rather to allow a synthesis and partnership between the oboe and the first violin. The richness of the oboe is further enhanced in 4 of these selections but the use of 2 oboes.

The two musicians that play oboes on this CD do a superb job, Anthony Camden and Alison Alty. The warm glow of the oboe is such a fine contrasting instrument to the violin that each work on this collection is wonderful.

"

Search - Tomaso Albinoni, John Georgiadis, London Virtuosi :: Albinoni: Oboe Concerti, Vol. 2

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