Search - R Strauss, Vaughan Silliams, Pecha :: Oboe Concertos

One of the best and most obscure oboe concertos ever...

Greg Weeden | Eau Claire, WI USA | 01/23/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"All three of the oboe concertos on this CD are terrific. But the greatest is the Schickele. Peter Schickele is best known for his work as P.D.Q. Bach, in which he excels as one of the best music satirists ever, but he has also published many "serious" works. His oboe concerto is one of his best works in my opinion. It varies between movements in strong scherzos with definite jazz influence to extremely beautiful song-like movements. Schickele writes that the beginning tune of the third movement was originally begun as a vocal piece to which he couldn't come up with any good words for and thus it became the instrumental work that it now is. This is quite possibly one of the most beautiful movements of any piece I have ever heard. One can truly sense the voice of the movement... indeed it lifts the soul and causes stirrings in the heart."

Pecha Strauss

xxj | Cleveland Heights, Ohio USA | 12/11/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I learned about this CD by accident in the car, tuning in to a random radio broadcast. Immediately, I sought to get several copies - because of the Strauss concerto, which is the only completely successful performance I have heard. The outrageously difficult oboe part is exquisitely controlled with the most tastefully musical and subtle detail in the oboe part, without the sightest compromises of tempo or dynamics. Pecha delivers with the kind of technical and stylistic consistency required to project Strauss' artistic significance and coherence. Speaking of consistency, the solo part is mind-bogglingly in tune over the entire range of the instrument and throughout the most technically difficult and demanding situations. This left me literally flabbergasted. The best, international touring virtuosi are shamed by this achievement by someone from the "heartland." Some conoisseurs may dispute the value of Pecha's failureto to force the sound of her instrument into a "personality" mode, but I found it a fascinating testament to sensitive appreciation of the innate character of the instrument and to the truly "instrumental" use of it for projecting the art of the composer.There is more. The string orchestra part is performed so idiomatically that Strauss' very late, extremely florid style is put on a wonderfully firm footing throughout, supporting and complementing the effect of the solo part in every respect. I have never heard the like. The instrumental balance is inspiring, the miking well-neigh perfect to my ears, and the recorded sound quality is gorgeous. What a fine musician this conductor, whom I'd never heard of is! In my opinion, anyone interested in the the Strauss concerto should own this CD."