Oboe Concertos, Evelyn Rothwell
Wayne Rapier oboe
Premiere Oboe Works, Harry Sargous,
oboe
Humbert Lucarelli, oboe
Box, Holst, Jacob, Moeran, Sarah Francis,
oboe
French Chamber Music. Maurice Bourgue,
oboe, Amaury Wallez, bassoon
Oboe Concertos, Evelyn Rothwell,
Oboe, Sir John Barbirolli conducting The Halle orchestra. Nixa
NIXCD 6004
For starters, here's a classic: a 1988 compact disc reissue of
seven concertos performed by Evelyn Rothwell and the Halle orchestra,
conducted by Sir John Barbirolli, originally recorded from 1957-59.
The first three works are the 20thcentury arrangements of tunes
by Corelli, Pergolesi (both done by Barbirolli), and Cimarosa
(by Arthur Benjamin) made especially for Evelyn Rothwell's use,
and performed by her numerous times through the 1940s and '50s.
The energy conveyed in these 20-year-old recordings is remarkable.
Evelyn Rothwell sounds like a coiled spring, tautly rebounding
from every articulation. The performances' rhythmic life and dynamic
contrast vividly demonstrate the heart and intelligence that the
Barbirollis brought to their work with early music, irrespective
of the fact that the movement toward historically-informed performance
practice came much later.
The third movement of Pergolesi's concerto is a study in expressive
phrasing, tempo, dynamics, and nuance of melodic motion. The aggressiveness
of Cimarosa's C Minor 'Concerto' highlights Evelyn Rothwell's
strength and registral command. What has worked there becomes
a little overbearing after the move back in time to Albinoni's
Opus 7, Nos. 3 and 6. Suddenly the orchestra takes on overwhelming
proportions, the oboe's articulations become too explosive, and,
in the slow movements, her trills too fast and machine-like.
Evelyn Rothwell plays the Marcello Concerto in C Minor
with very long lines and a legato approach to the first movement.
The tinkling of the harpsichord continuo is very present, as Rothwell
executes some imaginative embellishments. The second movement
is taken at a lusciously expansive tempo, using J.S. Bach's harpsichord
ornaments.
With pomp and circumstance, the Concerto in C falsely attributed
to F. J. Haydn boldly showcases the Halle Orchestra's drums and
trumpets. Rothwell begins the oboe solo quietly, in contrast to
the grandiose orchestra. Much of the first movement takes the
form of a seemingly endless string of notes - runs, scales, arpeggios
and the like - undifferentiated by articulation. Relief is present
in the second theme. The dynamic levels printed in her performance
edition of the work (Oxford) are those you'll hear on this recording;
she believes in them. Ditto for the cadenzas. Rothwell's tenderness
in exposing the second movement is particularly moving. Take her
staccato attacks in the theme and variations with a grain of salt.
Whether or not one enjoys this kind of oboe tone, or even if one
has no tolerance for other than authentic Baroque and Classical
performance practice, the disc should be included in any basic
oboist's library. It documents the work of a legendary artist.
Wayne Rapier oboe, The Diaz-Shames-Diaz
Trio, and Tatiana Dimitreades, violin. Boston Records (80 Island
Creek Road, Duxbury,. MA 02332) BRI001 CD.
My first impression of Wayne Rapier's new compact disc featuring
the works of J.S. Bach, Finzi, and Mozart was of the sumptuous
string playing of The Diaz-Shames-Diaz Trio and Tatiana Dimitriades,
violin, as they provide the "orchestra" for BWV 1053,
Bach's Concerto in F Major (previously reviewed as performed
by both Stephen Hammer and Paul Goodwin in The Double Reed,
Vol. 12, No. 3, Fall 1989). This recording is taken from a live
concert performance given Oct. 1, 1989, at the Duxbury Art Complex
Museum in Duxbury, Massachusetts. Although at times the sound
is too live, or present, it is always big, clean and lush. The
oboist also served as the producer. (His biography reveals that
he "does real estate exchanges" and can even teach Commercial
Pilot and Flight Instrument Instruction - quite a stretch for
an Interlochen National Music Camp alumnus who went on to study
with both Robert Sprenkle and Marcel Tabuteau, beginning his professional
orchestral career at 19).
Rapier's oboe is subsumed into the rich string textures of Gerald
Finzi's Interlude for Oboe and String Quartet. Britisher
Finzi is often mentioned in the same breath with "his life-long
friend" Ralph Vaughan Williams, but there is more bittersweet
passion and less folkishness in Finzi, particularly this work,
which might be better compared to Samuel Barber. The piece is
an excellent vehicle for Wayne Rapier's warm, passionate timbre.
Rapier brings out the oboe d'amour for BWV 1055, challenged by
a brisk opening tempo in the strings during the first movement.
Since no one is inclined to go overboard in the ornamentation
department, faster tempos are just as well.
The return of the oboe in C and the sudden style of Mozart is
a bit of a shock at the beginning of the final selection. So is
the lack of repeats in the sonata-form first movement; no matter
how well one knows the work, a single pass through the exposition
is not enough. The playing is delicate and tasteful, in a mainstream
way. Some may find the string work too gooey and the ornaments
lacking thought (or simply lacking). But it is a clean and musical
performance, and to imagine it being played exactly that way in
front of a live audience inspires utmost respect. The last movement
tumbles forward joyously, impeded only by some bows spending too
much time on the string. Since this is clearly the oboist's piece,
the string players could have shown a little more deference to
his interpretation. But I (too) am getting dangerously close to
splitting hairs with these comments. The purpose of this recording
seems to be to feature one of a certain generation of great American
oboists; it does the job well, and it's about time.
Premiere Oboe Works, Harry Sargous,
oboe, William Bolcom and Robert Conway, piano, The Toronto Sinfonietta.
Crystal Records CD 326.
This adventurous disc showcases the music of University of Michigan
composers William Bolcom and Leslie Bassett, as played by University
of Michigan oboe professor Harry Sargous. Beginning with Bolcom's
haunting "For the Continuation of Life - Aubade" for
oboe and piano, written originally for Heinz Holliger, Harry Sargous'
recording reveals an oboist who has both the ability and ambition
to play what used to be the new music and the good sense to program
it carefully.
Lawrence Singer's Sensazione II for Solo Oboe and Diverse Instruments
of 1983 stretches the range of the oboe to its limits, from low
B flat to extra high B flat in a lyrical opening with harp obligato.
Singer is well-prepared to ask for the limits of avant-garde oboe
technique, being himself an oboist who specializes in developing
multiphonics and bent pitches both as a performer and pedagogue.
He uses the chamber orchestra with the utmost discretion and timbral
definition. Its players must also stretch their technique to both
match and oppose the colors of the oboe. The balance is very fine
in orchestration and performance in this alternatingly languorous
and frenetic 13-minute piece.
Three Ostinati with Chorales written by Henry Cowell in
1937 provide a relaxing foil to the bleak mood of Singer's piece.
These simple modal melodies with understated piano accompaniment
demand little concentration from the listener, while the following
A Spring Concertino for Oboe and Small Orchestra by Bolcom
vacillates between frank romantic emotionalism and schizophrenic,
off-kilter harmonic and rhythmic touches. This 10-minute piece,
written in 1987 for Sargous and the Midland Symphony, would be
a practical concert piece, easily listenable for an average audience
but far from boring or predictable. The Toronto Sinfonietta does
a fine job under the direction of Carl St. Clair.
Finally, Leslie Bassett's Dialogues for Oboe and Piano,
also of 1987, contains four wandering movements with widelyspaced,
dissonant harmonies, in a mostly legato, transparent style.
In attempting to characterize the oboe playing of Harry Sargous,
who is a Yale University graduate and former principal oboist
of the Toronto Symphony, I find myself making what might be the
supreme compliment: I hardly noticed his oboe playing at
all. Throughout these varied contemporary works my attention remained
focused on the music itself. All the technical issues of oboe
playing - tone, intonation and the like - were beautifully controlled
and subservient to the musical ideas. What wonderfully even, unobtrusive
playing!
Humbert Lucarelli, oboe, The Lehigh
Valley Chamber Orchestra conducted by Donald Spieth. Koch International
Classics (2700 Shames Drive, Westbury, NY 11590) 3-7023-2 HI.
Humbert Lucarelli starts his late-harvest oboe concerto disc with
Samuel Barber's Canzonetta for oboe and String Orchestra.
Benjamin Folkman's excellent liner notes explain that the piece
was the second movement of a projected oboe concerto that Barber
had begun in 1978. His final illness and death prevented the creation
of the outer movements, but if we had to give up two out of the
three, I'll bet we ended up with the most moving and accessible
movement. The orchestration was finished by Barber's close associate
and composition pupil, violinist Charles Turner, and the Canzonetta
was premiered in 1981 by Harold Gomberg and the
New York Philharmonic.
Gushing superlatives are all I can come up with for the work,
and Lucarelli's performance of it. I flinched during the first
hearing, sniffled over the second, and wept outright at the third.
Barber fans, use your imagination. This work is an incredible
gift from the man who once said, "I like to give my best
themes to the oboe." I'll pass up the Adagio for Strings
and request the Canzonetta for my funeral.
Strauss's Concerto receives a fresh reading at the hands of Lucarelli
and conductor Donald Spieth. Often the balance seems out of alignment;
on the other hand, wonderful textures not usually heard come to
the fore. For example, the second theme of movement one turns
out to be an oboe-clarinet duet, and the English horn joins with
the solo oboe in the final movement. The fearless, if not flawless,
Lehigh Valley Chamber Orchestra gamely works with Lucarelli's
rhythmic excesses, sometimes catching his tempo changes, sometimes
not. Lucarelli is not afraid to disappear into the texture of
the orchestra, his luscious tone melting off into oblivion.
Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari's Idillio-Concertino, Op. 15 (1933)
features the oboe with two horns and strings in four gracious,
contrasting movements. A well-constructed, tuneful work, which
keeps the oboe consistently in the foreground, the concertino
has traces of Wolf-Ferrari's light operatic background. The orchestra
is at home with this work.
The misty atmosphere is just right as Lucarelli rolls into Vaughan
Williams' Concerto. The diffused wash of string sound yields to
an eq ually translucent oboe tone, followed by perky articulative
contrast in the second theme. Lucarelli has a tendency to linger
on a note in a moving line just a bit longer than one would expect.
It's nice to be reminded that the performance isn't exactly the
same as every other one recently heard. In the second movement,
Lucarelli's staccato attack is so edgeless as to be silent; the
sound appears out of nowhere.
So also the third movement comes spinning out of thin air, showing
finally the magnitude of Lucarelli's formidable technique. Considerable
thought went into the reinterpretation of this last movement;
some cadenza rhythms are particularly surprising. It's well worth
hearing and judging for yourself.
Box, Holst, Jacob, Moeran, Sarah
Francis, oboe, English String Quartet. Chandos CHAN 8392.
Sarah Francis' version of Arnold Bax' Quintet for Oboe and String
Quartet had been out for several years before the Pamela Woods
recording reviewed in our Winter 1991 issue, but has only recently
come to my attention. In comparison to Woods' performance, Francis
plays with a sound that could never become one with the strings.
The oboe is prominent throughout, never blending, not because
the quartet is not playing with style and aggressiveness, but
because the oboe timbre is so much brighter and more consistently
characteristic. Francis' throbbing, unfettered interpretation
relaxes to a perfectly controlled, thoughtful cadence. The English
String Quartet (which has just begun recording on Chandos) does
lovely, balanced work introducing the oboe cadenza in the second
movement, which enters like an exotic guest in the midst of restrained,
pseudo-folk melodies. The last movement shows extreme contrast;
probably Sarah Francis has the advantage over Pam Woods in simulating
the folksy style of the Irish jig. She has no scruples about letting
go, returning to a more classical approach in the developmental
episodes and cadenzas.
In this first ever recording of Gustav Holst's Air and Variations
(1896) and Three Pieces for Oboe and String Quartet, Op.
2 (1896, revised 1910), Francis has preserved a little bit of
rare oboe literature. Colin Matthews' liner notes point out that
Holst was not comfortable with chamber music, and never found
his mature voice in this medium. Still these wellcrafted student
compositions make for good listening, showing his careful training
in counterpoint, harmony, and orchestration. The convoluted history
of this selection of pieces can be summed up by mentioning that
he composed the original Fantasy Pieces Op. 2 for oboe
and string quartet in 1896, let them dangle for about 14 years,
and then resurrected and revised three movements, calling them
Three Pieces, first performed in 1911. Someone has since
discovered a manuscript containing Op. 2's "Air and Variations,"
which Francis has used to introduce the Three Pieces.
Amid rustling strings emerges a musical motive in the oboe, a
motive that one may have heard too often 12 minutes later, at
the conclusion of Ernest John Moeran's Fantasy Quartet for
Oboe and Strings. The singlemovement work alternates between
rhythmically dancing, repetitive sections and freeflowing repetitive
cadenzas. It may be more intriguing to discuss Moeran's life than
his music. This Anglo-Irish folksong collector re
ceived a permanent infusion of shrapnel to his head in France
during World War 1. Later he "was introduced to a life dominated
by the pub," and appears to have had difficulty producing
much, in between his alcoholism and depression. Though liner annotator
Lewis Foreman gives Moeran "a strongly personal voice,"
this reviewer is not perceptive enough to have heard it yet; imagine
something similar to Vaughan Williams, but a lot more tedious.
Gordon Jacob's more varied, neoclassical Quartet comes as a welcome
relief, with updated harmonies and contrasting themes. The rousing
second movement Scherzo begins as a string fugue, complex and
cleanly played by the English String Quartet. Its dramatic final
cadence will probably spark accidental applause in a concert setting.
After a simple, but lengthy, slow movement, the sprightly Rondo
offers a perpetual motion of cute syncopations.
By the time I got this far through the compact disc, the novelty
of Sarah Francis' oboe color had worn off. It is hard to imagine
a more appropriate contemporary spokesperson for these 20th-century
British chamber works. Her surety of technique, tasteful but expressive
interpretations, and exuberant, undisguised reediness are perfect
for the music, as the music is perfect for her.
French Chamber Music. Maurice Bourgue,
oboe, Amaury Wallez, bassoon. London 425 861-2.
Finally, a fascinating collection of French chamber music played
by pianist Pascal Roge and friends, including oboist Maurice Bourgue
and bassoonist Amaury Wallez. Produced in 1991, the compact disc
contains works by seven different composers, including three sextets
for winds and piano.
Camille Saint-Saens' Caprice on Danish and Russian Airs,
Op. 79, features flute (Catherine Cantin), oboe, and clarinet
(Michel Portal), with piano, and was written as a display piece
for the composer and his woodwind-playing colleagues (none other
than Georges Gillet) on tour in Russia, in deference to the Russian
Empress, who was born a Danish princess. A fun crowdpleaser, the
work's numerous runs and scales are played with dashing sparkle
by these excellent performers.
Vincent D'Indy's Sarabande et Menuet, Op. 24, is his own
rearrangement for wind quintet and piano of two movements of the
Suite in Olden Style (for trumpet, two flutes and string
quartet). The catchy minuet is the most memorable part, though
almost difficult to recognize at Pascal Roge's breakneck tempo.
Divertissement Op. 6 by Albert Roussel evokes a busy, impressionistic
atmosphere for the wind quintet and piano. His several-voiced
counterpoint is frequently complex, but not profound. The French
musicians play the layers of pulsating, Debussyan rhythms with
both freedom and control.
Though Polish-born Alexandre Tansman's ballet including the Witch's
Dance for orchestra was never finished, it has become his
bestknown work, according to liner annotator Michel Faure. First
heard publicly as a wind quintet (with piano), it is thus presented
here. This piece from the early '20s shows more harmonic experimentation
and dissonance than those heard previously on this recording.
It is a bold, dynamic dance with excited, forceful rhythms.
The bassoon is left out of The Shepherd's Hour by Jean
Francaix, but there are plenty of notes without it. Exceedingly
clever and excessively entertaining, this virtuosic work in three
movements opens with amazing downward glissandi in the oboe, a
technique under full control by Maurice Bourgue. With movement
titles such as "Pin-up Girls," the composer's intentions,
emphasized by expressive markings such as "with spirit and
stupidity," are clear.
At the end of the disc is a strange work by Darius Milhaud, his
Sonata for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, and Piano of 1918. In
four movements, the nearly 20-minute piece carries an air of impenetrability.
In sparse or dense textures, its direction is difficult to determine,
whether because of polytonality, artificial counterpoint, or the
odd mood Milhaud was in, I can't tell.
The third movement is a tour de force of overly busy woodwinds
moving in opposite directions in the same time frame. The final
movement begins to approach some sort of gestural coherence; Michel
Faure thinks Milhaud was overcome with rage and fear (and maybe
a little depression?) at the Spanish influenza epidemic of 1918
as it overtook Rio where the composer was living.
Poulenc's Elegie for horn and piano is also included. Throughout
the recording the performances are more than competent, making
this a worthy choice to fill gaps in a wind chamber music collection.