Search - Giovanni Benedetto Platti, Antonio Salieri, Carlo Besozzi :: Italian Oboe Concertos, Vol. 2

Lovely Relaxing Recording

Patrick A Daley | Fredericton, New Brunswick | 02/10/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Okay, the music is very pleasant, lively and engaging, very and melodious. Not the greatest depth but these were really competent composers who could write extremely well. Anthony Camden follows up his fine recordings of several years ago in Italian Oboe Concertos, Volume 1, with more great playing, assisted in the Salieri Concerto in C major by Peter Lloyd, flute. The Salieri is really a lovely work. I hope no one believes the stories about Salieri contributing to Mozart's demise as depicted in the movie, Amadeus. It's a great story but that never happened.Nicholas Ward and the City of London Sinfonia play virtually to perfection, milking these works for all they have and more. The sound quality is simply gorgeous, with a lovely, warm, ambience and very wide stereo image. It is so beautiful that I just have give this issue a full 5 stars. But it really is a lovely and relaxing CD."

Grace that does not Cloy

Robert F. Royce | Northford, CT USA | 10/12/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Anthony Camden's playing is wonderfully smooth and finished. While all of the works on this recording are admirably performed, I was particularly struck by the careful seamless phrasing and delicate articulation in Platti concerto. For me the Besozzi was an especial treat inasmuch as it represents a rarely heard peek into the world of ultimate grace as espoused by the touring oboe virtuosi of the late 18th century. These virtuosi, most notably the great Johann Fischer, wrote their own concertos and, like the magical Paganini, played them as personal virtuoso vehicles tailored to their own unique abilities and ever-changing crowd-pleasing stunts. Like modern rock stars they performed to the amazement of their audiences, especially their swooning female admirers. The overall interpretation is excellent, graceful yet strong and balanced, with no tendency to the odd exaggerations and distortion of aesthetics seen in some modern recordings. Often derided as light and flimsy, this music, when performed properly, with style and understanding, can be pure magic. Camden fobs off the flashy solos with ease and perfection, much as I imagine Besozzi himself would have done."