Search - Telemann, Goodwin, Toll :: Oboe Sonatas

Pleasant baroque chamber music

Lars Hinnum | 06/13/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Telemann wrote a lot of dazzling chamber-music. The oboe sonatas are played by Paul Goodwin, an impressive baroque oboe-artist, who playing the sonatas with the right balance between expressive feeling and purity of style. Those who like oboe sonatas and wanting them played on a baroque oboe, ought to buy this CD."

The Beauty of Period Instruments

Alejandra Vernon | Long Beach, California | 09/01/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1768) was exceedingly successful as a composer in his day, and a central force in the culturally thriving city of Hamburg for most of his life. It is a pity that his music is now not well known, and people who are familiar with his contemporaries J.S. Bach and Handel sometimes have not heard of Telemann, and are missing some exquisite music that is well represented in this CD of oboe pieces. The compositions were written from 1716 (The Partita # 2 in G from the Kleine Cammer-Music) to 1739/40, with 3 selections from the Essercizii Musici, which is considered by many to be Telemann's finest collection of chamber music.



Paul Goodwin is an oboe virtuoso and a brilliant interpreter of baroque music. He plays a period instrument, and is soloist with many baroque orchestras worldwide, as well as being principal oboe with the English Concert, and teaching at the Royal College of Music. The period instruments have a thinner sound than what we usually hear, and take us back to the time when Telemann played these pieces. There is a purity and simplicity that more than makes up for the fuller, richer sound of modern instrumentation.



The musicians are: Paul Goodwin, baroque oboe ~ Susan Sheppard and Lynden Cranham, baroque 'cello ~ John Toll, harpsichord ~ Nigel North, theorbo and archlute. All of them are superb, and these compositions have passages that are technically very demanding. This is music with a serene beauty that brings peace to the soul, and a sense of sanity to our senses. The CD sound is crisp and clear, and total playing time is 64'42.

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One of the best

C. Meyer | Somerville, MA | 12/18/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Paul Goodwin's playing is absolutely beautiful. Telemann, of course, gave him a lot to work with. This is easily one of my favorite CDs. The expressivity, tasteful ornamentation, and sheer brilliance make this a CD great both for study and enjoyment."