Lost and Found: 18th Century Oboe Concertos —Albrecht Mayer, oboe, English horn; Potsdam Chamber Academy (DeutGram 4792942)
From Gramophone online: “When an artist of Albrecht Mayer’s stature espouses Franz Hoffmeister, Ludwig Lebrun, Joseph Fiala and Jan Antonín Kozeluch, you can be confident that there is a compelling musical reason for doing so and that Mayer will show you what it is. And so it proves on this enchanting disc, with the Kammerakademie Potsdam lending poised, pointed support in their combination of clarity, discretion and vitality. Scrupulously classical, all four concertos nevertheless harbour traits that give them an individual accent. Hoffmeister’s C major Concerto links all three movements together; Lebrun’s in G minor has a rondo finale with a catchy tune veering between the minor and major. The Bohemians Fiala and Kozeluch are perhaps more predictable harmonically but both knew how to craft elegant, spirited music and how to exploit the solo instrument’s capacity for litheness and lyricism. Mayer and his team are thoroughly beguiling advocates throughout.”
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