Notes and Editorial Reviews
Four early 19th century works, and two from the late 18th,
make up this splendid if somewhat short concert by ace Italian
oboist Diego Dini Ciacci and the classy Orchestra di Padova
e del Veneto. Soloist and ensemble appeared together on another
CPO CD (777 157-2) released half a dozen years ago, in a similar
programme showcasing the wind concertos of Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari,
a composer better known, like half of those on this disc, for
his operas.
The works here by Bellini, Rossini, Donizetti and Pilotti do
indeed all bear the stamp of
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a musician heavily influenced by
the opera. They are uncomplicated and relatively unadventurous
in scope, melody-driven and highly cantabile. At the
same time their moderately virtuosic nature betokens an impressive
understanding of the possibilities, as they were at the time,
of the oboe - or in Donizetti's and Pilotti's case, the cor
anglais.
The two 'truest' concertos, so to speak, are the earlier ones
that open and close the disc. Sammartini's 'Sturm und Drang'
work is a masterpiece of its time, bristling with colour and
emotion. Aguilar's straightforward but attractive Concerto is
enhanced by the extended final-movement quotation of a theme
from Mozart's Exsultate, Jubilate.
These two works, plus the Pilotti, are first recordings. Those
by Donizetti, Bellini and especially Rossini, on the other hand,
have all been recorded many times before. Rossini's Introduction,
Theme and Variations is rightly a staple of the clarinettist's
repertory. That said, Ciacci points out interestingly in the
notes that Rossini originally indicated in his manuscript that
the solo part may be taken by either clarinet or
oboe. He argues moreover that certain passages are better suited
to the latter. However, an unknown hand subsequently crossed
out the "oboe" reference, with the rest being history: for 200
years it has been played almost exclusively by the clarinet!
Ciacci (pronounced 'charchee') makes a compelling case for oboists
to finally take up the Rossini, but in all these works his performance
is sophisticated: expressive, detailed and precise, with an
unerring Italian ear for lyricism. His last recording for CPO
met with similar critical enthusiasm. The Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto were brought to prominence
in the Seventies by Claudio Scimone and in the Nineties by Peter
Maag. Now nearing their half-century anniversary, they do not
have a huge amount to do in music that always puts the oboist
centre-stage; what they do, they do with typical style and poise.
They are well recorded too; Ciacci even better. The German-English-Italian
booklet notes are well written, informative and well translated.
-- Byzantion, MusicWeb International Read less
Works on This Recording
1.
Concerto for Oboe in E flat major by Vincenzo Bellini
Performer:
Diego Dini Ciacci (Oboe)
Conductor:
Diego Dini Ciacci
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto
Period: Romantic
Written: by 1825; Italy
2.
Concertino for English Horn in G major by Gaetano Donizetti
Performer:
Diego Dini Ciacci (English Horn)
Conductor:
Diego Dini Ciacci
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto
Period: Romantic
Written: 1817; Italy
3.
Concerto for English Horn in F major by Giuseppe Pilotti
Performer:
Diego Dini Ciacci (English Horn)
Conductor:
Diego Dini Ciacci
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto
4.
Introduction, Theme and Variations for Clarinet and Orchestra by Gioachino Rossini
Performer:
Diego Dini Ciacci (Oboe)
Conductor:
Diego Dini Ciacci
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto
Period: Romantic
Written: Italy
5.
Concerto for Oboe in G major by Giovanni Battista Sammartini
Performer:
Diego Dini Ciacci (Oboe)
Conductor:
Diego Dini Ciacci
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto
6.
Concerto for Oboe in C major by Sante Aguilar
Performer:
Diego Dini Ciacci (Oboe)
Conductor:
Diego Dini Ciacci
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto
Sound Samples
Oboe Concerto in G major: I. Allegro
Oboe Concerto in G major: II. Grave
Oboe Concerto in G major: III. Allegro
Oboe Concerto in E flat major
Introduction, Theme and Variations for Clarinet and Orchestra from La Donna del lago (arr. for oboe and orchestra)
Cor Anglais Concertino in G major
Cor Anglais Concerto in F major
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