Customer Reviews

Albinoni - 12 Concertos, op. 9 / Manze, de Bruine, AAM, Hogwood

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The quality of performance from Hogwood and company are flawless and near perfecton as usual. I can fully recomend this recording to fans of Albinoni or Baroque music in general. Andrew Manze is amazing and I hope these guys continue to record all the major works of Albinoni on period instruments. One thing besides the praise of this album is that both Op.7 and Op.9 have been recorded by Simon Standage and the Collegium Musicum 90 several years ago. Their performances are just as good and deserve just as much credit. Critics probably forgot to mention that this territory was in fact previously charted.

For a long time now, I've enjoyed starting my day with Albinoni. His music (even over Vivaldi's music) puts me in a very positive frame of mind to meet the challenges of the day. This recording on "original instruments" certainly starts my day most positively. The playing on this CD is breath taking. Hogwood and his Academy of Ancient Music are at their usual best delivering sharp and crisp performances of these works.
If you want to hear some of the finest examples of Baroque Composition coming from the very pinnacle of the period played exquisitely by one of the world's leading Baroque ensembles, buy this CD. By the way the sound is marvelous too.

To begin I would like to refer you to the review above by David Hurwitz, the top reviewer from classics today, I know he is good because I seldom disagree. This is a fine performance of Albinoni's Opus 9, 4 concertos for violin, 4 for oboe and 4 for 2 oboes. They are not concertos for a virtuoso soloist, rather they are concertos for oboe with orchestra, the music flows gently and beautifully. I do not find the violin concertos as interesting as the oboe because the violin blends with the string orchestra a little too well, whereas the oboe has a very different voice. (I could suggest that the violin concertos might be arranged for oboe or flute ?) I enjoyed comparing this recording with the modern instrument one by I Musici and Heinz Holliger from the mid 1960s, I Musici was the best chamber orchestra for baroque, and Hollinger was the best oboist, so it was the best at the time, and still sounds pretty good. This recording with period instruments is so different, the sound is not harsh, the result of the lower pitch, 415hz, and the gut strings, the music sounds serene and easy so that it seems slower, but the timings are much the same. In short, this is a very good baroque performance.
An interesting aside; Alfredo Bernadini, the second oboist, made his own oboe !

I find this to be a very good performance--were I able I'd give it 4 and a half stars. Those who like a good, tasteful period performance should be quite satisfied. That said, this reviewer often prefers a bit of extra verve, without going overboard as some young groups do these days. Rachel Barton's La Stravaganza is the finest example in this regard. This disc, however, does not have that added punch. Another reviewer attributes this to Albinoni himself, but that is absurd. It seems rather that Hogwood & Co. were going for a solid, 'historically accurate' performance where the composer 'speaks for himself.' They approach this ideal as well as one arguably can, but at the same time perhaps so does Barton.

The accoustic is very good, if somewhat sparse. The ensemble is set slightly to the background of the soloist, which thereby stands out just a bit too much. It does allow for nice languishing on the oboe melodies, however, which may be precisely the point.

There are moments of great beauty, as one should expect of old Tomaso, on this album. Yet the cost remains a bit high.

I'm sorry to say that I had always considered Albinoni to be a "one-hit wonder," (and of course that one hit wasn't really composed by Albinoni). Nothing could be further from the truth. These Opus 9 concertos - most for one or two oboes, a few for violin - are a delight from start to finish. My two favorites are the second (which, as other reviewers have pointed out, has a slow movement as lovely as anything you're ever likely to hear), and the seventh. But there really isn't a weak composition in the lot. I actually find these pieces more musically interesting than much of Vivaldi; and, because of the sheer sense of joy one hears in them, they often remind me of Handel. The performances are absolutely first-rate. Hogwood has brisk tempos without ever sounding rushed, the textures are clear, and the soloists are also very good. Even at the list price of $18 (I bought a very good used copy for half that), this set is a bargain!

This is a really good double CD of some of Albinoni's best music, very well performed by the invariably excellent Academy of Ancient Music under the Christopher Hogwood.

This is rather underrated music, I think. It's certainly much more than the pleasant baroque wallpaper which many people think Albinoni to be. The adagio of Op.9 No.2, for example, is one of the loveliest movements I know in a baroque concerto. These are very fine performances, too, which bring out the verve, joy and sheer beauty of these concertos. Andrew Manze is always brilliant, but the oboists are also excellent. Frank de Bruine in particular has a lovely, flowing, effortless sound and I find that I prefer this set to my old CM90/Standage set with Anthony Robson, who by comparison seems a little plodding in his articulation and phrasing.

It isn't surprising that Andrew Manze and Christopher Hogwood, two real giants of Baroque performance, should bring something special to these concerti and the playing of Frank de Bruine is a real bonus. It's a lovely set and very warmly recommended

Very interesting early contrapuntal music & melodic.Well Worth the listening.
The oboe is certainly a very beguiling intrument. Can be listened too seriously
or just let it wash over you as background sound. I'm glad I bought it. I first
heard a selection on Classic FM.

EW

Hogwood, Manze, Bernardini : with a list a stars of baroque music like this, I was thinking that I will hear some firework ! Unfortunetely,it is not the case here. It'not the fault of Hogwood. He has his usual ardour. We can feel his energy. No, I think the main problem is the composer, Tomaso Albinoni, himself. He does not authorize madness in exhibition, in virtuosity demonstration, and alas, in excess.
So the (beautiful) violon of Manze stay as good as gold ! The latter try to put, in the concertos number 1, 4, 7 and 10 , the maximum of energy he could in the spirit of the music written by the composer; but we stay on our appetite.

The oboes of Bruine and Bernardini, which have a huge place in this program, are sweet but not astounding.

The slow movements are very beautiful.

So, this music is pleasant but do not expect virtuosity here.