Mozart and Krommer: Oboe Concertos [Import]

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Composer), Franz Krommer (Composer), Howard Shelley (Conductor), London Mozart Players (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: London Mozart Players
• Conductor: Howard Shelley
• Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Krommer
• Audio CD (March 13, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Hyperion UK
• ASIN: B000058UUZ
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #353,094 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oboe Queen, Concerto King, May 16, 2007

By 

David J. Friedlander "Play it with heart" (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mozart and Krommer: Oboe Concertos (Audio CD)

Sarah Francis is becoming one of the greatest Oboeists of our time. Her athletic and seemless technique is coupled with a great tone or tones I should say...She can play sweetly or with gentle pathos. This makes her a perfect match with Mozart who also could bring sweet music tinged with pathos in his creations. The Mozart Oboe concerto is from the Salzburg days, a time specifically when he was moving away from his childhood and beginning to lay the foundations for his greatest works. The concerto was a "warhorse" for the virtuoso Ramm and he played it throughout his career since it wasn't easily surpassed. Francis handles it flawlessly, almost too easily bringing me to wonder, "how good is this wonderful musician going to get?!"
The Krommer is a high spirited work if perhaps a bit on the predictable side. Still, Francis plays this expertly and gives it plenty of life maybe even more than is inherently there. In other words, does anyone play this better than Francis? If yes, I would like to know about it.

I have to be honest and say my preference would be 4 1/2 stars if that was allowed. Since it isn't, I thought this was closer to a 5 than a 4 so I opted for the stratosphere. If you like Mozart, this is one of a half dozen great performances. The Krommer is a nice fill up, though you are less likely to be humming anything of it later. That would be the Mozart because the Finale is one of those melodies likely to get stuck in your ear.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very nice performance, May 15, 2010

By 

Guest (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mozart and Krommer: Oboe Concertos (Audio CD)

I have not heard Sarah Francis before, on this recording her playing is both technically accurate (as far as I can tell) and emotionally touching.

Two reasons for 4 stars. First, she seems at times to be confused by Krommer's score. I guess, what she missed was a bit of the "touch of humor" that distinguishes those better performances of Krommer. Second, the recording is a bit weirdly balanced, in my opinion the soloist had to be placed much more "in front". Here the oboe sounds more like an orchestra member, and not as the soloist.