Oboe Obsession

et al Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (Composer) (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 30, 2000)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Delos Records
• ASIN: B00004TKHF
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #51,603 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #37 in	Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Modern, 20th, & 21st Century > Composers > Poulenc, Francis > Poulenc, Francis - Works by Poulenc
  #37 in	Music > Classical > Featured Composers, A-Z > ( P ) > Poulenc, Francis
  #49 in	Music > Classical > Featured Composers, A-Z > ( B ) > Britten, Sir Benjamin

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oboe repertoire brilliantly played, June 13, 2000

By	M. Bowyer (Arlington, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The works presented on this disc constitute some of the cornerstones of oboe/piano literature. Allan Vogel's performance is very warm and insightful. His pianist, Bryan Pezzone, performs no less sensitively. The recording is also rich and warm. These works are all a delight to listen to. The Saint-Saens and Poulenc sonatas express both the charm and wit of these two great French composers. The Britten is the most important work for solo oboe. The Schumann Romances are another masterpiece for oboe and piano. A must for any oboist or music lover! The closing piece, Obsession by Japanese composer Makoto Shinohara is very powerful. A gem.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely recital with a possible exception at the end, June 15, 2000

By	F. Behrens "Frank Behrens" (Keene, NH USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Gallant little Delos has been releasing some marvelous oboe recitals with Allan Vogel, and the latest entry has not let us down at all. <Oboe Obsession: Allan Vogel plays Romantic and Virtuosic Works for Oboe> (DE3235) provides us with some rare items including Saint-Saens' "Sonata for Oboe and Piano, Op. 166," Poulenc's "Sonata for Oboe and Piano," Britten's "Six Metamorphoses after Ovid for Oboe Solo," Schumann's "Three Romances for Oboe and Piano," W.F. Bach's "Duet for Flute and Oboe, No. 4" [in which he is joined by Janice Tipton], and Shinohara's "Obsession for Oboe and Piano." Bryan Pezzone is at the keyboard.

Never having heard any of these before, I thoroughly enjoyed the relaxed, liquid playing of the first, second, third, and fourth selections. The Britten piece took some careful listening, being of a more intellectual nature so to speak, and was even more rewarding. My tastes being what they are, I did not like the last piece very much, finding it noisy and grating; and I was glad it came at the end of the CD and could easily be avoided on future playings. Naturally many of you might find this 1961 selection the best of the lot. The liner notes are terse and helpful.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very pleasing eclectic selection, January 7, 2003

By	Joshua Kaufman (Cincinnati, OH) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

CDs like this often don't quite work, because there seems to be either not enough contrast when there is some, or some of the pieces are simply not enjoyable. Luckily this CD garners no complaints to my ears, and there's a very nice variety as well, all played wonderfully by Allan Vogel.

Saint-Saens is a composer who was almost always "on", and the Oboe Sonata is no exception. Though written at the end of his life (along with the Clarinet Sonata), it could just have easily come 30 years earlier. It's a very nice late romantic piece, if not quite as tuneful as the Clarinet one.
The Poulenc sonata is a very lovely piece of French post-impressionism, akin to his choral music really. The Britten piece is typical Britten -- hovering around "modern" sound without quite going there.

The Schumann Three romances are also typical of the composer -- nice but not overly memorable. Still it's a pleasing piece. Now the W. F. Bach piece was a surprise -- the flute and oboe get equal treatment here, and as with the Schumann it's very pleasing.

The final piece is the only one that may dissuade someone from picking this CD up -- the Obsession for Oboe and Piano is quite "modern", though luckily it's still a very interesting piece. A clear show of virtuosity, it has energy and vigor, and is certainly one of the better examples of this style that I've heard.

So, I can safely recommend this. Even if you don't like Obsession, it IS at the end. This CD is a good buy for anyone who likes solo wind music, especially if you don't have a recording of the Saint-Saens.