Strauss' Oboe Concerto

[Rach3]

Heard today the Concerto, a work I’ve always enjoyed, but seem to rarely come across live.

Fascinating history, if Wiki is accurate:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oboe_Concerto_(Strauss)

The live I heard is here : https://www.rtbf.be/auvio/detail_concer ... id=2417451

Eva Steinaa,oboe, with Danish National Orchestra under Fabio Luisi,April,2018,live in Copenhagen.

However, as the Radio Belgium site may be a pill to navigate, here’s another ( I have not heard yet ):

A 1971 (?) Philips recording with Heinz Holliger, Edo de Waart, a “ New Philharmonic Orchestra” :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cn_WtQ-sH-8

[maestrob]

Heinz Holliger was a master musician, and I will get to this soon. Thanks for the treat!

[jbuck919]

Several years ago, a poster from San Francisco who is no longer with us because she usually posted in a nasty or offensive way, mourned the death of the oboist of the San Francisco Symphony, whose name I think was Bennett. In his obituary, he was quoted as saying that the first time he played that concerto was as the competition winner while at Yale, where his father was a professor of physics. He stated that at the time he was mainly concerned with fitting in as many notes in as short a space of time as possible, i.e., he played without expression. Incredibly, I heard that performance, and his description of his playing was exactly correct.

[RebLem]

One of my favorite Strauss issues is a Virgin Classics twofer which includes a performance of the Oboe Concerto by the redoubtable Ray Still along with The Academy of London conducted by Richard Stamp, which occupies the first 24'19" of CD 2. On CD 1 is the same ensemble and conductor in nine songs sung by Gundula Janowitz, and the Metamorphosen (25'47). The other item on CD 2 is the Sonata for violin & piano (27'58) performed by Dmitry Sitkovetsky, violin, and Pavel Gililov, piano. These are wonderful performances all and I highly recommend each and every one of them, and the whole twofer set.

[Lance]

Well, no doubt the most famous oboist was the British LEON GOOSSENS who made the very first recording of Strauss's Oboe Concerto in D (composed 1945) in 1947. I think it appeared on LP at one time, but it became available on the Testament label [1009] in their first group of releases several years ago. Other favourites are with Heinz Holliger and Ray Still. It has since received around 40 recordings on CD since released by Leon Goossens.

[John F]

Well, no doubt the most famous oboist was the British LEON GOOSSENS who made the very first recording of Strauss's Oboe Concerto in D (composed 1945) in 1947. I think it appeared on LP at one time...

Columbia ML 4775, coupled with the 1st horn concerto played by Dennis Brain. A great LP.

[Rach3]

The other item on CD 2 is the Sonata for violin & piano (27'58) performed by Dmitry Sitkovetsky, violin, and Pavel Gililov, piano.

Thanks for the recommendation. Yes, the Violin Sonata is also excellent.

[Rach3]

Another very nice live performance given March 11,2020,in Amsterdam, the RCO under Semyon Bychkov with the RCO’s first chair ( I assume) oboist Ivan Podyomov:

https://www.nporadio4.nl/concerten/9327 ... bouworkest

[barney]

You gave me goosebumps, Rach3, reading this thread with contributions from Jbuck and JohnF. I had to check the dates again. Both much missed.