Unsung concerto instruments...the Oboe

[John Hudock]

It's interesting that the Romantics who did write for oboe solo seem to have largely been drawn from those best known as opera composers. I suspect it is because of the vocal quality of the oboe that composers like Verdi, Rossini and Bellini had a natural affinity for it.

[JimL]

You left out Donizetti.  Besides the Concertino for English Horn there is also one for regular oboe, IIRC.

[Kriton]

Caro Mitis' release for this month appears to be more transcriptions of Mozart music for oboe by Utkin, the 3rd volume already. Neither authentic nor romantic, we could call his transcription of the famous clarinet concerto for oboe d'amore & orchestra an "unsung" concerto.

Now the wait is for someone who arranges those beautiful late-romantic piano concertos for oboe & orchestra! 

[TerraEpon]

we could call his transcription of the famous clarinet concerto for oboe d'amore & orchestra an "unsung" concerto.

!!!

I have to get this CD.


(And looking on CM's website, it appears the coupling is the Concertone for 2 violins arranged for Flute, Oboe, Violin, and Cello....strange that they'd expand a two-instrument solo part into four. Yes, I simply must put this on 'the list'.,..)

[chill319]

Vincent D'Indy. Fantasy on French folk tunes for orchestra and solo oboe, Op 31. Available on Marco-Polo. Ripely late romantic in D'Indy's earlier manner.

[Marcus]

Hello John Hudock,
Eugene Goossens (1893-1962), wrote an  Oboe Concerto, op45,  for his brother Leon , also, one of his last works was a Concert Piece op65, for Oboe, & 2 Harps, written for Eugene's sisters Marie, Sidonie & brother Leon. The Oboe Concerto is a short work, (12'22"), more of a rhapsody than concerto.
Arnold Bax wrote a Quintet for Oboe & Strings (1922), for Leon Goossens.
Marcus.

[M. Henriksen]

English composer Rutland Boughton composed two concertos for oboe and string orchestra. No. 1 in c - recorded by Hyperion, and no. 2 in g. Both concertos were composed in 1936, the reason seems to be that Boughton's daughter Joy was a talented oboist.
The same composer also composed two Oboe Quartets, in 1930 & 1945.

Morten

[eschiss1]

English composer Rutland Boughton composed two concertos for oboe and string orchestra. No. 1 in c - recorded by Hyperion, and no. 2 in g. Both concertos were composed in 1936, the reason seems to be that Boughton's daughter Joy was a talented oboist.
The same composer also composed two Oboe Quartets, in 1930 & 1945.

Morten

If we're going to start going into chamber music (as of the post before this one if not earlier!) the repertoire of oboe sonatas is worth thinking about. The work I have heard most often, I think, is Rubbra's.  Several-times recorded, brief, and I think lovely. I have two recordings - on Dutton and on Etcetera (tape, not the whole CD...) 

(There's one by Herbert Howells I'm not sure if I've heard. I _have_ heard one or both of the two by Julius Rontgen- Concertzender.nl Hilversum broadcast a wide range of his works, still available over webcast I think, including those two sonatas - which sound quite good!)

I think I heard Hindemith's oboe sonata back when I was working (food service...) one summer at Interlochen, and probably since.  Typical and good piece, if as I do you like his music... one of his concertos includes a solo part for oboe.
(Vagn Holmboe's fine oboe concerto op.37 is more neo-Classical - not surprising I guess given the year - but also very lyrical, in my opinion. It's part of a series he once called Chamber Concertos, since the accompaniment is for chamber orchestra; he later dropped the title.
Worth hearing. I only know the DaCapo recording- there may be one on BIS by now, or perhaps will be in the future.)

Eric

[nigelkeay]

There's an Oboe Concerto written by Edwin Carr (NZ) in 2002 that was dedicated to Dominique Enon (France). It received its first full performance with orchestra only last year with Gordon Hunt as soloist. Details on this event here.

The work was recorded on CD in 2010 in its version for oboe and piano played by Paris-based oboist Marika Lombardi. This CD is available from blumlein records. The work is in three movements: 1. Allegro (5'00") 2. Larghetto (6'16") 3. Allegro moderato (2'38")

[Christo]

Another, one that I really love, is the Concertino for oboe and string orchestra (1970) by Hendrik Andriessen, found on a NM Classics cd with orchestral works by Andriessen (père) and featuring the Netherlands Radio CO under Thierry Fischer with Henk Swinnen oboe. It nicely fits into the Bach-inspired 'oboe plus strings' category, like so many modern oboe concertos.

[jerfilm]

it was mentioned in the original post, but I think the loveliest oboe concerto in the repertoire is Richard Strauss' late concerto.   Certainly one of the best if not the best.

Jerry

[eschiss1]

For myself I'm very fond of a brief oboe concerto that's not yet in the repertoire- Vagn Holmboe's earlyish one from his set of 12 concertos for small orchestra and (in most cases) solo or groups of instruments (8 and 10 are concertos for orchestra).  The first movement opening especially catches a certain mood and the rest isn't half bad A little after our bailiwick/coverage area but rather good and affecting, I think.

When was Boughton's 2nd oboe concerto written? Wikipedia just seems to list the same concerto twice (as Oboe Concerto No1 1936, and as Concerto for Oboe and Strings No.1 (1936) ). Actually, fixing that now... (IMSLP just has "Oboe Concerto (Boughton, Rutland)", blocked in the US, which is not helpful- I can probably - erm- maybe... get past the block since I'm an admin, but I won't for this purpose... )

[Christo]

For myself I'm very fond of a brief oboe concerto that's not yet in the repertoire- Vagn Holmboe's earlyish one from his set of 12 concertos for small orchestra and (in most cases) solo or groups of instruments (8 and 10 are concertos for orchestra).  The first movement opening especially catches a certain mood and the rest isn't half bad A little after our bailiwick/coverage area but rather good and affecting, I think.

Thnx for reminding us twice.  Convincing enough to urge me to play it; the version with Gordon Hunt and the Aalborg SO under Owain Arwell Hughes on BIS. Lovely piece.

[Jonathan]

My local library used to have a vast collection of music for oboe.  Sadly, since the refit, it has gone.  I'm not sure what they did with it but I can probably guess it involved either a skip or a charity shop... 

I think I will have to investigate the other works mentioned in this thread!

[eschiss1]

Christo- erf, sorry about that. I shouldn't be going senile at 42. Or at least I should be using the search facilities...