Christian F. Barth Oboe Concerto, c/w Kuhlau & Gade

Started by Sharkkb8, Saturday 14 December 2019, 01:23

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Sharkkb8

Dacapo will issue a recording of Oboe Concertos, including Kuhlau, Gade, and one Christian Frederik Barth, the latter certainly unsung (to me anyway).  Barth's concerto dates from c. 1823, and Dacapo says this is a "World premiere recording".

Dacapo says "All three composers featured on this recording were central to the Danish Golden Age, a period of blossoming in the arts and music that delivered countless gems. Here, principal players from the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra perform fine concertante works from two composers who are experiencing a renaissance and one who still languishes in obscurity. From the splendour of Kuhlaus William Shakespeare and his melodious Concertino, the fresh melodic qualities of Gades Capriccio, and the as yet unpublished Oboe Concerto by Barth these new recordings from Aarhus make the case for four winning Danish scores.

Wikipedia's entry for Barth, in its entirety: 

"Christian Frederik Barth (24 February 1787 – 17 July 1861) was a Danish virtuoso oboist and composer.  Barth was an oboist in the Royal Chapel from 1802 to 1841. He was the son of oboist Christian Samuel Barth and brother of oboist and composer Frederik Philip Carl August Barth. He composed Sonate Brilliant for Oboe and Piano which is made up of three movements: Allegro, Adagio sostenuto, and a scherzando.

https://www.amazon.com/Concertos-19th-Denmark-Flemming-Aksnes/dp/B081WPY6L5/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=Christian+Frederik+Barth&qid=1576285455&s=music&sr=1-2

(Amazon USA says 17 Jan release, I don't see it yet at Amazon UK or Presto)

Alan Howe

I spotted this. The Barth's very small beer indeed.

Alan Howe

QuoteDacapo will issue a recording of Oboe Concertos

This isn't a CD of oboe concertos at all, of course. The contents are:

1. Kuhlau: Concertino for 2 Horns & Orchestra, Op.45
2. Barth, C F: Oboe Concerto in B flat major, Op.12
3. Gade, N: Capriccio for Violin and Orchestra
4. Kuhlau: Overture: William Shakespeare, Op. 74

I happened to hear Gade's Capriccio in this performance on the radio this morning. I was convinced it was something I didn't know by Bruch, so gorgeous was it. The CD has accordingly gone straight onto my wants list.

Excerpts here:
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8719100--concertos-from-19th-century-denmark

Mark Thomas

It is indeed lovely, and has been available for a few years in a different performance on this interesting CD. I no longer have the booklet, but I see that it was "arr. C  Reinecke, whose orchestration of the original piece for violin and piano is available at IMSLP.

TerraEpon

Having listened to it online, it's.....eh. I mean, the Gade and Kuhlau overture are great pieces but I already have them.....the two concerti don't quite do it for me (plus how is the overture a 'concerto'? Sometimes album programs are so wierd)

eschiss1

Well, I don't know, there's an on the one hand and on the other. There are other thematically-consistent works that could have filled out the program in the allotted time, but on the other, it's not overexposed, I gather it's rather good music (I'll have a listen but I'd be surprised if it weren't - I'm usually at least pleased, often very pleased by Kuhlau, especially by his more substantial efforts), ...