Search - Johann Sebastian Bach, Helmut Muller-Bruhl, Cologne Chamber Orchestra :: Bach: Oboe Concertos

I was very pleased

lydol4 | Tulsa, OK | 06/02/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"... I decided to buy it mostly because of the cheap price. But after opening and playing it, I was really glad I bought it. Notice I only gave it 4 stars, but to me that is very good (5 stars are reserved for recordings of the utmost quality). Some of these concertos might be familiar to the listener, as they were to me, if he has heard Bach's keyboard concertos. However, I have always felt that the oboe was the most beautiful of wind instruments, and I enjoyed hearing them in this new light.While I am not an expert on the oboe, the playing seems very good, and the phrasing and touch of the strings could not be better. Here's one recording with which can't go wrong, whether you are new to classical music or a seasoned listener."

A perfect introduction to the music of J.S. Bach

mythologue | 08/29/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This disc is as good an introduction to J.S. Bach as any I can think of. As the insightful liner notes indicate, Bach often used parts of earlier compositions while writing his 1730s concertos for harpsichord(s); researches into these concertos suggest that those included on this disc were originally written for oboe, and whether it's ultimately the case or not, this recording shines. Christian Hommel's restrained performance serves the music perfectly: each track features vast melodies and excellent ensemble-playing; meanwhile, the sound quality and balance couldn't have been better. This is pure, abstract music at its best: music whose power doesn't depend on what it might 'suggest' or 'represent', but only on its own language. And like all great music, the pieces on this disc become the springboards for contemplation that French painter Albert Gleizes yearned for in the early 1940s. Strongly recommended."

J.S. Bach Oboe Concertos

Ramzi Mikhail | Cyprus | 09/09/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"J.S. Bach is my favourite. Of his music I probably love his concertoes most. The 5 concertoes on this CD are all reconstructions, according to the notes in the cover, i.e.the available scores by Bach himself are for other instruments:
mainly harpsichord. The assumption is that Bach had also made versions for other solo instruments at an earlier date.I actually know each of the recorded pieces here played on either harpsichord, organ, violin or oboe. One of the concertoes, BWV 1053, as mentioned in the cover too, is shared with a cantata.I have it as BWV 169. The all oboe versions here, I think, are definitely the most charming."