Author: jamesoboe
Date: 2004-08-12 21:24
Dear Jryanaus
as I see you've taken a shine to Barber's Canzonetta, ask Stephane, while he's in Sidney, when his version of the work, recorded with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, is going to come out. It's going to be on Naxos. I keep looking in the shops for it, but, as yet, nothing. I feel I ought to buy it, as he borrowed my oboe and keyboard parts and CD of Julia Girdwood, playing it with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. I'm not entirely certain he's returned my music, yet, so ask him about that as well, while he's enjoying the easy life in Sidney!!!! Some of us have been in London for the last week, working hard playing for the Proms!
If you like Barber then there are substantial solos in both his symphonies for oboe and cor in the respective slow mvts. Barber is on record as saying he saved all his most beautiful melodies for the oboe. A concerto would have been wonderful. He did however, write the Capricorn concerto for flute, oboe and trumpet. So, we almost got one to ourselves.
Other near misses for oboe concertos/works by composers who died before finishing them are: Elgar's Soliloquy, orchestrated by Gordon Jacob. Elgar's brother was an expert, but shy, oboist, and this was meant to be an oboe suite for him. Just this one mvt. survives. It's very beautiful.
The other composer is the British Barber, Gerald Finzi, who wrote Interlude for oboe and strings. This was projected as a 3 mvt. work. Instead, he left us with a wonderful 10 minute, 1 mvt. work, full of melancholy and anguish.
One wonders just what other gems are out there, undiscovered or neglected.
Regards
James
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