This 2016 release by oboist Albrecht Mayer is an anthology, containing selections from his previous recordings dating back as far as 2003. Unlike most such albums, where you do better to go back to the originals and find a more cohesive concept, this one, with selections picked by Mayer himself, works on its own terms. The title indicates the organizing principle: in many of the pieces, the oboe is a stand-in for a singing voice, and the strength of the idea is suggested by the fact that Rachmaninov's Vocalise is actually ...
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This 2016 release by oboist Albrecht Mayer is an anthology, containing selections from his previous recordings dating back as far as 2003. Unlike most such albums, where you do better to go back to the originals and find a more cohesive concept, this one, with selections picked by Mayer himself, works on its own terms. The title indicates the organizing principle: in many of the pieces, the oboe is a stand-in for a singing voice, and the strength of the idea is suggested by the fact that Rachmaninov's Vocalise is actually not included. Mayer structures the program well, setting the mood with a pair of well-known pavanes and a couple of other lyrical pieces, including a genuine Schumann oboe work that you may not have heard, before the first aria appears. That one is by Mozart, and there are a few Romantic melodies, but most of Mayer's "arias" are Baroque selections, and he introduces gentle contrasts by including oboe-readied Baroque instrumental movements among the arias without breaking the...
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