Krommer Oboe Concerto in F Major op 37 and op 52
The Oboe Concerto must surely be one of the most beloved and sadly, all too rarely performed works in a concert. We frequently hear single movements performed on popular radio stations and thank goodness for that and the obvious exposure that results there from. The Oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family and I am always fascinated by the importance of the reeds and their structure. The pitch (in concert C or A, for example) of the oboe is affected by the way in which the reed is made. Listening to an Oboe Concerto, by comparison to that composed for the clarinet or bassoon, brings an element of joy and a ‘voice’ that is clear and penetrating. More often than not we are treated to works by Albinoni and Marcello or perhaps the popular concerto by Mozart and these are indeed lovely works. I would like to draw reader’s attention to two of my favourite works, written by the Czech composer, Franz Krommer. He was born in 1759, the year of Handel’s death and moved to Vienna in 1795. It seems that his relative obscurity (despite composing 9 symphonies and 9 violin concertos) has much to do with the natural eminence of his contemporaries, Beethoven and Mozart!
Whereas Mozart in his Oboe Concerto called for a smallish orchestra, Krommer has expanded on his requirements, adding flute, bassoons, trumpets and tympani to both of his works. I hope you will enjoy the rhythmic and harmonic accompaniment to the solo instrument in both pieces. There is an obvious change to the composition of the 2nd concerto, Op 52 and the first movement shows a force rather reminiscent of Beethoven. These are lovely works worthy of a prominent place in a collection of classical pieces for the Oboe.
My recommendation is: Hyperion’s CD performed by The London Mozart Players with Sarah Francis playing solo Oboe and Howard Shelley conducting.
The CD is available from www.amazon.co.uk
As a taster enjoy a performance of Krommer’s Oboe Concerto op. 37, 3rd movement on You Tube uploaded by J. H. Bernardo accompanied by a lovely picture!