Olivia Sham - Berlioz's Lost Oboe (2023) [Official Digital Download 24/192]

It is simply a badge of historical injustice that oboists must wear.’ Such was the lament of Leon Goosens, echoing the commonly-held view that the nineteenth century was a time of crisis in the history of the oboe. Like a snowball effect, the idée reçue that the instrument fell into disuse because it was considered incompatible with the aesthetics of Romantic expression has been handed down across generations. This recording unearths a handful of evocative compositions from early nineteenth-century France to provide a reassessment of this commonly-held view. These works, all of which have never been recorded before, belong to a large corpus of neglected nineteenth-century chamber music for oboe and fortepiano, and bear witness to a lively, dynamic tradition of wind playing in France. Performed here on a ten-keyed French oboe by Guillaume Adler (Paris, c.1835) and a fortepiano by Erard (Paris, 1840), these sentimental and lyrical rarities beautifully highlight the unique timbres and playing characteristics of these rare original models.

TRACKLIST

01. Christopher Palameta & Olivia Sham - 2 Nocturnes, Op. 50: No. 1 in D Minor
02. Christopher Palameta & Olivia Sham - Vocalises de Crescentini transcrites pour le hautbois: No. 1, Largo espressivo
03. Christopher Palameta & Olivia Sham - Vocalises de Crescentini transcrites pour le hautbois: No. 2, Largo
04. Christopher Palameta & Olivia Sham - Aranjuez, Op. 34
05. Christopher Palameta & Olivia Sham - Elégie sur la mort d’un objet chéri
06. Christopher Palameta & Olivia Sham - Les soupirs de la harpe éolienne, Op. 121: No. 1, Adagio di molto in A-Flat Major
07. Christopher Palameta & Olivia Sham - Grand Sonata for Oboe and Piano, Op. 35: II. Romanze
08. Christopher Palameta & Olivia Sham - L’art du chant appliqué au piano, Op. 70: No. 17, Sérénade de l'opéra "L'amant jaloux" de Grétry
09. Christopher Palameta & Olivia Sham - Nocturne in A Minor
10. Christopher Palameta & Olivia Sham - Liederkreis, Op. 39: No. 5, Mondnacht (Transcr. for Oboe and Piano by Christopher Palameta and Olivia Sham)



Thanks to the Original customer.