Bach - Double Oboe & Violin Concerto [Vogel & Hahn/Kahane-Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra]

This is the third time this work / disc has appeared in my Blog [2nd February 2010 & 11th October 2010], it is such a great little work [only 13 minutes long], the tunes and rhythms are stunning, and this recording is very lively and has a certain intimacy about it, it just proves that Bach is a genius across the whole spectrum of Classical music.

Hilary Hahn is an American Violinist, steadily making her way recording all the major Concertos, and throwing in a few surprises of unknowns along the way, she's now 32, still really young, she recorded this work in 2003, and like i've said before, the front cover [and back inlay] pic is a stunner [photo by Kasskara], a head and shoulders shot of Hahn, looking straight serious at the camera, lovely dark blue background, and the letting is very nicely done, a really great visual product.

This Concerto starts off great, and finishes even better, it was the third movement which really blew the cobwebs away, a tremendous rhythmic tour de force, lasting just 3:10, but packed with quality, the opening tutti has surges of sound for effect [0:00-0:25], and Vogel and Hahn come in, playing sparks off each other [0:26-1:11], Hahn impresses with some virtuoso playing [1:11-1:28], and what a beautiful sounding instrument the oboe is, a perfect Baroque sound, towards the end the whole lot comes together in a nice culmination [2:48-2:57], Bach really knows how to get us musically excited.

Here's Nigel Kennedy and Aisling Casey playing the third movement on YouTube.

Strauss - Don Quixote [Maisky & Zimmermann /Mehta-Berliner Philharmoniker] 

The companion piece to the Dvorak on this disc, i played the Dvorak in April [19th April 2011], i bought the disc mainly because of the Dvorak coupling, but it's good to have a version of this work too, it certainly isn't a work that i feel hot about, i find Strauss hard to get into, he has great moments, but the bigger canvas can get somewhat clogged, however Don Quixote is a work i'm slowly warming to, mainly i'm starting to enjoy certain moments in this work, and like Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, each variation shows a different portrait of the bumbling hero.

Mischa Maisky is Latvian, born in 1948, and he made this recording in 2002, as of late, Deutsche Grammophon have got better at producing some wonderful visual packages [think Helene Grimaud, Yuja Wang, and Hilary Hahn here], and the front cover of this booklet is well laid out [photo by Susesch Bayat], showing Maisky and Mehta in dark clothing, i take it outside on the Berliner Philharmonie roof / balcony, the lettering is excellent, nicely light against the dark background, and Maisky is one of those Artists that defy the 'bow tie and tails', for something more unique and i guess comfortable, and then there's his Simon Rattle mane!.

The two variations i enjoyed the most were 2 & 4, 'The Battle with the Sheep' and 'The Adventure with the Procession of Penitents', so here's a short synopsis with each of these variations,

2 The Battle with the Sheep, you can hear the sheep bleating away in the woodwinds [0:11-0:17], and then later in the brass [0:20+], all out of tune and ugly, very agitated, nicely realized by Strauss.
4 The Adventure with the Procession of Penitents, a variation with strong forward momentum to begin with, but then come the penitents singing the Dies Irae, [0:45+], and what sounds like the bass clarinet & oboe arguing away [Quixote & Panza?], right at the end the bassoon gets a nice 'raspberry' [1:58-2:04].
Well i'm slowing getting into this more, i'm thankful for the additional insights i have gained today.

Bach - Double Oboe & Violin Concerto [Vogel & Hahn/Kahane-Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra]

Well this is the very first time that a work by a certain artist has appeared in my Blog for the second time, [2nd February 2010], since i started my Blog at the beginning of the year, i knew this would eventually happen, this disc really is becoming treasurable, all four works on the disc are truly wonderful, they all have that baroque spirit about them, and it's a nice cozy chamber music recording, you can hear the individual voices in the group, unlike a soupy mega orchestra.

Again i feel i must point out about this certain disc, it has one of the most artistic photographs of any disc that i own [by Kasskara], a superb sharp shot on the front and back, the lettering / graphics are a joy to look at, very well laid out, this is how things should be, and the yellow DG logo sensibly reduced to a small box, well done DG.

On this listen i was so excited by the final movement of this Concerto, it has a real exuberance and life to it, the small chamber group quickly create a frothy baroque lather [0:00-0:25], and when the oboe and violin come in [0:26+], they seemingly play 'against' each other, but actually complementing each other and making great music together, later Hahn lets go and the violin does some breathtaking virtuoso somersaults [1:11-1:28], and later the oboe also has a virtuoso go [1:45-2:05], but it's just not in the same league, at the end the orchestra take the music out in a wonderful fashion [2:40-3:10], showing the oboe and violin what they can do, what a breathtaking three minutes, Bach really packs a punch.

Here's Hilary Hahn & Allan Vogel playing the third movement on YouTube.

Bach - Double Violin & Oboe Concerto [Mackintosh & Hammer/ Hogwood-The Academy Of Ancient Music]

As well as the 6 Brandenburg Concertos, this double disc set also has room for three other works, and one of these is the delightful Double Concerto for Violin & Oboe [BWV 1060].

I like this lithe performance on 'authentic instruments', there's not enough Double Concertos in the world, so this is very welcome, and Bach and Vivaldi regularly composed these types of concertos.

I certainly enjoyed all the movements of this concerto, but most of all the final movement was especially thrilling, it's played quite fast here, but maybe this is a normal speed,

Here's Nigel Kennedy & Aisling Casey playing the third movement of this Concerto on YouTube, even Nige gets a rose at the end!.

Bach - Double Oboe & Violin Concerto [Hahn & Vogel/Kahane-Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra]

The American Hilary Hahn has made a fabulous album here, she was nearly 23 when she recorded this, each of the four works is a gem, in a wonderfully clear recording, ideally using a Chamber Orchestra, you can hear all the instruments in a realistic spatial dimension, Bach would have been thrilled with the interpretation.

A Double Concerto for a wind and a stringed instrument is a great idea, it's a wonder that the big classical and romantic era Composers didn't create Concertos for various combinations of duets, the Oboe and Violin work really well together.

This time i was enchanted by the lovely slow middle movement Adagio, sounding like it's suspended in space and time, the gorgeous Oboe melody comes in right at the beginning, and the Violin takes up the tune after a short while, the two swap and overlap each other in a fugue like elegy, while the strings play a pizzicato beat like gentle raindrops, really soothing and calming.

Here's Nigel Kennedy & Aisling Casey playing the Adagio on YouTube.