Some music is more for the musicians than the listener. That’s how I feel about the trio sonatas that make up this aurally pleasant but musically ordinary program. This is not to diminish the considerable talents of baroque oboist Bart Schneemann, who displays technical competence and interpretive skill–and gorgeous tone–enough to at least bring a respectable measure of color and life to these rather minor works. Nor should anyone think less of Telemann, who not only was one of the greatest of 18th century composers, but also happened to be one of the most prolific–and as with most composers who produce lots of music for immediate consumption, there are bound to be a number of commonplace albeit well-crafted works among the more rare masterpieces (we can’t all be Bach!).
This isn’t to say that there isn’t some lovely music here: the plaintive Adagio from the Concerto in D minor for Oboe; the nifty duets between oboe and baroque bassoon in the Suite in G minor; the beautiful Andante of the A minor sonata; and the colorful interplay of sound and individual lines in the Triosonata in E major, interestingly scored for oboe, harpsichord, and organ. Schneemann is fortunate to have some very fine partners–not only his uniformly superb fellow instrumentalists, but also producer/engineer (and Channel Classics label head) Jared Sacks, whose recording gives wonderful presence and vibrancy to the sound. This is an especially important feature because, as explained in the liner notes, the baroque oboe is uniquely different from the modern instrument we usually hear, and the engineering allows us to hear full measure of its sweetness and reedy warmth, in perfect balance with each ensemble combination. [3/4/2001]
