Handel - Oboe Concertos Nos 1-3 - Anthony Camden, City of London Sinfonietta

 

Release Date: December 17, 1996 Label: Naxos Number of discs: 1 Composer: Handel Performer: Anthony Camden, City of London Sinfonietta cd info/ buy

Review:

Such highly embellished and individually shaped performances make a good case for these early Handel concertos. Whilst Anthony Camden — a notable ex-Principal Oboe of the London Symphony Orchestra — ploughs right through 'period' orthodoxy with an articulation and cantabile reminiscent of Evelyn Rothwell, this is not entirely playing of the old school. If the G minor work is a touch short on poignancy, and a simple languid style in the Sarabande, the inimitable focus and intensity of Camden's sound sits comfortably alongside a lithe and balanced string ensemble. For those, however, looking for a rather more stylistically informed approach, the stiffness of the fast movements, such as in the finales of the B flat concertos, will ring warning bells (especially with the rough opening of the "Fuga" in Concerto No. 2 — surely a better take could have been found?). That said, Camden's control of line, despite a habit of trilling for too long on notes and not getting 'out' in time, is often most impressive as he demonstrates in Handel's ubiquitous Andante from the same piece. The orchestra seem more animated by Camden's own orchestrations of the Air and Rondo (shades of Love in the Bath) and the Suite in G minor; here again, the soloist's poise and technical fluency are rarely less than a joy, and Camden pairs up well with Julia Girdwood in a Suite whose luxuriant constitution is nostalgically inclined, to say the least. JF-A

 

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