In my previous review of a disc by the same oboist I stated; “In my opinion, humble though it may be, Albrecht Mayer has to be the finest oboe player to be found on CD”. Indeed I sit here listening to his first recording for Decca, his exclusive contract signed, sealed and delivered, my opinion unchanged (sorry Heinz!). Having sat in numerous orchestras as a clarinettist (albeit totally amateur by comparison) I have always considered the oboe to be the athlete and the clarinet the mellifluous honey-toned instrument that got the best solos. Yet Mayer somehow blurs the edges between instruments - the sound he produces is simply incredible. His new disc, Albrecht Mayer In Venice, features concerti that were mostly written specifically for the oboe and oboe d’amore by composers in and around Venice in 1700 give or take a decade. Mayer cites the city as “where the oboe came into its own” and is a place he has personally been visiting since the age of ten: proof, if it were needed, that he has a particular affinity with this repertoire. The first work on this disc is an exception. A transcription by Mayer of the Largo from Winter of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons (even if it is performed beautifully) seems an odd way to start but soon gives way to the C major Concerto which places the instrument in context for the rest of the disc. Alessandro Marcello’s Concerto in D minor is one of the first ‘bespoke’ oboe concertos yet I doubt the composer had an opportunity to hear a performance of such power and intensity. The composer gives the soloist ample room to extrapolate unlike in the Vivaldi where the composer chose to write out his fiendish ornamentation! The final work is the Concerto a Cinque Op. 9 no. 2 by Albinoni - a succinct work that provides the perfect finale. Accompaniment is provided by the New Seasons Ensemble, every musician of which is a renowned baroque specialist. A truly awesome disc.

Dawn Cooke