Paul Dombrecht

The Virtuoso Romantic Oboe: Paul Dombrecht

This CD is unique. The oboe was relegated in the romantic age as the clarinet gained favor. So there are few chamber works for oboe from this period, and those that exist are rarely recorded. But to have several of these pieces on one disc and played so well on period instruments makes this a real treat. The instruments are an 1850 Triebert oboe and Erard pianoforte. These are not so different technically from their modern counterparts, but in these musicians' hands they deliver a warm, distinctive sound that would be hard to emulate with modern instruments. The Schumann Romances are sad and haunting, the Kaliwoda alternates between the serious and the dance-like, and the Pixis sonata is a more substantial piece with a rather somber slow movement.