Many artists record
their own CDs these days, intended for
sale at recitals and concerts, or to
send to concert organisers etc. Sometimes
it’s difficult to tell whether an issue
is one such, or is intended to compete
on the ‘open market’. There is often
an overlap of course, but the production
and packaging of the current CD is quite
lavish and professional, so I have taken
it be more than a mere promotional issue.
Diana Doherty is a
Brisbane-born oboist, who combines an
extremely even, smooth tone with great
technical facility. She has been principal
oboe of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra
since 1997, and is clearly an accomplished,
intelligent musician. Her playing on
this disc is of a consistently high
standard, while the accompaniments by
Mark Summerbell and his Sinfonia Australis
are never less than competent.
So there is much to
enjoy. However, we have here, I’m afraid,
another case of that dread disease that
is afflicting record companies everywhere
at present – Adagioitis, or Chronic
Slooooow Movement Syndrome. As one long-drawn
out piece followed another, I found
myself tiring rapidly of Miss Doherty’s
plaintive, pretty sound. Looking at
the list of tracks above, you can see
that at one point there is a sequence
of no less than four Baroque
slow movements. This is madness, and
really very unfair to the players, who
all perform valiantly. What a lively
little number such as Barthe’s Couvre
Feu could have done for this programme!
I really don’t know what the thinking
is behind this kind of compilation,
but, whatever it is, it does a profound
disservice to everyone – composer, performers,
engineers, and listeners.
I am grateful, though,
for the inclusion of the (slow) middle
movement of Ross Edwards’ Oboe Concerto.
The composer was new to me, but this
is strikingly beautiful music, with
an oriental flavour in the melodic lines.
The movement is entitled Love Duet,
and consists of a dream-like dialogue
between the solo oboe and the cor anglais
in the orchestra. This piece was written
for Doherty, and as her husband Alexander
Oguey was the cor anglais player in
the première, and again in this
recording, there is an especially personal
quality to the music-making.
I look forward to hearing
Diana Doherty again in a more judiciously
varied programme!
Gwyn Parry-Jones