In 1777, Mozart
set out with his mother on a tour
to seek his musical fortune outside
of the court of the Archbishop of Salzburg.
He was soon to find great success in
Mannheim, a city that boasted one of
Europe’s most famous orchestras. Success,
that is, in popularity and collegial
respect, but alas, no appointment to
the court was in store. Nonetheless,
while there he made the acquaintance
of one Friedrich Ramm, a gifted oboist.
Further travels and a great misfortune
in the death of his mother led him to
make a round-about way back to Salzburg,
a city he by now detested.
It was upon his return
there in 1781 that he composed his F
major quartet for his friend Ramm. It
is a delightfully elegant piece, chock-full
of the infectious melodies for which
Mozart is known and loved. The later
work for oboe and strings (the Quintet
K. 406) is a reworking of his serenade
for wind instruments K. 388, and was
born out of the precariously difficult
last decade of the composer’s life,
a time that saw him almost constantly
struggling to keep his financial head
above the waves.
Bernhard Crusell
was a Finnish-born clarinetist and
composer. Educated in Stockholm, he
was later to make that city a major
base for his career as a soloist. His
charming divertimento of 1822 is a little
gem of a piece, full of formal craft
and winsome tunes. One is particularly
and pleasantly surprised by the unexpected
shifts in mode and harmony, a clever
series of devices that keep the listener
tuned in.
Johann Christian Bach,
the youngest of Sebastian’s sons, and
eleventh of his thirteen (out of a total
of twenty) surviving children, was born
in Leipzig and remained there assisting
his father until the elder’s death in
1750. From there he joined his brother
(Carl Philip Emmanuel) in Potsdam, later
moving to Italy where he converted to
Catholicism and became a cathedral organist
in Milan. He later moved to London,
where, like Handel, he found considerable
success as a composer of Italian opera,
meeting the young Mozart, and living
rather well until fashion turned against
the art form in which he had made his
fortunes, causing him considerable struggles
in his later years. His elegant and
charming Oboe Quartet from 1776 is typical
of the composer’s fondness for varied
combinations of instruments, and is
in melody, harmony and style a harbinger
of the classical mindset that would
make the careers of Haydn, Mozart and
the young Beethoven.
Max Artved is clearly
the star of this program, and his warm
and fluid oboe tone is most pleasing.
His control of the instrument, flawless
intonation and finely shaped phrasing
is a delight for the ear. Lest I seem
dismissive of his colleagues, I would
hasten to add that this is an ensemble
of first-rate professionals. It is not
clear if these musicians play together
regularly, but they do all have membership
in various Danish orchestras in common.
The Danes must be the proud home of
some excellent conservatories, if the
refined playing of this group is any
indication.
This recital is one
of those double plusses, which allow
for careful and involved listening if
desired, and some splendid ambient music
if the occasion calls for such. The
music itself is tuneful and energetic,
elegant and engaging, and should be
appealing to all but the most curmudgeonly
of listeners. Similar enough in style
to flow together without too much of
a jar, there is plenty of subtle drama
to keep your ears attuned as well.
This is a most pleasant
and recommendable disc, one that would
find pride of place in any library.
Superb sound quality, and Keith Anderson’s
typically fine program notes are the
icing that secures this recital a firm
spot in the winner’s column.
Kevin Sutton
see also review
by Peter Lawson
Max Artved, oboe 
