The perceptive oboe Nancy Ambrose King plays oboe concertos, reviewed by BASIL RAMSEY Cala    CACD1035

The oboe is usually cast as an instrument perfect for inducing a pastoral atmosphere. I had a brother gifted as a player of this instrument, and I sometimes accompanied on the piano. Neither of us felt that the oboe deserved to be typecast as it is capable of many moods [listen -- track 4, 2:35-3:42].

There are four concerti here : Mozart, Goossens, Vaughan Williams and Martinu [listen -- track 10, 4:28-5:46]. Whilst three display aspects of modernism, the approach of each composer serves both music -- and the instrument -- with differing qualities of perception and intensity. With these good performances here, it would have been useful -- but less likely to tempt the cautious purchaser -- to replace the Mozart [listen -- track 3, 4:41-5:58] with another 'modern', but we understand!

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Record Box is Music & Vision's regular series of shorter CD reviews