Nicholas Daniel Archive

“A Tribute to Janet” = Oboe Quartets by Mozart, Britten, Knussen, Francaix – Britten Oboe Quartet – Harmonia Mundi

by Audiophile Audition | Oct 29, 2017 | Classical CD Reviews

A Tribute to Janet = Oboe Quartets by Mozart, Birtten, Knussen, Françaix— Britten Oboe Quartet (Nicholas Daniel, Jacqueline Shave, Clare Finnimore, Caroline Dearnley) — Harmonia Mundi HMM 907672, 61:09 ****: This recording combines various “oboe quartets” by a diverse group of composers, beginning with W.A. Mozart, then moving in time to Jean Françaix, Benjamin Britten (for whom this ensemble is named), and Oliver Knussen. The oboe quartet of course is a string quartet minus one of the violins, not four oboes. Nicholas Daniel is the oboe player, and in the work by Françaix and a single movement by Mozart, he moves to the English horn. The two pieces I liked best were the Mozart Quartet (K. 370) and the Quatour pour cor anglias, violon, alto et violoncelle by Françaix written in 1970. The Mozart piece starts the recording (and is augmented by a single movement piece by Mozart, an Adagio for English horn, K.580a. It reveals a highly polished ensemble, which seems continually well-balanced, articulate, and enrobed in a beautiful acoustic. Yet, a recital of music from different periods can be a challenge for the listener. The Britten and Knussen depart from the comfort of Mozart’s tonality. The Françaix could easily be described as tonal, […]