Bach is represented by a 20th-century reconstruction for oboe d'amore (BWV1055R) from his only surviving version of the work for solo harpsichord and strings (BWV1055). There is sound evidence to support the belief that Bach originally had an oboe d'amore in mind for this piece, and it has attained popularity in this scoring. The Concerto in E flat for oboe and strings (H468/Wq165) by Bach's second musically talented son, Carl Philipp Emanuel, is the composer's own arrangement of a harpsichord concerto (H466/Wq40). Least often performed of the three works is the Concerto in F major for oboe and strings with two horns, by Bach's youngest son by his second marriage, John Christian (the 'London Bach').
Pauline Oostenrijk is a fluent and expressive soloist - she plays modern instruments - and she is well supported by the Nieuw Sinfonietta Amsterdam under the baton of baroque cellist Jaap ter Linden. All three works can be found currently in period-instrument recordings but that should not deter readers from becoming acquainted with this one. The music-making is lively, style-conscious and technically accomplished. Oostenrijk articulates phrases cogently and with a natural eloquence. Her control of the many, literally long-winded phrase units is shapely and deftly shaded. There is perhaps just a hint of a rhythmic strait-jacket on occasion; I should have liked a little more in the way of elasticity, above all in the slow movements, all of which demonstrate the Bachs' lyricism at its most alluring. In short, an attractive release, well recorded and, in the main, satisfying.'