Vivaldi wrote a number of concertos in which oboes had both 'solo' and 'ripieno' parts but, as well as these, there are no less than 17 complete concertos for solo oboe with strings, three for two oboes and one double concerto for oboe and violin. Douglas Boyd has chosen five of the solo oboe concertos together with the Concerto in B flat for oboe and violin (RV548). The Double Concerto is an attractive piece, technically and structurally straightforward, but full of airy grace and containing, furthermore, something of a pastoral character. This is especially apparent in the lyrical G minor Siciliano and in the Allegro finale whose opening solo statement sounds as if it might have been derived from a folk-melody. As for the remaining concertos on the disc, Boyd has chosen discerningly, opting for works which by and large are seldom performed. The Concerto in C major (RV450) is one of four which Vivaldi seems to have adapted from an earlier bassoon concerto. In such instances the composer left the tuttis more or less as they were while providing the oboe with new solo passages. Its engaging opening movement contains effectively contrasting ideas, Vivaldi thinking well enough of it to adapt it as a soprano aria in his opera, Griselda (1735). The Concerto in A minor (RV463) is also an adaptation of a bassoon concerto where an athletic finale in C major provides a strong contrast with the somewhat melancholic aspect of the previous movements. Likewise the first two movements of the Concerto in C major (RV447) are adaptations of pieces for bassoon.
Boyd, playing a modern oboe, gives fluent, sensitively shaped performances of each of these works and is vigorously supported by the strings of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. Indeed, I sometimes found them a shade too boisterous to bring out the charm of the athletic, dance-like tuttis which abound in these concertos. In the slow movements Boyd is unfailingly expressive, as for instance, in the beautiful cantilena of the Larghetto of the Concerto in A minor (RV461). This work, incidentally, may be ranked among Vivaldi's finest creations for the oboe.
In short, an enjoyable disc from start to finish. Assiduous Vivaldi collectors will already have all these pieces in their libraries but they will not in this instance regret duplication. The recorded sound is clear and pleasingly resonant and the balance between solo and tutti is effective. I have not seen any documentation.'