Vivaldi was generous to oboists and to the 11 of his completed concertos for the oboe already available on various CDs this recording adds another two (RV448 and 460), though, unless someone is beavering away unannounced, no integral recording is in prospect; the oboe has yet to finds its Daniel Smith. As was his way (and that of many others) Vivaldi did his share of self-borrowing, so that eight of the 19 oboe concertos exist in other forms, including one of those here recorded RV448, reworked both as a bassoon concerto (RV470) and another oboe concerto (RV447). It is impossible to say, however, which was the chicken and which the eggs. It's remarkable how such commonplace musical stock can be transformed into such memorable ritornello material as that of RV448, as Vivaldi may well also have thought and noteworthy that the opening sections of the ritornelli of both flanking movements are differently dressed descending scales, a simple but effective binding medium. Whether due to the presence of splendidly talented 'angels' at the Pieta or to the propinquity of other virtuosos, Vivaldi asked a lot of the reed-blowing soloists of his time, whose instruments were devoid of most of today's 'mod-com' keywork, even with which the oboe concertos are still a challenge.
Glaetzner is another of the steadily growing number of oboists to whom such virtuosity seems to come easily; he negotiates Vivaldi's hurdles almost insouciantly and his passagework, together with his own added, fiorature, flows like water over oiled silk. The Leipzig New Bach ensemble (about which there is no information in the inlay booklet) are precise and stylish, and though their tuttis tend to be on the beefy side, their dynamic contrasts are most effective. The recording is admirable, with a warm acoustic, and the harpsichord impinges on just the right level of consciousness. Glaetzner's oboe is not a period instrument, nor do those of the others involved sound to be, but their product results in a very collectable record of Vivaldi.'