Evelyn Rothwell (oboe)

Haydn Oboe Concerto No.1
Recorded in 1957

Marcello (arr Rothwell) Oboe Concerto
Recorded in 1969

Corelli (arr Barbirolli) Oboe Concerto
Recorded in 1969

Hallé Orchestra
Sir John Barbirolli (conductor)

Bach Sonata in G minor
Loeillet Sonata in C major
Handel Air & Rondo
Morgan Nicholas Melody
Telemann Sonata in E flat major
All recorded in 1951

Michael Head Siciliana
with Wilfred Parry, Dennis Nesbitt & Valda Aveling
Recorded in 1973

Those concert-goers who had the opportunity to hear Evelyn Rothwell in the concert-hall � either in recital, or with orchestra in the Strauss concerto, perhaps, or another work such as the Castelnuovo - Tedesco concerto which she played at the Proms � may like to be reminded that a number of composers including Edmund Rubbra, Gordon Jacob, Elizabeth Maconchy, Stephen Dodgson and Arnold Cooke wrote works specially for her; also that in 1948 she gave in Salzburg the first performance in modern times of Mozart's Oboe Concerto K314 and that, following her career as soloist, recitalist and chamber music player, she became Professor of oboe at the Royal Academy of Music.

Lady Barbirolli is now in her late eighties, but her enthusiasm and energy are undimmed while her recorded performances, when heard on radio here and abroad, invariably strike a distinct and responsive chord with listeners. What a joy, therefore, that more of them exist in the archives to be made available through this second issue. The music of the Marcello and Corelli concerti will already be familiar to purchasers of the earlier disc published by The Barbirolli Society in 1997, but the performances featured here are, of course, not the same: a decade separates them from the earlier ones. But as on that disc Miss Rothwell plays to accompaniments conducted by her husband, Sir John Barbirolli (1899-1970), while the fact that they recorded the Marcello Concerto together twice and the Corelli three times � there was a 78rpm performance made in 1946 � speaks eloquently of the enduring musical worth and appeal among listeners of this musical partnership in these highly attractive pieces.

Both are 'family' affairs: the work by Corelli (1653- 1713) was specially arranged for his wife to play by Sir John himself (in 1945); he selected five movements from the old composer's violin sonatas, transcribing the violin lines for the oboe and elaborating the originals' figured basses into an accompaniment for string orchestra. The delightful result has long been admired, and it is valuable now to have their last thoughts upon it from this 1968 performance with its more expansive tempi than on the earlier occasion. The concerto by Marcello (1684-1750) is heard in Evelyn Rothwell's own edition: originally in the key of D minor, the concerto was at one time attributed to Vivaldi and even arranged by J S Bach for harpsichord.

The Sonatas by Telemann and C P E Bach were based by Evelyn Rothwell and her harpsichordist friend Valda Aveling (one of her regular accompanying partners; Iris Loveridge was another) on manuscripts found in Copenhagen and at the Royal Conservatoire of Music in Brussels. The Telemann is constructed in the form which was standard at the time � slow, quick, slow, quick � though J S Bach's second son lives up to his inventive reputation by preferring a three-movement format and ending with a sprightly set of variations on an original theme. In both Sonatas, oboist and harpsichordist are joined by the viola da gamba player Dennis Nesbitt.
The Concerto once thought to be by Haydn was originally discovered in a collection at the publishing house of Breitkopf and H�rtel in Leipzig. Although sounding moderately Haydnesque in places � the minuet finale, for instance, differently orchestrated, could easily come from one of his symphonies, or even, for that matter, from an early Mozart Serenade or Divertimento � the fact that it existed only as a set of orchestral material, that the parts were unattributed and Haydn's name proved to have been added at a later date have long combined to cast doubt on the authenticity of its attribution. All the same, its bright trumpet and drum textures (the scoring is for a pair of trumpets besides oboes, horns and timpani) combine in a work of attractiveness and melodic charm, into the spirit of which the Barbirollis' enter wholeheartedly. Lady Barbirolli provides her own cadenzas.

The items originally recorded for HMV at the end of the 78rpm era recall another of Evelyn Rothwell's favourite musical collaborators, Wilfrid Parry (1908-1979). Their performance together of the charming Sonata by the Belgian oboist and composer Jacques Loeillet (1685-1748) has not been issued before, while the arrangement of Handel's Air and Rondo is typical of the delectable little miniature which featured in concert recital programmes all over the world; so is the moving Melody by the distinguished Welsh composer and conductor, John Morgan Nicholas, composed in memory of a daughter who died young. Another recital piece is the harpsichord - accompanied Siciliana by the English singer and song-writer Michael Head (1900-76), who wrote of it: �The music is derived from the opening series of chords, with their enharmonic change in the third bar. The lilt of the siciliana is reflected in the leisurely rhythm for the harpsichord and the graceful melody for the oboe. There is an animated middle section, and a cadenza, leading back to the first melody'.

Lyndon Jenkins, The Barbirolli Society, 1999

CDSJB 1016

Although marked as "Out of Stock", we have very low stock levels of this title. If you wish to purchase a copy (in some cases the only copy), either

telephone: (in UK) (01923) 803 001 or (outside the UK) +44 1923 803 001

or, email: orders@duttonvocalion.co.uk

telling us which CD you wish to buy. We will process the order immediately.
Normal postage and packing charges apply.

Please quote catalogue no. CDSJB1016