Description
George Caird – Oboe – and friends
These pieces for oboe and strings – all written for Goossens or inspired by him – show a wide variety of moods, from rumbustuous energy in Arthur Bliss to English understatement in the Fantasy of E J Moeran.
The opening of Elizabeth Maconchy’s Quintet shows a striking intensity, and so does this section from the first movement of this re-discovered Quintet of Dorothy Gow.
The Phantasy Quartet of Benjamin Britten completes the programme, played with virtuosity and flair by George Caird and his string friends.
Howarth’s Opinion
Yet another refreshing release from the Oboe Classics label. George Caird and friends play English music inspired by Goossens written in the early half of the 20th centruy. The Bliss quintet and Britten Phantasy Quartet form the core around which less well known works are given a chance to shine. The chamber compositions by female composers Elizabeth Machonchy and Dorothy Gow are very pleasing inclusions on the disc, both illustrating displaying distinctive character within the established genre.
