International	  Record	  Review	   	  	  	  May	  2014

IRR	   	  	  	  	  Chamber	  	  	  	  	  The	  popularity	  of	  nineteeth	   operatic	   fantasias	   for	  solo	  instrument	  is	  not	   hard	  to	  fathom.	   Based	  on	  tunes	   most	   listeners	  would	  already	   know,	   they	  offered	  scope	  for	   display	   limited	   only	   by	   the	   techniques	   of	   their	   composers	   or	   intended	  soloists.	   Pianists	   will	   recall	   Liszt’s	   examples,	   violonists	   those	   of	   Paganini.	  
Thoughful	   paraphrases	   exist	   –	   Ronald	   Steveson’s	   Peter	   Grimes	   fantasia	   is	   a	  notable	  example	  –	  but	  most	  specimens	  of	  the	  genre	   seek	  merely	   to	  entertain	  and	  amaze.	   Wind	   players	  use	  them	  a	  lot	  :	  partly	   to	   show	  off	  (or	  offer	  for	  judgement,	  en	  route	  to	   Parnassus)	  their	  techniques	  and	   cantabile,	   and	  partly	   because	  they	  have	  less	   «	   serious	   »	  music	   than	  pianists	   or	   string	   players	   with	  which	   to	   build	  recital	   programmes	   :	   these	   virtuoso	   displays	   made	   highly	   suitable	   Tinales,	  encores	  –	  and,	  of	  course,	  promotional	  Cds	  !
Céline	   Moinet,	   ex-­‐Malher	   Youth	   Orchestra	   player	   under	   Claudio	   Abado,	   ex-­‐
Mannheim	   Theatre	   Orchestra	   and	   now	   principal	   oboe	   of	   the	   Dresden	  Staatskapelle,	   has	  compiled	   her	  visiting	   card	  with	   considerable	  ingenuity	   and	   a	  minimum	  of	  barrel	  scraping.	   Familiar	  operas	   named	  amid	  the	  titles	  listed	  above	  will	   need	   no	   introduction,	   though	   some	   components	   need	   further	   explanation,	  particularly	   as	   Florence	   Badol-­‐Bertrand’s	   note	   is	   more	   historico-­‐philosophical	  than	   composer	   biographical.	   The	   Donizetti,	   Tirst	   on	   the	   disc,	   is	   in	   fact	   non	  operatic,	  the	  sole	  surviving	  movement	  from	  an	  Oboe	  Concerto	  in	  F	  (not	  the	  more	  familiar	  cor	  anglais	  Concertino	  in	  G).	  Antonio	   Pasculli	  (1842	  –	   1924)	  was	   dubbed	  «	  the	  Paganini	  of	   the	  oboe	  »,	   with	  –	  on	  this	  evidence-­‐	   good	  reason.	  A	  pioneer	   of	  circular	   breathing	   (whereby	   the	   player	   inhales	   through	   the	   nose	   without	  stopping	   playing,	   a	   trick	   not	   everyone	  can	   master),	   his	   transcriptions	   virtually	  demand	   the	   technique	   from	   others	   :	   his	   pre-­‐Rimsky-­‐Korsakov	   fantasy	   «	   le	  Api	   »(the	   Bees),	   for	   example,	   seems	   to	   provide	   nowhere	   to	   breathe	   at	   all.	   The	  eight-­‐minute	   Omaggio	   a	   Bellini	   comes	   second	   on	   the	   disc	   ;	   the	   14-­‐minute	  Donizetti	  feature	  makes	  an	  astonishing	  Tinale.	  
Schubert’s	   calm	   moment	   is	   effectively	   an	   out-­‐take	   from	   the	   melodrama	   The	  Magic	   Harp.	   The	   Ibert	   was	   published	   for	   Tlute	   (or	   violin)	   and	   guitar	   or	   harp	   :	  oboe	  makes	  a	  better	  substitute	   than	  violin	  (a	  medium	   I	   reviewed	  in	  April	  2013),	  when	  playing	   from	   the	  printed	  guitar	   part,	   sounds	  an	  octave	  away	  from	  where	  Ibertmay	  have	  intended.	   (Harps	  sound	   as	  written,	  guitars	  an	  octave	   lower.)	  The	  Massenet	  Works	   perfectly	  for	  oboe,	  though	  budding	  recitalists	   be	  warned	  :	  you’ll	  need	  three	  effortless	   top	  F	  sharps	  and	  one	   top	  G	  in	  order	  to	  see	  it	  through.	   The	  Honegger	   is	   an	  intriguing	   fragment	  omitted	  from	  the	   published	   Antigone	  score	  :	  an	   enterprising	   Tind	   but	   in	   this	   context	   unseasonably	   acidic.	   Within	   its	   two	  minutes	   the	   soloist	   switches	   from	   oboe	   to	   cor	   anglais.	   Godard	   provides	   more	  calm	  ;	  Henry	   Brod	  (1799	  –	  1839)	  is	  probably	   familiar	  only	  to	  oboists	  through	  his	  didactic	   Méthode	   de	   Hautbois.	   This	   Fantaisie	   springs	   from	   the	   Mad	   Scene	   :	  another	   Lucia	   fantasy	   exists	   for	   oboe,	   basson	   and	   piano,	   and	   there	   is	   also	   a	  Nocturne	   on	   Rossini’s	   Siege	   de	   Corinth	   for	   oboe	   and	   harp.	   The	   Tannhäuser	  transcription	   is	   «	   the	   Song	   to	   the	   Evening	   Star	   »,	   the	   Tristan	   the	   offstage	  shepherd’s-­‐pipe	  solo	  from	  Act	  3.
Moinet	  is	  Tlawless	  throughout	  :	   her	  sound	  is	  a	  delight,	   her	  technique	   impeccable	  and	  her	   stamina	  –	   especially	  in	  Pasculli	   –	  superhuman.	   Between	  5’07	  to	  6’10	  in	  Poliuto,	   a	  cleverly	  written	  simultaneous	   tune-­‐and-­‐accompaniment	  solo	   passage,	  she	  plays	  –	  with	  artistry	   and	  apparent	  nonchalance	  –	   510	   notes	  in	  one	  breath	  (I	  may	  have	  miscounted),	  and	  a	  further	  468	  between	  13’06’’	  and	  13’43’’.
Accompanists	   usually	   welcome	   operatic	   fantasias,	   listening	   contentedly	   to	   the	  acrobatics	   unfurling	   above	   their	   simple	  oom-­‐pahs.	   (Introductory	   tempo	   are,	   of	  course,	  crucial	   :	  too	  slow,	  and	  the	   soloist	  will	   run	  out	  of	  breath	   ;	   too	   fast,	   and	  the	  instrument	  could	  well	  burst	  into	   Tlames.)	  Switching	  from	  piano	  to	  harp	  certainly	  adds	  glamour	  :	  Sarah	  Christ	  –	  sister	  of	  violonist	  Raphael	  and	   (serendipitously	  in	  this	   context)	   grand	   daughter	   of	   Jiri	   Tancibudek,	   dedicatee	   of	   Martinu’s	   Oboe	  Concerto	   –	   Tills	   the	   bill	   admirably.	   Her	   few	   opportunities	   for	   solo	   display	  (introductions,	   sometimes	   elaborate,	   and	   interludes	   designed	  fot	   soloists	   to	   get	  their	  breath	  back)	  are	   shaped	  with	   perfect	   technique	   and	  exquisite	   artistry.	   I’d	  have	   welcomed	  a	   couple	  of	  extended	  solos	  from	   her	  :	   there	  was	   certainly	  room	  on	   the	  disc	   for	  them.	   They’d	   also	   have	  varied	  the	  disc’s	  tone	  colour	   in	   straight-­‐
through	   listening,	   something	   the	   tiny	   gaps	   between	   tracks	   (some	   only	   three	  seconds)	  seem	  to	  encourage.	  
Astonishingly,	   she	   seems	  to	  have	  made	  no	  solo	  albums	  as	  yet,	  something	   I	  hope	  Harmonia	   Mundi	   will	   rectify	   without	   delay.	   The	   wholly	   admirable,	   astonishing	  and	  inspired	  Céline	   Moinet	  is	  better	  served,	   with	  an	  unaccompanied	  récital	  disc	  already	   out,	   ranging	   from	   the	   Bachs	   to	   Elliot	   Carter	   (it	   also	   received	   an	  Outstanding	  from	   Robert	  Matthew-­‐Walker	  in	  July/August	  2012).	  Oboe,	  harp	  and	  recording	  are	  here	  all	  perfect	  :	  this	  is	  a	  joyous	  and	  frankly	  outstanding	  disc.	  
Michael	  RoundNewMeditations	  :Oboe	  and	  Harp	  at	  the	  Opera
Brod	  Fantaisie	  sur	  la	  ‘Scène	  folie’	  de	  l’opéra	  ‘Lucia	  de	  Lammermoor’	  op.	  57.	  
Donizetti	  Andante	  sostenuto.	  Godard	  Jocelyn	  –	  Berceuse	  (both	  arr.	  by	  Moinet	  and	  Christ).	  Honegger	  Antigone	  –	  Musique	  de	  scène	  (original	  version).	  Ibert	  Entr’acte.	  Massenet	  Thaïs	  –	  Méditation.	  Pasculli	  Omagio	  a	  Bellini.	  Fantaisie	  sur	  l’opéra	  ‘Poliuto’	  de	  Donizetti.	  Schubert	  Die	  Zauberharfe,	  D644	  –	  Andante.	  
Wagner	  Tannhäuser	  –	  O	  mein	  holder	  Abendstern(	  all	  arr.	  by	  Moinet	  and	  Christ).	  
Tristan	  und	  Isolde	  –	  Mélodie	  du	  berger.
Céline	  Moinet	  (oboe/cor	  anglais)
Sarah	  Christ	  (harp)
Harmonia	  Mundi	  HMC902175	  (full	  price,	  56	  minutes).	  
Website	  www.harmoniamundi.com
Producer	  Tobias	  Lehmann.	  Engineer	  SebastanNattkemper.	  Date	  May	  2013.