Album

Jumping from Mozart on Deutsche Grammophon to Bach on Decca, oboist Albrecht Mayer continues to explore transcriptions as well as works originally for his instrument on Voices of Bach. This is a good and necessary thing since neither Mozart nor Bach wrote a sufficient number of works for the oboe to fill out a single disc. In the case of Bach, Mayer has hit on the ingenious solution of including not just Bach's canonical Oboe Concerto, plus his concertos for oboe d'amore and English horn, but also eight arrangements of well-known chorales for chorus and oboe. This serves the dual tasks of keeping the program interesting for the listener and challenging for Mayer, and it works brilliantly. With his apparently effortless virtuoso technique and his pungent but poignant tone, Mayer turns in soulful and stylish performances of the three concertos, plus sweetly spiritualized accounts of the chorales. The English Concert, the excellent English-based Baroque period orchestra, and Trinity Baroque, a very small but quite superb chorus, support Mayer's solos with graceful but heartfelt accompaniments, and Decca captures them in clean, warm, and open digital sound.

© Jim Leonard, All Music Guide

CD 1
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Cantata No.75: Die Elenden sollen essen, BWV75...7.Chorale: Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan Work Albrecht Mayer Oboe, English Concert Chamber Ensemble, Trinity Baroque Ensemble
1	7.Chorale: Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan (arr. oboe and orchestra)	1:41			$0.49
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Oboe d'amore Concerto in B- (after Cantata No.209) Work 18:58 Albrecht Mayer Oboe d'amore, English Concert Chamber Ensemble
2	1.Allegro	6:07			$0.99
3	2.Andante	7:32			$1.49
4	3.Allegro	5:19			$0.99
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Cantata No.147: Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben (Visitation), BWV147 (includes 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring')...10.Chorale: Jesus bleibt meine Freude (Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring) Work Albrecht Mayer Oboe, English Concert Chamber Ensemble, Trinity Baroque Ensemble
5	10.Chorale: Jesus bleibt meine Freude (Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring; various arrangements)	2:55			$0.99
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Cantata No.167: Ihr Menschen, rühmet Gottes Liebe, BWV167 Work Albrecht Mayer Oboe, English Concert Chamber Ensemble, Trinity Baroque Ensemble
6	5.Chorale: Sei Lob und Preis mit Ehren	2:32			$0.99
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Cantata No.136: Erforsche mich, Gott, und erfahre mein Herz (8th Sunday after Trinity), BWV136 Work Albrecht Mayer Oboe, English Concert Chamber Ensemble, Trinity Baroque Ensemble
7	6.Chorale: Dein Blut, der edle Saft	1:22			$0.49
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer English Horn Concerto (after Cantata No.54) Work 9:40 Albrecht Mayer Oboe, English Concert Chamber Ensemble
8	1.Larghetto	6:40			$0.99
9	2.Adagio	0:34			$0.49
10	3.Allegro	2:26			$0.99
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Cantata No.166: Wo gehest du hin? (4th Sunday of Easter), BWV166...3.Chorale (Soprano): Ich bitte dich, Herr Jesu Christ Work Albrecht Mayer Oboe, English Concert Chamber Ensemble, Trinity Baroque Ensemble
11	3.Chorale (Soprano): Ich bitte dich, Herr Jesu Christ (arr. oboe and orchestra)	2:43			$0.99
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Cantata No.140: Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (27th Sunday after Trinity), BWV140 (includes 'Sleepers Awake') Work Albrecht Mayer Oboe, English Concert Chamber Ensemble, Trinity Baroque Ensemble
12	1.Chorus: Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme	4:16			$0.99
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Cantata No.31: Der Himmel lacht! die Erde jubilieret, BWV31 Work Albrecht Mayer Oboe, English Concert Chamber Ensemble, Trinity Baroque Ensemble
13	9.Chorale: So fahr ich hin zu Jesu Christ	1:12			$0.49
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Oboe Concerto in Bb (after Cantatas 49, 105, and 170) Work 18:26 Albrecht Mayer Oboe, English Concert Chamber Ensemble
14	1.Allegro	4:37			$0.99
15	2.Andante	6:11			$0.99
16	3.Adagio	0:52			$0.49
17	4.Allegro	6:46			$0.99
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Cantata No.12: Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen (3rd Day of Easter), BWV12 Work Albrecht Mayer Oboe, English Concert Chamber Ensemble, Trinity Baroque Ensemble
18	7.Chorale: Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan	1:25			$0.49