Trio d’anches Ensemble Hamburg, German Strings Orchestra & Olivier Tardy - Henri Tomasi (2013) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist
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01. Divertimento Corsica: I. Paghiella
02. Divertimento Corsica: II. Cimetière marin
03. Divertimento Corsica: III. Danse-sérénade
04. Divertimento Corsica: IV. La foire du niolo
05. Oboe Concerto
06. Bassoon Concerto: I. Andante-Allegro
07. Bassoon Concerto: II. Serenade Nocturne: Andantino
08. Bassoon Concerto: III. Finale Saltarelle: Giocoso
09. Clarinet Concerto: I. Allegro giocoso
10. Clarinet Concerto: II. Nocturne-Scherzando
11. Clarinet Concerto: III. Scherzo Final-Subito allegro

Henri Tomasi’s international breakthrough as a composer did not come until after the second world war, although in his native France he had had tremendous success with such works as “Cyrnos”, “Vocero” and “Tam Tam”, placing himself in the front row of the greatest French composers of the day. He had a special affinity for the theatre, and thus he wrote a total of twelve operas, including “Don Juan de Manara”, “L’Atlantide” and “Sampierro Corso”. Tomasi’s second passion for was instrumental music, and he especially favoured wind instruments. In cooperation with the most eminent soloists of the twentieth century, Francescatti, Navarra, Mule, André, Rampal, Presti-Lagoya and Erlih among them, he composed twenty concertos.

Two of the three concertos presented on this CD (for clarinet and bassoon) were commissioned by the Paris Conservatoire as entry audition pieces. The third concerto (for oboe) which was written at the same time as the ballet “Jabadao”, is based on the same musical material and moulds this into traditional concert form. The beginning of the oboe concerto is reminiscent of a “Vocero”, which is a ceremony performed for the deceased, in which a woman who was professional mourner would declaim dirges and songs of lament. The “Divertimento Corsica” comes across as a small conglomeration of Corsican dances and melodies. In four scenes, full of atmosphere, Tomasi tells us of his beloved island home.

The four works do not as yet form part of current theatre repertoire, so they are a treasure trove for collectors of rare music! And: this album is actually filling a loophole in the repertoire! This is the first time ever that the oboe concerto has been issued on a recording.

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