Classical-era oboe concertos, full of flourish and elegantly turned melodies in polished and critically praised recordings from 2000-2. 'This repertoire certainly deserves your attention,' wrote the Fanfare reviewer when this album was first issued, 'for it is an excellent alternative - even a potent supplement - to the Mozart oboe concerto.' He went on to praise the 'fine tone' and 'impressive technique' of the soloist, American oboist Nancy Ambrose King. The Janácek Philharmonic play with 'verve, fine drama, and an excellent sense of unity from beginning to end,' conducted by Jeremy Swerling who 'keeps a nice grip on the proceedings, but also allows some flexibility in the way things are done.' As to the repertoire itself: Ludwig August Lebrun (1752-1790) was an oboist by training, and the son of an oboist at the Mannheim court, Alexander Lebrun. Ludwig evidently wrote these concertos, and another 10 in the same vein, in order to showcase his own abilities on an instrument which was evolving rapidly in terms of technical innovation (projecting further, with more reliable tone) and thus allowing for greater virtuosity on behalf of both composers and performers. There are four concertos here, and they all adhere to the standard three-movement form and belong to the idiom of the Mannheim school exemplified by exemplified by the likes of Danzi (whose daughter Lebrun married) and Cannabich. There are delicate melodies as well as spectacular virtuosity in music filled with imagin ATTENTION: please remember that all Blu-Rays are Region A USA and all DVDs Region 1 USA and you will need a multi region Blu-Ray/DVD player to play them.