Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
Complete Oboe Works
Alexei Utkin (oboe) and the Hermitage Chamber Orchestra
Six Metamorphoses after Ovid, op. 49 (1951) for oboe solo.
Dedicated to Joy Boughton
1 Pan, who played upon the reed pipe which was Syrinx, his beloved [2:20]
2 Phaeton, who made upon the chariot of the sun for one day and was hurled into the river Padus by a thunderbolt [1:13]
3 Niobe, who, lamenting the death of her fourteen children, was turned into a mountain [2:35]
4 Bacchus, at whose feast is heard the noise of gaggling women’s tattling tongues and shouting out of boys [2:30]
5 Narcissus, who fell in love with his own image and became a flower [3:40]
6 Arethusa, who, flying from the love of Alpheus the river god, was turned into a fountain [2:25]
7 Phantasy Quartet, op. 2 (1932) for oboe, violin, viola and cello.
Dedicated to Leon Goossens [12:35]
Insect Pieces, op. posth. (1935)
Arranged for oboe and string orchestra by Leonid Hoffman
8 The Grasshoper [3:22]
9 The Wasp [1:52]
Temporal Variations, op. posth. (1936).
Arranged for oboe and string orchestra by Viktor Kozodov and Alexei Utkin.
Dedicated to Montagu Slater
10 Theme. Andante rubato [1:32]
11 Oration. Lento quasi recitativo [1:41]
12 March. Alla marcia [1:16]
13 Exercises. Allegro molto e con fuoco [1:02]
14 Commination. Adagio con fuoco [1:28]
15 Chorale. Molto lento [1:57]
16 Waltz. Allegretto rubato [1:16]
17 Polka. Tempo di Polka. Allegro [1:37]
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