Ingrid Arauco
		Trio for oboe, violin, and piano
	1.	I. Moderato (5:13)
	2.	II. Energico (6:22)
	3.	III. Mesto (7:34)
		Jonathan Blumenfeld, oboe
		Gloria Justen, violin
		Curt Cacioppo, piano
		Ingrid Arauco
	4.	"Jasper" for solo oboe (3:13)
		Jonathan Blumenfeld, oboe
		Curt Cacioppo
		Concerto for Oboe and String Chamber Orchestra with Harpsichord
	5.	I. Fantasia (11:03)
	6.	II. Largo (9:38)
	7.	III. Allegro con spirito (8:09)
		Jonathan Blumenfeld, oboe
		Ensemble Solarium
		Gloria Justen, violin
		Meichen Liao-Barnes, violin
		Boris Balter, violin
		Charles Parker, violin
		Renard Edwards, viola
		Derek Barnes, cello
		Aaron Robertson, contrabass
		Charles Abramovic, harpsichord
		Heidi Jacob, conductor

 

Reviews

Fanfare - June/July 2004 by Peter Burwasser

"At the heart of this provocatively original collection of new music for oboe lies the fascinating work of Curt Cacioppo. I have encountered his music once before, on another Capstone release featuring his ambitious string quartet, "Nayénezgani" ("Monsterslayer") based on Native American folk tales and musical motifs. I a generic sense, Cacioppo belongs to the post-serial, eclectic tonalist generation of composers. That's not too pretentious, is it? To put it another way, Cacioppo and many of this contemporaries do not have to worry about labels (and maybe music reviewers shouldn't either). His challenge, then, becomes gathering the enormous range of influences surrounding him into a cohesive musical statement, and he seems to do so in this Oboe Concerto.

The thematic material for the work is inspired by Vivaldi, specifically the Gloria, which is quoted both directly and obliquely. The use of harpsichord suggests a neo-Baroque framework, which can be heard in certain structural devices, especially in the framing of the movements. That instrument also ties into Cacioppo's masterful sense for texture, which works both vertically, in a traditional sense, bit also in the interlocking flow of lines. Combine this with a fine melodic gift and you have a significant addition to the oboe concerto literature.

Cacioppo's Haverford College colleague Ingrid Arauco also wries music of an accessible yet intriguing nature, although she cooks at a lower temperature than Cacioppo. If her work is less overtly exciting that of Cacioppo, it is more sensual, with her timbral blending in the trio lending the music a silky, at times lugubrious momentum. Also, to generalize, her tonal sense for the oboe tends to be darker than Cacioppo's, perhaps more idiomatic.

Jonathan Blumenfeld, a member of the Philadelphia Orchestra, plays with focused passion. He is more than ably abetted by an ensemble that is, I believe, largely drawn from the superb Philadelphia freelance community."

 

NewMusicBox - December 2002

"A member of the Philadelphia Orchestra since 1986, oboist Jonathan Blumenfeld demonstrates why the oboe should not be relegated to only Baroque chamber music and orchestral works. The oldest piece on this recording, a trio for oboe, piano, and violin by Pennsylvania-based composer Ingrid Arauco, dates from 1990 and explores both the lamenting and sharp sides of the oboe's tone. Her virtuosic solo work for oboe, Jasper, also fixates on the divergent traits that characterize the oboe's personality. Curt Cacioppo's fantastical concerto for oboe and string orchestra with harpsichord moves seamlessly between angular, modernist themes, ethereal passages in ancient Arabic modes, and technical passages inspired by the 'avant-garde side of Vivaldi.'"

 

American Record Guide - May/June 2003 - MacDonald

"Jonathan Blumenfeld, long-time oboist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, displays excellent intonation, facility, and dynamic range on his newest disc on the Capstone label. This is first-rate oboe playing that should be considered by anyone interested in the instrument. The works are all well composed...."

 

Fanfare - June/July 2004 - by Peter Burwasser

"At the heart of this provocatively original collection of new music for oboe lies the fascinating work of Curt Cacioppo. I have encountered his music once before, on another Capstone release featuring his ambitious string quartet, "Nayénezgani" ("Monsterslayer"), based on Native American folk tales and musical motifs. In a generic sense, Cacioppo belongs to the post-serial, eclectic tonalist generation of composers. That's not too pretentious, is it? To put it another way, Cacioppo and many of his contemporaries do not have to worry about labels (and maybe music reviewers shouldn't either). His challenge, then, becomes gathering the enormous range of influences surrounding him into a cohesive musical statement, and he seems to do so in this Oboe Concerto.

The thematic material for the work is inspired by Vivaldi, specifically the Gloria, which is quoted both directly and obliquely. The use of harpsichord suggests a neo-Baroque framework, which can be heard in certain structural devices, especially in the framing of the movements. That instrument also ties into Cacioppo's masterful sense for texture, which works both vertically, in a traditional sense, but also in the interlocking flow of lines. Combine this with a fine melodic gift and you have a significant addition to the oboe concerto literature.

Cacioppo's Haverford College colleague Ingrid Arauco also writes music of an accessible yet intriguing nature, although she cooks at a lower temperature than Cacioppo. If her work is less overtly exciting than that of Cacioppo, it is more sensual, with her timbral blending in the trio lending the music a silky, at times lugubrious momentum. Also, to generalize, her tonal sense for the oboe tends to be darker than Cacioppo's, perhaps more idiomatic.

Jonathan Blumenfeld, a member of the Philadelphia Orchestra, plays with focused passion. He is more than ably abetted by an ensemble that is, I believe, largely drawn from the superb Philadelphia freelance community."