Mozart: Clarinet Concerto / Oboe Concerto

HOGWOOD C. / ACADEMY OF ANCIEN

Playing an authentic basset clarinet (a copy, made in 1984, of a period instrument), Anthony Pay gives a splendid account of Mozart's most beautiful concerto. He is right on the mark in terms of tempo, expression, and accent, and his tone is exquisite, with that watery, wonderfully plangent sound that immediately distinguishes the basset clarinet from its higher-pitched siblings. Pay's shadings are soft and natural, and his embellishments simply marvelous. Christopher Hogwood and the Academy give a bold, energetic, dance-like reading of the score, full of verve in the tuttis and wonderfully transparent in the quiet pages. The recording captures it all with excellent fidelity. An equally marvelous account of the Oboe Concerto, played on a period oboe by Michel Piguet, fills out the disc. --Ted Libbey