Hyperion Records

Rodolph Kreutzer was born in Versailles in 1766 and became one of the most famous and influential violinists of his day. Like most contemporary musicians he was equally active as a composer, producing no fewer than nineteen violin concertos as well as a good deal of music for the stage – ballets, operas and opéras-comiques. Most of his chamber music dates from the 1790s. The exact date of the Oboe Quintet – the solo wind part may also be taken by the clarinet – is not known, but the work is presumed to have been written between 1790 and 1799. It is a relatively short piece, despite being labelled ‘Grand Quintet’. As in the Crusell there is a surprise in the first movement: in place of the development is an Andantino section, prefaced by a hymn-like passage for the strings. The slow movement itself, in F major, is long-lined, very vocal in style, with a recurring dotted rhythm (redolent of the first movement of Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight’ Sonata) and an affecting use of the Neapolitan. The music’s vocal quality is furthered by a recitative section, an operatic dialogue between oboe and first violin, before the short finale, a perky Presto non troppo.

from notes by Andrew Mikolajski © 1999