Oboe Scales & Arpeggios

Antonio Pasculli (1842-1924) was part of an obscure generation of 19th century Italian wind virtuosos whose music, though popular in his own time, faded as the 20th century approached. Audiences then (as now) preferred the piano or the violin or cello as the instrument of choice in the field of the solo concerto. Composing works (sonatas, concertos, etc.) for wind instruments became mostly an Italian mode, the province of composers who drew from the rich thematic material provided by the opera. The wind repertoire thus became filled with fantasias on themes from the operas of Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti, and were often preferred by the Italian public over solo vocal adaptations.

Antonio Pasculli (1842-1924) was part of an obscure generation of 19th century Italian wind virtuosos whose music, though popular in his own time, faded as the 20th century approached. Audiences then (as now) preferred the piano or the violin or cello as the instrument of choice in the field of the solo concerto. Composing works (sonatas, concertos, etc.) for wind instruments became mostly an Italian mode, the province of composers who drew from the rich thematic material provided by the opera. The wind repertoire thus became filled with fantasias on themes from the operas of Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti, and were often preferred by the Italian public over solo vocal adaptations.

The hunting horn evolved in the seventeenth century as an accessory to a popular leisure activity for the aristocracy—the hunt. Its purpose during the chase was to signal unfolding events to people walking behind the mounted huntsmen; it was designed to be loud enough to project over considerable distance and over the barking of hunting hounds. From this rustic beginning, the horn underwent a remarkable process of taming and refinement over a few decades to become capable of being the featured musical instrument of chamber works in the eighteenth century, such as those recorded here. The music may still retain occasional references to its outdoor heritage in brief fanfares and hunting rhythms, but horn players achieved an ability to blend and balance with small groups of string instruments, harpsichord and woodwinds, with an emphasis on sweetness of tone, phrasing and articulation that would have been unanticipated a generation or so earlier.

Powerful, melodic, beautiful symphonic rock in the vein of Moody Blues, Barclay James Harvest, Camel and Genesis. Features a guest appearance by Camel's Andy Latimer. With an emphasis on lush keyboard orchestrations, soaring melodies and extended length compositions, David's album is firmly rooted in the classically influenced symphonic prog rock tradition…

Mozart's Piano Concerto in D Minor, K. 466, is one of only two written in the minor. The key of D minor is highly significant and underlines the tragic character of the concerto. Written in great haste and completed just a day before its premiere, Mozart played the concerto on February 11, 1785, at a subscription concert in Vienna. Mozart’s father, Leopold, wrote to his daughter Anna Maria (Nannerl) after the concert: “Then we had a new and very fine concerto by Wolfgang, that the copyist was still working on when we arrived, and the rondo of which your brother didn’t even have the time to play through, as he had to supervise the copying.”

From the pipe organ at the Sono Luminus studio in Boyce, Virginia, we are pleased to present a fine selection of baroque organ music for the Christmas season. Felipe Dominguez (b. 1983) is a Chilean/American organist, harpsichordist, clavichordist and musicologist. A graduate of Brigham Young University (B.M. 2010, M.M. 2012), he studied organ and harpsichord with Douglas Bush and Don Cook. He has pursued further postgraduate organ instruction in Europe with Edoardo Belotti, Hans Davidsson, Harald Vogel, and Leon Berben. Mr. Dominguez has performed as a soloist and in ensembles in Chile, Argentina, the United States and Europe.