Pasculli - Operatic Fantasias For Oboe And Piano / Paisov, Shcherbakova

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PASCULLI Fantasia sull’opera “Poliuto” di Donizetti. Concerto sopra motive dell’opera “La favorita” di Donizetti. Gran concerto su temi dell’opera “I vespri siciliani” di Verdi. Fantasia sull’opera “Les Hugenots” di Meyerbeer. Ricordo di Napoli • Ivan Paisov (ob); Natalia Shcherbakova (pn) • NAXOS 8.570567 (63:05)


In the days before recorded sound, composers were faced with a problem: how to get their music beyond the concert hall and footlights and into the ears of the broader public. In the 18th century, Mozart jumped through this hoop by arranging excerpts from his more popular operas for an ensemble of wind instruments; other composers were already on this band wagon, and those who weren’t turned a blind eye to unauthorized adaptations of their works by some of their more gifted (and some not-so-gifted) colleagues. In the 19th century, the tradition of wind-ensemble arrangements gradually subsided, and was replaced by fantasies on themes from popular operas, usually written for unaccompanied piano (e.g., Liszt and Thalberg) a solo instrument accompanied by piano (Pablo de Sarasate), or occasionally piano and orchestra (Chopin’s variations on Mozart’s “La ci darem la mano” from Don Giovanni ).


In Italy, opera was the undisputed king of the hill, and almost everywhere one went the strains of Bellini, Donizetti, and their countrymen could be found emanating from village bandstands. Restaurants offered patrons the 19th-century equivalent of dinner music via the concertina and/or singing waiters, and the street-corner organ grinders also got in on the act. Everywhere one went it was opera, opera, and more opera!


In the salons of the well-off middle class and in the recital halls, wind instruments were the most prominent of soloists in these fantasies and potpourri , and musicians like oboist Antonio Pasculli (1842–1924) made their share of arrangements for use in their concerts and recitals. The abilities of Pasculli and a number of his colleagues were legendary, and Pasculli may have been the greatest oboe virtuoso of all time; his legendary skills have been favorably compared to those of Paganini. The works assembled here are testimony to Pasculli’s skills and therefore are by no means for the amateur; they are virtuoso display pieces first note to last, requiring the soloist to be on his or her toes throughout. Pasculli wanted to impress, and as a result effectively combined the lyrical aspect of his instrument with its agility, resulting in music of gracious lyricism and dazzling bravura.


I first encountered the manifold and impressive talents of oboist Ivan Paisov on “The Russian Oboe,” also on Naxos (8.570596), an interesting and impressive collection of music by Paisov’s countrymen, including Nikolai Gorlo, Boris Asafyev, and their female colleague Marina Dranishnikova. Paisov’s second release is just as stunning, if not more so. It holds over an hour of operatic fantasies that thrill, charm, and mesmerize. Paisov and Shcherbakova are an ideal pairing whose virtuosity is unquestionable and whose give and take is second to none. Paisov’s tone is beautifully clear, never tight or pinched in the upper register, and warm and rich in the lower reaches of the instrument. He makes his way through Pasculli’s demanding adaptations, replete with scales and arpeggios, with apparent ease and a singing tone. Natalia Shcherbakova is an exceptional pianist who provides sturdy, unwavering, and when necessary, virtuosic support.


This release is not for everyone, but enthusiasts of wind music, oboists in particular, should find it quite interesting and enlightening, not to mention something to add to their toolbox, that is if they have the fortitude!

FANFARE: Michael Carter




Product Description:

  • Release Date: June 24, 2008


  • Catalog Number: 8570567


  • UPC: 747313056774


  • Label: Naxos


  • Number of Discs: 1


  • Composer: Antonio Pasculli


  • Performer: Ivan Paisov, Natalia Shcherbakova