Das Zürcher Oboenquartett

Using the instruments of the oboe family, the musicians of the Zurich Oboe Quartet have created a perfect harmony of sound, a counterpart to a string quartet. They have brought back to life a facet of chamber music closely tied with the renaissance of the tenor oboe. In the second half of the 20th century the oboe and the bassoon appeared increasingly in concert. The history of the tenor oboe is arcane until today. The warm, sonorous sound of this instrument is comparable to the sound of the viola in a string quartet. Known in baroque time as the «taille», the tenor oboe is tuned in C and sounds an octave lower than the oboe. J.S. Bach often called for this instrument in his church cantatas, using the name «taille». for example in BWV 56, 104 and 140. The Zurich Oboe Quartet has revived this fascinating instrument and has worked with the atelier Gérard Fossati, Paris, to design an instrument which complies with modern expectations.

 

Antonin Dvorak’s «American Quartet» and Leos Janacek’s «On Overgrown Paths» are adaptations made by the Zurich Oboe Quartet. Juraj Filas’ «Dear good old freedom» was composed for the Zurich Oboe Quartet and premiered by that Ensemble in Basle on September 3, 2000.

 

The Ensemble for this album:

 

Martin Gebhardt (oboe) | Kathrin Brun (alt-oboe) | Miriam Moser (tenoroboe) | Marc Jacot (fagott)