Handel Oboe Concertos

Sarah Francis (oboe) has already recorded oboe concertos by Telemann and she is a superb baroque oboist, at the same time directing the members of the London Harpsichord Ensemble with spirit and finesse. These performances are not only delightful, but a model of style, and make an unanswerable case for playing this music on modern instruments when the recording is really well-balanced as it is here.

In the sonatas, Handel's ever-engaging contrapuntal interplay is beautifully clear, so that for sheer pleasure, these performances almost upstage the familiar concertos. Apart from the nimble articulation in the allegros, Miss Francis' playing is memorable both for her appealing timbre and her sensitive, lyrical phrasing where she varies her vibrato with the utmost subtlety. A collectionwhich easily leads the field, not least for its excellent sound.

The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs.