Ombra mai fu


  • Recorded: 16th May 2022
  • Record Place: Domovina Studio
  • First Release: 2022
  • (P) 2022 SUPRAPHON a.s.
  • Genre: Chamber Music

Artists

  • music by: Georg Friedrich Händel
  • oboe: Vilém Veverka
  • musical group: Ultimate W Band

Album

Vilém Veverka, Patricia Janečková, Ultimate W Band

Christmas Album

Catalogue Number: SU 4316-2
Published: 11th November 2022
Genre: Chamber Music
Format: 1 CD
Vilém Veverka – oboe, Ultimate W Band. Patricia Janečková – soprano (guest)

Christmas and its singular atmosphere have inspired numerous musicians and composers over the centuries. Following several “conventional” albums and the crossover project “Next Horizon”, the oboist Vilém Veverka too has succumbed to the irresistible Yuletide charm and decided to present “his Christmas”. The album’s leitmotif is Antonio Vivaldi’s L'inverno (most likely performed on the oboe for the very first time!). In addition to pieces by other Baroque Masters (Bach, Handel), it includes a musical account of Argentinean tango-flavoured winter (Ástor Piazzolla), as well as the songs Stille Nacht, Adeste fideles and Chtíc, aby spal (Wanting Him to Sleep), without which one would be hard pressed to imagine Christmas. The album is adorned by Patricia Janečková’s gracious voice, and it features two very special guests, the harpist Kateřina Englichová and the soprano Adéla Řehořová. As in the case of other Veverka CDs, Martin Hybler has contributed with arrangements, and the soloist is accompanied by the same musicians he was on the previous project, “Next Horizon”. Owing to its encompassing a wide range of genres and neoclassical arrangement, the album will undoubtedly delight not only virtuoso oboe lovers, but also many other listeners.

Vilém Veverka’s Christmas – virtuoso, sparkling, colourful…

Reviews

“Once past the blunt title, Czech oboist Vilém Veverka’s Christmas Album is a creation of considerable charm, ranging from an arrangement of Vivaldi’s Winter to one of Rutter’s Angel’s Ca­rol that sounds like a Sunday evening television drama soundtrack. There are some delightful Bohemian carols (with sopranos Patricia Janečková and Adéla Řehořová) but the true wonder here is Veverka’s unas­sailable technique – his double-reed articulation of Vivaldi’s violin-writing is mesmerising.”
Gramophone, December 2022

“As expected, the concert is very professional. Veverka plays with a pure and resonant tone, attentive phrasing, and outstanding fingers and articulation, executing Vivaldi virtuosic violin lines with jaw-dropping ease. Janeckova is a treat to hear, offering model clarity, diction, and artistic maturity; she should have participated in much more than a mere handful of tracks. And the Ultimate W Band is excellent all through, complementing well the expertise of the soloists.”
American Record Guide, October 2023

Antonio Vivaldi
The Four Seasons
1. Concerto No. 4. I. Allegro non molto 03:25
Johann Sebastian Bach, Charles Gounod
2. Ave Maria 04:36
Ástor Piazzolla
3. Invierno Porteno 06:23
Samuel Barber
4. Adagio 07:32
John Francis Wade
5. Adeste fideles 01:46
Ukrainian carol
6. Carol of the Bells 02:04
Antonio Vivaldi
The Four Seasons
7. Concerto No. 4. II. Largo 01:46
Franz Xaver Gruber
8. Silent Night, Holy Night 03:11
John Milford Rutter
9. Angels´ Carol 03:00
Ástor Piazzolla
10. Ave Maria II 04:08
Adam Václav Michna z Otradovic
11. Chtíc, aby spal 03:51
Johann Sebastian Bach
Pastorale F Major BWV 590
12. Aria 03:19
Georg Friedrich Händel
13. Ombra mai fu 02:25
Myroslav Skoryk
14. Melodia 03:23
Antonio Vivaldi
The Four Seasons
15. Concerto No. 4. III. Allegro 03:13
Martin Hybler
16. Tenkrát na Štědrý den 01:57
Antonín Dvořák
17. Ave Maria III 03:14

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