The Observer 10/3/13
By Stephen Pritchard
This is a sometimes dizzying tour of the English oboe repertoire, hopping in turn from rural lyricism to hard-edged modernity, but there is no disputing the technical facility of James Turnbull or the warm, sensitive pianism of Libby Burgess. Turnbull shines particularly in John Casken’s virtuosic Amethyst Deceiver for solo oboe from 2009, its capricious twists and turns reflecting the amethyst deceiver of the title – an edible mushroom disguised as a poisonous one. There is more astringent solo work in Michael Berkeley’s Three Moods, but tonality is never far away, with examples from Rubbra, Holst and Vaughan Williams. And there’s a delicious surprise – a glorious Sonatina by Walmisley, in a new edition by Christopher Hogwood.
