The Notes Are Swallows is a surprising and touching collection of forgotten landscape miniatures in Dutch music and poetry. With this project, a long cherished wish comes true for Pauline Oostenrijk: to combine her love for the oboe, the piano, Dutch music, Dutch literature, and Dutch landscape.
This album brings the complete oeuvre for oboe solo by Dutch composer Bernhard van den Sigtenhorst Meyer (1888-1953) out of the shadows. These atmospheric, colourful and meditative compositions were mostly written for Jaap Stotijn and his son Haakon Stotijn, both icons of the legendary Dutch Oboe School.
Pauline Oostenrijk, who is considered to be the last Dutch oboe soloist cherishing this tradition of a songful, expressive and clear-voiced oboe sound, is the designated person to record this repertoire.
Being a pianist as well as an oboist, Pauline is delighted to be able to alternate these oboe pieces with some completely unknown early piano works of the same composer: musical portraits of flowers and birds that perfectly match the rustic atmosphere of the oboe pieces.
Tracklist
Please note that the below previews are loaded as 44.1 kHz / 16 bit.Total time: 01:04:48
Additional information
| Label | |
|---|---|
| SKU | COBRA0072 |
| Qualities | DSD 512 fs, DSD 256 fs, DSD 128 fs, DSD 64 fs, DXD 24 Bit, FLAC 192 kHz, FLAC 96 kHz |
| Channels | 2ch Stereo, 2ch Binaural, 5 Channel Surround Sound, 2ch Stereo & 2ch Binaural, 2ch Stereo & 5ch Surround, 2ch Stereo & 5ch Surround & 2ch Binaural |
| Artists | |
| Composers | |
| Genres | |
| Cables | Acoustic Revive |
| Digital Converters | HAPI, Merging |
| Editing Software | Pyramix Merging |
| Financial Support | Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds and with private donations via voordekunst.nl |
| Mastering Engineer | Tom Peeters |
| Microphones | Brüel & Kjaer 4003, Neumann modified by Rens Heijnis |
| Instruments | |
| Original Recording Format | |
| Producer | Tom Peeters |
| Recording Engineer | Tom Peeters |
| Recording location | Westvest90-church, Schiedam, The Netherlands, |
| Recording Software | Pyramix, Merging |
| Recording Type & Bit Rate | DSD256 |
| Release Date | April 10, 2020 |
Press reviews
Positive Feedback
This is a beautifully performed recording of highly evocative music. Delicate, impressionistic, subtle—this is music that deserves our attention and I’m delighted that Oostenrijk and Cobra Records have made it available to us in such wonderfully immersive sound. Piano tracks alternate with oboe tracks, and solo oboe alternates with oboe accompanied by piano. It is a far more varied feast than I’d first anticipated.
De Gelderlander, mei 2020
In this release of Cobra Records, twentieth-century Dutch oboe and piano music and poetry come together in an intriguing way. All this collected and housed in a stylish packaging, dominated by Dutch skies … Coincidentally, this relaxed CD – recorded last summer in Schiedam – appears precisely in this disturbing corona crisis. But very welcome. The listener can dream away on the intense, pure, beautifully colored oboe tones of Pauline Oostenrijk. The same applies to her part on the piano. You automatically enter pastoral atmospheres … The closing Pastorale by Voormolen is the longest piece on this CD with almost six minutes. Pauline Austria turns it into a lazy, cozy summer afternoon on oboe and piano. Complete with a touch of melancholy. Magnificently.
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In deze release van Cobra Records komen twintigste-eeuwse Nederlandse hobo- en pianomuziek en poëzie op intrigerende wijze bij elkaar. Dat alles verzameld en ondergebracht in een stijlvolle, door Hollandse luchten gedomineerde verpakking…Toevallig dat deze relaxte cd – vorige zomer in Schiedam opgenomen – juist in deze verontrustende coronacrisis verschijnt. Maar wel heel welkom. Op de intense, pure, fraai gekleurde hobotonen van Pauline Oostenrijk kan de luisteraar heerlijk wegdromen. Voor haar aandeel op de piano geldt hetzelfde. Je komt vanzelf in pastorale sferen…Die afsluitende Pastorale van Voormolen is met bijna zes minuten het langste stuk op deze cd. Pauline Oostenrijk maakt er op hobo én piano een lome, knusse zomerse middag van. Compleet met een vleugje melancholiek. Magnifiek.
Opus Klassiek, mei 2020
For Pauline, she says that this album fulfilled a long-cherished wish: combining her love for the oboe and the piano, Dutch music, Dutch literature and Dutch landscape. And it has to be said: every note she plays testifies to her great musical involvement in this particular not everyday project. Moreover, this is yet another textbook example of how different art forms can come together in a perfect way and how inspiring this can turn out. Pauline’s performance is also perfect, but no less important is the expressive power of her utterly enchanting speech and the way in which she changes these precious, especially lyrical miniatures (most of which have never been recorded before) in ever-changing instrumental colors! awakens life. The last piece, Pastorale of Voormolen, is written for oboe and piano, but thanks to Pauline and producer Tom Peeters you would think that two different musicians are speaking here!
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Voor Pauline ging met dit album naar eigen zeggen een lang gekoesterde wens in vervulling: het combineren van haar liefde voor de hobo en de piano, Nederlandse muziek, Nederlandse literatuur en Nederlands landschap. En gezegd moet worden: iedere noot die zij speelt getuigt van haar grote muzikale betrokkenheid bij dit bepaald niet alledaagse project. Dit is bovendien weer eens een schoolvoorbeeld van hoe verschillende kunstvormen op volmaakte wijze bij elkaar kunnen komen en hoe inspirerend dat kan uitpakken. Volmaakt ook is het spel van Pauline, maar niet minder belangrijk is de expressieve kracht van haar ronduit betoverende betoog en de wijze waarop zij in steeds weer wisselende instrumentale kleuren deze kostelijke, vooral lyrische miniaturen (waarvan het merendeel nog niet eerder werd opgenomen!) tot leven wekt. Het laatste stuk, de Pastorale van Voormolen, is geschreven voor hobo en piano, maar dankzij Pauline en producer Tom Peeters zou je denken dat hier twee verschillende musici aan het ‘woord’ zijn!
1 review for The Notes Are Swallows
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Very delightful and pleasing music that was captured in a perfect space. Relax. Enjoy.
Terry Franklin (verified owner) –