This is a collection of works for the infrequently glamorized woodwinds--Mozart's Concerto for Flute No. 1 and Concerto for Bassoon, and Richard Strauss' Concerto for Oboe. Seiji Ozawa leads the Mito Chamber Orchestra in extremely consistent and capable conversations with the various soloists. Shigenori Kudo does a fine job with the Mozart Flute Concerto, delivering a pensive yet mercurial cadenza which gradually gathers momentum until the climactic reentry of the orchestra. Former child prodigy Dag Jensen is so comfortably nonchalant with the ornaments in the Allegro of the Bassoon Concerto, that one barely notices their difficulty. Strauss' Oboe Concerto is the culmination of the composer's frequent use of oboe solos throughout his career. Fumiaki Miyamoto distinguishes the work with an interpretation more classical than romantic, but a beautiful reading nonetheless.
