If you have an oboist friend you want to make very happy this Christmas you could do no better than buy him (or her) this disc. Ludwig August Lebrun (1752-1790) isn't by any means a household name, unless your household consists of oboists, in which case he might very well be. The liner notes, written by Bart Schneemann, describe Lebrun as being the "Michael Jackson of the oboe in Europe in the 18th century, young, virtuosic and innovative" (I'll resist potshots at Jackson here, still believing in that sometime used phrase "innocent until proven guilty").

Attaining the position of first oboist in the Mannheim Orchestra at age 18, Lebrun must have had more than a modicum of talent. Unfortunately recording technology had neglected to have been invented when he still played, so we are left with descriptions of his playing - he "had a tone that could 'open your ears', he had a technical facility which enabled him to execute feats hitherto considered impossible."

Most importantly, "he himself wrote the concerti which gave him an outlet for all these talents" (I'm plagiarizing the liner notes shamelessly here). Fortunately this is something that all of us may discern from listening to these concerti. Besides being very proficient at the oboe, it would appear that Lebrun was a composer of no little talent as well!

The third concerto in C major, which opens the disc, is written in the Classical style, but ideas spill over each other like water from a fount and the inventiveness and tunefulness is irresistible. The first movement lasts about ten minutes, the second about four and a half, the rondo about seven. Each is stylishly and gracefully constructed, oboe and orchestra pitted against each other quite on equal terms. It might seem sacrilegious to say this, but this concerto is probably much on the same level of invention of his contemporary, Mozart (1756-1791). It is as such probably the easily enjoyed of the three presented on this disc.

The F major concerto, numbered the sixth, is full of a sweetness and gentleness but is at the same time more obviously showy - Schneeman revels in the first movement cadenza here, to great effect. It also sounds, to my ears, more conventional, but this doesn't detract from enjoyment an iota. You'll be surprised at how the middle movement approaches Mozart, again, in Lebrun's juxtaposition of the minor key dramatics with the sweetness and light of the main theme. The second movement's short cadenza sounds to my ears even more challenging than the first movement's (I'm no oboe player). The last movement, another jaunty Rondo, dances and sparkles, all the more so because of Schneeman's daringly virtuosic and witty playing.

The fifth concerto, also written in the key of C major, is different from the other two in that it starts with a Grave before launching into an Allegro. The number of key changes it goes through is quite startling; it is also the most extrovert of the three concerti presented here. The first movement has tunes juxtaposed with each other so inappropriately it seems to the point of sounding schizophrenic, but it is a strangeness that made me smile. The finale brings us bach to the  dance and is full of a joie d'vivre that I found quite lovable.

The "encore" presented here is a reconstruction of the Largo movement of a concerto for oboe by - surprise - Beethoven! This is based on the autograph sketches. I'd be slow to say that "this sounds like echt-Beethoven" or that it doesn't, but it certainly is tuneful, reminding me a little of the violin Romances.

Orchestration for all three Lebrun concerti is natural and instinctive, with a prelediction to the winds and the  horns, which Jan Willem de Vriend, the conductor, brings out unabashedly. The Radio Chamber Orchestra provide dutiful accompaniment, backing Schneeman up sensitively. Schneeman himself deserves the highest praise for his ingratiating tone and interpretation - as imaginative as the composer himself, taking him at face value and neither trivializing nor associating any undue weight to what are hugely enjoyable works to be listened to on their own considerable merits. As advocacy for these works it doesn't get any better than it does here.

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