De gebroeders Johann Gottlieb en Carl Heinrich Graun waren beide in dienst als hofmusicus van prins en later koning Frederik van Pruisen. Al tijdens hun leven was er verwarring over hun composities: welke broer heeft wat geschreven? Hun stijl van componeren was identiek, niet zo verschillend van elkaar als bijvoorbeeld de uiteenlopende stijlen van de zonen van Bach. Xenia Löffner nam werken voor hobo en hobo d’amore van de Grauns op, samen met de Batsdorfer Hofkapelle. Het zijn mooie laat-barokke werken en ze worden levendig gespeeld.
Graun: Oboe Concertos
Förster, C:
Oboe Concerto C Minor
Graun, C H:
Concerto grosso in G
Quartet in C Minor
Trio Sonata in B Minor
Concerto a 4 in A Major
Neruda, J B G:
Sinfonia Federica in G major
(attrib. J G Graun)
Xenia Loffler (oboe & oboe d‘amore)
Batzdorfer Hofkapelle
Johann Gottlieb Graun became a member of the small court orchestra of the Prussian Crown Prince Frederick in Ruppin in 1732, which Carl Heinrich also joined in 1735. With Friedrich's ascension to the throne in 1740, Johann Gottlieb was appointed concertmaster and Carl Heinrich kapellmeister of the royal court. Johann Gottlieb remained until the end of his life closely linked to Frederick the Great, as concertmaster and chamber musician. Whilst his brother Carl Heinrich became an important figure at the new Berlin Court Opera, Johann Gottlieb strongly influenced the musical life of Berlin and early classicism in general as a violinist and composer.
One can no longer determine with any certainty which of the brothers wrote the oboe concertos recorded here – the existing sources are too unclear and the differences in their personal styles are too slight. What is certain, however, is that the name "Graun" was a kind of seal of approval in those days for zestful music rich in ideas – an estimation still valid today, as is readily apparent when listening to these concertos.
The oboist Xenia Löffler has distinguished herself as a specialist for the North German repertoire of this period, as in her recordings with oboe concertos from the Dresden Court and with works from the Dresden Pisendel Collection (ACC24202 and 24222). Alongside her teaching activities at the Academy of the Arts in Bremen, she is a member of the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and in great international demand as a soloist.
