In Venice

Albrecht Mayer, who is the principal oboist of the Berlin Philharmonic, makes his Decca debut with this recording. The picturesque cover art, with Mayer poised on the stern of a boat, serenading the seabirds against the backdrop one of the most famous views in the world is imaginative and evocative, terms which can certainly be applied to the contents of the album itself.

The five composers featured, Vivaldi, Lotti, Albinoni, Marcello and Platti all had strong ties to the city on the lagoon. Of the five Vivaldi, Albinoni and Marcello are the most well known for their music for the oboe, Lotti and Platti are the outsiders of the group. Lotti was principally a composer of operas and choral music (his most famous work is his popular Crucifixus) while only a handful of Platti's work survives, of which the oboe concerto featured is the only concertante piece that remains.

Mayer is accompanied by an accomplished group of baroque musicians, the New Seasons Ensemble, in a collection which is sure to be the first in a long line of successful recordings for the Decca label.