The Oboe Concerto in F dates from Bach’s Köthen period. Although already established in the oboe repertoire, this concerto does not appear in the official list of Bach’s works because it was created from existing material: Cantata 169: Sinfonia and aria (Sicilienne), Cantata 49: Sinfonia and a Keyboard concerto. Bach was a master at recycling his own music, particularly from and to his cantatas. The result in this case, is a fine and idiomatic oboe work with optimism drive and great character.
This brand new edition irons out some of the errors of the old Nova Music edition (NM160) and further simplifies the difficult piano reduction. The solo part is not worked out in every articulational detail; there is still plenty of room for the tastes and preferences of the performers. Played exactly as written however, the part will come across stylishly.