Francois Leleux

French oboist Francois Leleux presents a stunning recording of works by Richard Strauss, including his oboe concerto, one of the finest written for the instrument, and two chamber works, which he performs with his own ensemble, the Paris Bastille Ensemble.

Joining Leleux on the concerto recording is the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra with Daniel Harding, one of our greatest young conductors.

The album will be serviced to all classical media, and a promotional video for the album is being delivered to youtube and other relevant portals. Leleux’s previous Sony recordings have garnered fantastic critical acclaim, securing him as one of the greatest oboeists of his generation:

“impeccable technique” BBC Music Magazine

“a performer of …dexterity, charm and expressive power…” The Guardian

Irena Grafenauer and François Leleux are two internationally renowned woodwind soloists, who emerged from the ranks of the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks. The 1981 recording of the Flute Concerto K. 313 with the Slovenian soloist Irena Grafenauer is an item of very special value in the Symphonieorchester’s discography, because it is one of the few recordings with the great Günter Wand on the conductor’s podium. François Leleux ranks today as one of the most sought-after oboe soloists in the world. This CD presents him in 2001 with Mozart’s Oboe Concerto accompanied by “his” orchestra, in which he held the position of principal oboist until 2005, with Sir Colin Davis, the long-standing Chief Conductor of the orchestra. The live recording of the short, one-movement Symphony K. 318, which conjures up the atmosphere of an Italian opera in the concert hall, was made during Colin Davis’s early years as Chief Conductor of the orchestra.

Irena Grafenauer and Frençois Leleux, two internationally renowned soloists, who emerged from the ranks of the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks.

One of the few available CDs with Günter Wand on the conductor’s podium of the Symphonieorchester.

Both soloists were prize-winners at the ARD International Music Competition (1979 and 1991).

This highly accessible, colourful and melodic music is here interpreted by the Tapiola Sinfonietta under Jean-Jacques Kantorow, a team whose previous recordings on BIS have been enthusiastically received by the reviewers. A disc of works by Saint-Saëns was for instance described as ‘a smorgasbord of distinctive orchestral colours’ in Classic FM Magazine and was a finalist in the Gramophone Awards 2007.

These are live performances by world-class artists. The two featured works are very different in style and were composed 17 years apart. The performance features a top lineup of soloists including Sharon Kam.

On this unique recording Escaich draws inspiration from the rhythms of Central Europe and finds a natural place on this CD alongside Debussy, Bartók and Martinu. No less ambivalent in his two compositions, Thierry Escaich throws himself into the depths of the soul which his three predecessors had only half explored... Listen on.