From the first notes of the first concerto, it is easy to tell that the playing is going to sparkle. Manze and the Academy of Ancient music are on top form, enthusing the music with warm and virtuosity. The result is immensely satisfying to listen to. And Gramophone Magazine has a similar, if more informed, opinion: "I seem never to tire of these endlessly charming works and it is this set that perhaps contains Albinoni's crowning achievement in the concerto sphere, a lyrical Adagio for solo oboe with a simple string arpeggio accompaniment belonging to the Second Concerto... None of this is lost either on the three accomplished soloists - Andrew Manze, Frank de Bruine and Alfredo Bernardini - or the strings of the Academy of Ancient Music which provide lively and sensitive support. In short, the set affords uninterrupted pleasure from start to finish."
There are so many good bits... but the Concerto for oboe in D minor, Op.9/2: Adagio (Track 5) is sublime. I've heard lots of recordings of this on the radio, but this is the one that stands out and makes the CD worth buying for just this 5min 30 sec! It's the smoothest, least affected version. The oboist, Frank de Bruine, manages to make the notes soar effortlessly without faltering - the result is pure relaxation to listen to.
The rest of the concertos are a delight too. Both elegant and lively, they are as good as Baroque playing gets.