This was unknown Beethoven to me (which is rare) so good to find some once in a while. All three pieces are interesting and worth a listen, though not Beethoven's greatest music. The Wranitzky brothers are contemporaries of Beethoven, of historic interest and held quite important positions in the musical life of Austria. Anton (who wrote this oboe sonata) apparently studied with Mozart and Haydn, and this piece has merit.
The playing is superb. One highlight is the long held oboe note (reminiscent of the agonisingly long note in the slow movement of Beethoven's fifth piano concerto) in the first movement of the Beethoven sonata leading into the recapitulation. Not only does he accomplish this without any loss of tone but he shapes the note wonderfully and with excellent control. This is symptomatic of the excellent technical quality of all the players throughout this CD.
