Description
Richard Strauss documented the creation of the "Oboe Concerto 1945," which was inspired by an American soldier and oboist from Chicago. This soldier, John de Lancie, who was part of the American occupation, inquired of Strauss in May 1945 whether he had ever considered composing an oboe concerto. Although Strauss initially replied that he had not, he soon began to compose the piece. By October 1945, he had completed the score while in exile in Switzerland, and the premiere occurred in Zurich in 1946. The first edition was not published until 1948 in London, likely with minimal involvement from the composer, as both the printed score and orchestral parts contained numerous inaccuracies. Some of these errors have been recognized for some time, while others have recently come to light through Hansjörg Schellenberger's meticulous comparison of the autograph full score with the autograph particella. Consequently, this distinguished oboist presents the concerto for the first time in a Henle Urtext edition, available in both full score and piano reduction.
