Heinz Holliger - J.S. Bach: Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis (2011) Hi-Res

In an extraordinary season for the great Swiss composer Heinz Holliger, ECM releases two more recordings simultaneously. One features Holliger the dazzling instrumentalist (in music by Bach), the other, Holliger the composer of idiosyncratic genius (a disc of chamber compositions, Induuchlen).
Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis is a magnificent account of Bach's concertos and sinfonias for oboe with Holliger once again proving himself unrivalled as a player of the instrument. Holliger's albums of classical core repertoire have become infrequent, and this is his first such for ECM since his 1997 Zelenka recording.
The oboist's superb performance also attests to his long artistic relationship with the Camerata Bern. Soloist and ensemble are in perfect accord and impeccable ECM sound renders every detail in the music crystal clear. Holliger also contributes liner notes in which he speaks of his abiding love of Bach's work.
These two releases follow on from three earlier ECM New Series discs in 2011 with Holliger's music and/or participation: Alexander Lonquich recorded Holliger's Partita alongside Schumann's Kreisleriana; the album Manto and Madrigals featured Drei Skizzen from Holliger written especially for Thomas Zehetmair and Ruth Killius; and Jörg Widmann's Elegie found the resourceful Holliger in his first recording as a pianist, duetting with clarinettist/composer Widmann on Fünf Bruchstücke.