Oboe maestro Francois Leleux shines while conductor buries his head

What a treat to have Francois Leleux in town. The principal oboe with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, he is arguably the foremost solo oboist of his time. What a responsibility for the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong to be asked to match his musicianship in the two concertos he fronted.

First up was Cimarosa's late 18th-century Oboe Concerto in C Minor, which is a modern arrangement of four of his keyboard sonatas, cobbled together by the Australian composer Arthur Benjamin.

Leleux's liquid sound and flexible phrasing immediately set the tone for all that was to flow from his instrument. His exquisite soft register and delicate inflections may not warrant the exaggerated body movements he makes to accompany them, but these were readily sublimated into the overall experience of a master plying his craft.