Album review: Heinz Holliger plays Bach

There's something about Bach and the oboe that constitutes more a love affair than simply a symbiotic relationship. Whether languid and arioso, or nimble and flirtatious, his music lends itself perfectly to the instrument's lustrous timbre, especially when the performer is veteran virtuoso Heinz Holliger. True, the overall mood of this new release by Holliger and the Camerata Bern is slightly archaic – that opulent glow of perfection typical of 30 years ago which can be a little tiresome on the ear nowadays – but in such delights as the "Concerto in C minor for oboe and violin", or the various examples of Bach's passion for self-transcription of earlier works, Holliger's artistry is paramount, even when he transfers to oboe d'amore.