Inception and Premiere
American oboist John de Lancie was in the U.S. Army unit which secured Strauss's estate in April 1945 following WWII. As principal oboist of the Pittsburgh Orchestra in civilian life, he knew Strauss's orchestral writing for oboe thoroughly, visited the composer in his home, and in the course of a long conversation asked him if he had ever considered writing an oboe concerto. Strauss answered simply "No," and the topic was dropped. However, in the months to follow, the idea grew on him and the work was premiered on February 26, 1946 in Zürich, featuring Marcel Saillet as soloist with the Tonhalle Orchester conducted by Volkmar Andreae.
Read more about this topic: Oboe Concerto (Strauss)
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“... when one reflects on the books one never has written, and never may, though their schedules lie in the beautiful chirography which marks the inception of an unexpressed thought upon the pages of one’s notebook, one is aware, of any given idea, that the chances are against its ever being offered to one’s dearest readers.”
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