Sonata for Oboe Op. 166
Camille Saint-Saëns

The Sonata for oboe and piano op. 166 is the first of three wind instrument sonatas written by Saint-Saëns in the last year of his life. More familiar in his lifetime with keyboard instruments and string instruments, the composer ventured this time on rather unusual terrain. And yet he immediately finds the intonation and the specific characteristic of these instruments. To be sure that the parties respect the specific technical and sound particularities, he was advised before publication by solo friends. His Sonata op. 166 met with the oboist's total approval - the following passage from a letter proves it: "it worked like clockwork." For the first time, this Urtext edition was produced with consultation of the autograph._