ANTONIO PASCULLI was among the most distinguished oboists of his generation. In 1860 he was made professor of oboe and cor anglais at the Palermo Conservatory at the age of eighteen. His phenomenal ability as a performer is displayed in the dazzling operatic fantasias he wrote for his instrument, weaving melodies of well known operas into compositions that call for challenging feats of virtuosity. IVAN PAISOV joined the famous Bolshoy Theatre Orchestra as a principal oboist in 1992 and since then has not only toured with this orchestra but has given solo recitals and concerts with other leading orchestras in Russia and abroad.