Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Verdi Bassoon Concerto (really??)

File:Giuseppe Verdi00.jpg

Just a few years ago, an unpublished piece for bassoon and orchestra by Giuseppe Verdi surfaced.near Verdi's hometown of Busseto (near Parma)  Although historians had long believed that Verdi had written concertos for solo instruments early in his career, this was the first actual discovery of one of those pieces.  Musicologist Fausto Pedretti found the Cappriccio for Bassoon and Orchestra, as it is called, in the archive of a small church in Busseto.  It's easy to hear in Cappriccio for Bassoon and Orchestra the influence of Rossini, who also wrote a bassoon concerto.  Isn't it interesting that such masters of Italian opera considered the bassoon to be an instrument worthy of solo concerto composition?







7 comments:

  1. I LOVE this!! It flows just like an opera aria... It would be such a blast to play!

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  2. I remember having a conversation with Jake once about how the bassoon is the instrument closest in sound production to the human voice. This piece really brings that out, I think. (Subject of new blog post?)

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  3. Tina! How about if you write that post?! I'd love to feature a guest writer!!

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  4. Oy. That would require some serious effort in order to match your level of writing!! Maybe I can tie it in to music therapy somehow and submit it for a class :)

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  5. That's a great idea, Tina! That's kind of what I was thinking also....

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  6. YES It is a really cool little piece BUT is there music published! Thx Matt Karr Louisville Orchestra e- flutebassoon@twc.com

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