Bassoon Concerto in G minor RV 495

Vivaldi’s
motivations for writing so many bassoon concerti remain elusive. Evidence
suggest  that he intended at least some of the concerti for specific players in
Prague and Venice.  Although the composer
was associated with, interestingly there is absolutely no direct evidence to
support the idea that he wrote the bassoon concerti for the young women of the Ospedalle della Pietà; in fact the word ‘fagotto’ (bassoon) is not once
mentioned in the Pieta’s documents.

The
first movement of RV 495 is in a very fast triple meter exploring almost the
entire range of the three or four-keyed bassoons that Vivaldi would have been
familiar with. This particular movement is in fact the only one in all of
Vivaldi’s bassoon concerti to descend to the B-flat at the very bottom of the
bassoon’s range. In the second movement Vivaldi for-goes the upper strings,
coupling a persistent bass line with a sonorous solo part, creating a beautiful
dialogue. The final movement is not quite as extravagant as the first, but
despite its lack of flamboyancy it more than makes up for in ferocity and
fervor, concluding the concerto with a driving intensity.