Trivia
Bassoon classics - Concertos

W. A. Mozart: Bassoon Concerto in B♭ Major KV.191

It goes without saying that this is the most famous bassoon concerto of all time. The work was composed when Mozart was 18, in 1774. Its high-pitch cantabile and flamboyant passages, together with effective use of the instrument in lower-ranges, it is a work that demonstrates fully the unique character of the 18th century bassoon. It is unsurpassed by any of the great many concertos written for the bassoon through the classical period.

C.M. von Weber: Bassoon Concerto in F major Op. 75

This work was composed in 1811 for Brandt, a bassoonist with the Munich Court Orchestra. As one might expect, it is a work that doesn't fail to demonstrate the virtuosity of the performer through its cantabile. It is also characterized by its second movement, with a section reminiscent of an opera recitativo, reflecting the opera composer's genre. Weber had planned one more bassoon concerto, but put it to one side before starting work on the first movement, publishing a compilation of two movements in his 1813 "Andante and Hungarian Rondo."