Bassoon Concerto in F major, Op.75
Allegro ma non troppo
Adagio
Rondo – Allegro
Weber was born in Lübeck, North Germany, and died in London in 1826 at the age of 40. He came from a theatrical family – his father was an actor-manager – and had an innate sense of the dramatic, which found realisation through his extraordinary gifts as an orchestrator. In Der Freischütz (1817-21) his skill in using instrumental colours to evoke atmosphere reached its peak, effectively creating the genre of German Romantic opera. His essays in conventional forms such as the symphony and sonata were less successful; however he wrote a string of minor masterpieces in the concerto form, where he was able to give his dramatic gift and feeling for instrumental character full rein.
The Bassoon Concerto in F dates from the spring of 1811. The 25-year old Weber was touring the German states, building his reputation as a composer and kapellmeister. Until the previous spring he had held a steady post at the court of Württemberg; unfortunately a minor financial scandal brought upon him by his elderly and increasingly erratic father had cost him his job and resulted in his being banished. The princely families of the other German states, however, were happy to welcome such a gifted individual and none more so than the Wittelsbachs, rulers of Bavaria. Weber arrived in their capital, Munich, in February 1811, and the King promptly commissioned him to write two clarinet concertos. These were duly premièred, to general acclaim, by the Court Orchestra and the musicians of the orchestra immediately besieged Weber with requests for concertos for their own instruments. However, he was already turning his attention to a production of his opera Abu Hassan, and the only member of the orchestra to receive his concerto was G.H. Brandt, the principal bassoonist.
The Bassoon Concerto has a certain family resemblance to the slightly earlier clarinet concertos, being in the standard three-movement classical concerto form. As with the clarinet concertos, the bulk of the musical drama takes place in the first movement. The dotted melody of the opening tutti is a characteristic feature of Weber’s style, and the four beats on the timpani that announce the bassoon’s solo entry are a particularly imaginative stroke. In the Adagio, a movement of great dignity and intensity, Weber uses the bassoon in an almost operatic manner. The beautiful passage in which the solo instrument is accompanied by the horns alone echoes an identically-scored passage in the F minor Clarinet Concerto but is no less poetic for that. Weber’s operatic gift for virtuoso writing comes to the fore in the finale, a witty and high-spirited Rondo which closes the concerto with music that displays the bassoon at its most agile and entertaining.
R.G. Bratby
Copyright Classical Notes.co.uk 2000
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