The slow tempo and the long legato lines from both the opening ensemble introduction and the bassoon shows a very different character from the first movement. Typical of a Baroque concerto, the second movement showcases the soloists lyrical side. After a repeat of the opening material the first movement concludes back in the home key of E minor. The woody timbre of the bassoon shines through, adding an intriguing texture combination to the ensemble sound. On paper one might believe that the solo part is intended for a stringed instrument, however this devilish solo part set its sights on a different kind of instrument.
Vivaldi passes the melody around between the strings and the bassoon as the soloist develops the principal themes. The big intervallic leaps highlights the virtuosity of the piece as well as keeping the intensity high. The fast solo passages are accentuated largely by the continuo, who enables the bassoon to float over the top of the ensemble. Vivaldi pushes the bassoon to its limits technically in this movement, with rapid fingerings and high stamina required to keep up with the ensemble. The driving opening from the strings and continuo set the scene for when the soloist enters. Set into three contrasting movements, the E minor concerto has remained a staple in bassoon concerto repertory. Vivaldi’s understanding of the bassoon is clear throughout all the concertos, with his expression and technical demand for the soloists setting a high benchmark for many years to come. It’s estimated that all 39 concertos were composed between 1728-1737.
The bassoon at this point was still not as versatile as we know the modern bassoon is, which makes Vivaldi’s concertos even more challenging. However, it wasn’t until much later that it reached Venice. The more bassoon started to be developed in Paris in the 1660-70s and by 1680 had gained much popularity over Europe. The predecessor of the bassoon, the dulcian, was swiftly going out of fashion in the 1600s, which makes it even more interesting that Vivaldi chose to go down this route. At the time that Vivaldi was composing these concertos for the bassoon he was working in Venice, where the bassoon had never been used as a solo instrument. Out of the 39 bassoon concertos that Vivaldi composed, two of which remain incomplete. No less than 230 of those are for violin, with the second most popular concerto soloist being the bassoon for Vivaldi. Antonio Vivaldi: Bassoon Concerto in E minor ContextĪntonio Vivaldi composed a vast amount of concertos for a range of different instruments.
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