Concerti RV 468, 482 - for Bassoon, Strings, and Basso Continuo

The critical edition of these concertos that have come down in incomplete form adds the last piece to the immense mosaic of Vivaldi's music for bassoon; his 39 solo concertos plus a huge number of concertante parts scattered among works in different genresindeed constitute a unique contribution for his period. The critical introduction takes the opportunity to sum up the state of knowledge about this subject, tracing the history of this instrument in Italy from the seventeenth century up to Vivaldi, and identifying possible performers and commissioners of his works written for it. A surprising picture emerges: at the very time when the bassoon had reached the nadir of its fortunes, Vivaldi entrusted to this instrument an extraordinary number of works making extreme technical demands, clear evidence that there was a virtuoso in Venice capable of playing them. The two concertos RV 468 and RV 482, sadly lacking some of their movements, are nevertheless perfectly playable and enjoyable piecesthat testify to the generous assistance given by Vivaldi to the maturation of this instrument.