Telemann / Vivaldi: Concertos for Recorder and Bassoon

Featuring

Clas Pehrsson
Michael McCraw
Drottningholm Baroque Ensemble
Georg Philipp Telemann
Antonio Vivaldi

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Compositional Technique

Vivaldi's "La Notte" is an early example of program music, existing in three versions, and its range and key suggest it is more appropriate for the recorder than the transverse flute.

Compositional Technique

Telemann's C Major Recorder Concerto showcases his ability to write idiomatically for the recorder, using large leaps to or from extreme high notes, arpeggiated figures, and fast repeated notes.

Composer Biography

Georg Philipp Telemann, one of the most prolific composers of all time, was also a skilled player of several instruments, especially wind instruments like the recorder, oboe, and chalumeau.

Performer Biography

Michael McCraw is a specialist in early bassoon repertoire and was a pioneer in performing baroque music on original instruments in the USA, co-founding New York City's Concert Royal.

Composer Biography

Antonio Vivaldi composed hundreds of concertos, possibly for the students at the 'Ospedale della Pietà', a girls' orphanage in Venice where he taught music.

Compositional Technique

Vivaldi wrote more concertos for the bassoon than for any other instrument besides the violin, with 37 being the most commonly accepted number.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Vivaldi's music, despite often simple harmonic vocabulary and thematic material, is very atmospheric and "Italian" in its direct, extroverted, and often theatrical message.