Nicholas Kenyon 

Vivaldi: Bassoon Concertos Vol 3 – review

No one knows why Vivaldi wrote so many bassoon conertos, but in Sergio Azzolini's hands they're a delight, writes Nicholas Kenyon
  
  


There are zillions of violin concertos by Vivaldi, but it's a surprise to find so many for the bassoon, at that time a relatively undeveloped instrument. Possibly written for a court player, or for an undiscovered virtuoso girl at the Pietà, the reason for them remains a mystery. The five concertos here (out of a total of 39) are delightfully varied and boldly theatrical: Sergio Azzolini's nimble playing of a copy of a 1710 four-keyed bassoon occasionally sounds in the fast movements as if burbling underwater, but is reedily eloquent in the slow ones. Pungent support from the Cremona group L'aura Soave.

 

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