Antonio Vivaldi: Bassoon Concerto in D Minor, RV 481

00:00 - I. Allegro 03:40 - II. Larghetto 08:08 - III. Allegro molto _____ Bassoon: Rodion Tolmachev Conductor: Ivan Stolbov Ensemble: Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra Year of Recording: 2014 _____ “His long-held position as teacher and composer at the Pio Ospedale della Pietà—a home for orphaned girls in Venice—gave Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741) the perfect laboratory for perfecting the concerto form in the early eighteenth century. In all, he wrote thirty-seven concerti for bassoon (or possibly for its precursor, the dulcian), second in number only to those for violin (coming in at over 230 violin concerti). Many of his concerti were meant to be played by his students at the Pietà, written in a way that showed off the skill of the soloist but allowed a wide variety of talents to participate in the orchestra—the soloist’s part was virtuosic, the orchestral accompaniment much simpler. It is unknown, however, whether Vivaldi’s bassoon concerti were intended to showcase student