Concerto for Two Oboes Op 9/3

The concerto idea—having a soloist or small group of soloists separate from the larger ensemble—seems to have originated in Italy in the 17th century. And as stringed instruments were then dominant in Italy, the first concertos typically featured solo violin. It did not take long, however, for the idea to spread to other instruments, whose contrasting timbres added an interesting element to the concerto’s solo/ensemble dynamic.

Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751), a contemporary of Bach and Vivaldi, published the first set of wind concertos in 1715. Not long after, he produced a successful collection of concertos for one and two oboes, as well as violin concertos, gathered together in his Opus 9. Albinoni’s own primary instrument was violin, but he became equally adept and recognized as an oboe virtuoso. With the oboe he infused the concerto with the breath-driven phrasing and melodic shape he had perfected in numerous operas. The F-major Concerto for Two Oboes, Op. 9 No. 3, begins and ends with an infectious exuberance. The outer movements, both marked Allegro, are expansive and feature elements of rounded binary form, with the opening sections recurring toward the end. In between, Albinoni places an Adagio in D minor. It evokes the poignant emotions of the siciliano style, bolstered by dissonant suspensions between the two oboes. Its brevity contrasts with the other movements and helps to shed a more introverted light on the whole work.

(c) Jason Stell