Vivaldi: Bassoon Concertos Gustavo Núñez & Academy of St. Martin in the Fields

• 1 Vivaldi: Bassoon Concerto in C Major, RV 474: I. Allegro 02:57
• 2 Vivaldi: Bassoon Concerto in C Major, RV 474: II. Largo 04:04
• 3 Vivaldi: Bassoon Concerto in C Major, RV 474: III. Allegro 02:25
• 4 Vivaldi: Bassoon Concerto in F Major, RV 488: I. Allegro non molto 02:58
• 5 Vivaldi: Bassoon Concerto in F Major, RV 488: II. Largo 02:53
• 6 Vivaldi: Bassoon Concerto in F Major, RV 488: III. Allegro 02:26
• 7 Vivaldi: Bassoon Concerto in B-Flat Major, RV 501 "La Notte": I. Largo 01:52
• 8 Vivaldi: Bassoon Concerto in B-Flat Major, RV 501 "La Notte": II. I Fantasmi. Presto 01:47
• 9 Vivaldi: Bassoon Concerto in B-Flat Major, RV 501 "La Notte": III. II Sonno. Andante molto 02:25
• 10 Vivaldi: Bassoon Concerto in B-Flat Major, RV 501 "La Notte": IV. Sorge l'aurora. Allegro 03:10
• 11 Vivaldi: Bassoon Concerto in C Major, RV 477: I. Allegro 03:56
• 12 Vivaldi: Bassoon Concerto in C Major, RV 477: II. Largo 04:13
• 13 Vivaldi: Bassoon Concerto in C Major, RV 477: III. Allegro 03:42
• 14 Vivaldi: Bassoon Concerto in A Minor, RV 497: I. Allegro molto 03:38
• 15 Vivaldi: Bassoon Concerto in A Minor, RV 497: II. Andante molto 03:25
• 16 Vivaldi: Bassoon Concerto in A Minor, RV 497: III. Allegro 02:38
• 17 Vivaldi: Bassoon Concerto in C Major, RV 467: I. Allegro 04:10
• 18 Vivaldi: Bassoon Concerto in C Major, RV 467: II. Andante 03:12
• 19 Vivaldi: Bassoon Concerto in C Major, RV 467: III. Allegro 03:33
• Total Runtime 59:24

Info for Vivaldi: Bassoon Concertos

It would be no exaggeration to name Antonio Vivaldi as the “pioneer of the bassoon concerto”. The first milestone in the emancipation of the bassoon, until the beginning of the 17 century exclusively used as a basso continuo instrument, for which the part wasn’t even written out, was a series of nine virtuoso bassoon sonatas published by Giovanni Antonio Bertoli in 1645. Then came Antonio Vivaldi, who didn’t only write probably the first solo concerto for bassoon ever composed, but who also created the largest group of works ever written for the instrument until then: 39 solo concertos, all of excellent quality. There was only one instrument for which Vivaldi wrote more concerti, namely the violin. It is most likely an indication of Vivaldi’s fondness of the bassoon.

Unfortunately there are no historical sources to determine for whom Vivaldi wrote the bassoon concerti, but given their technical demands and the quality of the musical writing, one can assume they were written for an accomplished virtuoso. Perhaps they were composed for one of the members of the orchestra of the Ospedale della Pietà, a home for abandoned and orphaned children in Venice, where Vivaldi was violin teacher and music director for more than 30 years. Under his direction the orchestra became one of the most famous ensembles in Europe.

This album combines six bassoon concerti by Vivaldi, performed by Uruguayan bassoonist Gustavo Núñez, who holds the position of principal bassoonist with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and who is considered one of the best bassoonists of his generation. He is accompanied by the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, by many considered as one of the world’s most admired chamber orchestras.

Gustavo Núñez, bassoon
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields

Gustavo Núñez
Born in Uruguay in 1965, Gustavo Núñez was appointed principal bassoonist of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1995 and is considered to be one of the leading bassoonists of his generation.

He had his first bassoon lessons from his father and was awarded a grant at the age of sixteen to study with Kerrison Camden at the Royal College of Music in London. He was later accepted into Klaus Thunemann’s renowned bassoon studio in Hanover. In 1987, while still a student, he won the Prix Suisse at the Geneva International Music Competition and first prize at the Carl Maria von Weber Competition in Munich.

He has held the position of principal bassoonist of the Staatstheater Darmstadt (1988) and of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra (from 1989 to 1995).

Núñez gives masterclasses and has made solo appearances in the US, Canada, various South American countries, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Finland, Australia, South Korea and Japan.

He has held a professorship at the Robert-Schumann-Hochschule in Düsseldorf since 1999.

Booklet for Vivaldi: Bassoon Concertos