Mozart - Bassoon Concerto in B flat major

This is the first of Mozart’s wind concertos, and it has consistently been hailed by scholars as a minor masterpiece. The composer’s seemingly instinctive understanding of the technical possibilities of the bassoon is apparent throughout (the simplest way to appreciate this is to consider how much would be lost if the solo part were played on a cello), but no less skillful is the manner in which Mozart marshals his orchestral forces so that they never overpower the solo instrument despite its limited power and range. The choice of key enables high-lying horn parts that help to offset the baritonal solo part, and the dialogue between bassoon and orchestra is always an act of genial friendship and gentle complicity, with no empty virtuosity or competitive jostling. Here, Jane Gower, performs her cadenza from the end of the first movement: I. Allegro. Jane’s cadenzas and performance notes for this piece have been published by Bärenreiter, meaning she is truly a worldwide authority on historical p