Oboe Concerto in C

Dittersdorf (1739-1799) was one of the most prolific and versatile of Haydn’s and Mozart’s Viennese contemporaries. He was a formidable violinist – certainly the foremost virtuoso in Vienna during the early 1760s – and composed a substantial number of concertos for his own use particularly early in his career when he was seeking to establish his reputation as a composer. His contribution to the wind concerto repertory is, however, rather meager and although some of the works may date from his early years in Vienna the majority were probably composed for his colleagues at Großwardein. Three of the seven oboe concertos found their way into the Breitkopf Catalogue (Supplement X 1775); the remaining four were probably composed during the 1760s or early 1770s. As is so often the case with Dittersdorf’s music, a precise composition date is impossible to establish. The Oboe Concerto in C exhibits many stylistic similarities with other concertos by Dittersdorf. The 3/4 Allegro molto opening movement is somewhat unusual for the period although not without precedent. The choice of metre and tempo might indicate a relatively late composition date – that is, post 1770 - although in every other respect the work resembles the earlier concertos. Significantly, the recapitulation begins with the solo instrument and not with the orchestra, a hallmark of the mid-century concerto. Dittersdorf’s handling of the orchestra is assured and professional as one would expect from such a fine composer of symphonies. The solo writing too is thoroughly idiomatic and reveals a certain sensitivity to the instrument’s expressive capabilities. Its relatively simple level of technical difficulty almost certainly is a reflection on the performer whom it was written.