Oboe Concerto in D Minor

The yearningly beautiful melody of the slow movement of the Oboe Concerto in D minor may be familiar (largely thanks to Bach’s transcription for keyboard), but its composer is far less so. So little known is Alessandro Marcello that for many years his concerto was ascribed to others: first Vivaldi, then Benedetto Marcello—Alessandro’s brother. Unlike his brother, Alessandro was not a professional musician but an aristocratic amateur. His output was small, but this concerto (published in 1717) shows a composer skilled at showcasing not only the instrument’s expressive range but also the player’s own technique. The stately opening movement establishes a dialogue between the lyrical oboe and the more angular, chromatic theme repeatedly insisted on by the strings. Dialogue turns to rivalry in the final “Presto”—a musical game of tag—but it’s the aria-like slow movement that is the heart of the work. Contemporary performances often take inspiration from Bach’s ornaments in embellishing the Oboe Concerto's graceful melody.