Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice, Italy, on March 4, 1678, and died in Vienna, Austria, on July 28, 1741. In addition to the two solo oboes, the D-minor Concerto is scored for strings and continuo. Approximate performance time is nine minutes.

Antonio Vivaldi originally trained for the priesthood and was ordained in 1703. However, Vivaldi suffered from an ailment he described as strettezza di petto (“tightness of the chest”)—in all likelihood, asthma. As a result, Vivaldi later recalled: “I said mass for a year or a little more. Then I discontinued it, having on three occasions had to leave the altar without completing it because of this ailment.”

After Vivaldi left the priesthood, he began his association with Venice’s Ospedale della Pièta, a home for orphaned girls that was renowned for its excellence in musical education. Despite extensive travels throughout Europe, Vivaldi remained affiliated with the Ospedale as a teacher, composer, and music director for the better part of four decades.

Antonio Vivaldi’s compositions include numerous chamber works, sacred vocal music, and operas. But it is in the realm of the concerto that Vivaldi exerted his most profound influence. Vivaldi composed approximately 550 concertos in which he explored a wide variety of instrumental combinations, including a work in D minor for two oboes, strings, and continuo. The Concerto for Two Oboes alternates slow and quick-tempo movements (Largo - Allegro, Largo, Allegro molto). The first and third movements feature a ritornello—a recurring musical phrase that serves as a unifying force. Throughout, the writing for the soloists is notable for a sense of close interaction.

program notes by Ken Meltzer