Top 5 Oboe Concertos

A wag once remarked that the oboe is ‘an ill wind that nobody blows good.’ Whilst it is true that the oboe is one of the more difficult of instruments to master, in the hands of a good player it may be the loveliest wind of all. It is certainly capable of a very wide range of expression—no instrument can be more lyrically plaintive than an oboe, or more spikily amusing—and over the centuries composers have taken advantage of the instrument’s many qualities to write some very fine concertos for it. Here are our favourites.

Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni - Oboe Concerto Op.9, No. 2 in D Minor

Though he is most famous for an Adagio that he (probably) did not write, Albinoni (1671-1751) was nevertheless a substantial and important figure of the Baroque era. He was amongst the earliest composers to employ the oboe as a solo instrument, writing a set of 12 concertos for the instrument. The second of the set, in D minor, is the most well-known today. It consists of a poised Allegro e non presto, a soulfully expressive Adagio and a turbulently dramatic final Allegro.

J.S. Bach - Oboe and Violin Concerto in C Minor, BWV 1060R

There are a number of works by Bach that are often listed as oboe concertos, including his concertos in F major (BWV 1053) and G minor (BWV 1055) and concertos for oboe d’amore, BWV 1055 and BWV 100. These are all, however, arrangements of harpsichord concertos. The only concerto originally for oboe is work that also features the violin, the Oboe and Violin Concerto in C Minor. Luckily for oboists, it is an absolute gem. Its three movements, Allegro, Adagio and Allegro feature an intricate dialogue between the two solo instruments, a supreme example of Bach’s mastery of counterpoint—the weaving together of different melodic lines.

Mozart - Oboe Concerto in C Major, K. 271k /K. 314

Mozart’s Concerto in C was written in 1777 for oboist Giuseppe Ferlendis but then adapted by the composer as his Flute Concerto in D (K.314) to fulfil another commission. That form of work has remained in the repertoire ever since, the original version for oboe not being rediscovered until 1920. Since that time, however, it has established itself as one of the most important works written for oboe, one that fully explores the instrument’s lyrical and virtuosic possibilities. Its first movement, Allegro aperto, is elegant and spirited, the second, Adagio non troppo serene and lyrical, the third witty and lively rondo.

Richard Strauss - Oboe Concerto

Strauss’s Concerto for Oboe, written in 1945 near the end of his life, looks back to the style and forms of his youth. It forms one of a group of works, sometimes known as his ‘Indian Summer’ that eschew some of the more radical developments in his operas and tone poems. The work’s three movements, Allegro moderato, Andante and Vivace-Allegro are played as one span of around 25 minutes. Through technically challenging, the work emphasises lyricism and technical finesse rather than overt virtuosity, allowing the oboe's expressive, singing quality to shine throughout.

Ellen Taaffe Zwilich - Oboe Concerto

Though Ellen Taafe Zwilich’s concerto for oboe was written in 1990, some years after she began to embrace a more neoromantic style, her concerto is nevertheless very much a work of the twentieth century. Written in one long span it features spiky dissonant harmonies, ideas that come in quick bursts and that alternate between slow and fast. There is much emphasis on the lyrical singing qualities of the solo instrument and also, apart from the interaction with the orchestra, a kind of dialogue with the other reed instruments that form part of it.