Carl Maria von Weber

Andante And Hungarian Rondo (Hungarian Fantasy)

Carl Maria von Weber (1786 - 1826) grew up in a musical family that longed for him to be a musical prodigy like is relation (by marriage), W.A. Mozart. As a young man, he met famed clarinetist Heinrich Baermann, for whom he wrote several well-received clarinet solos. Baermann's colleague, bassoonist Georg Friedrich Brandt, besieged the composer for a work for bassoon, resulting in his 'Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra in F' and this work. 'Andante and Hungarian Rondo' were originally written as a viola solo to be played by Weber's brother Fritz. While the orchestration remained largely the same, Weber significantly reworked the solo to better suit the bassoon. This transcription maintains the virtues of the bassoon solo and translates the accompaniment to a symphonic band idiom.