Very few instrumental compositions by Antonio Lotti (1667–1740) have survived. Best known is an oboe d’amore concerto in A major, until recently his sole identified work in the concerto genre. Now another concerto by him has turned up (discovered in Lund, Sweden), this time for ordinary oboe. Although the manuscript parts are anonymous, Lotti’s authorship is beyond doubt: first, all three movements are arrangements of arias for soprano appearing in two of his operas written for Dresden; second, the use of da capo aria form for all three movements links the new concerto directly with the oboe d’amore concerto, which may well be a similar pasticcio. The new work, in G minor, is more lyrical than virtuoso in character and every bit as attractive as its A major counterpart. It deserves to become an essential part of the baroque repertoire for the oboe.
|