Description
L’Orfeo, by the Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643), was written in the late Renaissance/early Baroque era. Whilst it wasn’t the first opera ever written, it is generally considered the first great masterpiece of the genre. Based on the Greek legend of Orpheus, it tells the story of his descent to Hades and his fruitless attempt to bring his dead bride Eurydice back to the living world.
Monteverdi wrote L’Orfeo in 1607 whilst he was employed as ‘Master of Music’ by the Duke of Mantua and was first performed at court during the annual carnival at Mantua. The opera’s opening is an instrumental Toccata: a ‘tucket’ in English, which means a flourish on trumpets. It serves as an overture and is essentially a call to attention for the audience. Monteverdi reused the music as the opening to his later Vespers – a work also composed for the ducal court – so the music may have been a form of ‘salute’ or fanfare for the Duke.
In his score Monteverdi instructs the players to play the Toccata three times, as is the case in this version for bassoon choir. The outer sections are loud and proclamatory (with optional foot stamps the second time), whilst the middle section is quieter, with fewer players and incorporating elements of imitation.
There are 10 bassoon parts (A1-5 and B1-5) and two parts for contras. To bring out the polyphonic textures the players should sit in a semicircle with players A1 and B1 outermost with the remaining players cascading towards the contras seated centrally. Parts A5 and B5 are very easy and can also be played on mini bassoons in F and G respectively.
An ideal concert opener or encore.
