Paul Lewis

Concerto Burlesco

This concerto was written for, and is dedicated to, Graham Salvage, the principle bassoonist of the Halle Orchestra. The first performance was given by Graham on March 4th 2005 in a concert in Turkey with the Izmir State Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marek Pijarowski.
The concerto is in three movements: 1. Burlesque; 2. Serenade; 3. Fandango.
The concerto takes its name from the first movement, which the composer feels is more a burlesque of first movement sonata form than the real thing. The middle movement gives the soloist an opportunity to serenade the audience in the most romantic manner, using the poetic and soulful upper register of the bassoon, and the finale is a fandango, an energetic dance from the Basque region of France and Spain. The concerto finishes with a rapid chromatic scale from the bottom to the top of the bassoon, ending on a trill on a high D.
The score and orchestral parts are also available from us (Catalogue no.GMCO066).
Orchestration:
Solo Bassoon
Flute (doubling piccolo), Oboe, Clarinet in Bb, Horn in F, Timpani (doubling susp.cymbal), Percussion (one player: Susp.cymbal, Snare drum, Tambourine, Tam-tam, 3 Wood blocks, Triangle, Whip, Vibraslap, Glockenspiel, Vibraphone), Celeste, Harp
Strings (Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola, cello, Bass)
Duration: c.20 minutes
This work is included on the Associated Board's 2005 syllabus for LRSM diploma