Lübeck Philharmonic Live, vol. 3:

Arthur Honegger: Symphony No. 1
Raffaele d‘Alessandro: Bassoon Concerto
Maurice Ravel: Alborada del Gracioso
Igor Stravinsky: L‘oiseau de feu (Firebird)

Jakob Meyers, Bassoon
Lübeck Philharmonic
Roman Brogli-Sacher

SACD hybrid

Besides a splendid interpretation of Honegger‘s first symphony and Stravinsky‘s L‘oiseau de feu the present program of the Lübeck Philharmonic in it‘s centennary year offers a highlight with Raffaele d‘Alessandro‘s seldom performed bassoon concerto. The composer, who was born on 17 March 1911 in St. Gallen, learned violin and took piano and organ lessons. For his music studies he moved to Zurich in 1932, but was primarily self-taught. In 1933 he earned a diploma in piano and organ. He continued his training until 1937 in Paris with Marcel Dupré and Nadia Boulanger, among others. From 1940 d’Alessandro lived in Lausanne, where he gave piano and organ concerts and dedicated himself to composing. From 1950 he earned his living exclusively from composition commissions and concerts, which time and again put him in a difficult financial situation. He died impoverished on 17 March 1959.

Commissioned by Paul Sacher, Raffaele d’Alessandro’s Concerto for Bassoon and String Orchestra, op. 75, was composed in Lausanne between 25 February and 16 March 1956. The preliminary sketch shows that the individual movements were conceived in the order: Sonata, Arioso, Rondo, Cadenza. Suggestions by two French bassoonists – Raymond Castellon in Lausanne and Henri Bouchet in Basel – were largely integrated into the solo part. Several short sections were even left to the orchestra in order to give the soloist a breather. The premiere took place on 22 February 1957 in Basel, with Henri Bouchet as the solist, and Paul Sacher conducting the Basel Chamber Orchestra.