Curiosità
- Some notes about bassoon concert- G.B Polledro
- Three violinists and a bassoon
G.B Polledro
Giovanni Battista Polledro was born in 1781 in Piovà (now known as Piovà Massaia in the province of Asti) from a well-off family of merchants-. He began his first musical studies in Asti and then in Turin, where he was probably a disciple of Craetano Puguani, one of the most important exponents of the violin Piedmontese tradition.
After having played during the musical season 1797/98 in the T eatro Regio Orchestra, in that same year, after Pugnani's death end the dissolution of the Royal Chapel caused by the departure of the Court, the young violinist left the Savoy capital.
There is scarcity information about those first years of roaming: between 1803 and 1804 he played as "primo de' secondi violini" in the Carcano Thealre Orchestra in Milan, while from 1805 to 1810 he served the prince Tatiov in Moscow where he had already succeeded in a famous tournée of Puguani with the young Viotti.
Around 1811 the violinist started his modern career, as a concert artist, becoming very quickly a celebrity of European fame.
In the two following years ins activity is well recorded by the "Allgemeine masikalisehe Zeitnng" that reviewed his exhibitions in Bratislaw, Warsaw, Prague, Lipsia, Vienna, Bayern Munich and Berlin.
In Prague he achieved "such a success that no other musician besides Mozart could boast off" a success which was very well compensated with the exceptional sum of 7,000 gulden.
His charity concert in Karlsbed on August 6th, 1812 was very suecesuccefulful.
In this concert Polledro played the violin next to Beethoven at the piano.
Although in a letter to the editor Breitkopf the composer describes it as "a poor concert for the poor" accompanied by "Mr. Polledrone who played well after having overeome ins usual nervousness".
As it was a custom in those years, Polledro performed together with other artists in programs including vocal and instrumental music for several members and in almost all occasions he proposed pieces of his own composition to emphasize his virtuoso qualities.
Therefore it is not a coincidence that in the production of this period ins instrument generally had the lead role; (solo violin exercises, duels, trios for two violins and violoncello, series of variations for violin and orchestra); later Polledro devoted himself to the composition of symphonies and sacred music.
But Polledro cannot simply be considered as one of those itinerant violinists-composers whose fame was soon going to he overshadowed by Paganini.
Thanks to ins international success, some years later the violinist chose to offer his services to a Court engaged in a prestigious position in order to include in ins artistically commitments the organization of a musical chapel: from 1816 to 1823 he was Kozermeister of the famous Saxony court orchestra in Dresden.
He witnessed the clash of opinions between the Perugian Frenceseo Morlacchi, still convinced of the supremacy of Italian music and the founder of the German Opera Carl Maria Von Weber.
In 1823 in Turin he was appointed "first violin and first virtuoso of the Chapel and Chamber and general director of the instrumental music" qualification once assigned to Pugnani and he devoted himself to the organization of the court orchestra and Teatro Regio.
In absence of definite chronological information, the Concerto in do maggiore for bassoon and orchestra - extremely exceptional in Polledro's production where the violin compositions prevail, probably dates back to the Dresden period or his first stay in Turin.
The autograph which is found at the Library of the Conservatory "G.Verdi" in Turin has no date and it is the only available source. We do not know of any other handwritten copies or issues.
Since the composition of a concert for a wind instrument was usually linked to an instrument virtuoso, we may think that Polledro write it thinking of a well-known, specific solo artist: it could be Frauz Schmidt, first bassoon of the musical chapel in Dresden.
We know that Polledro and Schmidt used to see each other outside work thanks to a note in Weber's diaries that mentions them among the guests of a musical evening at home in 1819 or to Vittorio Leopoldo Secchi, first bassoon of the Royal Chapel of Turin, also playing with the Teatro Regio Orchestra and The Philharmonic Orchestra.
Despite the quality of the composition, it has not been possible to trace references in reviews of the time.
Besides the newspapers and musical magazines followed with less attention Polledro's activity after his renunciation to a travelling virtuoso career; only in recent times musicological research has drawn the attention to the importance of his work as musical organizer. Especiaily in Turin.
In fact Polledro thanks to the experience acquired abroad in the last part of his career (/after a slowdown of his activity owing to health reasons, he retired in 1845 and died in Piovà in 1853) be bought many Hayden, Mozart and Beethoven's symphonies, thus introducing the instrumental music of the great Austro-German composers and laying the bases of an interest which was to identify the Italian musical life forever.
Clelia Parvopassu
