Mozart - Hummel - Vanhal Sophie Dervaux & Mozarteumorchester Salzburg

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791): Bassoon Concerto in B-Flat Major, KV 191:
• 1 Mozart: Bassoon Concerto in B-Flat Major, KV 191: I. Allegro 06:39
• 2 Mozart: Bassoon Concerto in B-Flat Major, KV 191: II. Andante ma adagio 05:50
• 3 Mozart: Bassoon Concerto in B-Flat Major, KV 191: III. Rondo. Tempo di menuetto 03:56
• Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778 - 1837): Grand Concerto in F Major for bassoon and orchestra:
• 4 Hummel: Grand Concerto in F Major for bassoon and orchestra: I. Allegro moderato 10:43
• 5 Hummel: Grand Concerto in F Major for bassoon and orchestra: II. Romanza. Andantino e cantabile 05:31
• 6 Hummel: Grand Concerto in F Major for bassoon and orchestra: III. Rondo. Vivace 06:07
• Johann Baptist Vanhal (1739 - 1813): Concerto in C Major for bassoon and orchestra:
• 7 Vanhal: Concerto in C Major for bassoon and orchestra: I. Allegro moderato 07:26
• 8 Vanhal: Concerto in C Major for bassoon and orchestra: II. Adagio cantabile 07:04
• Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Johann Baptist Vanhal: Concerto in C Major for bassoon and orchestra:
• 9 Hummel, Vanhal: Concerto in C Major for bassoon and orchestra: III. Finale. Allegro 05:36
• Total Runtime 58:52

Info for Mozart - Hummel - Vanhal

After her debut album impressions with chamber music works for bassoon and piano, bassoonist Sophie Dervaux presents two premieres on her second album for Berlin Classics: In addition to the world premiere recording of the Concerto No. 2 in C major for bassoon and orchestra by Johann Baptist Vanhal, she acted for this album not only as soloist but also as conductor of the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg.

The recording of Mozart's Concerto in B flat major for bassoon and orchestra was the starting point for this CD. It is considered one of the most important works ever written for the instrument: Viennese classical, demanding and differentiated - and the only bassoon concerto by Mozart that has survived at all. "The Concerto in B flat major forms the basis of the repertoire of many bassoonists, says Sophie Dervaux, "I have therefore waited a long time to record the work - it is an important step that I have approached with respect."

What can be on an album alongside a work as significant as Mozart's Bassoon Concerto? Sophie Dervaux has chosen two composers who were close to Mozart, who share a common history with him. Mozart and Hummel, as well as Vanhal, have left their mark on the musical history of Vienna - the city that Sophie Dervaux, as principal bassoonist of the Vienna Philharmonic, calls her adopted home.

Johann Nepumuk Hummel was a pupil of Mozart, he lived for a time under the same roof as the master. His works already lie on the border between Viennese Classicism and Romanticism; the finale of the Grand Concerto has folk-musical features. Like Mozart's Concerto in B flat major, Hummel's Grand Concerto in F major is firmly anchored in today's bassoon repertoire.

Johann Baptist Vanhal's Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra, on the other hand, "was like a blank sheet," says Sophie Dervaux. "I had endless possibilities, I didn't know exactly how it would sound at the beginning. The first notes were really a wonderful surprise!" Although Vanhal, a native of Bohemia, was also considered one of the leading composers of his time during his lifetime, his work has so far only been marginally explored. As an "ambassador" for her instrument, Sophie Dervaux has been working for years to expand the bassoon repertoire and to make lesser-known works known.

She deliberately chose the Mozarteumorchester Salzburg for the recording of this album, with Mozart's Bassoon Concerto as the initial work, because who could be better suited for this than an orchestra from Mozart's home town, an orchestra with such a great tradition? "It was a very enriching collaboration with the Mozarteum Orchestra. A musical exchange that will remain in my memory," says Sophie Dervaux. And conducting was once again an intense experience for her. "I am very grateful to the musicians for their unique support. There was a great energy between us. Playing with this orchestra, above all: conducting it, arouses my curiosity more than ever. I will continue on this path. Both of Sophie Dervaux's paths - that of the bassoonist and that of the conductor - come together in a convincing way on the new album Mozart, Hummel, Vanhal.

Sophie Dervaux, bassoon
Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg

Sophie Dervaux
has been principal bassoonist of the Vienna Philharmonic and the Vienna State Opera Orchestra since 2015. Previously, she was principal contrabassoonist of the Berlin Philharmonic.

Her album “impressions” with works for bassoon and piano, which she released with Sélim Mazari on the Label Berlin Classics in 2021, was highly praised by the press and received the German Record Critics’ Award. With impressions, [she] “elevates the bassoon to a noble status,” reported Sabine Weber on Deutschlandfunk, and Holger Arnold wrote in FONO FORUM: “One cannot imagine a more beautiful calling card.”

As an ambassador for her instrument, she is committed to expanding the repertoire for bassoon by rediscovering works or commissioning new ones. She has been a “Püchner Artist” since 2014 and is passionate about making her instrument even better known.

In April 2022, her next album with works by Hummel, Mozart and a world premiere recording of Vanhal’s Bassoon Concerto will be released by Berlin Classics, recorded together with the Mozarteumorchester Salzburg.

Sophie Dervaux has won prizes at numerous prestigious competitions, including the ARD Munich International Music Competition (2013) and the Beethoven Ring Bonn (2014). She has performed as a soloist with famous orchestras, including the Vienna Philharmonic, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Munich Chamber Orchestra, the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the Orchestre National de Lyon and more. Her wide solo repertoire includes works by Vivaldi, Saint-Saëns, Jolivet, Strauss, Mozart, Hummel, Haydn and Paganini.

She has played in the world’s most prestigious concert halls, including the Musikverein Vienna, Berlin Philharmonie, Philharmonie de Paris, Suntory Hall Tokyo, Carnegie Hall New York and Royal Albert Hall London. As a chamber musician, Sophie Dervaux performs with internationally renowned musicians and in 2020 recorded, among others, the Beethoven Trio for piano, bassoon and flute together with Daniel Barenboim and Emmanuel Pahud for Warner Classics. She regularly is on stage together with oboist Albrecht Mayer.

In addition to her work in the orchestra and as a soloist, Sophie Dervaux teaches at the Musik und Kunst Privatuniversität der Stadt Wien and gives master classes at renowned conservatories worldwide.

She began her musical education on the guitar and clarinet, and has been playing the bassoon since 2003. After training at the Versailles Conservatory, she studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Lyon and at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music in Berlin. She then joined the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Academy (Karajan Academy). Her teachers include Carlo Colombo, Jean Pignoly, Volker Tessmann and Daniele Damiano.

This album contains no booklet.