Oboe Sonata in D major Op.166 (1921)

Of the three woodwind sonatas Saint-Saëns wrote in the last year of his life, the one for clarinet is the most ambitious, the one for bassoon the most flatteringly scored, the one for oboe the most charming. The first to be written, the Oboe Sonata draws for the most part on the oboe’s traditional associations. The opening Andantino acknowledges its place the baroque sonata, though not without making a harmonically inspired romantic diversion in the middle, while the Allegretto echoes its pastoral background with shepherd’s pipe improvisations framing a delightful little country dance. The Molto allegro, on the other hand, anticipates the cheerful, lyrically amiable sort of music Poulenc was to write for the oboe several years later.

Bassoon Sonata in G major Op.168 (1921)

Allegro moderato

Allegro scherzando

Molto adagio – Allegro moderato

Of the three woodwind sonatas Saint-Saëns wrote in the last year of his life, the one for clarinet is the most ambitious, the one for bassoon the most flatteringly scored, the one for oboe the most charming. The first to be written, the Oboe Sonata draws for the most part on the oboe’s traditional associations. The opening Andantino acknowledges its place the baroque sonata, though not without making a harmonically inspired romantic diversion in the middle, while the Allegretto echoes its pastoral background with shepherd’s pipe improvisations framing a delightful little country dance. The Molto allegro, on the other hand, anticipates the cheerful, lyrically amiable sort of music Poulenc was to write for the oboe several years later.

On second thoughts, “flattering” isn’t quite the right word to describe the scoring of the Bassoon Sonata. While not failing to poke a little innocent fun at an instrument traditionally characterised as the buffoon of the orchestra, Saint-Saëns is more inclined to treat it with respect and, indeed, admiration for its expressive potential. In the first movement, the bassoon is presented as a romantic hero, becoming seriously passionate on the return of the main theme after the modulating middle section. The Allegro scherzando offers the opportunity for the bassoon to demonstrate not only its talent for clowning but also a surprising agility. The first and much the longer section of the last movement is designed as an operatic aria with a dramatic middle section which makes effective use of bassoon’s lowest notes as well as its eloquent top register. It leads, after a short pause, into another Allegro moderato, this one being the composer’s “must be off” last word.