IDRS librarian Dr. Bruce Degen informed us recently of a very interesting gift of music for bassoon and notes pertaining to the bassoon received from our Honorary member from Vienna, Karl Öhlberger. Here is a list of the works now in hand at the IDRS library - according to Mr. Öhlberger's letter to IDRS librarian Degen:
1. A good solo piece by Jörgen Bentzon (Danish composer) no longer available;
2. A "Polonaise" of a Viennese composer, Joseph Klein who was ballet director at the Vienna State Opera (also unavailable);
3. Etudes of Alfred Uhl, sent because they are by a living Viennese composer and I find them to be very good;
4. A photo copy of a bassoon concerto of Baron Thaddeus von Dürnitz (a bassoon lover from Munich) that is of interest to bassoonists because Mozart wrote the bassoon works for him. (Unfortunately, the parts for 2 violas, 2 oboes and 2 horns are missing.) Since there have not appeared any other works by Durnitz, I thought for almost a 20-year period that I had found one of the missing bassoon concertos by Mozart, but this was not so. Since the missing voices are barely reconstructable, this concerto may be of more historical than practical value. In addition to the works for bassoon, Mozart also wrote six piano sonatas for Dürnitz.