Saint-Georges, Joseph Bologne de (1745-1799)

Saint-Georges published his concertos and symphonies concertantes in pairs, typically with one work scored for strings alone and the second with wind instruments. The two Concertos Op.2, however, do not conform to this pattern since both works call for pairs of oboes (or flutes) and horns ad libitum. Although the auxiliary parts are not entrusted with presenting thematic material, their presence adds both to the weight and brilliance of the ritornello sections. The scoring in the solo sections is unusually delicate even by the standards of the mid eighteenth-century concerto with its frequent use of two- and three-part string textures with the viola and/or basso part omitted and serves as a reminder that concertos were performed and thought of as a type of chamber music at this time even when they were performed by expanded forces as was likely the case with Op.2.