Romanza – for Bassoon and Piano

Although it was a fascinating caprice in orchestration and provided the composer of the opera “L’Elisir D’Amore” with a great amount of fun at the expense of the bassoon players of his time, the brilliant use of the bassoon part in the “Romanza” (Una Furtiva Lagrima) was, nevertheless, a revelation. The setting of the introduction of the cantabile aria for bassoon solo was an unusual and daring choice for a composer of that time.