Symphonie concertante No. 2 C major

The two concertos for piano, bassoon and orchestra by Johann Evangelis Brandl which were recently found in the Hartmann Music Manuscript Archive, must be regarded as a sensational discovery, since they are the only two works ever for this instrumentation.

Johann Evangelis Brandl is said to have been born around 1760 at Rohr near Regensburg. He received his general and musical education in the Rohr convent and in seminaries at Munich, Neuburg/Danube, Donauwörth and Eichstätt. After giving up his wish to become a priest, he tried law at Freiburg/Breisgau, but in the end found his fulfilment in music.

In 1784, he was employed as Kapellmeister with the Prince Hohenlohe-Bartenstein, 1789 as musical director with the Prince Bishop of Speyer. From 1806 approximately until his retirement in 1829 he was 2nd musical director at the grand-ducal theatre of Baden at Karlsruhe. There he died the 25th of May 1837.

The Concertante pour Piano & Basson was composed only a short time after a first work for the same instrumentation (dated January according to the manuscript). The dedicators of the concerts are respectively Jacques Hartmann and his sister Sophie (No. 2), and his daughter Caroline (to whom Chopin dedicated his Rondo op. 16).