CDXCVI. RITTER, Georg Wenzel: Quartet #5 for Bassoon and Strings

CDXCVI. RITTER, Georg Wenzel (1748-1808)

Quartet #5 for Bassoon and Strings (1779)
1. Allegro
2. Minuetto
Paolo Carlini, bassoon
I Virtuosi Italiani String Trio
(9:31)

Having befriended Mozart in Mannheim and Paris, and later in Munich, Ritter gained fame as one of the leading bassoonists of his time. He served in the Mannheim orchestra and in Munich before joining the court of Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia, at a generous salary reflecting his great abilities.

In a letter to his father in 1778, Mozart referred to Ritter as "our good wood-biter."