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Just how good was Gustave Vogt (1781-1879), technically speaking? As principal oboist of the Paris Opéra and as soloist in Napoleon Bonaparte's private chamber ensemble, one would guess that he had to be one of the best players in Europe. Hopefully, his Adagio Grazioso et Rondeau for oboe and orchestra will help answer the question.

This work was never published by Vogt. It was simply an occasional work which he utilized to demonstrate his supreme talent. Certainly his performance of a composition like this one must have left his students, Apollon Barret and Henri Brod in awe. Auguste Bruyant felt that his teacher's works were so important that he made arrangements for them to become part of the Paris Conservatoire's collection which is now located in the Département de la Musique at the Bibliothèque Nationale.

The style of this composition shows the influence of Haydn, Mozart, and even Beethoven. Remembering that Vogt was among the first oboists ever to play the orchestral works of Beethoven, we should not be surprised. The structures of both movements are quite straightfoward: the Adagio is set in rounded binary form, while the Rondeau is laid out with three couplets sandwiched between four presentations of the refrain.

Vogt's trademark, the inclusion of a plethora of closing themes, brings the Rondeau finale to a close, but not before the master has hit the high F3 several times while burning the keywork off the oboe. This piece is a real tour de force, and one would hope that many players will now take it up.