Internationally acclaimed performer, professor, and composer Larry Lipkis has written over 100 works for a variety of vocal and instrumental ensembles. Lipkis's love of commedia dell'arte stems from his career as a performer of Renaissance music, and these four concerti are musical depictions of characters from this popular theatre tradition. The impish and impetuous Pierrot is personified by the bassoon, while his love interest Columbina flits and charms through a mercurial violin. The gently youthful Innamorata, or female lover, is expressed through a translucently accompanied flute, and the romantic entanglements and acrobatic humour of Harlequin are a perfect fit for the outsized musical personality of the bass trombone.
