Albinoni was born in Venice in 1671, the son of a very wealthy paper merchant. He was trained as a singer and violinist and later a composer of considerable renown in his own lifetime. He is the father of 81 operas as well as many instrumental compositions, from concertos and sonatas to other types of vocal compositions such as cantatas and serenatas. Most of his operas have been lost. None were published during his lifetime. However, ten collections of instrumental compositions were published during his lifetime: 99 sonatas, 71 concertos and 9 sinfonias. His works are often compared to Vivaldi, Corelli and Tartini for their excellence and fine quality.

Albinoni was financially independent during his lifetime and as such never held an official music post at either a church or court of nobility. This allowed him to compose independently and to experiment freely with his music.

Albinoni was particularly fond of the oboe and is often considered the first Italian composer to write oboe concerti. The use of a wind instrument in the Baroque is more rare than common � most concerti were written for the violin.

The concerto in Bb major on tonight�s concert was originally composed for the oboe and later transcribed for trumpet.