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This fine concerto shares its motto with Tomaso Albinoni's oboe concerto in G minor Op. 9 No. 8, published in 1722, and with Antonio Vivaldi's violin concerto in G minor, RV 317, published in 1729 as Op. 12 No. 1. It is very likely that Zani deliberately borrowed the beautiful motto as a homage to the famous masters; and the same motive recurs in the third movement in a subtle variant. The serious mood of the concerto is emphasized by the predominance of the minor mode and by the rich counterpoint and chromatic harmony of the ritornelli. At these broad unhurried tempi the solo sections are expressively plangent, and even the passage work is more reflective than brilliant. Sequences moving flatwards round the circle of fifths lend a plagal or phrygian inflexion to the concerto, with frequent touches of Neapolitan F major: one sequence in the last movement delves as far as E flat major. preparation.
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