I have a question concerning fingering in the Allegro movment of the Bellini Eb oboe concerto.

In the third bar of the main theme there is a dotted quaver C followed by a demi-semi quaver D and a demi-semi quaver C, followed by a quaver B. Is it acceptable to use the D trill key for the D or should I work on trying to half-hole it fast enough?

Well, you realy should use the proper fingering. If you think it's too fast, I don't see why not though...

If I'm going to be a pedant, then yes, you should use the correct fingering. Just keep practising - it will get easier. The problem with cheating is that you unwittingly end up letting it creep into lots of other fast passages as well.

Try your best to stick to the proper fingering.

Has anyone actually played the piece?

I know that it is always better to use the proper fingering but given that it is one demi-semi quaver in an allegro movement, I wondered what others did.

Bearing in mind that Bellini wrote the work long before extensive keywork was added to the oboe, sticking to the proper fingering is most likely the intended course of action. I know the work, but I've not played it.

Remember that modern ideas about tempo also add to difficulties. Bach for example, is frequently played far too fast. We generalise 'Allegro' to mean fast, but really it means lively - and being lively doesn't mean playing at break-neck speed.

An alternative fingering for C natural that doesn't involve cheating with trill keys is:

LH fingers 1 and 3

RH fingers 1, 2 and 3 plus C key

There are others, but it's a matter of experimentation and finding what works best for tone quality and tuning.

I've played it!

Full fingering all the way.