Gurn's Classical Corner

[chasmaniac]

Bach, JC - CPO's 5-CD box of Symphonies w/ Halstead & the Hanover Band - discussion below from a few pages back in this thread - starting w/ the first discs, i.e. Op. 3 (premiered in 1765) & Op. 6; both sets recorded in 1994.  The Op. 3 works were advertised by Bach under the heading of Overtures, of course arising out of the relationship to Italian opera overtures of the times.  The Op. 6 works have a confusing history, probably mentioned by Bach initially in 1767; later in 1770, an Amsterdam publisher named Johann Julius Hummel published a set of 6 Symphonies under the title of Op. 6 - these apparently are the works performed on this 2nd disc in the set.

All of these works are short (10 minutes or less) and in 3 movements w/ the usual slow second movement; the period instrument playing of the band is crisp and distinct; well recorded as expected by CPO - think that I'll be enjoying this box - now which other box(es) are available of this youngest son of Papa Bach?

CPO also has sets of JC's opera overtures and concertante symphonies. I've just plunked for the lot! having long enjoyed his Salve Regina et al. on CPO 999718.

[mc ukrneal]

I thought I would try to put all the JC Bach covers from CPO in one post.

 

Not to be confused with this one (variety of composers and different performers):


Just not sure if these two are in one of the boxes above - they don't appear to be:


EDIT: And these:

[chasmaniac]

And the vocal record I referred to above:

[SonicMan46]

Thanks Neal - those top 2 are of interest to me; I do have some older versions of many of the keyboard works, so will need to do some reading!  Not sure how the Symphonies Concertantes vary from the symphonies, so another area for me to investigate!

Now, I do own those 2 Woodwind Concertos in separate volumes - these are outstanding & highly recommended for those who love classical wind music!  Dave 

I thought I would try to put all the JC Bach covers from CPO in one post.



Just not sure if these two are in one of the boxes above - they don't appear to be:

[mc ukrneal]

Thanks Neal - those top 2 are of interest to me; I do have some older versions of many of the keyboard works, so will need to do some reading!  Not sure how the Symphonies Concertantes vary from the symphonies, so another area for me to investigate!

This is the part I always forget. I think the overtures and the symphonies concertantes have some overlap in the material (as was common in those days). But I am not clear whether one derives from the other or whehter the overlap is partial. In any case, it is 3 vs 5 discs I think, so probably worth it even if some music is re-used.

[Gurn Blanston]

Not to overlook these 2 fine disks, Neal;



although I know you were looking at boxes. Hoeren is the keyboardist for Trio 1790, BTW.

[mc ukrneal]

Not to overlook these 2 fine disks, Neal;



although I know you were looking at boxes. Hoeren is the keyboardist for Trio 1790, BTW.

Thanks - I added them in.

[chasmaniac]

This is the part I always forget. I think the overtures and the symphonies concertantes have some overlap in the material (as was common in those days). But I am not clear whether one derives from the other or whehter the overlap is partial. In any case, it is 3 vs 5 discs I think, so probably worth it even if some music is re-used.

This review provides some background:

J.C. Bach – music that is charming, easy on the ear, cleverly composed and beautifully performed.
When one thinks of the so-called 'classical period' - which school pupils normally compartmentalize as from c.1750-1810 - the names of Mozart and Haydn leap to mind. After them you think of Gluck (the Reformer of German opera), then might come the somewhat maverick genius, C.P.E. Bach and only after that J.C. Bach. Yet having heard all six hours or more of this set I am again convinced that he is in many ways the archetypal composer of the classical period.

In the booklet to the sixth volume in this part of the CPO J.C. Bach series (there are 22 CDs in all of which these six address the Symphonies Concertantes) there is an extra essay by Peter Wollny entitled 'Orchestral Music by Johann Christian Bach'. In it he quotes C.P.E. in 1768 as saying "There is nothing behind my brother's present manner of composing". This reminded me of Oscar Wilde: "On the surface he seems possibly to be profound, but fortunately once underneath one soon realizes that that he is entirely shallow". That's pretty much how I perceived J.C.'s music. However Leopold Mozart, not without wisdom, reminded Wolfgang Amadeus that "What is slight becomes great when it is written with a natural flow and in a light hand". Not surprisingly Mozart went to London and studied with J.C. and was possibly present when J.C. gave the first known piano recital in London.

Each disc in this series of six has the same introductory essay by Ernest Warburton. His conscientious scholarship and research has in recent years discovered scores and parts long thought lost. His reconstructions of the scores have brought much of this music to our attention but only comparatively recently. He offers biographical notes on J.C. and then on the Symophonia Concertante as a form. Each work is described and sometimes lightly analysed. Only in the sixth booklet, as indicated, does Peter Wollny add an analytical essay.

Anthony Halstead who has obviously devoted so much loving care on the conducting also makes a literary contribution. A 22 disc assignment to record the music of just one composer - and not a great one - takes a huge commitment and monopolises a massive chunk of your life. Sadly Ernst Warburton died just a short time before the recording project was completed in 2001, it having started six years before that.

Now this collection of six discs of the Symphonies Concertantes have been gathered together having previously been released separately. They allow us a real chance to delve into the mind of this still little-known composer.

The worry I had when confronted with this set was 'Would all twenty works be exactly the same, in form, style, performance and texture?'. Well that fear proved unfounded almost from the start. As you can see from the above listings each CD is slightly different in type and content. For example, several 'Symphonies' are in three movements, fast(ish)-slow-fast (probably a Rondo). However, on disc 4, (the tracks are carelessly printed in the booklet), the first Symphonie in C has an opening elegant Andante in the French style (gallante) followed by a lively Allegro and that's it. The following Eb work is similar in form whilst the later G major piece is in three movements. That particular disc features variation in texture. Two violins and cello - the most common instrumental grouping used by J.C. - are featured in the first. In the second the flute is added and in the Eb we have the flute with an oboe and bassoon. In between comes a Violin Concerto, the complex reconstruction of which, and its place in the canon, is explained by Ernst Warburton in the notes as are the other single concerto works listed.

I have already alluded to the French late Baroque style (Rameau, Couperin) which Bach sometimes employs but he is also prone to adopting the Italian style with its emphasis on melody and elegance and charm. Nowhere is this more noticeable than in the A major work for two violins and cello on disc 3. This was a popular piece at the time and was published in 1775; only two others were published in Bach's lifetime. This is a two movement work definitely written with the French taste in mind. Warburton describes it as having a "bluffer manner" than others and being "highly decorated" by which he means ornamented. The Italian style is exemplified by the D major Concertante on Volume 2, with its emphasis on virtuosity and on ritornello material, as happens in Vivaldi. Not only that, but the work is from a single manuscript copy found in Mantua.

The sixth disc has the last two 'Symphonies Concertantes' and has, as an bonus, a curious Keyboard concerto and a brief work simply called a 'Cadenza'. The concerto is a different version of a published Concerto in G recorded a few years before (CPO 999 600-2) and its complex history is worth a little study. It is played on a sweet-toned fortepiano by Anthony Halsead himself who also improvises the cadenzas. It sounds more like chamber music with its accompaniment of just two violins and a cello. The final track, the 'Cadenza' for Oboe, Viola and Violoncello is attributed to J.C. and probably should be attached to the C major Concertante (C45). It is just a two and a half minutes long.

I can think of no better performers than 'The Hanover Band' – 26-strong – to present this music. They are all soloists and each appears to relish the chance to play solo whenever called upon. There is a superb sense of balance throughout between each of the original instruments even the flute which although not even-toned throughout its range is most sensitively handled by both Liza Beznosiuk and Brinley Yare.

I must end by adding that although I applaud the project and indeed the whole idea of the 22 discs of J.C. Bach, I do wonder how many times I will actually play it. It is charming and easy on the ear, cleverly composed and beautifully performed but it may well spend much of its time on the shelf not only at my home but at most Universities and Colleges. For this reason I am going to suggest that if you decide to hunt out single volumes only then you could do no worse than purchase Volume 2 and/or Volume 3. These have contrast and quality and represent, I feel, the heart of the Concertantes and of J.C. Bach himself.

-- Gary Higginson, MusicWeb International

[mc ukrneal]

I see now that it is the symphonies and operas that overlap.

[Gurn Blanston]

Thanks - I added them in.

That bilious green Op 5 is one of my favorite CD covers. Don't know why, just is.

[Leo K.]

This review provides some background:

Thanks for providing that review, I haven't run across that yet


By the way, you guys got me returning to JC Bach this morning on a Long awaited day off from two jobs

I am listening to his fabulous bassoon concerto (in Eb) from the CPO series of JC Bach's woodwind concertos

[PaulSC]

if you decide to hunt out single volumes only then you could do no worse than purchase Volume 2 and/or Volume 3

LOL at this bit near the end of Gary Higginson's review...

[chasmaniac]

LOL at this bit near the end of Gary Higginson's review...

Just noticed that! He fell into the crack between could do no better and could do worse.

[Leo K.]

I am very excited over my two latest acquisitions!





I haven't heard these yet, but I've been particulary interested in hearing Kozeluch's fortepiano sonatas, and have waited awhile before finding this recording.

The CPO disk of Gerson and Kunzen symphonies is new to me, found by accident, but I can't wait to hear these composers for the first time.

This is quite a disk. The composer Friedrich Ludwig Aemilius Kunzen (1761-1817) has a real interesting G Minor symphony, that doesn't sound anything like Mozart's (whom he admired) late G minor symphony. If there is a similarity, it is the subtle musical arguments in each, rather quiet with sudden eruptions here and there, but otherwise Kunzel is very much his own man. Fascinating unknown figure. Here is some wiki information:

Friedrich Ludwig Æmilius Kunzen (September 24, 1761 – January 28, 1817) was a German composer and conductor who lived and worked for much of his life in Denmark.
He was born in Lübeck, where his father, Adolph Carl Kunzen, was an organist and his grandfather, Johann Paul Kunzen (1696-1757), had composed for the Hamburg Opera in the 1720s. In 1781 he began studying law in Kiel, but his true love was music, and in 1784, encouraged by the composer Johann Abraham Peter Schulz and the publisher Carl Friedrich Cramer (1752-1807), both of whom would be important throughout his life, he moved to Copenhagen to pursue a musical career.
He performed as a pianist at court and in clubs, and in the next few years had successes with a memorial cantata for Count Otto Thott and music for the marriage of Crown Princess Louise Auguste to Frederik Christian II, Duke of Augustenborg, as well as theatre music.
In 1788 he met the young author Jens Baggesen, and the two collaborated on the opera Holger Danske, which premiered the following year, causing the "Holger Feud," as a result of which Kunzen temporarily left the country.
For the next two years he lived in Berlin; then from 1792 to 1794 he worked as musical director of the new Frankfurter National-Theater, where he put on Mozart's Don Giovanni and The Magic Flute.
During his stay in Frankfurt he married one of the foremost singers of the era, Johanna Margaretha Antonetta Zuccarini (1766-1842). In 1794 he and his wife moved to Prague, where he worked as an opera director; the following year he was offered the position of musical director of the Royal Orchestra in Copenhagen; he immediately accepted and returned with his wife to his beloved city in 1795.
His obligations were numerous, his salary poor, and his enthusiasm about Mozart was met with indigenous scepticism. As a consequence, Cosi fan tutte failed spectacularly in 1798."[1] However, he had successes with Don Giovanni (1807) and Die Entführung aus dem Serail (1813).
Besides occasional compositions for the court and city, he composed the oratorio Opstandelsen (The Resurrection, 1796), the grand opera Erik Ejegod (1798), and various hymns and Singspiele.
In 1809 he was appointed professor, and in 1811 he was honoured as a Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog and appointed a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.
On January 28, 1817, he suffered a stroke and died after an argument with Jens Baggesen over a plagiarism controversy concerning the opera Trylleharpen (The Magic Harp). This opera (1806) had been performed in Vienna and Hamburg in German as Ossians Harfe, but without success.

[Grazioso]

I'll add my voice to the chorus singing old JC's praises. His music may not plumb great depths, but it's genial and tuneful, and Halstead and Co. (and the CPO engineers) do it great justice. I have their box sets of the symphonies, symphonies concertantes, and keyboard concerti, and all are most pleasant.

[SonicMan46]

Not to overlook these 2 fine disks, Neal;



although I know you were looking at boxes. Hoeren is the keyboardist for Trio 1790, BTW.

Gurn - I have Sophie Yates on these Op. 5 Sonstas - can comment on a comparison, but I think I like Sophie's cover better -    Dave

[Gurn Blanston]

Gurn - I have Sophie Yates on these Op. 5 Sonstas - can comment on a comparison, but I think I like Sophie's cover better -    Dave

Ha! I think not, my friend! Well, I really do think that the fortepiano is the correct instrument for these works, I read (in Grove's?? Maybe Newman's Sonatas in the Classic Period) that he wrote the first actual fortepiano sonatas in England. And that cover!   I think I have 2 or 3 different disks with that same cover It is probably the only extant painting of him, I would guess).       

[SonicMan46]

Ha! I think not, my friend! Well, I really do think that the fortepiano is the correct instrument for these works, I read (in Grove's?? Maybe Newman's Sonatas in the Classic Period) that he wrote the first actual fortepiano sonatas in England. And that cover!   I think I have 2 or 3 different disks with that same cover It is probably the only extant painting of him, I would guess).       

Hey Gurn - yep, if you use Google Images that portrait appears dozens of times w/ him looking in one or the other direction - but it is a fine one being painted by Thomas Gainsborough in 1776, so worth using over again - 

Sophie Yates plays on an harpsichord which is not described in the booklet, but has a lighter sound which is probably appropriate for these earlier (i.e. 1766) more transitional keyboard works - apparently the title page of the manuscript indicated the works could be played on Fortepiano or harpsichord - I guess in the middle of that century, either would have been appropriate - although I'd love to hear that fortepiano version, too (listening to Yates at the moment to refresh my memory) - for those who may be interested, there is a good review by Jerry Dubins Reprinted HERE - Dave

[Leo K.]

  Excellent, Fred will be delighted!

By sheer coincidence I was listening to Rolla on my way to work this morning. When it first popped up I didn't recognize it and just sat back enjoying, although finally I had to check and see. It was the Sinfonia in Bb for Strings by the Milan Chamber Orchestra. From this disk;



Amazon doesn't have the disk any longer, but the MP3's are inexpensive anyway, and well worth it. 

In any case, I am delighted that you are pleased with it. Pleasant surprises are the best ones.

I saw this in my stack this morning and decided it was time to take a first listen.

I am starting with the Sinfonia in D Major (BI.533). This is a very delightful disk! Rolla is wonderful!

[SonicMan46]

Below is a quote from Gabriel back in the spring of 2009 (there was an excellent follow-up discussion by Gurn at the time referring to the French composer Hyacinthe Jadin (1776-1800) who died tragically young from tuberculosis; he was a precocious musician and composer - more information HERE, including a listing of his impressive compositions.

Well, I acquired my first recording (actually an MP3 download) of Jadin - String Quartets w/ Franz Joseph SQ - this received an excellent review in the most recent issue of Fanfare which I've attached; Gurn discussed the keyboard works w/ several now available, including performances on the fortepiano.  After listening to the quality of the SQs, I plan to explore this composer more, so please for those w/ some of his recordings, post comments & recommendations; and perhaps Gurn can help to bring us up to date - Jadin kind of was buried in this thread a while back (in fact I've not seen Gabriel around lately?) - Dave

 

One of the most delightful CD series available is The Romantic Piano Concerto in Hyperion. Some days ago I was thinking if it would be possible to develop such an idea concerning the classical era. It is obvious that Mozart's and Beethoven's contributions are elementary to understand this form during this period, but those magnificent works do not represent the whole of it, so I thought it would be interesting to mention classical piano concertos written by other composers.

I would like to mention the piano concertos composed by Hyacinthe Jadin (1776-1800), a French composer who died unfortunately too young. Jadin is a composer whose music sounds incredibly Mozartian: beautiful ideas, excellent developments and an unexplainable nostalgic feeling even in major mode works. I have listened to two of his three piano concertos, and both of them would surely deserve a better consideration within this repertoire. Alas, the name of Jadin is seldom known, even among music lovers, and his works are even less often played.

The second piano concerto, in D minor, was composed in 1796; it is a very tragical work, with a first movement whose main motive sounds as a cry of inner despair. The luminous, peaceful second subject provides a fascinating contrast. The piano writing is quite particular; in parts, it doesn't remember me of any other composer of this era (for instance, towards the end of the movement there is a very original sort of bird song). The textures are as pure as they can be, which, curiously, reinforces the sadness of the music.

The third piano concerto, in A major, composed in 1798, is quite a different work. A bold one. Jadin decided to write a concerto in two movements instead of the usual three, and the first one is admirable in its idea: after an orchestral exposition of about three minutes, the piano enters, not for reexposing the subjects as it should normally be, but for "singing" a rather short recitative whose delicacy is worthy of the greatest admiration. When the piano exposes the subjects after the recitative, the effect is impressive: they sound as if they had never been played, with a freshness and a beautiful simplicity rarely achieved even during classicism. The second movement, on the other hand, presents very different virtues: in a very disguised way, Jadin presents music of popular inspiration.

I know just one recording of these works, in the label Forlane, conducted by Gérard Streletski and played by Wen-Ying Tseng in a modern piano. Even if it is not an ideal recording, it is a very enjoyable one (I'm sure it would work better with a fortepiano, but to have at least one recording is good news).