The
kind of ‘popular’, socially functional dance music which
is quite prominent in the work of, say, Haydn and Mozart
plays a less central role – for all kind of obvious reasons – in
the output of Beethoven. But such music does exist, and here
is a fine, richly enjoyable anthology of it.
The
twelve German Dances (WoO 8) were written for the annual
masked ball of the Pension Society of Viennese Painters,
held on 14th November, 1795. The society had a tradition
of commissioned distinguished composers to write new music
for the ball – Beethoven’s predecessors included Haydn and
Dittersdorf. The young Beethoven’s contribution is, by his
standards, rather slight in nature, but the dances have real
charm and are not without a degree of sophistication. No.6,
for example, employs some unexpected accents over a pseudo-rustic
drone in a manner that is quite engaging. No.5 has some pleasant
writing for the clarinets; no.10 makes entertaining use of
the piccolo and of the triangle and tambourine in a kind
of alla turca idiom. No.12 has a surprising coda,
with a solo for posthorn, before a rather grand conclusion – so
grand, indeed, that it must surely have taken the dancers
by surprise!
The
six minuets (WoO 9) belong to the same period, but are for
strings alone (supplemented here by a harp). They are simple
pieces, pleasantly melodic and largely unambitious in execution.
In no.3 the alternations between pizzicato and arco are attractive;
in no.5 the triplet accompaniment by the second violins has
a particular grace.
Beethoven’s
12 contredanses (kontretänze) (WoO 14) were again written
for the ballrooms of Vienna, a few years after the earlier
sets of dances. They are lively and politely brilliant. In
some of them one seems to detect touches that belong to Beethoven
rather than just to the genre in which he was writing. It
is certainly interesting to note that the seventh and the
11th dances share material with Beethoven’s ballet
music The Creatures of Prometheus; the seventh is
also echoed in the final movement of the Eroica.
The
final set of dances on this CD belongs to a later period.
The eleven ‘Mödlinger’ dances were, it seems likely, written
in the wooded suburb of Vienna which bears that name, in
1819. That, we should remind ourselves, is the year of the
Hammerklavier sonata and of the commencement of the Ninth
symphony. These, in short, are the work of a fully mature
Beethoven. Beethoven had real financial problems at this
time, so it may well be that these dances were written for
primarily commercial reasons; but it would, I think, be wrong
to imagine that Beethoven didn’t take their composition at
all ‘seriously’. Certainly they are far more sophisticated
than the dances considered so far. They explore a range of
forms – there are four waltzes, five minuets and two ländlers.
There is a genial smile to all of the music; there are plenty
of sparkling passages as, quite without condescension, Beethoven
writes wonderfully accessible music. But it is also music
that gets better at second and third hearings. These are
delightful, small-scale masterpieces, in their own way just
as worthy of attention as the far greater works that Beethoven
wrote at much the same time.
The
performances of L’Orfeo Barockorchester,
playing on period instruments and directed by Michi Gaigg,
are exemplary. The sense of scale is perfectly judged, distinctions
of tempo and rhythm are clear but unexaggerated; the sound
of the winds is particularly well-blended and the strings
play with zestfully clear articulation. The sense is of an
orchestra that sounds as though it is enjoying its work and
is eager to share its own pleasure. One doesn’t often get
the chance to hear these dances – and one certainly doesn’t
often get the chance to hear them played so well, with both
energy and sensitivity.
Glyn Pursglove
BUY NOW
AmazonUK ArkivMusic
(USA sales only)
L’Orfeo Barockorchester
/ Michi Gaigg 
