Pleyel was a friend of Haydn, though the two worked for rival
organisations in London during the 1790s. Haydn’s concerts for Johann
Salomon at the Hanover Square rooms remain justly famous, but the Concerts
Pleyel were also hugely popular. Pleyel was a particularly skilful composer
and his ability to control a complex ensemble is in evidence in this double
CD set featuring three sinfonias concertante and a bassoon concerto. The
sinfonia concertante was a type of composition that was all the rage across
Europe at this time, a hybrid of symphony and concerto that had established
itself at the celebrated Mannheim court. Both Haydn and Mozart left fine
examples of their own.
The requirement of allowing selected members of the orchestra to shine in
a concertante capacity suits the players of the Stuttgart orchestra
extremely well, and they acquit themselves with distinction. The recording
and acoustic are helpful too, providing atmosphere while allowing clarity of
detail. In addition, Pleyel’s Bassoon Concerto is admirably performed by a
fine soloist, Hanna Dönneweg. While the pair of discs are only 85 minutes
together, barely more than would fit on to a single CD, the price takes note
of this.
In the course of his life Pleyel moved on to lead a major publishing
house, one of the most important in Europe, with over 400 compositions
listed over a 40-year period. Perhaps this was because his fame as a
composer dwindled eventually. It is always too easy to attribute reasons for
such developments. However, on the evidence of these assembled works the
music scores highly on facility and technique, but lower on imagination and
drama. In sum, these compositions seem less than the sum of their parts,
though they are well worth hearing in these adroit performances.
Terry Barfoot
