Music at the Court of Carlsruhe
Track listing below review
Karlsruher Barockorchester/Kirstin Kares
rec. 2014, Rosbaud Studio of SWR, Baden-Baden, Germany. DDD
CHRISTOPHORUS CHR77391 [63:36]
Karlsruhe is the second-largest city in the German state
of Baden-Württemberg, north-west of the state's capital Stuttgart,
and not far from the German-French border. It is a relatively new city,
compared to others with a much longer and richer past. It was founded
in 1715 by Karl Wilhelm, Margrave of Baden-Durlach, whose residence
was in the east of the new city. His new residence, called 'Carolsruhe',
was originally planned as a hunting and summer residence, but in 1717
the Margrave moved his whole court to Karlsruhe which by 1719 had around
2,000 inhabitants. The Margrave was a great lover of the arts, and this
explains why he paid so much attention to music at his court. The present
disc is a kind of history in sound of musical life in Karlsruhe from
the early 18th century to the early 19th.
The names of the composers show that Karlsruhe was not one of the major
centres of music in Germany. With the exception of Franz Danzi none
can be ranked among the best German composers of their time. That should
not diminish interest in this recording. Many works written by such
composers turn out to be of good quality if they are performed with
the instruments and playing techniques of the time.
Johann Philipp Käfer is the least-known figure represented here; he
was the first Kapellmeister in Karlsruhe who acted from 1718
to 1722. In the latter year he was dismissed after a conflict over his
salary. Relatively little of his oeuvre has been preserved; he composed
five operas which are all lost. What remains of his output consists
largely of sacred cantatas. The Musicalische Battaille is a
programmatic work for four voices and an ensemble of three trumpets,
timpani, two horns, two oboes, bassoon, strings, drum, bagpipe and basso
continuo in 22 movements. Here we hear a suite of eight movements, including
two 'cannon salvos' and a lament for the wounded.
In 1717 Johann Melchior Molter had entered the chapel as a violinist,
and in 1722 - after two years in Italy to broaden his horizon - succeeded
Käfer as Kapellmeister. He composed a considerable amount of
vocal and instrumental music. His oeuvre shows the development from
the baroque idiom to the style of the mid-18th century, with strong
influences of the Mannheim school, for instance in the Symphony
in G. Notably there's the inclusion of pairs of flutes and
horns which were to become a fixed part of the orchestra from the middle
of the 18th century onward. In comparison the Sinfonia in B flat
by Sebastian Bodinus is more conservative in style, and scored for strings
and basso continuo. His name is mentioned for the first time in 1718
and he seems to have been a member - and later concertmaster - of the
chapel with interruptions until his death in 1759. The main part of
his oeuvre comprises chamber music; he was one of those who contributed
to the genre of the quartet sonata.
Friedrich Schwindl was probably born in Amsterdam and worked in Germany,
the Netherlands and Switzerland. In 1780 he was appointed as Kapellmeister
in Karlsruhe, a position he held until his death. His orchestral and
chamber music found wide dissemination across Europe and was played
at the Concert Spirituel in Paris. The Symphony in D is from
1775 and shows features of the early classical style. The first movement
includes parts for a pair of trumpets. The classical style comes to
the fore even more strongly in the Symphony in E flat op. 12
by Johann Evangelist Brandl who was born near Regensburg and was educated
as a violinist. He was a member of the chapel from 1806 until his death.
Wind instruments play a major role in this symphony from which we hear
only the first movement.
Franz Danzi is the best-known name in the programme, and one of the
most prominent German composers on the brink of the early romantic style.
That aspect certainly comes to the fore in the overture to his Singspiel
Turandot in which he evokes the atmosphere of the opera through
an alternation of episodes with strings and passages with a prominent
role for the winds. Danzi was Kapellmeister from 1812 until
his death in 1826. His attempts to improve the quality of the orchestra,
criticised as 'mediocre' by Louis Spohr in 1816, largely
failed, mainly because of his weak health and his mental problems caused
by the death of his wife in 1800. The last name on the programme is
Friedrich Ernst Fesca, born in Magdeburg and educated as a violinist.
He became first violinist in the court orchestra in 1813 and died in
the same year as Danzi. He has become mainly known for his string quartets
and quintets. He considered his Overture in D, op. 41 one of
his best compositions; it is one of two concert overtures.
This overture is the only work in the programme which has been recorded
before. All the other compositions appear here on disc for the first
time. This makes this disc an important addition to the catalogue. It
includes pieces by some composers who are hardly known. Every work played
here is of good quality, proving once again that there is much to discover
and enjoy if one looks beyond the oeuvre of those considered the best
composers of their time. There is no reason to look down on what is
recorded here. It is worth the effort to encourage more recordings of
music by in particular Molter, Bodinus and Schwindl. Fortunately other
ensembles have recorded some other parts of their oeuvre.
I had never heard of the Karlsruher Barockorchester, and this could
be their first disc, although it was founded in 1997. Members of the
orchestra are also active in better-known ensembles such as the Freiburger
Barockorchester and La Stagione Frankfurt. I mostly enjoyed these performances.
I was especially pleased by the way the latest music - Brandl, Danzi
and Fesca - is performed. In the earlier works I have some reservations,
and that regards especially the playing of the strings which I sometimes
find too smooth, and lacking energy and 'attack'. Stronger
dynamic shading and sharper articulation would have made the earlier
works come off better.
That doesn't diminish my appreciation for this disc which breaks
new ground and fills in some blank spots in the landscape of 18th-century
music.
Johan van Veen
www.musica-dei-donum.org
twitter.com/johanvanveen
Track listing
Johann Philipp KÄFER (1672-1728)
Musicalische Bataille: Suite in C [12:50]
Johann Melchior MOLTER (1696-1765)
Symphony in G (MWV VII,125) [12:10]
Sebastian BODINUS (c1700-1759)
Sinfonia B flat [8:02]
Friedrich SCHWINDL (1737-1786)
Symphony in D [8:54]
Johann Evangelist BRANDL (1760-1837)
Symphony in E flat, op. 12:
allegro [9:14]
Franz DANZI (1763-1826)
Overture Turandot [5:33]
Friedrich Ernst FESCA (1789-1826)
Overture in D, op. 41 [6:36]
