Ignaz PLEYEL (1757 – 1831)
Symphonie Concertante in B flat (1791) [21:11]; Symphonie Concertante in A
(1792) [27:33]; Violin Concerto in D (early 1790s) [30:35]
David Perry, Isabella Lippi (violins), Victoria Chiang (viola)
Baltimore Chamber Orchestra/Markand Thakar
rec 12, 17 February, 28-29 May 2008, Kraushaar Auditorium, Towson, Maryland,
USA. DDD
NAXOS 8.570320 [79:33]
Occasionally I find myself thinking, “oh no, not another disk of music by
so–and–so’s lesser known, and probably lesser, contemporary.” Happily, this
was not one of those occasions. Here are three works which are most welcome
visitors to my home.
In two fairly fastish movements, the Symphonie Concertante in B flat,
which is basically a Concerto for violin and viola, is a lovely affair. It
is joyful, full of good humour, and a delight from beginning to end. There’s
also a rather nice quirkiness to some of the themes.
The slightly later Symphonie Concertante in A is for two violins and
orchestra and is a more conservative composition. It doesn’t have the immediate
appeal of the other work, nor does it share that work’s quirkiness in its
thematic material. That said, it’s still a lovely work, with much to enjoy.
I wonder if the decision to write the work in three movements might have had
something to do with Pleyel’s straightforwardness? After the minor key middle
section of the finale there is the most fabulously enjoyable romp of a coda.
Although a pupil of Haydn, the Violin Concerto in D has more than its
fair share of Mozartean fingerprints about it. A long first movement, which
includes a big cadenza, has a couple of good tunes, the slow movement also
includes a cadenza but, in truth, both movements are slightly overlong by
a couple of minutes. Pleyel is neither a Haydn nor a Beethoven so his grasp
on form isn’t quite as secure as theirs.
This is attractive music, however, and although it isn’t quite in the same
class as his contemporaries it does please and entertain. The recording here
is very good, even if the soloists are somewhat forward and a little too far
in front of the orchestra, but the balance isn’t bad, one can always hear
the band no matter how close the soloist is to the microphone.
I would recommend this to anyone interested in the music of this period who
needs a rest from the angst and problems of the music of Haydn, Mozart and
Beethoven. Also, we mustn’t forget that we need figures like Pleyel to remind
us just how great Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven were!
Bob Briggs