Carl STAMITZ (1745-1801)
Viola Concerto No 1 in D [22:11]
Franz Anton HOFFMEISTER (1754-1812)
Viola Concerto in D [20:47]
Viola Concerto in B flat [20:55]
Victoria Chiang (viola)
Baltimore Chamber Orchestra/Markand Thakar
rec. 5-6, 18-19 May, 2009, Kraushaar Auditorium, Goucher College, Towson,
Maryland, USA
NAXOS 8.572162 [63:53]
The main attraction here will be the fact that, in the classical era, the
viola was not a frequently-used solo instrument. Until the twentieth century
and composers like Bartók, Walton, Hindemith, Pettersson and Bloch,
the viola concerto repertoire is remarkably thin: two concertos by Franz Hoffmeister
and a series by Carl, Anton and Johann Stamitz from the classical period,
Berlioz’s Harold in Italy, a nearly-forgotten concerto for viola
and clarinet by Max Bruch, and two large-scale virtuoso works by York Bowen
and Cecil Forsyth, played by Lawrence Power on a fascinating Hyperion CD.
The concertos themselves are elegant classical creations, worthy examples
of the era of Mozart and Haydn without ever really challenging the ears, or
the supremacy of that duo. The solo instrument is the primary appeal: Stamitz
and Hoffmeister clearly have an affection for the viola and an understanding
of what it can do as a soloist. The stereotype of the viola as a sad instrument
fit for mourning or bitter emotional episodes, the way it was typecast by
composers as different as Walton and Brahms, is not at all in evidence here:
all three concertos are in major keys and all three demonstrate the instrument
to be a versatile and interesting star.
Hoffmeister is especially free with his soloist: the viola gets an extended
solo in the adagio of the concerto in D, and in the B flat adagio sings nearly
from start to finish a melody which weaves up and down across the registers.
There are challenging double-stops and good tunes in every movement. Stamitz,
on the other hand, adds resonant clarinets to the wind section and seems,
especially in the first movement and its epic cadenza, to be working on a
slightly bigger scale than Hoffmeister’s serenade-like works. Strikingly,
the Stamitz slow movement briefly features the soloist in duet with the orchestral
viola section.
These are not period-instrument or particularly period-informed performances;
they use tasteful vibrato and contemporary strings. The Baltimore Chamber
Orchestra is up to all its demands, Markand Thakar is a steady hand at the
helm, and Victoria Chiang, professor at Baltimore’s Peabody Conservatory,
makes for a superb soloist, with no second thoughts about what technical demands
there are and with the richness of tone necessary to really “sell”
the viola as solo instrument.
For those who enjoy this - and those who listen no doubt will - more of the
Stamitz family’s viola concertos are available on a Supraphon disc,
and the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Thakar, and Chiang last year collaborated
on an intriguing disc of concertante works by Ignaz Pleyel, who was very roughly
a contemporary of Beethoven. The Pleyel album comes with a downloadable bonus
track which extends the playing time to 90+ minutes, though if you acquire
it as a download there’s no extra step. If you have either of those
two discs, this is a logical next step, and a happy one too.
As a part of the Naxos Digital line, this album is currently only available
for download at the website Classicsonline, where it sells for rather less
than the price of a physical compact disc. Other download retailers, like
eMusic and iTunes, stock it as well. Naxos informs me that a standard CD is
schedules for July 2011.
Brian Reinhart
If you like classical-era viola concertos, I’ve got good news for you.