Johann Michael HAYDN (1737-1806)
Six Minuets (1784) [12.59]
Joseph HAYDN (1732-1809)
Sinfonia Concertante, Hob.I:105 (1792) [19.36]
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)
Symphony No. 41 in C major, KV 551 Jupiter (1788) [33.20]
Concilium musicum Wien/Paul Angerer
rec. live, 29-30 October 2013, Festsaal der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna, Austria. DDD
Booklet notes and artists’ biographies in German and English
GRAMOLA 99017 [66.15]
I have never heard or seen the Concilium Musicum Wien live though I often
heard of them, especially during the years that I lived in Germany. They
have a very good website,
which among other things contains the history of the ensemble. It was
founded in 1982 by Paul Angerer and his son Christoph with the aim of
performing music of the 18th century in the way that it was
performed at the time. Their repertoire extends from baroque to dance
music of the 19th century but their speciality is to dig out
rare manuscripts from the archives and bring to life works that have largely
been forgotten and never, or seldom, heard in modern times.
The present CD was recorded live in 2013, as the anniversary concert of
the 40th Haydn Cycle which took place at the Festsaal of the
Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna. The programme offered here is
of six minuets composed by Johann Michael Haydn, a composer largely overshadowed
and often neglected. I suppose he had the bad luck to be related to Franz
Joseph Haydn, his much celebrated older brother. Johann Michael was also
a skilled, prolific composer much admired in his day, including by none
other than Mozart. Michael Haydn’s minuets are interesting from
a historical perspective and to hear them performed on valuable original
period instruments – such as those used by the Concilium Musicum
Wien – is a rare treat indeed. Personally, I am not a great fan
of minuets. They were very popular in the 18th century as a
dance but were also used in symphonic works. Michael Haydn’s are
as good as it gets and we know from letters exchanged between Mozart and
his sister Nannerl that she much enjoyed Michael’s minuets and asked
her brother to transcribe their violin parts for piano. Wolfgang did so
but his transcriptions have sadly been lost. I would recommend reading
the CD booklet notes, written by Paul Angerer himself. They are very informative
and describe the history of this music and all the others in detail, with
excerpts from newspapers of the time, as well as from Nannerl’s
and Wolfgang’s letters.
The Concilium’s interpretation of Michael Haydn’s music is,
as expected, excellent and has a very authentic sound. Much more interesting
was for me to hear Joseph Haydn’s Sinfonia Concertante played on
period instruments. The piece is not one of Haydn’s best known works
and was for many years largely forgotten. It is however, like most of
Haydn’s orchestral music, unusual and adventurous. The Concilium’s
performance is rather exciting, particularly in the third and final movement.
The violin solo, which I assume is performed by Christoph Angerer, is
simply outstanding and its interchange with the orchestra is executed
to perfection. The piece is played in a light, humorous tone but with
virtuosic precision. Very enjoyable and one to listen to over and over
again, as it appeared to increase in quality each time I played the CD.
The disc finishes with Mozart’s glorious Jupiter Symphony, composed
in Vienna in 1788, approximately two years before the composer’s
death. The piece is in four movements, the epitome of musical classicism,
but it is Mozart’s imagination that makes it stand out from others
of the period, which were constructed in the same manner. Mozart was a
master of the stage and as such, he knew how to build in dramatic effects
to perfection, as well as poignant and witty moments full of humour. The
intrinsic beauty of the Jupiter penetrates the skin and when well performed,
brings me close to tears, particularly in its slow second movement Andante
cantabile with its restless minor key episodes. I have seldom heard this
symphony played better than in this recording. The performance brings
the piece to life in all its splendour, highlighting the drama, the contrasts
and the gentler moving moments with great clarity and beauty. The orchestra
comes across as an exceptionally effective ensemble, virtuosic at times
but always cohesive even in the luminous tutti outbursts during the third
movement Menuetto, Allegretto. This is particularly the case, in the Finale,
Molto Allegro where they manage exceptionally well to express collectively
all the tension and dramatic emotion patent throughout the movement, bringing
the piece to a most satisfying resolution.
Mozart is one of my favourite composers and I think the Jupiter is a forerunner
of what was to come with Beethoven a few years later. This is probably
why I was more partial to the Concilium’s interpretation of the
symphony than to the pieces by the two Haydns. However, in all, this is
a lovely recording of an extraordinary work – the Mozart –
and of some seldom heard pieces by the two Haydn brothers. It is at times
delightful and truly enjoyable. The Concilium gives a quality performance
throughout and their interpretation of Mozart’s splendid symphony
is second to none. Sit back and enjoy.
Margarida
Mota-Bull
(Margarida writes more than just reviews, check it online at www.flowingprose.com)
Masterwork Index: Mozart
symphony 41
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