Giuseppe BRESCIANELLO (c.1690-1758)
Sinfonia in D [8:46]
Johann Georg PISENDEL (1687-1755)
Sonata in c minor [4:40]
Johann Adolph HASSE (1699-1783)
Sinfonia to Demofoonte in D [6:32]
Johann Friedrich FASCH (1688-1758) (attr.)
Overture in F (FWV K,F6) [15:08]
Antonio CALDARA (c.1670-1736)
Sinfonia in C [14:17]
Giovanni Battista SAMMARTINI (1700/01-1775)
Sinfonia to Memet in A [8:59]
George Frideric HANDEL (1685-1759)
Overture to Occasional Oratorio in D (HWV 62) [12:20]
Dresdner Barockorchester
rec. 29 September-2 October 2012, Ev-Luth Kirche, Radeberg, Germany. DDD
CPO 777 782-2 [70:52]
Dresden was one of the musical centres of Germany. In the first
half of the 17th century Heinrich Schütz played a key role
and was considered the father of German music. Around 1700 saw
the start of a particularly glamorous period, when the court was
inspired by the splendour of the French court under Louis XIV.
The chapel in Dresden developed into one of Europe's best
ensembles, much admired by some of the leading composers, including
Johann Sebastian Bach. He was envious of the quality of the members
of the chapel which was partly the result of their being allowed
to concentrate on one single instrument. It was a truly international
group: in the chapel musicians from France, Italy, Bohemia and
Germany played together. Equally international in character was
the repertoire. Music by Vivaldi and other Italian composers was
frequently played, but there were also orchestral overtures in
the French style, and music by some of the best German composers,
such as Telemann and Fasch.
We are quite well informed about the kind of music featured at
the court chapel. It is due to the concertmaster Jean-Baptiste
Voulumier and his successor Johann Georg Pisendel that the music
which was played under their direction was preserved. It is now
archived in the so-called Schranck No. 2 (cupboard No.
2); the music on the present disc is all taken from this collection.
The names of the composers indicate the international orientation
of the court chapel. Fasch is one of the German composers who
is most prominently represented in the collection. He had close
ties to the court and especially to Pisendel. He was one of the
most prolific composers of orchestral overtures in the French
style. The Overture in F has been preserved anonymously
but has been attributed to Fasch on the basis of its style. The
scoring is notable for the inclusion of two transverse flutes,
in contrast to the oboes which were mostly added to the strings.
The flutes sometimes play colla parte with the upper
strings, but are also given more prominent roles in several of
the movements.
Wind instruments played an important role in the chapel; it was
one of the first which included horns. It was common practice
to add wind parts to pieces which were scored for strings. The
Sonata in c minor, one of the few extant compositions
from Pisendel's pen, is an example of a work for strings
to which oboes can be added playing colla parte. Pisendel
often edited music by other composers. The Sinfonia in A
by Giovanni Battista Sammartini was originally scored for strings;
Pisendel added parts for oboes and bassoon. This is one of the
very few works from Sammartini's pen which have their origin
in the theatre. He composed very little for the stage and was
most famous for his orchestral works. One could consider him the
father of the symphony and had a considerable influence on the
young Haydn. This work also bears witness to the confusion in
regard to authorship. It appears in several sources across Europe
with various names of composers, such as Hasse and Graun.
This is not the only composition which was edited by Pisendel.
The Overture in D by Handel is another; in this case
he added two movements by an unknown master. The inclusion of
this piece by Handel may surprise as he composed his large-scale
vocal music almost exclusively for England. However, this overture
was part of a collection of six which was printed by John Walsh
and found its way into Schranck No. 2. Pisendel not only
extended the piece but also added parts for two flutes which are
given independent roles in one of the added movements. In the
overture Handel makes use of music by his colleague and friend
Telemann: the leading motif of the allegro is taken from the third
Production of his Musique de table.
Brescianello is a composer of Italian origin who worked most of
his life in Germany. His compatriot Caldara was for many years
court composer in Vienna. His Sinfonia in C has opulent
scoring for strings, trumpets, oboes and bassoons. It is very
different from a piece like the Sinfonia in D which was
written by Hasse as the overture to his opera Demofoonte.
The inclusion of these two pieces documents the stylistic changes
experienced during the first half of the 18th century and bears
witness to the fact that the court chapel in Dresden followed
the fashion of the time closely.
This disc presents a very small selection from a huge collection
which includes about 1800 manuscripts. This is not the first recording
with music from the Dresden court; in the past ensembles such
as Musica Antiqua Köln and the Freiburger Barockorchester
also performed and recorded repertoire from Dresden. I don't
know which pieces from this disc have been recorded before; at
least Pisendel's Sonata in c minor is available
in several other recordings. The performances are generally quite
good, and that goes especially for the pieces in large scorings,
such as those by Caldara and Handel's movements from the
Overture in D. In some other pieces the sound is sometimes
a bit too thin, lacking the opulence and brilliance of, for instance,
the other ensembles mentioned above. There could have been stronger
dynamic accents and the palette of orchestral colours is too narrow.
However, that shouldn't hold you back from purchasing this
disc. The repertoire is excellent and one gets a good impression
of the versatility and the skills of the members of one of Europe's
best chapels in the 18th century.
Johan van Veen
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