Carl DITTERS von DITTERSDORF (1739-99)
Three Descriptive Sinfonias
Sinfonia in a minor, Grave a2, ‘Il delirio delli compositori’ (The Delirium
of Composers) [21:32]
Symphony in D, Grave D16, ‘Il combattimento delle passioni umani’ (Battle
of Human Passions) [27:47]
Sinfonia in A, Grave A10, ‘Sinfonia nazionale nel gusto di 5 nazioni’
(Sinfonia in the style of 5 Nations) [20:57]
Budapest Failoni Chamber Orchestra/Uwe Grodd
rec. 12-14 December 1996, Calvinist Church, Budapest
Reviewed as downloaded from press access.
NAXOS 8.553975
[70:24]
Recent Naxos recordings of the music of Paul Wranitzky – Volume 1 (review); Volume 2 (my review is pending) and Volume 3 (release imminent as I
write) – have reminded me of the great service which the Naxos label did for the
friends, contemporaries and predecessors of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven in
their earlier days. Not the least of these were the recordings of Carl
Ditters von Dittersdorf, including two CDs of his sinfonias based on themes
from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, incomplete, alas, with only six of the
fifteen actually produced (8.553368 and 8.553369).
Like the present recording of Three Descriptive Sinfonias, the performances
of the Ovid-inspired works were recorded by the Failoni Orchestra though
with Hanspeter Gmur as conductor, not names which spring to mind as among the world’s top performers,
but Naxos always gave these less-known orchestras plenty of time to
rehearse, and the results almost invariably repaid the investment.
I’m surprised to see the usually reliable Penguin Guide preferring a 2-CD
Chandos selection of these Ovid sinfonias and slightly dismissive of the
Naxos. My copies of the CDs not being immediately to hand, I downloaded
this recording of three other sinfonias from the same orchestra, having
remembered their performances as idiomatic and persuasive. This recording
of these oddly named works shows me that I was not mistaken. I described
the Ovid performances as stylish but just a shade heavy at times in
DL News 2015/4. I wouldn’t even apply that minor reservation to the
performances of these Descriptive Symphonies, thanks, perhaps to the change
of conductor.
It may not be apparent that the music has a great deal to do with the
titles, but it’s all very attractive and workmanlike and, like the
Wranitzky, there are times when it could almost be mistaken for Haydn or
Mozart. That’s especially true of Wranitzky’s ‘Storm’ Symphony on the
second Naxos album of his music, and it’s true, too, of the opening Dittersdorf
work here, both influenced by the Sturm und Drang style also to be
found in many of Haydn’s symphonies.
You would need to be more attuned to the music of the period fully to recognise
the different styles of the Sinfonia in A: German (almost sounding like a
Mozart divertimento), Italian (bombastic and repetitive – think of Mozart’s
Musical Joke), English (rather square), French, Turkish, all unified in the
finale. You don’t need to be a musicologist, however, to enjoy this and the two other
sinfonias.
With idiomatic performances which do justice to the music and are
unlikely to be bettered any time soon, it’s surprising that Naxos didn’t
choose these performers to complete the Ovid set. A later Dittersdorf
recording saw them turn to another orchestra, the Lisbon Metropolitan, and
Įlvaro Cassutto (review).
The recording is good and the notes are helpful and informative. It’s not
too late to make the acquaintance of this attractive recording. Naxos
prices have risen quite considerably since it was first released, but it’s
still good value on CD (guide price £7.50) or as a download (guide price
£5.40 in lossless sound, with pdf booklet). Then there are three more
Dittersdorf siinfonias on a companion album from the same team on 8.553974.
Brian Wilson
