The symphony is one of the most important genres in the repertoire
of today's orchestras. In descriptions of the history of this
genre the name of Giovanni Battista Sammartini is often referred
to as someone who played an important role in the development
of the classical symphony. No less than Joseph Haydn, the first
composer of symphonies which have come to be very much part of
today's orchestral repertoire, acknowledged his debt to Sammartini
in his own development as a symphonist. In the light of this it
is remarkable that Sammartini's own contributions are almost completely
ignored. One reason for this is that relatively few them are available
in modern editions. But thanks to Bathia Churgin and Newell Jenkins
we at least know which orchestral works Sammartini wrote - hence
the "JC" in the tracklist, referring to the thematic
catalogue.
As
he is not that well-known it is useful to give some biographical
information. Sammartini was the seventh of eight children
of Alexis Saint-Martin, a French oboist who had emigrated
to Italy. He was probably born in Milan, where he worked most
of his life. It is assumed he received his first musical education
from his father. It is not therefore surprising that he and
his older brother Giuseppe landed their first jobs as oboists
in an orchestra in Milan. In 1728 he became maestro di
cappella of the Congregazione del SS Entierro. Soon he
developed into one of Milan's leading composers of church
music. An almanac in the 1770s mentions him as maestro
di cappella of no fewer than eleven churches.
He
also wrote secular vocal music, including operas, and instrumental
works. He was one of the first in Europe to write symphonies.
His music was widely admired: in 1738 a symphony was performed
in Amsterdam, another in the famous concert series in Paris,
the Concert Spirituel. He also saw his music being
published in Paris and London. In England his oeuvre was especially
popular. An inventory of the court of the Esterházys mentions
two of his symphonies, and it is probably through these that
Haydn became acquainted with his symphonic works.
The
early examples of the genre are close to the Italian opera
overture, with its three movements: fast - slow - fast. This
connection is underlined by the titles of some of Sammartini's
early symphonies as recorded here. Most are for strings and
bc, with two additional horns in the fast movements of the
Overtura à 6 (JC 33). The programme notes say: "In time
some modifications were added to the original including notably
the addition of horns (adopted here)". They don't say
whether these additions were made by Sammartini himself or
by someone else.
Not
only in name but also in style many of the pieces here are
closer to the opera overture of the baroque era. As is noted
in the booklet there are some similarities to the style of
Vivaldi, but Sammartini's musical language is by and large
quite original. One of specific aspects is that often the
two violin parts are independent of each other, although imitation
between the two parts regularly appears in these symphonies.
The opening movement of the very first piece on the disc offers
a good example. The use of rhythm is also often inventive,
as in the first movement of the Avertura in D (JC 14). Sammartini
shows creativity in the use of harmony, and there is a lot
of expression in the slow movements.
It
is good news that this disc is part of a recording project
covering all Sammartini's symphonies. There are other activities
in this regard which are worth mentioning. These include the
recording of Sammartini's late symphonies by the Accademia
d'Arcadia, directed by Alessandra Rossi Lürig (Brilliant Classics).
I have to say that, although the early and the late symphonies
are difficult to compare, I like the latter recording better
than the one reviewed here. Roberto Gini is a leading representative
of historical performance practice in Italy, and therefore
it is a little surprising that he has chosen to record Sammartini's
early symphonies with modern instruments. The players try
to play in the style of period instrument ensembles, but the
results are somewhat disappointing. I particularly miss the
dynamic accents other ensembles are able to introduce into
their performances - even those which are also using modern
instruments, like the Combattimento Consort Amsterdam. Two
of the items on this disc, the Avertura in D (JC 14) and the
Sinfonia in G (JC 39), have also been recorded by the Ensemble
415, directed by Chiara Banchini (Harmonia Mundi). These performances
are much better, in use of dynamics, choice of tempi and overall
sound of the string instruments. About the third movement
of the Sinfonia in G the programme notes say: "the Allegro
assai 'madly gives rein to the promptings of fervid fantasy'",
but far too little of that is noticeable in this performance.
Here as in some other movements the interpretation is surprisingly
flat.
The
booklet lacks any information about the ensemble which seems
to be rather small. There is nothing wrong with that, but
it doesn't excuse the thin sound it produces. I am also not
very happy about the acoustic which is a shade on cavernous
side. Another aspect which bothers me is the strong division
between the left and the right channel. If one listens through
headphones - which many people do these days, playing their
discs on their PC or notebook - it is really annoying to hear
the first violins only in the left ear and the second violins
only in the right.
I
don't want to sound too negative: this is an important release,
and there is certainly a lot to enjoy. It is just disappointing
that the performance doesn't fully reveal the quality of Sammartini's
music. I sincerely hope that a real top-class ensemble on period
instruments will record Sammartini's symphonies. Only then we
will be able to discover his real importance as a composer.
Johan van Veen
see also Review
by Brian Wilson
Orchestra da
Camera Milano Classica/Roberto Gini 
