Here is
a very pleasant discovery; one of many in the Naxos catalogue.
Artaria Editions, which has published the scores performed
here, has a standing partnership with Naxos in releasing
the works of the 18
th century, such as those
by Ditter von Dittersdorf, Carl and Johann Stamitz, and
Johann
Baptist Vanhal. It is likely that very few will be familiar
with Karl von Ordonez or his musical output. There remain
quite a few holes in his biography, especially regarding
his education and musical training. His, it appears, was
not a heavily-documented life. Glyn Pursglove, who has
also reviewed this disc (see below), has helpful information
to that end. What
is generally known is that his stature in society — that
of lower nobility — served
as a sizable obstacle to any sort of pursuit as a professional
musician, a position that would be thought beneath his
station. Doomed,
essentially, to be an amateur, he created quite a few works,
considering that they were all done outside his duties
in the Lower Austrian Court.
Though
amateur, he was no dabbler. The pieces presented on this
disc show Ordonez’s great talent both as orchestrator and
at writing eminently listenable and greatly enjoyable musical
statements. Much of his considerable output is now lost,
such as his church music, but recent interest in Ordonez’s
works has documented 73 symphonies and 27 string quartets. The
symphonies share a sort of middle ground between the playful
sonorities of Mozart and the contrapuntal element of Bach. The
lovely Sinfonia in C begins with a slow introductory statement
that launches into a spry and sunny section with inventive
changes. The
Larghetto that follows features a
beautiful solo for the first violin, played meltingly by
Marie Berard — this
is a lovely movement of serenity. The third movement retains
the
Larghetto’s triple meter in a stately and graceful
dance-like melody in which the oboe flirts charmingly with
the violin part.
Though
this disc carries only a very small sample of his works,
if it is representative, Ordonez did not share Mozart’s affinity
to the key of D — none here are in that key and one even
finds oneself in the unusual key of B minor. The minor
mode stays over each of the movements in the B minor symphony,
including the last, which has brief moments of brightness
but maintains its stern outlook through to the end.
The composition
date of the final Sinfonia on this disc is not known, but
it is certainly a polished piece. The development section
of the first movement artfully carries us through a number
of interesting turns before bringing us back to the familiar
territory of the first theme. The slow middle movement,
as with others on this disc, is the graceful and serene focal
point to the work, with the lower strings engaging in duets
while the violins state the main theme. The concise final
Allegro snaps
us back into minor mode as the theme is pursued first by
the violins and oboe, then by the strings.
All of
the music on this disc is enjoyable and shows a comfortable
grasp of orchestral colour portrayed through a somewhat
limited palette. I agree with Glyn Pursglove
that the music doesn’t really take us under the surface or
indicate much depth. It is, however, very pleasant listening,
and the Toronto Camerata with Kevin Mallon give us a clean
and enjoyable performance, as well as an eloquent and emphatic
statement for these works. Considering the quality of both
this recording and the mounting interest in Ordonez’s large
catalogue of works, it is hoped that we shall see more
Ordonez discs like this one.
David Blomenberg
see also review by Glyn
Pursglove
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