Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
and Franz Haydn are such towering musical
figures of the Classical period that
other composers of that era tend to
be diminished to a historical footnote.
However, dozens of composers of the
Classical era were exceptional artists,
and this 2-CD set by Capriccio reveals
a few of them.
In a sense, the Capriccio
set competes with the Chandos "Contemporaries
of Mozart" series. However, the Chandos
series features a modern instrument
orchestra while the Capriccio highlights
the long-standing period instrument
group Cappella Coloniensis that was
formed in 1954. The differences in instrumentation
make for entirely separate soundworlds,
and I don't mind stating that my preference
rests with period instruments, especially
in the hands of a group as exceptional
as the Cappella Coloniensis. Further,
the Capriccio set is an SACD release
in contrast to the standard CD format
of the Chandos series with the exception
of one SACD release for the Herschel
Symphonies.
I should point out
that the Capriccio release does not
specify recording dates or venues. This
leads me to believe that the recordings
are not new. However, rest assured that
the sound quality is state-of-the-art,
even when played on a standard CD player.
When turning to the SACD layer and multi-channel
capabilities, the sonics are simply
spectacular as the sound expands in
all directions.
Capriccio has chosen
eight high-quality symphonies of the
Classical period that have stood the
test of time. Each one is highly lyrical,
expertly crafted, and possesses abundant
energy and rhythmic flair. Fast outer
movements are exuberant and exhilarating,
while slow movements possess great charm,
grace and lilting melodies. Here's a
synopsis of the program:
Gossec's Symphony
in B flat major - Francois-Joseph
Gossec is the most famous French composer
associated with the French Revolution,
his Requiem of great popularity during
that period. Although technically of
the Classical era, Gossec's music retains
a significant baroque flavor as heard
in his Symphony in B flat major. In
five movements, the work is one of Gossec's
finest and thoroughly charming and invigorating.
The first movement Allegro molto
is assertive and optimistic with
strong undercurrents from the lower
strings. The second movement Larghetto
is a beautiful piece of grace and lyricism
with motifs built on top of one another.
A very short and poignant Largo con
sordini gives way to the fourth
movement Fuga having compelling
upper voice suspensions; this is the
most baroque of the five movements and
offers the most tension as well. The
last movement contains two minuets;
the first is highly ceremonial while
the second finds the strings stretching
outward enticingly. Gossec's Symphony
in B flat major is certainly an excellent
calling-card for the remainder of the
program.
J.C. Bach's Symphony
in E major for Double Orchestra
- After Mozart, J.C. Bach is my favorite
composer of the Classical era. I love
his music for its dignity, confident
demeanor, wealth of melodic invention
and the natural flow of musical arguments.
Further, he was a very economical composer
with a minimum of notes and phrases
used to resolve his musical reasoning.
All these exceptional qualities are
to be found in his Symphony in E major:
the stately first movement Allegro,
a beautifully flowing and regal second
movement Andante and a third
movement Minuetto of stunning
buoyancy.
Vaňhal's
Symphonies in F major and G minor
- Johann Baptist Vaňhal was born
in Bohemia, migrated to Vienna where
he studied under Karl Ditters von
Dittersdorf and became one of Europe's
leading composers in the 1760s. From
the two programmed symphonies, I'd like
to home in on three of the movements.
One is the second movement Cantabile
of the Symphony in F major which is
a gorgeous piece as expressive and uplifting
as anything else written by the composer.
The third movement Minuetto is
another winner; its confidence and rhythmic
lift are infectious. Of special mention
is the second movement Andante
of the Symphony in G minor. It begins
with a violin solo over a simple accompaniment
that is soon taken over by a viola solo
that eventually results in unison playing
from both stringed instruments. In addition
to being the only music on the set that
is dominated by solo contributions,
the piece is ample evidence that there
is nothing more beautiful than the sound
of period strings played expertly and
with minimal vibrato.
Ditterdorf's Symphony
in C major - Of all the leading
composers of the Classical era, Karl
Ditters von Dittersdorf seems to receive
the least respect from the classical
music community. However, when he was
at the top of his game, Dittersdorf's
music was quite enjoyable and memorable.
Unfortunately, he also had a penchant
for writing some pedestrian material.
The Symphony in C major has elements
of both; the first three movements are
highly entertaining while the last movement
is of the throw-away variety. Dittersdorf
offers an unusual first movement Larghetto
of a strongly ceremonial nature followed
by the second movement Allegro vivace
that streaks across the sky with
wild abandon. In the third movement
Minuetto con garbo, the composer
takes on a stern demeanor with sharp
phrasing and assertive ascending lines.
But it all falls apart in the war-like
fourth movement Finale replete
with military drum beats and slashing
rhythms; here, Dittersdorf engages in
a ridiculous degree of repetition of
uninspired musical lines. Still, there
is much to enjoy in the first three
movements.
Mahaut's Symphony
No. 4 in C minor - Antoine Mahaut,
by virtue of his birth date and musical
personality, composed in the baroque
fashion. His Symphony No. 4 is a fine
example of his style with its "sonata
da camera" construction. The first
movement is a fugue, the second
a siciliano and the third has
the properties of a bourrée.
Overall, it is a fine work of excellent
lyricism and natural flow that ends
all too quickly in eight minutes. I
should report that Mahaut eventually
found a home at a monastery in France.
However, his religious motivation might
have been slight, as he was being hounded
by creditors from Amsterdam just prior
to his conversion.
Reicha's Symphony
in E flat major - The backward-looking
Mahaut symphony is followed by the most
forward-looking symphony on the program,
Antonín Reicha's Symphony in
E flat major. Actually, Reicha occupies
the time period bridging the gap between
the Classical and Romantic periods.
In Reicha's music, as with his contemporaries
including Hummel and Spohr, the perfection
of form so treasured in Mozart's time
shares priority with a greater freedom
of and depth of expression as well as
the more extensive treatment of thematic
development. The Symphony in E flat
major begins with an emotionally rich
Largo-Allegro spiritoso having
contrasts of mood, tempo and dynamics
rarely found in the symphonies of the
Classical period. The second movement
Adagio continues to impress with
its priority on contrast, and Reicha's
exceptional lyricism is ever present.
The third movement Allegro has
an infectious rhythmic swing, while
the fourth movement Un poco vivo
begins in a cheerful fashion but
soon takes on a fierce disposition as
Reicha once again makes 'contrast' an
integral part of his musical vocabulary.
This is an exceptional symphony and
further evidence that Reicha infrequently
disappoints.
Kraus's Symphony
in C minor - Born in Germany, Joseph
Martin Kraus moved to Sweden at the
age of twenty-two to apply for a position
at the court of King Gustav III. After
three years of barely making a living,
he was finally noticed and accepted
by the Royal Court, attaining the post
of director of the Royal Academy of
Music. Kraus is often referred to as
the "Swedish Mozart", and the fact that
he was born in the same year as Mozart
and died just one year after Mozart
surely plays a part in the designation.
His three-movement Symphony in C minor,
one of his finest and most demonstrative
in the genre, begins with a dramatic
Larghetto that settles into a
tension-laden Allegro. The second movement
Andante is a stately affair somewhat
lacking in melodic distinction compared
to the other slow movements of the set.
In the third movement Allegro assai,
Kraus combines aggressive declarations
with lyrical passages in a most appealing
manner.
In conclusion, this
mid-priced Capriccio set has much to
offer: some of the finest music of the
Classical era played in convincing period-instrument
fashion with superb sonic features.
I personally find the Bach, Vaňhal
and Reicha offerings the most enjoyable
with the others not far behind. Since
each symphony on the program is a gem,
I urge readers to consider Capriccio's
exceptional set of "Symphonies of the
Mozart Era".
Don Satz
for details
Cappella Coloniensis/Hans-Martin Linde/Ulf
Björlin * 
CAPRICCIO
71 110 [71:07 + 72:35] 
