Anton Dolgov

it’s not often that you get to hear the music of Anton Eberl (1765-1807), a Viennese composer who was both a pupil and a friend of Mozart (and of course a contemporary and supposed rival of Beethoven as well). These are technically quite competent works whose temperament straddles both classical and romantic styles, but there probably won’t be a rush to an Eberl revival anytime soon.

Czech composer Reicha's modern fame rests almost solely on his being the creator of the wind quintet, of which he composed more than 20. But he was a keenly imaginative, even experimental composer and theoretician whose omnivorous curiosity encompassed a vivid sense of humor. Like most Czech musicians, he had a special skill in writing for wind instruments, but he was also interested in such "modern" effects as quarter-tones, bi-tonality, and complex rhythms. The Overture in D, for example, is composed entirely in 5/8 time, and its lopsided rhythm really sounds like Mozart with a limp. All of the music on this delightful disc will thrill fans of the classical period–there really was more to it than Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven.

As one of the most respected Czech composers of his time, Jan Anton Kozeluch (1738-1814) composed around 45 masses and Italian operas, among other things, but was overshadowed by his cousin Leopold Antonín Kozeluch (1747-1818), with whom he is still often confused today. Kozeluch also wrote two bassoon concertos. The Bassoon Concerto in C major was one of the most frequently performed masterpieces for bassoon in the 18th century, and with it the Italian bassoonist Sergio Azzolini is now opening the Kozeluch album with the Camerata Rousseau under the direction of Leonardo Muzii.

After starting his compositional career writing for the Catholic Church, Anton Vranicky (1761-1820)- aka Wranitzky - had to change direction, since the reforms of Emperor Joseph II reduced the need for liturgical works in the 1780's. So he turned to the secular. Appointed as the leader of the small court ensemble of Prince Lobkowitz, the famous patron of Haydn, Beethoven and many others, he traveled among the Prince's 5 palaces, composing, arranging and playing chamber music. These two works are from that period, the very pinnacle of the Classical era.

This recording may not bring Anton Reicha "out of the shadow of the masters," as it promises to do. But Reicha, although he was recognized in his own time as one of Beethoven's most important contemporaries, remains a shadowy figure today, and listeners interested in the Viennese scene will be both intrigued and delighted by this pair of trios for flute, violin, and cello. Reicha emerges as a composer who, like Beethoven and Hummel, grappled with the problem of formal expansion even in the realm of chamber music, and his solutions were original ones.

CPO has yet again magnificently endorsed the modern musical world, adding two long-neglected gems from the late classical era to the recording catalogue. Here, in CPO's new release of Anton Eberl's two piano concertos, we have been given the privilege of listening to Eberl's formidable piano music, for which he was better known in his day. A fine pianist and composer of several operas, symphonies among other works, Eberl's piano playing had an unusual fire and facility. Best remembered as a composer for the keyboard than for his operas, he carved and shaped his music with confused modulations, while ……A most delectable recording!

Luke Agati @ Amazon.com

During the second half of the 18th century, new potential sources of income made it possible for musicians to disengage themselves from the grip of their traditional employers, and attain the level of respectable citizen. Anton Eberl is a perfect example of a composer affected by the changes occuring during the last decades of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th, especially in Vienna. He clearly illustrates the range of services a musician ……

Anton Arensky’s suite-like 6 Pieces reveal his wide-ranging appreciation of musical styles, while both sets of Etudes showcase his melodic gifts and inventiveness, sometimes echoing Chopin’s elevation of mere technical challenge with lyricism and daring harmonies. If the unquiet spirits of Liszt and Schumann can occasionally be heard in the 6 Exercises titled ‘By the Sea’, Arensky’s own musical personality is nonetheless pervasive. A pupil of Rimsky-Korsakov and teacher of Rachmaninov and Scriabin, Arensky’s star swiftly set following his early death only to rise again in recent times.