Hamburger Miorgenpost

This MDG Gold disc Orchestral Works, Vol. 2 brings four pieces of Antonio Rosetti (or, if you prefer, Antonín Rösler) to the CD catalog that have never been recorded. This isn't much of a stretch of the imagination, as Rosetti's orchestral output is enormous; the contents of this disc include only three out of his 44 symphonies and a single flute concerto out of the 12 composed by Rosetti. Most of this music is neglected, so the automatic question that comes up is whether there is actually something to look forward to in further investigating Rosetti, or if he is to remain one of those marginal figures in the classical era that only scholars seem to know or care about.

Antonio Rosetti was one of the most popular composers of his time and in this special edition MDG presents two recordings of orchestral works by the Bohemian master featuring the Rosetti specialist Johannes Moesus in performances with the Hamburg Symphony and renowned soloists.

Turina's take on Spanish folk idioms is unmatched, and showcased quite nicely on this CD. The "Danzas fantasticas" are the highlight, but the romantic flair of all the works on this recording is not to be missed. The orchestra is brilliant throughout, and the technical aspects of the recording are lacking nothing. Absolutely no complaints, only pure enjoyment. You can't go wrong with this one.

Die Hamburger Ratsmusik: ein Ensemble mit 500-jähriger Geschichte. Dieser Gegensatz reizt zum kreativen Dialog zwischen Tradition und Gegenwart, von Alter Musik und lebendiger Interpretation. Die Anfänge der Hamburger Ratsmusik reichen zurück bis ins 16. Jahrhundert. Nach dem Grundsatz „Gott zu Ehren und Hamburg zur Lust, Ergötzlichkeit und Nutz“ leistete sich die Stadt ein Eliteensemble von acht Ratsmusikern, das vielen fürstlichen Hofkapellen Konkurrenz machen konnte.

Over the years I have heard many recordings of music written for the Imperial court in Vienna. That’s no wonder: Vienna was a centre of music-making in Europe. During the 17th and 18th centuries some of the best musicians and composers were in the service of the Habsburg emperors. Most of the recordings concentrate on music for violins or voice. This disc is different in that it presents music for viol consort. That’s all the more interesting, as it is often thought that in the 17th century consort music was only written in France and England. It is quite surprising that this kind of music was also written in Austria. Most musicians in the service of the Imperial court were from Italy, where the viol consort had gone out of fashion since the first quarter of the 17th century. The fact that Italian composers wrote music for viol consort was due to the personal preferences of the emperors, Ferdinand III and Leopold I, who also wrote some music for this kind of ensemble themselves.

Leave it to the classical music biz to issue three discs of Kalliwoda orchestral music at exactly the same time! Between Orfeo, CPO, and this newcomer, we now have four of his seven symphonies available in excellent performances (a previous release of Symphonies Nos. 5 and 6 on Centaur isn’t at the same level as these). The four works on the present release give a fine idea of the composer’s wide-ranging inventiveness and ready appeal. The Overture Op. 145 (No. 12 out of a total of 24) was composed around 1843 and has a main theme with almost exactly the same shape as that of the first-movement allegro of Schumann’s Spring Symphony. It’s an ebullient, celebratory work that also contains a popular anthem related to its dedicatee: you can check out the booklet notes if you’re curious.