Thomas Furi

By ''Early Viennese School'' is meant the group of composers contemporary, in the capital city of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with Haydn and Mozart. Not all of it is particularly early; indeed Albrechtsberger, Vanhal and Salieri lived well into the nineteenth century. And it is arguable whether the Viennese of this period really represent a 'school' in the sense that the Mannheimers, or even the North Germans, clearly do; Vienna was a great musical clearing-house, wide open to influences (French and especially Italian opera were much performed there all through this period), and it is perhaps better to regard Viennese composition of the time as representing a wide spectrum of dialect within the late eighteenth-century lingua franca.

This recording gathers together the five concertos listed by Ryom as being for the recorder: the three for 'flautino' (generally accepted to be the sopranino) RV443-5, RV441 and the one (RV442) which Vivaldi reworked for the traverse flute (RV434 = Op. 10 No. 5), then displacing the recorder in popular favour. Michala Petri turned the tables by recording all six flute concertos of Op. 10 on the recorder (also Philips—LP only). Collectively these works plumb no great depths, either emotionally or intellectually, but, given the character of the solo instrument, one would not expect them to. The slow movements depend on simple charm, the outer ones on lightness and cheerful sparkle.

Lebrun & Mozart - Heinz Holliger - Oboe Concertos
Lebrun: Camerata Bern / Thomas Füri - Mozart: Münchener Kammerorchester / Hans Stadlmair
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 435 MB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Archiv Produktion # 471 724-2 | Country/Year: Germany 2003, 1965, 1980-82
Genre: Classical | Style: Viennese School

…these recordings were nothing short of "must haves". While – in the intervening years – performance practices have encountered emendation and musical aesthetics have been altered, the immense musical and artistic value of these performances still holds.

Heinz Holliger is widely considered the greatest oboe virtuoso of modern times. He is also a noted composer and conductor; as a composer he is one of the few who has maintained a strict adherence to serial procedures. Holliger has been the recipient of many prizes, including the Robert Schumann Prize of the City of Zwickau in Germany, and he is an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

What we have here is a selection of Vivaldi's works for mandolin (the Double Concerto, RV532) and lute (Concerto, RV93 and Trios, RV82 and 85), all played on the guitar; sandwiched among them are the Concerto for two violins, RV524 and the solitary one for two cellos, RV531, the former with no other current recording. The best LP version of the lute works played on the designated instrument remains that of Lindberg on BIS (LP290, 9/85) but if the guitar is accepted as a substitute (which it commonly is) then Sollscher takes a clear lead. As he is no biological 'sport' he has resorted to double-tracking in RV532 (and he couldn't find a better partner). Not only does he play with refinement and sensitivity, he also embellishes the repeats very elegantly—and not just by throwing in a few ornaments. Of Berne Camerata one can write only appreciatively: they play with the utmost clarity, precision and life, and the recorded balance with the soloists is all one might ask. Tempos are well chosen, with the exception of RV93, the first movement of which is taken very briskly indeed. The recording, aided by a good acoustic, is crisply clear.

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