Uwe Hollburg

The classical symphony is so dominated by the twin figures of Haydn & Mozart that it is all too easy to overlook the considerable contributions which were made by many lesser figures. The Naxos label is doing a great service by bringing to light many of these works in its '18th Century Symphony' series. It now launches a survey of the symphonies of the Bohemian composer Johann Baptist Vanhal with four highly spirited, engaging pieces dating from 1760-1780 that are the equal of Haydn's contemporary efforts. These are witty, original pieces and it's easy to see why Imperial Vienna took them immediately to its heart. Uwe Grodd and the very fine Hungarian players of the Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia make a strong case for them.

Christian Cannabich was one of a family of German musicians. Born in Mannheim, the son of a musician in the service of the Elector, he established himself as one of the most important of the Mannheim composers. He made Mozart welcome in Mannheim in 1777 and 1778, in the latter year following the court to Munich, when the Palatine and Bavarian electorates were united. He was much respected as an orchestra director, and died in 1798 in Frankfurt while visiting his son, the composer Carl Cannabich.

In the early part of the 19th century, Haydn’s former pupil Ignaz Pleyel was the most popular composer in Europe. The three symphonies on this recording, written during Pleyel’s most fertile period as a composer, when he had not yet turned 30, are the assured, confident creations of a young, gifted and ambitious composer. They feature two powerful minor key symphonies reminiscent of Haydn’s so called Sturm und Drang symphonies from the 1770s, while the Symphony in C major includes one of Pleyel’s most beautiful slow movements.