Vanhal Symphonies

The symphonies of Johann Baptist Vaňhal are among the most important works of the classical period. Bold and imaginative, powerful and lyrical, Vaňhal’s symphonies are only now beginning to win wider recognition as the masterpieces they are. This recording features his early and highly prophetic Symphony in E minor as well as one of his later works, the brilliantly-scored Symphony in C (Bryan C17) which Haydn is known to have admired.

Composer – Born in the Bohemian village of Nechanicz, Vanhal (1739-1813) became a leading composer in Vienna and one of the most popular throughout Europe during his lifetime. As with most Classical era composers, his stock fell dramatically after his death. However, the Naxos series of Vanhal symphonies reveals an expert composer of elegance and hard-driving rhythms with a wealth of melodic invention.

The G minor Symphony, the second of Vanhal’s symphonies in that key, is an absolute delight, full of good ideas The C minor Symphony (1770) is also a work of originality Matthias Bamert and the London Mozart Players give an excellent account of themselves, and are recorded with clarity and warmth.

The Vanhal symphonies are technically exceptional and capable of going toe-to-toe with the middle-period symphonies of Haydn and even several of Mozart's. Vanhal's thematic material is often memorable, and his development sections well worked through…

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.

Johann Baptist Vaňhal was one of Haydn’s most important contemporaries. His symphonies in particular were widely admired throughout Europe, with music historian Dr Charles Burney reporting that Vaňhal’s symphonies were known in England before those of Haydn. The finely wrought works in this recording include the Symphony in F minor, considered one of his best in this genre, and the Symphony in C which was highly popular in its day. All of these works illustrate Vaňhal’s sophisticated mastery of musical structure, imaginative handling of the orchestra, and a profusion of memorable themes.

Johann Baptist Vanhal numbers among the most productive composers of the eighteenth century. Among other works, seventy-seven symphonies and sixty solo concertos by him are documented. He was for quite some time, especially before the works of Haydn and Mozart became more widely known, one of the most popular and even one of the most renowned instrumental composers in Germany.

One of the benefits of the current “catalog-dumping” trend from major record labels these days is the gathering together of sets such as [this one], offering a trove of music that otherwise would be difficult or impossible to assemble from individual recordings, and many of which are no longer available singly. The 6-CD collection from Concerto Köln is the best overall, comprising some of the finest orchestral works from 18th-century Europe not written by Bach, Haydn, or Mozart, and celebrating the spirit and expressive capabilities and character of a smaller-sized, conductor-less instrumental ensemble. These composers—Dall’Abaco, Kozeluch, Eberl, for instance—deserve to be better-, make that well-known. And there’s no doubt that if there had not been a Haydn or Mozart, we’d be (justifiably) listening to, and marveling at, a lot more Johann Vanhal today—if you don’t know this contemporary of both of those great masters, you owe it to yourself to get acquainted. The Concerto Köln is a premier advocate for all of this repertoire, and having all of it in one economical box is ideal.

– David Vernier

Johann Baptist Vanhal's clarinet sonatas are mostly notable for their historical value. Written between 1801 and 1810, they legitimized the clarinet as an equal partner in the sonata form. They did for that instrument what Beethoven did for the cello around the same time. Until the turn of the century, the clarinet had mainly appeared in ensembles with multiple other instruments, like the great quintets of Mozart and Weber.