Kalliwoda

Johann Wenzeslaus Kalliwoda, born in Bohemia, was one of the few composers whose symphonies got traction in Germany in the years after Beethoven's death. His Symphony No. 1 in F sharp minor has received occasional performances down through the years, and conductors and scholars have begun to unearth his other six symphonic works. Even Schubert wondered what there was left to accomplish in the symphonic genre after Beethoven. He eventually figured it out, and Kalliwoda, in his Symphony No. 5 in B minor, Op. 106, seems to be thinking along some of the same lines as Schubert in his Symphony No. 8 in B minor, the "Unfinished."

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.

Compositeur et violoniste virtuose Tchèque, né en 1801 et mort en 1866, Johann Wenzel Kalliwoda joua dans l’orchestre de Ständetheater de Prague que dirigeait Carl Maria von Weber. C’est peu dire de ses compétences musicales… Il fut par la suite un chef d’orchestre recherché pour la rigueur et la musicalité de sa direction. Côté musique, il laisse une œuvre abondante dans tous les genres musicaux mais c’est surtout sa musique de chambre qui retient l’attention.

The Bohemian composer Johann Wenzel Kalliwoda (1801-66), perhaps the most important mediator between classicism and romanticism, is now known to experts as an insiders tip between Beethovens, and Schumann and Mendelssohns generation. The new cpo series featuring his overtures and violin concertos most firmly substantiates this judgment.

This CD is probably unique. The oboe was relegated in the romantic age as the clarinet gained favour. So there are few chamber works for oboe from this period, and those that exist are rarely recorded. But to have several of these pieces on one disc and played so well on period instruments makes this a real treat. The instruments are an 1850 Triebert oboe and Erard pianoforte. These are not so different technically from their modern counterparts, but in these musicians' hands they deliver a warm, distinctive sound that would be hard to emulate with modern instruments.

A leader of the movement for historically informed performances, Jos van Immerseel has been active in performances of Renaissance and Baroque music, but he has concentrated on piano music of the Classical and Romantic eras, performing and recording much of the keyboard repertoire on period instruments. This eight-CD box set from Accent contains van Immerseel's recordings from 1979 to 1986, played on a variety of original pianofortes and modern reproductions, and with period instruments in the works for ensembles.

Christoph Willibald Gluck - Orfeo ed Euridice (Vienna Version-1762)
Nancy Argenta / Michael Chance / Kammerchor Stuttgart / Tafelmusik / Frieder Bernius
2xCD | EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 362 MB | Artwork: 38 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Sony Classical # SX2K 48 040 | Country/Year: Germany 1992
Genre: Classical | Style: Opera, Viennese School

Frieder Bernius began his career primarily as a conductor of choral music, focusing largely on repertory from the Baroque and early Classical periods. Gradually he took a greater interest in orchestral music while still maintaining a preference for choral works. He has favored authentic performance practices and has become one of the leaders in the historically informed performance (HIP) movement. (…) Bernius began recording with Sony Classical in 1989, and among his most successful early recordings for that label was that of Gluck's opera Orfeo ed Euridice (1992), with Nancy Argenta and Michael Chance. Along with his successes in the recording studio in the 1990s and first decade of the new century, Bernius continued to lead many highly acclaimed concerts at home and abroad with his three Stuttgart ensembles.