Schmittbaur / L'Arte Del Mondo - Schmittbaur: Symphonies - Import CD

Credits:

Schmittbaur / L'Arte Del Mondo

Description:

A collection of symphonies by Schmidbauer, an undiscovered composer of the German Baroque period, including world premiere recordings, in a masterful performance by L'Arte del Mondo. Joseph Alois Schmidbauer (1718-1809) was a prolific and versatile German composer who composed works in many genres, especially instrumental music. Schmidbauer's music has only recently been rediscovered, and this recording by the period instrument orchestra Ralte del Mondo, under the direction of Werner Ehrhardt, includes the world premiere recording of his symphonies. Little is known about Schmidbauer, who was probably born in Bamberg, Germany, in 1718 and received his musical education from Johann Philipp Seifert, an organ builder at the court of Würzburg. He was also a pupil of Niccolò Yommelli, probably in Bologna. Later he became Kapellmeister at Karlsruhe and then at Cologne Cathedral. All four symphonies recorded here follow the classical four-movement model, with a fast introduction followed by a slow introduction. The first three symphonies are consistently bright and often humorous in tone. The Symphony in C major belongs to a much later period in Schmidbauer's creative career, when Caroline, eldest daughter of Prince Baden and later the first Queen of Bavaria, married Maximilian Joseph, Duke of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld, on March 9, 1797, in Karlsruhe In honor of her marriage, he composed a symphony in C major, subtitled "On the Princess's Marriage. The work is light, colorful, instrumentally rich, and full of striking contrasts, and in all four movements the composer presents it as a work that defies the listener's expectations. Conductor Werner Ehrhardt conducted the period instrument orchestra Concerto Cologne in his own style from 1985-2005, and later formed the L'Arte del Mondo to discover long-forgotten works, especially Romanticism.This Schmidtbauer also surprises the listener with a novel interpretation that incorporates the playing techniques of the time. Sony Music

Tracklisting:

1.Symphony in F major, Op. 2 No. 2~I. Allegro molto
2.Symphony in F major, Op. 2 No. 2~II. Andante molto
3.Symphony in F major, Op. 2 No. 2~III. Menuetto - Trio
4.Symphony in F major, Op. 2 No. 2~IV. Presto assai
5.Symphony in B-flat major, Op. 2 No. 3~I. Allegro assai
6.Symphony in B-flat major, Op. 2 No. 3~II. Allegretto
7.Symphony in B-flat major, Op. 2 No. 3~III. Menuetto - Trio
8.Symphony in B-flat major, Op. 2 No. 3~IV. Andantino - Prestissimo
9.Symphony in E-flat major, Op. 2 No. 1~I. Allegro con spirito
10.Symphony in E-flat major, Op. 2 No. 1~II. Andante cantabile
11.Symphony in E-flat major, Op. 2 No. 1~III. Menuetto - Trio
12.Symphony in E-flat major, Op. 2 No. 1~IV. Rondo. Allegro assai
13.Symphony in C major, "on the occasion of the princess's wedding"~I. Adagio pianissimo - Allegro assai
14.Symphony in C major, "on the occasion of the princess's wedding"~II. Romance. Adagio molto
15.Symphony in C major, "on the occasion of the princess's wedding"~III. Menuetto. Allegro - Trio
16.Symphony in C major, "on the occasion of the princess's wedding"~IV. Prestissimo