April 17, 2014

  • A Pastoral 18th-Century Symphony & French Overtures

     

    Knecht: Le Portrait musical de la Nature; Philidor: Overtures
    Sergio Lamberto, violin.  Turin Philharmonic Orchestra; Prague Sinfonia Orchestra/Christian Benda
    Naxos 8.573066
    Total Time:  67:27
    Recording:   ****/****
    Performance: ****/****

    One of the many wonderful aspects of Naxos’mid-level pricing is that it leaves no stone unturned for the distribution of new and unusual repertoire.  Any and everything is up for grabs on the label regardless of period or country.  The present recording gives us a window on Enlightenment works by two practically unknown composers Justin Heinrich Knecht  (1752-1817) and Francois-Andre Danican (1726-1795).

    Knecht was essentially a church musician and teacher who spent much of his adult life in Biberach where he would write operas, singspiels, and incidental music as well as pedagogical works.  His Le Portrait musical de la Nature-Grand Symphonie is a five-movement work that has a set program.  It was composed in 1784-85—preceding the more famous pastoral symphony by Beethoven by a quarter century.  The music tends to be fairly innocuous and the sort of piece that reminds us that it could very well have been background music to its court audiences.  The opening movement does have a rather gorgeous violin solo and a bucolic waltz-like section.  The second movement moves us toward a full blown storm that explodes a bit in the third movement.  The raging tempest owes much more to late Baroque writing and even tends to feature more sudden contrasts of sound.  In fact one familiar works from the period will realize Knecht’s approach is perfectly in keeping with the work of Cannabich.  The descriptive writing begins to have more impact as the fourth movement celebrates the clearing skies.  Here is perhaps where some will certainly hear the seeds of Beethoven’s own approach in the later piece.  The final movement provides a sort of hymn of praise with the return of solo violin.  The overall structure of the piece and its descriptive titles are what will likely pique the interest of casual listeners.  Thematically, the piece is not very engaging, but the occasional flashes of instrumental color that move us from the Rococo into the early stages of Romanticism are fascinating to hear.  As the only surviving work of its genre by the composer, this is a curiosity that provides some pleasure in its well-constructed ability to move to subtle writing for strings and into more Austrian senses of dance at times.  It is indeed a very interesting work of well-crafted music illustrating the numerous ways different musical ideas were “in the air” so to speak.

    The Turin Orchestra seems to work their way through this work well; emphasizing the various threads that recall everyone from Vivaldi, Mozart, and Beethoven while honoring the work’s historical place aesthetically.  The piece still seems as if it has one foot in the late Baroque and one in the new music of the time making the whole affair rather unusual.  As one of only two recordings currently in the catalogue, this one at least sweetens the deal with some interesting earlier music.

    The disc is rounded off with four overtures by the French composer Philidor.  It serves to provide examples of earlier music.  Philidor was a popular composer of stage music begun as early as 1759 with a comic opera (Blaise le savetier).  He was also a noted chess player.  The four overtures included here all come from the 1760s.  Students of 18th-century music will delight in the way these overtures illustrate the early appearance of forms that would become essential components of late-century music.  The first of these is the overture to Le Jardinier et Son Seigneur (1761).  The piece is cast in the Italian overture 3-movement sinfonia format with a central andante shifting to the tonic minor.  The other 1761 work, the overture to Le Marechal-Ferrant, is similar in its form.  The overture for Le Sorcier (1764) shows an early use of sonata form while that for Tom Jones (1765) uses repetition of key themes to serve as a more traditional overture introducing its story.

    These four works are all interesting examples of early Classical period music.  Phrasing and form are beginning to become shaped into the style we will associate with the music of this time.  What is always interesting though is to hear if there are still vestiges of Baroque style in the music and that also certainly can be picked up on in these pieces of quick contrasts.  The orchestral writing does tend to be in similar blocks, but does begin to show some liberation for the winds.  The string writing is quite rich.  Melodic ideas are often cast in appropriately dramatic dress.  The more Italianate writing often sets the atmosphere that Mozart is not far off.  Here too are signs of the sort of music that was part of the milieu for Knecht’s work and provide further immediate context for the music of the time quite well.

    The Prague Sinfonia proves to be the perfect ensemble for these pieces and they receive fine performances here.  These are the same overtures (with the addition of Le Jardinier) Benda recorded with the Prague Chamber Orchestra and which appeared on a 2005 release of Philidor’s music.  It is perhaps good that they get a revisit here a few years later.  They are certainly well thought out and interesting works.

    While Knecht and Philidor are composers of relative obscurity, their music allows important opportunities to hear what was considered good and even popular work of the period.  Releases like these become more than just musicological exercises.  Instead they allow for classical music fans a chance to create a richer setting for the appreciation of the works that have been part of the repertoire for over 200 years.  Here are five rather interesting works that will provide a fine afternoon of listening.  It is also instructive to listen to both the Knecht and Beethoven’s sixth symphony back-to-back to see how striking they are in structure and musical depictions.