Contemporaries of Mozart : ADALBERT GYROWETZ - Symphonies (2000) Mp3

Contemporaries of Mozart : VÁCLAV PICHL - Symphonies (1999) Mp3

Contemporaries of Mozart : LEOPOLD KOZELUCH - Symphonies (1999) Mp3

Contemporaries of Mozart : FRANÇOIS-JOSEPH GOSSEC - Symphonies (1998) Mp3

Contemporaries of Mozart : JOHANN BAPTIST VANHAL - Symphonies (1998) Mp3

Contemporaries of Mozart : ANTONIO ROSETTI - Symphonies (1997) Mp3

Contemporaries of Mozart : IGNACE PLEYEL - Symphony in C; Symphony in G; Symphony in D (1997) Mp3

Contemporaries of Mozart : CARLOS BAGUER - Symphonies (1996) Mp3

Contemporaries of Mozart : CARL STAMITZ - Four Symphonies (1995) Mp3

Contemporaries of Mozart : MICHAEL HAYDN - Symphonies (1996) Mp3

Contemporaries of Mozart : FRANZ KROMMER - Symphonies Op. 40 • Op. 102 (1994) Mp3

Contemporaries of Mozart : MUZIO CLEMENTI - Symphony No.1, Two Symphonies Op.18 (1983) Mp3

Contemporaries of Mozart : WILLIAM HERSCHEL - Symphonies (2003) Mp3

Contemporaries of Mozart : JOSEF MYSLIVECEK - Symphonies (2004) Mp3

Does the world need to know the 35 symphonies of Josef Myslivecek (1737-1781)? Probably not, but anyone who knows and loves the symphonies of Martini, Samartini, and J.C. Bach or the early symphonies of Mozart might enjoy hearing the symphonies of a Bohemian composer living in Italy in the middle years of the eighteenth century. Myslivecek, known in Italy as Il Boemo because no one there could pronounce his real name, was not a great composer, but he was a competent composer with a skill for orchestration and a way with a pretty tune. As this premiere recording of six of Myslivecek's symphonies by Matthias Bamert and the London Mozart Players proves, there are fleeting charms to these ephemeral works, lovely little Andantes with flutes in thirds, vivacious Allegro con spiritos with svelte strings and suave horns, and lithesome Prestos with witty violins and sweet cellos. And while none of Myslivecek's music is at all memorable, it is delighting and diverting while the disc is spinning. Chandos' early music sound is richer and warmer than most and as clear and lucid as any. by James Leonard

Contemporaries of Mozart : FRANZ ANTON HOFFMEISTER - Symphonies (2005) Mp3

Contemporaries of Mozart : CHRISTIAN CANNABICH - Symphonies (2006) Mp3

To the uninitiated, the name Christian Cannabich may seem to indicate some kind of Jesus-friendly herbal substance. However, to those in the know, Cannabich was one of the guiding lights of the eighteenth century Mannheim School and a pioneer of the symphony. Cannabich composed about 80 symphonies and was a friend of Wolfgang Mozart, who openly expressed his admiration for Cannabich's skills as a conductor. Therefore, it certainly makes sense that Chandos should include a disc of five of Cannabich's symphonies in its fine, long-running series Contemporaries of Mozart.

It really shouldn't comes as a surprise that conductor Matthias Bamert is so skillful in leading period ensembles, as he has already made so many recordings of this kind apart from his work with modern orchestras. "Regular" conductors aren't supposed to be quite so good with such groups, and Bamert gets just the right results with the London Mozart Players -- these performances are rhythmically crisp, energetic, and elegant. While there are no stormy, minor-key works here in the manner of Mozart's Symphony No. 25 or Vanhal's D minor efforts, there are some rather dramatic and striking opening movements among the five symphonies here, particularly in the works in E flat major and in C major. Generally, the first movements of Cannabich's symphonies are the most interesting, the second movements are more graceful and architectural, and the third movements more dance-like. This scheme is dutifully observed for the three-movement works, the opening, un-numbered Symphony in G major is the only four-movement symphony. It feels a little more like a Haydn symphony than the others, though curiously it is the earliest of the works here, composed in 1760, just as Haydn was writing his first symphonies.

The performances are excellent and the recording no less so. Cannabich's music will probably not knock you out of the water like the better symphonies of Kraus or Vanhal. Nevertheless, it is good music, and if one has already developed a taste for eighteenth century symphonies, then Chandos' Cannabich: Symphonies will provide a pleasing addition to one's holdings in this area. by Uncle Dave Lewis  

Contemporaries of Mozart : FRANZ RICHTER - Symphonies (2007) Mp3

Contemporaries of Mozart : JOHN MARSH - Symphonies (2008) Mp3

In the eighteenth century, there were some advantages to being a "dilettante" or amateur musician; if you were a nobleman, you might even choose a false name or that of another composer under which to publish your work, in order not to compromise one's status as gentry. Or, if you were like John Marsh, a prosperous barrister that played the organ, composed symphonies, and organized subscription concerts in his spare time, you could use a silly pseudonym like "Sharm" that everyone could see through. Under this name, Marsh published his most ambitious work, the Conversation Symphony of 1778, ostensibly scored for two orchestras, but sharing the same string group -- the winds alone are divided and the continuo is brought to the front. This Stokowskian reimagining of the orchestra was quite novel in its day and the symphony remained a favorite in England for quite some time after Marsh retired from public life in 1811. Marsh's other eight surviving symphonies -- of the 39 he produced altogether -- have not fared quite as well in posterity in comparison to the "Conversation." On Chandos' John Marsh: Symphonies, an entry in its "Contemporaries of Mozart" series, four other symphonies are given a hearing in addition to the "Conversation"; this is only the second all-Marsh disc ever released, an earlier effort on Olympia having come and gone a long while ago.
Apart from his notable rethinking of orchestral seating, Marsh generally does not score high marks for originality here; his symphonic works are sometimes derivative of Haydn, and bear a trace of retention, to some degree, of Handel's typical approach toward writing for winds. Nevertheless, it is ambitious work, well crafted, tuneful, and admirably variable; Marsh could have been a professional composer if he had been willing to accept the lousy pay that came with the job. The scant surviving musical work of Marsh forms merely the tail of the large beast that is his work in words, including a 37-volume memoir, undiscovered until the 1990s, that details every performance and composition Marsh created up until the time he turned 50. It is a highly informative resource on the musical world of its time, but as in the case of Arthur Friedheim's book Life and Liszt, hardly anything he mentions in terms of music still survives. As in the other entries in the "Contemporaries of Mozart" series, Matthias Bamert and the London Mozart Players bring in an idiomatic, polished, relaxed, and period appropriate performance that does justice to the music, but never quite knocks your socks off. Given Marsh's tendency toward the Handelian and the "Hunt" Symphony here, Bamert could have afforded to let his hair down a little more in these works. Chandos' sound is warm, dark, a bit quiet, and somewhat lacking in high frequencies, but is certainly better than merely acceptable. by Uncle Dave Lewis 

Contemporaries of Mozart : LEOPOLD MOZART - Symphonies (2008) Mp3

The revival in performances of the early Italian-Austrian symphony at first bypassed Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's father Leopold, and all the pieces on this disc are receiving their first recordings. Leopold was well known as a symphonist on his own before his son came on the scene. Chronological control over his output has not yet been fully achieved, but the music heard here was likely composed in the 1750s and 1760s. As such, it arose during a time when the symphony coexisted with a host of other multi-movement instrumental genres, which could vary in terms of both forces and function. One of these "symphonies" was labeled as a "parthia," a serenade-like form possibly related to the Feldparthie and intended to evoke a military or hunting atmosphere. That work, here labeled the Symphony (Partia) in C major, C 4, has a lazy noctural atmosphere and actually seems less characteristic of outdoor music than several of the other symphonies, which have active horn parts. This probably shows only that publishers of the day slapped onto pieces whatever title suited them. The key point is that Leopold Mozart composed fluently in a variety of early symphony types and seems to have used their basic ideas (opening fanfares, solo violin parts in minuets, and a fugal finale all occur along the way here) in something other than purely functional ways. There is no way to be sure about this, inasmuch as little is known of Leopold's career, but the implications of this variety for an understanding of Wolfgang's training are rich: part of the greatness of Wolfgang's music lies in his ability to expand a seemingly generic core into something really unusual. This CD gives listeners an excellent taste of the issues. The music is all sunny and pleasant in the way characteristic of the age, and even listeners completely unacquainted with the early Classical-period symphony will enjoy it. The modern-instrument London Mozart players under Matthias Bamert deal well with the varied textures of the music, executing details like horn trills without flinching, but the combination of a fairly large chamber orchestra and harsh church sound results in string passages that are not quite as silky as one would wish. This is nevertheless recommended as a good place to begin for those who want to grapple with just what it was that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart heard when he was little, and how it shaped him. by James Manheim 

Contemporaries of Mozart : GEORG JOSEPH VOGLER - Symphonies, Overtures, Ballets (2009) Mp3