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CD reviews
Amandus IVANSCHIZ (1727 - 1758): "Chamber Music at the Abbey of Lambach"
Ars Antiqua Austria
Dir: Gunar Letzbor
rec: March 10 - 12, 2022, Lambach, Benediktiner Stift
Challenge Classics - CC72913 (© 2022) (59'49")
Liner-notes: E/D
Cover, track-list & booklet
Concertino in E flat;
Divertimento in C;
Sinfonia a 4 stromenti in D;
Sinfonia ex G;
Sinfonia in A;
Sonata a 3 in B
Michael Söllner, Adalbert Heitzinger, horn;
Gunar Letzbor, Nina Pohn, violin;
Markus Miesenberger, viola;
Jan Krigovsky, violone 8'
Since ancient times music has played an important part in the daily life in convents across Europe. Their inhabitants not only sang music during the liturgy, but also performed music as entertainment. Some of them may have been able to play an instrument, and even been active as composers. As many of their works were intended for performances in their own convent, they were mostly not printed and a large part may have been lost. However, some of what was written may have been preserved in libraries and archives. Fortunately, there are performers who are interested in this kind of repertoire and are willing to search for what may have been left. Gunar Letzbor is one of them. It has resulted in several recordings of repertoire no-one else seems to be interested in. The present disc is a case in point.
It is not that Amandus Ivanschiz is a complete unknown quantity. He has an entry in New Grove, and some of his music has been included in modern editions. However, it is thanks to Letzbor that his music is performed; as far as I know only one divertimento from his pen was recorded before, also by Ars Antiqua Austria, as part of the project "The Music of the Hapsburg Empire".
The entry in New Grove has little information to offer about Ivanschiz's life; the years of his birth and death were apparently not known to the author, as it is indicated as "fl mid-18th century". Letzbor, in his liner-notes, has much more to say about him. Ivanschiz was baptized with the name Matthias Leopold in December 1727 in Wiener Neustadt. At the age of 15 he joined the Pauline Order and adopted the name Amandus. In 1750 he was ordained a priest; that same year he consecrated the new organ of the cathedral, which indicates that he had been educated in playing the keyboard. From 1751 to 1754 Ivanschiz stayed in Rome; nothing about that period is known. After his return he was sent to Maria Trost in Styria, where he wrote a substantial part of his oeuvre. There he died in 1758. The last stage of his life is poorly documented, partly due to the dissolution of the Pauline Order in 1786.
Today Ivanschiz may be nearly forgotten, but the fact that more than 300 copies of compositions from his pen have been preserved in Central and Eastern Europe attest to the appreciation of his oeuvre. Fifty major sacred works are extant, as well as over thirty instrumental works. This disc offers a survey of the latter category.
The dates of his birth and death suggest that he was a representative of the late baroque period. However, the pieces included here show that he was quite modern. They clearly point in the direction of the classical style. The title divertimento of some of his works attests to that. The Divertimento in C opens the programme. It is scored for violin, viola and cello, which is a typical classical combination of instruments. The first movement is an adagio, the second a menuet and trio, which is the longest of the three movements. Each work on this disc includes a menuet, which Ivanschiz seems to have liked. Again, this is a feature of the classical style. The last movement is the shortest, and has - as is the case in other pieces as well - the character of a Kehraus.
The Sinfonia in A has the scoring of a trio sonata: two violins and bass. However, the second violin plays a minor role; this piece rather reminds me of the Italian opera overture. Given the nature of Ivanschiz's works, it seems entirely right that the bass part is played by a violone alone, without the participation of a keyboard instrument.
Next is the Sinfonia ex G, and here the strings are joined by a pair of horns. It has the form of a classical symphony: allegro assai, andante, menuet and trio, allegro. The horns are silent in the andante, which was very common, especially in the baroque period. This work is performed here with one instrument per part, and as it may have been intended for performance in a monastery, that seems quite right. However, it would be interesting to hear it in a larger line-up; I feel that it would compare quite well with early classical symphonies.
The fourth work is the Concertino in E flat; the title does not refer to the concertino in a baroque concerto grosso, but rather a kind of work that was written in the classical period - a piece with one or several solo instruments, in a more modest scoring than a solo concerto. The scoring is for violin, viola and bass, and the violin has a solo role here.
The last two pieces are notable for the fact that the viola has the addition obligato, which means that it is an essential part of the ensemble, and more than a harmonic filler. This seems a hallmark of Ivanschiz's style; Danilo Pokorn, in his article on the composer in New Grove, rightly states that his "frequent use of the viola as the second solo instrument is a forward-looking trait". Although the music on this disc is unmistakable of a diverting nature, and intended as entertainment in the first place, the Sonata a 3 in B is more than just that. The opening adagio is pretty expressive, and the menuet and trio, taking twice as much time as the adagio, is quite substantial.
The Sinfonia in D, which closes the programme, seems to have a connection with the theatre: it opens with an Entrada and closes with an allegro with the title Il Fabro ferraro, which unfortunately is not explained in the booklet; Google Translate did not give any clue about its meaning either (*). It is a real Kehraus, with a marked rhythmic pulse and passages played pizzicato. This work has again the texture of a classical symphony, but now scored for strings, without horns. Moreover, the menuet is here in second place, followed by an andante.
As I wrote, this is a programme of music largely written for entertainment, but sometimes it goes beyond that. Whatever is the case, I have very much enjoyed it; undoubtedly Ivanschiz was a fine composer, and the dissemination of works from his pen is understandable. I would like to hear some of his sacred works. It would be nice if Gunar Letzbor would record some of them. He has a very good feeling for this repertoire, and his ensemble is tailor-made for bringing it to life. The marked dynamic differentation, for instance between good and bad notes, lends many pieces a nice 'swing'.
This is a most enjoyable and entertaining disc, which will give you a lot of pleasure.
(*) After the publication of the review, an Italian reader has been so kind to explain the title: "'fabbro ferraro' is ancient Italian for 'fabbro ferraio', or simply 'fabbro' - blacksmith."
Johan van Veen (© 2024)
Relevant links:
Ars Antiqua Austria