musica Dei donum
CD reviews
"L'arte del virtuoso"
[I] "L'arte del virtuoso - Solo concertos 2"
Caterva Musica
rec: June 2, Sept 2 & 4, Oct 27 - 29, 2022, Marienmünster, Abtei
MDG - 926 2281-6
(© 2023) (69'53")
Liner-notes: E/D
Cover & track-list
Spotify
Joseph HÖFFNER (1st half 19th C): Introduction et Polonaise for trumpet and orchestra in Db; František JIRÁNEK (1698-1778): Concerto for violin, strings and bc in A (Darmstadt 336/6)c; Johann Melchior MOLTER (1696-1765): Sonata grossa for 3 trumpets, timpani, 2 oboes, strings and bc in D (MWV IV,5); Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791): Concerto for harpsichord, 2 violins and bass in E flat (KV 107,3 / 21b,3)e; Martin SEYFFERT (1681-1745 or later): Concerto for oboe, strings and bc in c minora; Johann Sigismund WEISS (1690-1737): Concerto for lute, 2 violins and bc in g minord
Constanze Kästner, transverse flute; Hans-Heinrich Kriegel (soloa), Paul van der Linden, oboe; Friedemann Immer, Pedro Henrique Souza Rosa (solob), Sanae Kimata, trumpet; Oliver Nicolai, Maria Vornhusen, horn; Rebecca Mertens, Margit Baranyai, bassoon; Elke Fabri (soloc), Katharina Fabri, violin; Wolfgang Fabri, violin, viola; Michael Glatz, Magnus Döhler, viola; Imola Gombos, cello; Jean-Michel Forest, Jörg Lühring, double bass; Yuichi Sasaki, lute (solod), guitar; Lucius Rühl, Ada Tanir (soloe), harpsichord; Michael Goede, organ; Frithjof Koch, timpani
[II] "L'arte del virtuoso - Solo concertos 3"
Caterva Musica
rec: Sept 1, Oct 1 - 3 & 29, 2022, Marienmünster, Abtei
MDG - 926 2301-6
(© 2023) (75'41")
Liner-notes: E/D
Cover & track-list
Spotify
Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750): Sinfonia for violin and orchestra in D (BWV 1045)b; Franz BENDA (1709-1786): Concerto for transverse flute, strings and bc in e minora; Johann Gottlieb GRAUN (1703-1771): Quartet for 2 violins, viola da gamba and bc in g minor (GraunWV Av:XIV,10); Georg Philipp TELEMANN (1681-1767): Overture for 2 horns, 2 oboes, bassoon, strings and bc in F (TWV 55,F3); Antonio VIVALDI (1678-1741): Concerto for recorder, oboe, violin, bassoon and bc in g minor (RV 107)
Rainer Johannsen, recorder, duduk, bassoon; Constanze Kästner, transverse flute (soloa); Hans-Heinrich Kriegel, Benjamin Völkel, Paul van der Linden, oboe; Friedemann Immer, Pedro Henrique Souza Rosa, Sanae Kimata, trumpet; Oliver Nicolai, Maria Vornhusen, horn; Rebecca Mertens, bassoon; Elke Fabri (solob), Katharina Fabri, Wolfgang Fabri, violin; Michael Glatz, Magnus Döhler, viola; Imola Gombos, viola da gamba, cello; Jean-Michel Forest, Jörg Lühring, double bass; Yuichi Sasaki, lute; Lucius Rühl, Ada Tanir, harpsichord; Michael Goede, organ; Frithjof Koch, timpani
Recently I reviewed the first and fourth volumes of a series of recordings by the German ensemble Caterva Musica, of which I had not heard before, although it was founded in 1998. In my review I wrote: "If the two volumes in between them somehow come my way, I am going to review them, as the two that I have heard show that this is an ensemble of excellent qualities." That has happened, and the result is the review which follows.
Like in the case of the first and fourth volumes, the subtitle "Solo Concertos" is not entirely correct. Two of the six pieces on Vol. 2 are not solo concertos, and one of them does not even feature one particular solo instrument. Vol. 4 also includes five works, and only one of them is a solo concerto.
Let me start with Vol. 2, which is the most interesting as far as the repertoire is concerned. Three of the composers are hardly known, and two others seldom appear on concert programmes and on disc. The programme covers a period of about one hundred years, which explains the lack of stylistic cohesion. I would have liked a more cohesive programme, but that is a matter of personal preference. However, it also concerns the line-up - more about that later.
The earliest piece is probably the Concerto in g minor for lute and strings by Johann Sigismund Weiss. He was the younger brother of the lute virtuoso Silvius Leopold, who worked for most of his life at the court in Dresden. Johann Sigismund was a lute player as well, and must have been a good one. A contemporary is quoted in the booklet as hailing his "unrivalled quality of his lute playing". Like many of his peers he played several instruments, such as the viola da gamba and the violin. He entered the service of the Elector Palatine in Düsseldorf, and when the court moved to Mannheim he became Instrumental-Musikdirektor of the court chapel, which was to become the birthplace of the famous Mannheim School. The concerto is a short piece in five movements.
Like Weiss' older brother, Martin Seyffert was a member of the Dresden court chapel. From 1713 to 1745 he worked there as an oboist. The latter year may also be the year of his death, but that cannot be documented. His compositions are in the famous Schrank II at the Dresden State Library, which includes the music played at the Dresden court orchestra. One of them is the Concerto in c minor for oboe, strings and basso continuo, which is in three movements. In the fast movements the oboe is the primus inter parens, playing with the strings in the tutti. The largo is notable for its expressive character; the liner-notes connect it to the up-and-coming style of the Empfindsamkeit. It makes curious about other works from his pen. This piece is certainly a meaningful addition to the repertoire for the oboe.
Not entirely unknown is František Jiránek. He was born in northern Bohemia; his parents were servants of Count Morzin, for whom Vivaldi composed his Four Seasons. František entered his service as a musician, and was sent to Venice in 1724, where Vivaldi may have been his teacher. It cannot surprise that in some cases there is doubt about the authorship of his concertos, which very much sound like those of Vivaldi's pen. That also goes for the Concerto in A performed here. It shows that Jiránek was a true virtuoso, and this concerto is not inferior to what his more famous teacher has written, both with regard to its technical requirements as its depth of expression.
With the remaining three works we are in a different era, or at least on the brink of that. The latter is the case with the Sonata grossa in D by Johann Melchior Molter. Being born in Tiefenort near Eisenach and being first educated by his father who was working as Kantor in his birthplace, he entered the service of Margrave Carl Wilhelm of Baden whose residence was in Karlsruhe (as it is called today) in 1717. Only two years later the Margrave sent him to Italy to further his musical education. After his return to Karlsruhe in 1721 he was appointed Kapellmeister at the court. He later worked at the court in Saxe-Eisenach, where he had another opportunity to visit Italy, where he became acquainted with the galant style. During the last stage of his life Molter worked in Karlsruhe again. The term sonata grossa was invented by Molter, and only he has written pieces like this, which Molter scholar Klaus Häfner describes as a synthesis of sonata, suite and orchestral concerto. The Sonata grossa in A is scored for three trumpets, timpani, two oboes, strings and basso continuo.
The best-known piece is the Concerto in E flat by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, one of three pieces for harpsichord, two violins and bass, which are arrangements of three sonatas for keyboard from the Op. 5 by Johann Christian Bach. Mozart met him when he, with his father and sister, visited London. He held him in high esteem, until Bach's death in 1782. To what extent father Leopold participated in the construction of these works is hard to say, but he must have played a role in it.
With Joseph Höffner we are in the 19th century. He may be an unknown quantity to most music lovers; even New Grove does not know him. Not that there is much to know, except that he was a professional horn player who studied in Prague from 1813 to 1822 and then played in the Graz theatre. Later he worked in Trieste as professor at the Conservatory. He composed and arranged popular pieces for the keyed trumpet, the instrument for which Haydn and Hummel composed their trumpet concertos. The solo part of the Introduction et Polonaise for trumpet and orchestra is technically demanding and the only piece for the keyed trumpet that was published before the 20th century.
Vol. 3 has not that many unknown pieces to offer: only a quartet by Johann Gottlieb Graun may be really unknown, although Franz Benda's flute concertos are certainly not part of the standard repertoire either.
The programme opens with an Overture in F by Georg Philipp Telemann. He was the most prolific composer of such works, which does not surprise, given his preference for the French style. This Overture is scored for two oboes, two horns, bassoon, strings and basso continuo. The horns play quite a prominent role in this work, which has been found in the library of the court of Darmstadt, like so many works of Telemann's pen. The horn was associated with the hunt, one of the main occupations of the aristocracy. It is quite possible that this work was especially written for Ludwig VIII, Landgrave of Darmstadt, who was known for being a fanatical huntsman. At various moments we hear hunting signals, but the horns also participate in the more intimate movements, such as the sarabande.
The next piece is by Antonio Vivaldi. What is called here a quartet is one of the pieces that are ranked among the concertos in the catalogue of his works. It is one of a number of concerti da camera, scored for various combinations of instruments. In the track-list both the key and the RV number are omitted. It is the Concerto in g minor (RV 107), scored for recorder, oboe, violin and basso continuo.
With Johann Gottlieb Graun and Franz Benda we are at the court of Frederick the Great. Whereas Johann Gottlieb Graun composed mainly instrumental music, his brother Carl Heinrich focused on vocal music, in particular opera. As they signed most of their compositions with "Graun" only, it is often not possible to attribute them to one of the brothers. The fact that their handwritings look very similar doesn't make it any easier. It is only cimcumstantial evidence that could give some indication as to who of them wrote which concerto. The numbers (GraunWV) refer to a catalogue of the oeuvre of the Grauns, put together by Christoph Henzel. He made a clear distinction between pieces which can be attributed to Johann Gottlieb (A), Carl Heinrich (B) or one of them (C). The small letter v indicates that the attribution is not 100 percent sure. The latter is also the case with the Quartet in g minor, attributed to Johann Gottlieb. The scoring is notable: two violins, viola da gamba and basso continuo. It is likely that the viola da gamba part was written for Ludwig Christian Hesse, the last gambist in Germany and a true virtuoso on his instrument. That explains the inclusion of passages with double stopping. Stylistically this piece clearly moves away from the Baroque.
That also goes for the Concerto in e minor for transverse flute, strings and basso continuo by Franz Benda. He was known as a brilliant violinist. He may have written his flute concertos for Frederick the Great, a fanatical flute player. Whether he appreciated the outbursts in the string parts that are a feature of the Sturm und Drang is questionable. He may have liked the more elegant and quiet solo part, which creates an interesting contrast.
At the end of the programme we return to the Baroque with one of Johann Sebastian Bach's most enigmatic works. The Sinfonia in D is sometimes considered a movement of a violin concerto, due to the solo part for this instrument, which is highly virtuosic with lots of multiple stopping. It dates from the 1740s and may have been a movement from a larger work, either instrumental or vocal. It is notable that the scoring is the same as that of Molter's Sonata grossa, except the solo violin part.
When I had listened to the volumes 1 and 4 I hoped to have the opportunity to listen to and review the volumes 2 and 3 as well. I now have, and I am not disappointed. My positive assessment of the previous discs is confirmed here. The ensemble as a whole is excellent, and its members are impressive in their performances of the solo parts. Elke Fabri plays the violin parts in Jiránek and Bach brilliantly, Hans-Heinrich Kriegel fully explores the expressive features of Seyffert's oboe concerto. The players of the horns in Telemann's overture do a great job, and Pedro de Souza Rosa delivers an outstanding performance of the solo part in Höffner's Introduction et Polonaise. There is just one issue regarding Vivaldi's Concerto in g minor: "Caterva musica introduce [the slow] movement with an improvised transition from duduk and theorbo to mark the timelessness of the theme." I don't see the point of this; it has nothing to do with historical performance practice. However, it is a very minor issue, also because the passage is very short.
At the start of this review I shortly mentioned the line-up. All the pieces are performed with one instrument per part. That is certainly defensible in most pieces, although probably not the only option. It seems perfectly possible that the line-up in the baroque era may have differed according to the venue where the music was performed. However, in some pieces a larger string body may have been preferable, and that goes especially for the piece by Höffner. In Molter's Sonata grossa more than one string per part may have created a stronger counterweight to the winds and timpani.
These two discs are very enjoyable and interesting, thanks to the choice of the pieces and their quality, and the level of performance. I hope we can expect more from this fine ensemble.
Johan van Veen (© 2025)
Relevant links:
Caterva Musica