Music of Haydn, Kraus, and Dittersdorf. Night Music. Avie
AV2423.
By John J. Puccio
Let’s start at the beginning. First, just what is “salon
music”? Meriam-Webster defines it as “instrumental music of a light, pleasing,
and often sentimental character suitable for the drawing room rather than the
concert hall.” Such events became popular in the eighteenth and nineteenth
centuries, with a soloist, usually a pianist, or a small chamber ensemble
entertaining friends and family in the home “salon.”
The present album attempts to replicate just such an event from real life. According to a booklet note, “It is the first year of the 19th century, and Palais Arnstein, a focus of Vienna’s intellectual and cultural life, hosts a performance of three remarkable works: a demanding ‘symphonic’ quintet and a ‘soloistic’ symphony are performed with the same musical forces.” The third piece is a duet, thereby raising the question of where we can draw the line between chamber and orchestral music.
Next, who are Night Music? They are a Philadelphia-based chamber ensemble of six musicians who perform on period instruments and are dedicated to the music of the revolutionary era (roughly 1760-1850). Its players are Steven Zohn, eight-keyed flute; Rebecca Harris, violin; Marika Holmqvist, violin; Daniel Elyar, violin; Rebecca Humphrey Diedrich, cello; and Heather Miller Lardin, violone.
Night Music here play the exact salon concert presented in Vienna in 1801. The program begins with the Quintet in D for flute and strings by Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1792), a work that at the time had only recently been published (1799) by a composer who died young. More than one commentator at the time remarked that the Quintet was closer to a flute concerto than anything else, and it’s hard to argue the point. Steven Zohn’s flute does, indeed, dominate the music, the strings lending sympathetic support and even a little interplay. The Largo, based on a theme and variations, is particularly delightful and allows the other instruments a bit more room. The ensemble play it with a healthy zest, although the tempos and contrasts are never so extreme as to be tiring. It’s simply pleasant listening.
Next comes the Duetto in E flat for viola and violone
(double bass) by Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf (1739-1799). While it obviously
employs an unusual combination of instruments, it is a charming piece of music,
even if it is rather brief. Remarkably, neither instrument overpowers the
other, the two moving effortlessly together almost as one singing mechanism.
The music may be somewhat light, but Dittersdorf fills it out with an abundance
of melodic tunes, and his choice of instrumentation lends an added weight.
The third and final work on the program is a chamber-ensemble arrangement of the “Surprise Symphony,” No.91 in G, by Joseph Haydn (1732-1809). The violinist and impresario Johann Peter Salomon, who had been key to bringing Haydn to London several years earlier, transcribed the symphony for flute and strings. One might be forgiven for not noting the absence of a full orchestra in this small chamber edition. Night Music play it with such lyrical grace and refined gusto that one would think Haydn had intended it this way all along. Whatever, it makes for an engaging change of pace.
Producer Erin Banholzer and engineer Loren Stata recorded the music at Immanuel Highlands Episcopal church, Wilmington, Delaware in August 2018. The engineer miked the ensemble at a moderate distance, providing plenty of air in front of, behind, and to the sides of the group. It enhances the realism of the occasion, and it’s a blessed relief from the closely miked affairs we usually get with chamber orchestras. Plus, the small size of the ensemble provides excellent detail and clarity.
JJP
To listen to a brief excerpt from this album, click below:
By John J. Puccio
The present album attempts to replicate just such an event from real life. According to a booklet note, “It is the first year of the 19th century, and Palais Arnstein, a focus of Vienna’s intellectual and cultural life, hosts a performance of three remarkable works: a demanding ‘symphonic’ quintet and a ‘soloistic’ symphony are performed with the same musical forces.” The third piece is a duet, thereby raising the question of where we can draw the line between chamber and orchestral music.
Next, who are Night Music? They are a Philadelphia-based chamber ensemble of six musicians who perform on period instruments and are dedicated to the music of the revolutionary era (roughly 1760-1850). Its players are Steven Zohn, eight-keyed flute; Rebecca Harris, violin; Marika Holmqvist, violin; Daniel Elyar, violin; Rebecca Humphrey Diedrich, cello; and Heather Miller Lardin, violone.
Night Music here play the exact salon concert presented in Vienna in 1801. The program begins with the Quintet in D for flute and strings by Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1792), a work that at the time had only recently been published (1799) by a composer who died young. More than one commentator at the time remarked that the Quintet was closer to a flute concerto than anything else, and it’s hard to argue the point. Steven Zohn’s flute does, indeed, dominate the music, the strings lending sympathetic support and even a little interplay. The Largo, based on a theme and variations, is particularly delightful and allows the other instruments a bit more room. The ensemble play it with a healthy zest, although the tempos and contrasts are never so extreme as to be tiring. It’s simply pleasant listening.
The third and final work on the program is a chamber-ensemble arrangement of the “Surprise Symphony,” No.91 in G, by Joseph Haydn (1732-1809). The violinist and impresario Johann Peter Salomon, who had been key to bringing Haydn to London several years earlier, transcribed the symphony for flute and strings. One might be forgiven for not noting the absence of a full orchestra in this small chamber edition. Night Music play it with such lyrical grace and refined gusto that one would think Haydn had intended it this way all along. Whatever, it makes for an engaging change of pace.
Producer Erin Banholzer and engineer Loren Stata recorded the music at Immanuel Highlands Episcopal church, Wilmington, Delaware in August 2018. The engineer miked the ensemble at a moderate distance, providing plenty of air in front of, behind, and to the sides of the group. It enhances the realism of the occasion, and it’s a blessed relief from the closely miked affairs we usually get with chamber orchestras. Plus, the small size of the ensemble provides excellent detail and clarity.
JJP
To listen to a brief excerpt from this album, click below:
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