DMITRY BORTNYANSKY: The Russian Album = March in C Major for 2 oboes, 2 horns & bassoon; Sinfonie concertante 1790 in B flat Major; Sonatas Nos. 1, 2 & 3 for Cembalo; Quintet in C Major; Harpsichord Concerto in D Major (Caro Mitis SACD)

DMITRY BORTNYANSKY: The Russian Album = March in C Major for 2 oboes, 2 horns & bassoon; Sinfonie concertante 1790 in B flat Major; Sonatas Nos. 1, 2 & 3 for Cembalo; Quintet in C Major; Harpsichord Concerto in D Major - Pratum Integrum Orchestra (historial instruments) - Caro Mitis Multichannel SACD CM 0052003, 69:10 ****:

Bortnyansky, although born about the same time as Berezovsky (on the other Caro Mitis SACD reviewed this time) and similarly starting as a choirboy at the court chapel in St. Petersburg and then being sent to Italy for study, lived a much longer life than his follow composer - to 1825.  Upon his return to the Russian court he became director of vocal music at the court chapel and improved singing standards as well as composing many sacred choral works and three comic operas in French.

Manuscripts of Bortnyansky’s many secular works were lost until a festival of his music in l901, and more have been recently brought to light. This disc samples some of them. The prince and his wife who Bortnyansky served at the Russian ‘minor court” played harpsichord and harp, so the harpsichord concerto and solo sonatas were probably for them to perform. Both the Sinfonie concertante and the Quintet in C Major include both harp and fortepiano - the first considered one of the best pieces of Russian instrumental music before Glinka. It also was scored for two violins, viola da gamba, bassoon and cello. The Baroque violins in this ensemble sound rather steely and wiry to me, and it is certainly not a fault of the audio engineering.  Bertnyansky’s music is mostly in the style of early Mozart and enjoyable, but he is no Mozart.  The surrounds are used strictly for hall ambience.

- John Sunier
 

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