REICHENAUER: Concertos II – Musica Florea/ Marek Stryncl, artistic director – Supraphon SU 4056-2, 63:40 [Distr. by Qualiton] ****:
In covering music from eighteenth century Prague, Supraphon is offering its second collection of concertos by Antonin Reichenauer (c.1694-1730). Who?
Largely unknown today, Reichenauer’s biography is slim, but it is known in the 1720s he succeeded Johann Fredrich Fasch as court composer in Count Václav (Wenzel) Morzin’s orchestra. Vivaldi was Morzin’s honorary Kapellmeister. Vivaldi dedicated his eighth concerto collection (which included The Four Seasons) to Morzin.
What little remains of Reichenauer’s music can be found only in repositories in Dresden and Weisentheid (Bavaria), another collection having been in Darmstadt, but lost apparently during World War II.
All of this information is according to the excellent notes by Václav Kapsa. Wise is Kapsa’s comment that “…Reichenauer was surrounded by Vivaldi’s music, thus being afforded a unique opportunity to absorb directly its stylistic impulses which he applied appropriately.”
Yet the music is not Vivaldi knock-offs. It sounds highly original, full of imaginative touches in orchestration and dashing tempos which leave little to be desired in terms of vigorous and entertaining musical art.
Musica Florea, who play on period instruments, and their artistic director (and cellist) Marek Stryncl, who has extensively studied period performance practices, capture the spirited and dance-like nature of the compositions.
Included are a three movement Sonata in D Major for two trumpets, timpani, cello, strings and basso continuo. It turns out to be more like a sinfonia and is found in the Weisentheid collection.
There is the Concerto in B Flat Major for oboe, strings and basso continuo, one of three oboe concertos found in Dresden. Also part of this group is a Concerto in G Major for flute, strings and continuo, an arrangement of an oboe concerto in F Major. From the Weisentheid collection comes a delicious three-movement Concerto in D Minor for cello, strings and continuo.
Suites were significant and popular at the time, along with sinfonias and concertos. The Overture in B Flat Major for two oboes, bassoon, strings and continuo reveals a mix of the Italian and French styles, with a French overture and four dances. Finally, there is a flashy Concerto in G Major for violin, strings and continuo, which may or may not be by Reichenauer.
This CD is extremely well recorded, if a little closely miked. It is licensed from the Czech Radio which may explain the almost in-your-face sound picture. Supraphon bills it as a world premiere recording. Notes are in English, French, German and Czech.
It is worth your time and money. The exciting allegros alone are worth the price of admission.
—Zan Furtwangler
1933 Les chefs proscrits – Ernst Viebig, Conductor – Forgotten Records
A fine conductor, unfortunately suppressed by the vicious political climate of the ’30s