Search - Anton Zimmerman :: Zimmermann: String Quartets Nos. 1-3

A Minor Austrian Composer, Contemporary of Haydn

J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 02/02/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Anton Zimmermann (1741-1781) was a slightly younger contemporary of Haydn who was born in Silesia but whose career was centered on Bratislava (then in Austro-Hungary, now in Slovakia) and whose music had little renown beyond his immediate region during his lifetime. He is not listed in either Baker's Dictionary or the version of Grove's that I own. For years one of his symphonies was mistakenly attributed to Haydn, and his style is similar to that of earlier Haydn works. On superficial inspection these three quartets could easily be mistaken for Haydn, but they are considerably less imaginative than those of Haydn's from the same period. They are neatly constructed, have generally tuneful themes, and partake of the emerging classical style of composition. Their most notable characteristic is that their texture is dominated by fairly virtuosic writing for the first violin. Still, they are not particularly memorable. Zimmermann is to Haydn as Spohr is to Beethoven. These performances are by the Musica Aeterna Soloists, a group not previously known to me. They play on instruments made in the 18th century and use the minimal vibrato favored by most historically-informed performing groups. They are acceptable without being outstanding. I would suggest that this issue is primarily for those music-lovers devoted to the Classical Period and who tend to collect performances of music by minor colleagues of Haydn and Mozart. This is probably not an issue for the general collector.Scott Morrison"

Period Instrument Performance

04/04/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

""The Musica Aeterna Soloists play firmly into the notes and give sympathetic performances, with a sure grasp of style and tempo...Altogether an interesting disc, particularly for anyone curious about the background from which Haydn emerged." (Stanley Sadie - Gramophone)The works on this recording:1. String Quartet No. 1 in E-flat major, Op.3
2. String Quartet No. 2 in B major, Op.3
3. String Quartet No. 3 in F major, Op.3"