Search - Joseph Wolfl, Johannes Moesus, SWR Radio Orchestra Kaiserslautern :: Joseph Wölfi: Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 5 & 6

Mirth and merriment does not always equate mediocrity

Dexter Tay | 05/01/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Woelfl is one of the composers who still, like numerous other contemporaries of Mozart and Beethoven, suffers unspeakable slander today; a slander that could probably only be borne out of sheer ignorance and uninformed prejudice.



His prodigious talent at the keyboard could very likely have inspired the young Beethoven to hone his extraordinary pianistic skill even further; as from the fateful Viennese duel of 1798.



His spirit of aristocratic elegance and classical poise as inherited from the hands of Mozart is something that Beethoven could perhaps, only admire from a distance.



When one is blind to musical historicism, one fails to realize the richness, diversity and depth of it.



Even though Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven - the revered pantheon as we associate classical music with now, shaped how we perceive the classical era in music; it was Woelfl and other neglected composers today, held in esteem in their days, that were the composers who shaped how classical music was as it was heard in THEIR TIME.



Having said, Woelfl's First concerto in G major is perhaps the best music to match any Regency-themed period drama. The witty dotted theme that pervades the entire movement not only pays homage to Mozart's Figaro, but lends motivic development to the piano writing. It is quite impossible not to think this albeit early work (if it still betrays more than a hint of his late master Mozart), not to be touched with a hint of genius. It steers clear from the militaristic and programmatic excesses of the subsequent concertos on the same disc, is simple, yet absolutely charming, has the right dose of pathos, is classically-balanced and taut in conception.



The 'Military' and 'Cuckoo' concertos are also definitely more than just pleasant works that skim the surface of emotions, even if they are never emotionally-wrought; Woelfl was never a man of such nature to begin with. To accuse him to be 'shallow' would be to strike a comparison with say, Chopin - likened to asking a butterfly traverse through water.



The orchestration of Beethoven's major-keyed concertos, perhaps with the exception of the fourth, have very much similarity in character with the writing of Woelfl's 'Military'. Similarly, listening to the slow movement of immense beauty from the concerto nicknamed 'The Calm' for the first time immediately leads one to recall the famous slow movement of Beethoven's Pathetique Sonata.



The crisp-clear recording and top-notch playing from both pianist and orchestra restores dignity to the music that has, unfathomably and unjustly, remained unperformed for so long.



A most welcoming entry into the CPO catalogue and classical era repertory."