> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://neuemannheimerorchester.de/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Army of Generals Vol. I (2020) - URL: https://neuemannheimerorchester.de/projects/aogi/ - Published: 2019-07-02T15:12:50.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-09T21:50:54.000Z - Author: Anders Muskens - Tags: #project, #Import 2026-11-09 10:24, #project-aogi ![Portrait of Charles Burney](https://neuemannheimerorchester.de/content/images/squarespace/cf4e58c2e475-charles-burney.jpg) Charles Burney, by Joshua Reynolds (1781) The anthology takes its name from Charles Burney (1726–1814), the English music historian who visited Mannheim in 1772 and wrote: “There are more solo players and good composers in this, than perhaps in any other orchestra in Europe; it is an army of generals, equally fit to plan a battle, as to fight it.” ## About the project ![Portrait of Elector Carl Theodor with a flute](https://neuemannheimerorchester.de/content/images/squarespace/177016118605-carl-heinrich-brandt-kurfuerst-karl-theodor-cc-by-sa-bstgs-3620.jpg) Elector Carl Theodor, by Carl Heinrich Brandt. Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, CC BY-SA Under the patronage of Elector Carl Theodor (1724–1799), the Mannheim court orchestra became the leading centre of musical life in Europe between 1742 and 1778\. Its performances of music by the finest composers of the day were considered first-rate, and so were its own composers, its virtuoso players and its innovative style. This school had a profound influence on later composers such as Mozart and Haydn; Mozart himself sought a post in Mannheim, though without success. In 1784 the poet and critic Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart (1739–1791) wrote: > “The elector’s theatre and his concert hall were almost an odeum, characterised by the masterworks of all artists. Jommelli, Hasse, Graun, Traetta, Georg Benda, Sales, Agricola, the London Bach, Gluck and Schweitzer alternated there year after year with the compositions of his own masters \[…\] No orchestra in the world has ever surpassed the performance of the Mannheim orchestra. Its forte is thunder; its crescendo, a cataract; its diminuendo, like a crystal stream plashing in the distance; its piano, a spring breeze.” Although this music was hugely popular and influential in its time, it is largely forgotten today. This anthology sheds new light on an obscure and underrated repertoire. ## Programme - **Franz Ignaz Beck (1734–1809)** *Symphonie périodique* No. 17 in E-flat major, C. 27 (1761) - **Johann Christian Bach (1735–1782)** Recitativo e aria “Anime, che provate” – “Queste selve già d’amore” from *Amor vincitore* (1774), with obbligato flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon - **Johann Christian Bach** Concerto for the Pianoforte in E-flat major, Op. 13 No. 6 (1777) - **Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)** Recitativo e aria “Alcandro, lo confesso” – “Non sò d’onde viene”, K. 294 (1778) - **Niccolò Jommelli (1714–1774)** Aria “Va crescendo il mio tormento” from *Didone abbandonata* (1763 version) - **Carl Stamitz (1745–1801)** *Symphonie de chasse* in D major (1772) ## The composers ![Franz Ignaz Beck](https://neuemannheimerorchester.de/content/images/squarespace/fd7e923f83a5-42064-640.jpg) ### Franz Ignaz Beck (1734–1809) Born in Mannheim and a pupil of Johann Stamitz, Beck studied briefly in Italy with Baldassare Galuppi but left abruptly after reportedly killing an opponent in a duel. His works were taken up by the Concert Spirituel in Paris; by 1764 he directed the orchestra of the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux. His symphonies, with their intense drama and advanced orchestration, are among the most progressive of the period. ![Johann Christian Bach](https://neuemannheimerorchester.de/content/images/squarespace/394f7bc2b30f-800px-johann-christian-bach-by-thomas-gainsborough.jpg) ### Johann Christian Bach (1735–1782) The youngest son of Johann Sebastian Bach moved to Italy, became Catholic and wrote mainly opera and sacred music before settling in London, where he championed the new pianoforte. He wrote two operas for Mannheim, *Temistocle* (1772) and *Lucio Silla* (1775); the serenata *Amor vincitore* (1774) was written for Carl Theodor’s summer residence at Schwetzingen. ![Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://neuemannheimerorchester.de/content/images/squarespace/a8fb75a673dd-wolfgang-amadeus-mozart-1.jpg) ### Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) Mozart came to Mannheim in 1777 seeking a permanent post. He did not find one, but he befriended leading members of the orchestra, among them the flautist Johann Baptist Wendling. There he wrote the concert aria K. 294, on a text from Metastasio’s *L’olimpiade*, for the soprano Aloysia Weber, with whom he was smitten – much to his father’s disapproval. ![Niccolò Jommelli](https://neuemannheimerorchester.de/content/images/squarespace/25537c379909-niccolo-jommelli.jpg) ### Niccolò Jommelli (1714–1774) The Neapolitan Jommelli was esteemed as the foremost innovator in Italian opera. His orchestral crescendo captivated Johann Stamitz, who brought it into the Mannheim style, where it became known as the “Mannheim crescendo”. From 1754 he was Ober-Kapellmeister in Stuttgart. *Didone abbandonata* was first given in Rome in 1747; the 1763 Stuttgart performance used its third revision. ![Carl Stamitz](https://neuemannheimerorchester.de/content/images/squarespace/5d27df31e2fd-karl-stamitz.jpg) ### Carl Stamitz (1745–1801) The son of Johann Stamitz (1717–1757), the orchestra’s first concertmaster, Carl was a leading figure of the second generation of the Mannheim School. He toured Europe as a violinist, violist and player of the viola d’amore, and is remembered for his symphonies, concertos and symphonies concertantes. The hunt was a favourite subject of the time, often inspired by the rituals of the French court. ## Musicians and credits ### Soloists - **Anders Muskens** fortepiano and direction from the harpsichord - **Tinka Pypker** soprano - **Florencia Gómez** traverso - **Federico Forla** oboe - **Elia Celegato** clarinet - **Bernat Gili** bassoon ### Orchestra - **Violin I** Clara Sawada (concertmaster), Ewa Żołyniak-Adamska, Saaya Ikenoya - **Violin II** Pietro Battistoni, Andrew Wong, Yumina Ishii - **Viola** Corinne Raymond-Jarczyk - **Cello** Amandine Menuge - **Double bass** Jesse Solway - **Flute** Florencia Gómez, Tiziano Teodori - **Oboe** Federico Forla, Christine Blasl - **Clarinet** Elia Celegato, Angélica Meza - **Horn** Nicolas Roudier, Federico Cuevas Ruiz - **Bassoon** Bernat Gili, Jeong-Guk Lee ### Instruments - French harpsichord after Couchet (1680), Blanchet (1758) and Taskin (1781) by Thomas Power, Amsterdam, c. 2020 - Square pianoforte by Longman & Broderip, London, c. 1787; restored by Paul Kobald, Amsterdam, c. 2018 - 8-keyed flute after J. H. Grenser (Dresden, c. 1810) by Rudolf Tutz, Innsbruck, c. 2015 - 6-keyed oboe after J. H. Grenser (Dresden, c. 1806–13) by Toshi Hasegawa, Deventer - 6-keyed clarinet after J. H. Grenser (Dresden, c. 1802) by Rudolf Tutz, Innsbruck, c. 2013 - 8-keyed bassoon after J. H. Grenser (Dresden, c. 1806) by Pau Orriols & Alfons Sibila, Vilanova i la Geltrú ### Production - **Sound engineer** Jakub Klimeš - **Production assistant** Halldór Bjarki Arnarson - **Edition of *Amor vincitore*** Paul Corneilson; performing material provided by The Packard Humanities Institute, Los Altos, California - **Label** Etcetera Records ## Produced with the support of - [![Canada Council for the Arts](https://neuemannheimerorchester.de/content/images/squarespace/025836a3bcf3-cca-rgb-colour-e.png)](https://canadacouncil.ca/?ref=neuemannheimerorchester.de) - [![Sena Performers](https://neuemannheimerorchester.de/content/images/squarespace/fcb48cb059a8-senaperformerslogocmyk-def.jpeg)](https://www.sena.nl/?ref=neuemannheimerorchester.de) - [Adriana Jacoba Fonds](https://www.adrianajacobafonds.nl/?ref=neuemannheimerorchester.de) - [![The Packard Humanities Institute](https://neuemannheimerorchester.de/content/images/squarespace/bd395abcd75e-phi-logo.png)](https://www.packhum.org/?ref=neuemannheimerorchester.de)