Project
Army of Generals Vol. I (2020)
The recording · 2021 · CD
Army of Generals Volume I: The World of the Court Orchestra in Mannheim 1742-78
Tracklist, streaming and the CD are on the album page.
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
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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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
