Carl Czerny: Symphony No.6 in G minor

 Carl Czerny

Carl Czerny, lithograph

by Josef Kriehuber, 1833

 (German: [karl ˈtʃɛrni]; 21 February 1791 – 15 July 1857)

  Austrian composer, teacher, and pianist of Czech origin whose vast musical production amounted

to over a thousand works. His books of studies for the piano are still widely used in piano teaching.

Symphony No.6 in G minor

SWR Rundfunkorchester Kaiserslautern, Grzegorz Nowak (conductor)
I. Andante maestoso. Allegro con brio – 00:00
II. Andante un poco sostenuto – 10:36
III. Scherzo. Trio – 19:23
IV. Finale – 24:46

“Czerny maintains a toehold in the recorded repertoire, yet remains best known as a pupil of Beethoven (he played at the premiere of both First and Fifth Concertos). To many he remains known for his piano exercises and his work as a teacher. Yet he was an immensely prolific composer. Opus numbers reach 861, and he composed many more works than that. The era of recording has meant that works other than those for piano – such as his chamber music, and, less frequently, his symphonies - occasionally appear.

That Czerny was a highly accomplished composer – and orchestrator - cannot be doubted, and the music here belies the sober and mechanical impression many might assume if their sole acquaintance were the Czerny exercise. The symphonies reveal gifts of construction, memorable melody and wit. Their musical pedigree is evident. Some moments are positively Beethovenian, though other passages, notably in the No. 6 (a world première recording) recall Mendelssohn. Both Symphonies are performed by Nowak and his orchestra with buoyant rhythms – the initial Allegro of No. 6 is truly con brio as instructed. The performance benefits from a fairly forward woodwind sound and the strings maintain a Beethovenian weight of tone. Perhaps the second movement, an andante, is a little too much Beethoven pastiche for originality and the musical substance could be stronger, but this is offset by a witty and feather-light scherzo – touches of the music for A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

In short, then, this is a very enjoyable experience for anyone who loves the music of the first half of the nineteenth century and will give immense pleasure, especially in performances as idiomatic, clear and committed as these.” (excerpt from the review by Michael Wilkinson on MusicWeb International)