Friedrich Kalkbrenner - Septet in A major Op. 132 (1836)

 

Friedrich Wilhelm Michael Kalkbrenner(2–8 November 1785 – 10 June 1849) was a pianist, composer, piano teacher and piano manufacturer. German by birth, Kalkbrenner studied at the Paris Conservatoire starting at a young age and eventually settled in Paris, where he lived until his death in 1849. For these reasons, many historians refer to Kalkbrenner as being a French composer. 

He was one of the few composers who through deft business deals became enormously rich. Chopin dedicated his first piano concerto to him. Kalkbrenner published transcriptions of Beethoven's nine symphonies for solo piano decades before Liszt did the same.[2] He was the first to introduce long and rapid octave passages in both hands – today so familiar from 19th century piano music – into his piano texture.

 

 

- Septet in A major Op. 132 (1836)

Septet in A major, Op. 132 (1836) for oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon, cello, bass, piano
Dedication: a Sa Majesté L'Imperieur d'Autriche, Roi d'Hongrie et de Bohème [Ferdinand I]

I. Allegro brillante (0:00)
II. Andante — Poco più lento — Tempo I (12:42)
III. Scherzo (17:41)
IV. Allegretto vivace e leggierissimo (22:19)

Claudius Tanski, piano and Consortium Classicum

At his peak, Kalkbrenner was considered to be the foremost pianist in Europe. The only serious rival he had was Johann Nepomuk Hummel. When Frédéric Chopin came to Paris, Kalkbrenner suggested that Chopin could benefit by studying in one of Kalkbrenner's schools. It was not until the late 1830s that Kalkbrenner's reputation was surpassed by the likes of Chopin, Thalberg and Liszt.