Johann Evangelist Brandl: Symphony , Symphony Concertante

Johann Evangelist Brandl

(born November 14, 1760 in Rohr monastery near Regensburg, died May 25, 1837 in Karlsruhe )

was a German composer and violinist

 

Symphony in E-flat Major, Op.12

Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz conducted by Kevin Griffiths

00:00​ Allegro 09:53​ Adagio 17:33​ Menuetto - Allegro 20:57​ Allegro Assai

Symphony Concertante, Op.20

David Castro-Balbi (violin), Alexandre Castro-Balbi (cello), Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, Kevin Griffiths (conductor)

I. Adagio – Allegro – 0:00​ II. Andante quasi un poco allegretto – 15:24​ III. Polonaise – 21:36

 

Brandl received first music lessons at the age of six and in 1770, at 10, he was sent by Canon Gelasius to the seminary at Munich. From 1774, at the Jesuit school at Neuburg, he received a thorough musical education from a certain Feldmaier. From 1778 he was at the Eichstätt, where he continued his studies under the guidance of R. Schlecht. In 1779 he embarked on a concert tour with the violinist Westermaier in which he enjoyed great success with his performances and compositions. In 1784 he was appointed Kapellmeister at the court Prince Hohenlohe-Bartenstein and in 1789 he was appointed Hofmusikdirektor in the service of Bishop de Speyer at his own court in Bruchsal.

 

After Bruchsal became part of the newborn Grand Duchy of Baden in 1806, the orchestra was disbanded and the most important musicians, including Brandl, were integrated into the Badische Staatskapelle in Karlsruhe; he first became the second Kapellmeister (under Franz Danzi who began as Hofkapellmeister in 1812) and first violinist, and later the first Kapellmeister, positions he held until his death.

 

This violinist and contemporary composer of Mozart, completely forgotten, has produced an unclassifiable work: oratorios, operas, symphonies, concertos, quartets (his Op. 17 string quartets were dedicated to Haydn) or even lieder. His work abounds in fantasy and creativity and covers almost all genres, except, surprisingly, the keyboard, for which he will hardly write. Today musicologists are discovering Brandl as an artist whose mature musical language surmounted the style of Classicism and instead favoured a sharpened chromaticism, exhibiting Early Romantic characteristics.

 

Like Mozart, in his work with two solo instruments (comparisons with Mozart’s violin-and-viola Sinfonia concertante from 1779 are inevitable but best avoided….) Brandl has the dimensions of the first movement noticeably expand in view of the solo concerto and in this way gives both soloists space and time to present all the themes and motifs in succession as well as to elaborate them with great virtuosity (what the two soloists, the Castro-Balbi brothers, display in breathtaking virtuosity is simply sensational). [From various info-notes and reviews