Sudwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim - V1: Overtures - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

The name Johann Stamitz is so inextricably linked to the legendary InchMannheim SchoolInch that the title of this production might be viewed as a misprint. In fact, however, there is nothing wrong with the Bohemian musician's InchDarmstadt Symphonies,Inch as their name merely refers to the place where the performance material was archived. The parts were prepared by Christoph Graupner, the Kapellmeister of the Darmstadt Court Orchestra at the time.It cannot be determined exactly where and when Stamitz wrote this lively, concise, and innovative music; however, there is no doubt that these compositions take us back to the earliest years of a genre that, despite countless changes, has remained a creative touchstone to this day. To sense the spirit of the birth of the symphonic tradition is a refreshing experience at the beginning of all things, the power of simplicity reigns.

The fourth volume of this diverse and instructive series presents itself as a Inchgroup portrait with a ladyInch. In this installment, Douglas Bostock and the Southwest German Chamber Orchestra Pforzheim continue their exploration of British string music history. Representing the Inchfairer S*xInch among her colleagues is Imogen Holst, daughter of the renowned composer of The Planets. Of all the composers featured, she employs the most advanced musical language. Nevertheless, they are all united by a shared artistic ethos they creatively follow in the footsteps of the old masters, devising various ways to bridge the spirit of past centuries with their own time. This may take shape as variations or as a musical monument, but more often than not, it unfolds Inchen suiteInch - with refined taste and that distinctly British sense of conservatism.

William Smethergell's oeuvre presents an intriguing challenge. Since little more is known of his life than his birth date and the fact that he worked as an organist at two London churches and as a violist at the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, we must form our impression of him solely through his music. That impression is certainly favorable-at least if we go by the two sets of six overtures published as Op. 2 (1778) and Op. 5 (1780) InchBrilliantly scored, richly orchestrated works-ingenious, lively, and full of variety, bearing witness to Smethergell's great melodic inventiveness,Inch was the verdict of klassik-heute on Op. 5 (CD 555 540-2), which Douglas Bostock and the Southwest German Chamber Orchestra Pforzheim introduced to us in 2023. The same ensemble now completes the dozen with the equally attractive Op. 2, a collection widely admired in late 18th-century London and beyond, and is now winning new friends.