Reviews for Josef Myslivecek - Complete Keyboard Works

However bad things had got for Mozart when he died, at least he still had his nose. We know from a letter Mozart wrote to his father that Josef Mysliveček, the Czech composer two decades his senior who was a friend and something of a mentor, had his burned off in a botched surgical attempt to cure syphilis. Like Mozart, Mysliveček was brilliant, acclaimed where he worked – mostly in Italy – and incurably profligate. Yet the difference in their posthumous success could hardly be more pronounced, and Mysliveček’s music has long been overlooked. Pianist Clare Hammond had to make her own new editions of the two brief piano concertos for this recording, the first to include all of Mysliveček’s definitely attributed keyboard music together.

That much will tell you that the keyboard was not Mysliveček’s favoured medium – he was more prolific writing for orchestra and voices, with 55 symphonies and more than two dozen operas to his name. This disc will tell you that’s a shame. The two compact concertos have a sparky grace that comes across buoyantly in these performances, for which Hammond is joined by the Swedish Chamber Orchestra and conductor Nicholas McGegan. A highlight is the middle movement of the Concerto No 2, here in its premiere recording, in which the piano’s melody hangs in the air above gently rippling muted strings.

The other pieces were intended for amateur players – six two-movement Lessons, and, best of all, the Six Easy Divertimenti. Artur Schnabel’s old adage about Mozart’s piano sonatas – “too easy for children, and too difficult for artists” – would come to mind for Mysliveček’s Divertimenti, were it not for the perfectly judged tone that Hammond strikes with them, preserving their seemingly artless charm while finding a striking profundity in their simplicity. Mozart liked them, writing to his father that they would “make their best effect when performed with expression, taste and brio”, and that is exactly what they get from Hammond.

Britain's excellent Clare Hammond, meanwhile, has been rummaging in the archives for keyboard music by the 18th-century composer Josef Myslivecek - hard to spell, harder to pronounce - who paved the way for Mozart, an admirer, and led a lustful cosmopolitan life.

Sprightliness abounds in the concertos and short pieces gathered here, delivered with deliciously unfussy poise and elegance on a modern Steinway, crisply supported by the Swedish Chamber Orchestra and the conductor Nicholas McGegan.

Josef Myslivecek (1737-81) was 26 years old when he left his native Prague for Italy, where he studied with Pescetti in Venice and, a mere two years later, had the first of his two dozen or so opere serie produced. Italy would remain the centre of his activity - with three sojourns north, to Prague, Vienne and Munich - until his death of tertiary syphilis at the age of 44. In addition to his operas, there are some 45 symphonies, eight violin concertos, oratorios and a substantial amount of chamber music. Myslivecek apparently composed relatively little for the keyboard and virtually all of it that survives is presented in this attractive new recording by Clare Hammond.'

The two concertos are thought to date from Myslivecek's Munich sojourn in 1776-78 and, despite the considerable richness of the orchestral writing, the solo parts are considerably less demanding technically than Mozart or Clementi and less audacious than Haydn. Modest though their means may be, their charm is abundant, and both concertos are clearly the works of a supremely competent and gift musician, if not of a keyboard virtuoso. To Hammond's credit, she lets this appealing music speak for itself, never yiedling to the temptation of burdening it with undue portent or extraneous affect. Nicholas McGegan and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra (which will celebrate the 25th anniversary of its founding next year) are her supportive collaborators. The exquisitely poignant Larghetto of the F Major Concerto, with its delicately colours accompaniment of muted violins and pizzicato lower strings, is alone worth the price of the disc.

The two solo sets are clearly intended for the amateur market. The longest of the Six Easy Divertimenti (1777) is just over three minutes. The more elaborate Six Easy Lessons (1780) are a set of two-movement sonatas which, with but one exception, join a lively opening movement with a more relaxed finale. Here too Hammond demonstrates that simplicity of utterance need not preclude either elegance or eloquence.

Il a beau avoir précédé, rencontré (plusieurs fois) et très certainement influencé Mozart, composé une trentaine d’opéras et connu un véritable succès en son temps, le compositeur et violoniste tchèque Josef Myslivecek (1737-1781) n’a été que tardivement réhabilité en tant que musicien de premier plan. Son œuvre pour clavier (clavecin ou pianoforte) suscite encore si peu d’intérêt qu’il a fallu, pour ce disque, éditer de nouvelles versions des deux concertos, en revenant aux sources manuscrites. La musique est pourtant de belle qualité, quoique le répertoire soit restreint, et l’on apprécie de la goûter gravée, pour la première fois, dans son intégralité, dans une réalisation plus qu’impeccable.

Principale artisane de cette redécouverte, la pianiste britannique Clare Hammond a bien choisi ses complices, trouvant dans l’Orchestre de chambre de Suède et le chef Nicholas McGegan les partenaires idoines pour une restitution brillante, expressive et dynamique des concertos. Le jeu de la soliste est fluide, son toucher sûr et délicat. En solo, sur un Steinway D qui ne fait jamais regretter le clavecin ni le pianoforte, elle exécute avec grâce les Six Divertimentos faciles, miniatures d’une fausse autant que redoutable simplicité, et donne des résonances quasi orchestrales à certaines des Six Leçons faciles.

Ohne die Briefzeugnisse seines Freundes Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart hätte der tschechische Komponist Myslivecek (in Italian, wo er lebte, Il Divino Boemo gennant) post mortem wohl kaum wieder Aufmerksamkeit erlangt. Seine Musik ist charmant einfach, eben deshalb "mit viel Expression und Feuer" zu spielen, meinte Mozart. Gerade beim Klavierkonzert Nr. 1 zeigt Clare Hammond, wie durch Forcierung des dialogischen Solistenparts das freundliche Thema sich rauer une herausfordernder vor dem eher dekorativen Ensemble bewähren kann. So kann sich das Grazioso im Andantino wirkungsvoll zu den stolzen Rondo-Gesten des Orchesters und dem Capriccio-Temperament des fein klingenden Klaviers abgrenzen. Ebenso wird von ihr der Schwung im Klavierkonzert Nr. 2 kokett und in dynamischen Nuancen artikuliert, hingegen das Larghetto sanft und forsch das Menuett. Ihre kontrastive Spielweise gibt diesen relativ kurzen Werken ein gewisses Plus. Eine Strategie, die Clare Hammond auch auf die sechs Divertimenti für Klavier solo anwendet, die sie wie Kinderbuchgeschichten empfindet und in naiver Neugier zu pittoresken Miniaturen formt, während sie bei den etwas anspruchsvolleren sechs Übungen auf deren Sonaten-Dramaturgie und chromatische Pikanterien achtet. Gut, dass Clare Hammond sich ihre Recherchen zu Herzen genommen hat, denn dadurch ist das schmale Klavier-Oeuvre von Josef Myslivecek zu recht aufgewertet worden.

Der Tscheche Josef Myslivecek (1737-1781) war vor allem in Italien mit Opern erfolgreich. Mozart sagte von ihm, er sei « voll Feuer, geistreich und lebenslustig ».Zwar gibt es auch symphonische Werke von diesem Komponisten auf CD, aber die Klavierkonzerte werden hier in Ersteinspielungen vorgelegt, für die die englische Pianistin Clare Hammond ihre eigenen Editionen erstellen musste.

Die Divertimenti und Etüden sind in der Tat leichte Stücke, die Hammond aber sehr ernsthaft und geschmackvoll eloquent spielt. Doch es sind vor allem die zwei Klavierkonzerte, die diese Veröffentlichung attraktiv machen. Beide Werke – das erste dauert 10, das zweite 14 Minuten – sind sehr spritzig und werden in der alerten Interpretation von Clare Hammond und dem Swedish Chamber Orchestra unter Nicholas McGegan in ihrer charmanten und melodischen Art sehr wirkungsvoll. Besonders schön finde ich das Larghetto des 2. Klavierkonzerts, das mit einer charakteristischen Melodie die Qualität eines langsamen Satzes aus einem Mozart-Konzert hat.

Der Mozart-Zeitgenosse Josef Mysliveček (1737-1781), den die Italiener „il boemo“ oder „Venatorino“ (Der kleine Jäger, wie sein Name übersetzt lautet) nannten, ist, wenn überhaupt, mehr für seine Opern bekannt. Über 28 sind es, sie wurden in ganz Europa gedruckt, in Italien war Mysliveček zu seiner Zeit der höchstbezahlte Opernkomponist. In letzter Zeit wurden seine Orchesterkonzerte bekannter – seine Klavierwerke sind fast unbekannt. Sie sind alle auf dieser CD versammelt. Clare Hammond, die alle spielt, hat darüber sehr kundig im Booklet geschrieben.

Die beiden Klavierkonzerte sind hübsch und fein gearbeitet, das Largettho des Klavierkonzertes Nr. 2 in F-Dur überrascht durch seine bezaubernde Samtigkeit, die durch die Dämpfer der Violinen und die Pizzicati der übrigen Streicher hervorgerufen wird, - und durch seine stilistische Mozart-Nähe. Das nun ist die Crux dabei: Myslivečeks Musik wird immer mit der von Mozart verglichen und zieht dabei immer den Kürzeren.

Die Sechs leichten Divertimenti sind wirklich leicht – und kompositorisch doch recht unerheblich. Charmanter und charaktervoller sind die jeweils zweisätzigen Sechs leichten Übungen.

Damit diese Klaviermusik wirkt, muss sie – das wusste schon Mozart – „mit vieller expreßion, gusto und feuer“ gespielt werden: Und genau das tut Clare Hammond. Sie geht mit Feuer, Esprit und Verkündigungseifer zu Werke und gewinnt damit dieser Klaviermusik viel wirkungsvolles Brio ab. Und auch das Schwedische Kammerorchester unter Nicholas McGegan ist mit Phrasierungsfantasie und federnder Gespanntheit dabei.

Es ist Musik für eine Frühlings-Matinee, charmant und wohlklingend, moussierend und belebend. Und das ist nicht wenig.

Josef Mysliveček is one of those figures collectors of a certain age may have come across digging around in the bargain sections of record shops, with labels such as Supraphon putting out some titles including orchestral and chamber works. Recent decades have raised the veil on his Symphonies and choral works such as La Passione, but as the premiere recorded status of the Concerto No. 2 in F major found on this BIS release might suggest, there are likely to be further scores still to be unearthed and shown the light of day.

Mysliveček was himself more of a violinist than a keyboard specialist, so these works aren’t particularly virtuoso in character. The concertos have plenty of character in the piano parts in keeping with their more public character, and they are both models of the form popular in Germany – probably Munich in this case – at the time. Mozart was certainly enamoured of Mysliveček both as a man and a musician, and as Clare Hammond’s booklet notes point out, the influence of the elder figure on the teenage Mozart should not be underestimated. These are cheerful works with nicely lyrical centres and lively outer movements, by no means plumbing emotional depths, but as beautifully crafted and entertaining as anything you could desire.

The Six Easy Divertimenti have a clear pedagogical value, and were seen as such by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music in their publication of the pieces in 1983. These performances return to more contemporary editions both here and in the more substantial Six Easy Lessons. The Divertimenti have a largely two-part dialogue between the hands, exploring different left-hand accompaniment techniques and requiring a delicate expressive touch to make the right hand’s lines sing. The Six Easy Lessons take the form of two-movement sonata-like works, with greater demands made on playing technique, richer textures emerging from the piano, and with some nice byways in terms of tonality and dynamics.

As you might expect, Clare Hammond’s impeccable musicianship and BIS’s refined engineering make for a compelling team in this attractive production. The Swedish Chamber Orchestra has a rich sound and Nicholas McGegan is a sensitive collaborator in the concertos. Turn up the volume and revel in some very fine and freshly minted 18th century time travel.

This new recording from pianist Clare Hammond and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra under Nicholas McGegan fills a significant gap in the discography. Josef Mysliveček (1737­1781) was a Czech composer based from 1763 in Italy, where he made important contributions to the opera seria genre that form the basis of his reputation. Born in Prague as the eldest of identical twin sons to a prosperous miller, he looked set to continue in the family trade but instead switched to a career in music, studying with Josef Seger, the organist of Prague’s famous Týn Church. He established a reputation as an excellent violinist before leaving his homeland to study operatic composition in Venice and, apart from brief visits to Prague, Vienna and Munich, never returned to Central Europe. In Italy he was active mainly in Venice and subsequently Naples, where he led a colourful life and cemented his fame as one of the leading composers of opere serie. For some years he was close to the Mozart family, whom he met in 1770 in Bologna, and Wolfgang Amadeus clearly had a high regard for the composer known in Italy as ‘il Boemo’, although the relationship soured when Mysliveček failed to deliver on a promised Naples operatic commission for the younger composer. Apart from his operas, Mysliveček is known today mainly for his symphonies (all in the Italianate three­movement form), violin concertos and string quintets.

Until now, Mysliveček’s few works for piano have received little attention, so Clare Hammond’s complete survey, which at 76 minutes fits onto a single CD, is a welcome addition to the catalogue. (Only a single piano sonata of dubious attribution is omitted.) The main attraction for many will be the two piano concertos. These are compact works (the first lasting just 11 minutes), expertly crafted and revealing an elegance of invention that is immediately appealing. The B flat Concerto (no.1, probably composed, like its companion, in the late 1770s) is alert and nicely poised, and Hammond together with the Swedish orchestra and McGegan, bring out all its charm, not least in the central Andantino with its throw­away ending. Though played on modern instruments, there is an unaffected stylishness and charm to the playing that is immediately appealing.

The second concerto, in F major, is a more substantial work, although as in the first the wind instruments (oboes and horns) merely bolster the orchestral tutti passages. The opening movement, with its string swirls, is abundantly characterful, while the third is a buoyant dance in minuet time, with an ear­-catching minor-­key section that features off­ beat punctuation from the strings. But it is the central movement that is the real gem here, a limpid Larghetto with muted violins and pizzicato lower strings accompanying an achingly cantabile solo part. This is music that Mozart might well have envied, and Hammond turns in an immensely heartfelt performance with a gentle touch that has the listener spellbound. It raises the work to a level that ought to see it enter the wider repertoire, and this disc will surely champion its cause.

The rest of the disc consists of two sets of ‘easy’ pieces for solo piano. In the case of the six Divertimenti of 1777, the label is particularly apt, for these are nicely turned character pieces that will suit any moderately accomplished amateur pianist, but Hammond’s playing transforms them into exquisite but unpretentious miniatures. The Six Easy Lessons of three years later are once again more substantial (and technically demanding), each comprising a two­movement sonata, four of them concluding with minuets. Particularly attractive are the opening movement of no.3, with its pulsating left­-hand accompaniment, and the Minuet with variations that closes no.6 with a series of right­-hand cascades. Hammond proves an excellent guide to these works (as she also does in her excellent booklet notes), which are perhaps most redolent of middle­-period Mozart, and the whole disc is immensely enjoyable. With a fine recording from the Örebro Concert Hall in Sweden, it will surely bring a welcome boost to the reputation of ‘il Boemo’.