Classical Music

Carl Stamitz's Clarinet Concertos Nos. 3, 4, and 5 (as numbered by Friedrich Carl Kaiser) so far have not been available in a modern critical edition, which means that the recording premiere of these works on this album represents an important contribution to the reception and recognition of this composer. In aesthetic matters as well as in genre history and music history, Stamitz's clarinet concertos are of a significance that is not to be underestimated, and it is also mainly because of them that he continues to be remembered in today's music world. Although musicological research is not yet certain about the precise number of his clarinet concertos, eleven such works in all are assigned to him and are thought to have been composed between 1770 and 1790. Carl Stamitz's compositional treatment of the clarinet demonstrates how he endeavored to exploit in full this instrument's virtuoso side while viewing it primarily as an instrument of song character. He created a particularly highly effective work with his Clarinet Concerto No. 3, which is distinguished by extreme disjunctions and high technical demands. All three concertos are interpreted by Paul Meyer, who numbers among the world's outstanding and most famous clarinetists.

Classical Music

Shows Carl Stamitz the symphonist in a strong light.

Carl Stamitz wrote over 50 symphonies in a career which saw him reach heights of fame and popularity in his lifetime. The lack of recordings of these works to be found in catalogues today can be traced back to a damning statement made about the Stamitz brothers by one W.A. Mozart, and the loss of his autograph papers after his death. The works of Carl Stamitz which survive are those which were printed and published, in the case of the works on these discs for performance at fashionable Parisian ‘Concerts spirituels’, the lack of acceptance to which may in part have lead to Mozart’s grumpy remarks about his more successful contemporaries.

These symphonies are very much a product of their time, pandering to the demands of audiences who would have been delighted with exciting ostinati and crescendi, hunting horns and a mixture of affect and effect in the soft and slow, loud and fast contrasts. Today these works are inevitably compared with those of Mozart and Haydn, but on their own terms they have a great deal to offer. Charming and direct, the central Andante movements are often witty and fun, like that of the D minor Symphony Op.15, 3 with its walking pizzicato strings, the little melodic ornaments of the Symphony in E flat and muted delicacy of that in the Symphony in E minor Op.15, 2. Outer movements are rousing and energetic but full of surprises. Have a listen to 16 to 26 seconds into the Prestissimo of the Symphony in D minor Op.15, 3 – after an opening which arguably has elements of Vivaldi, I hear Beethoven in some of those little inner phrases. The Allegro con spirito which opens the Symphony in E flat major is full of catchy syncopations, and the last movement Un poco presto, is that in a fast 3 beat, or 2, or 4? I think I know, but the composer might just be wrong-footing us all the way. The Symphony in E minor Op.15, 2 is another remarkably entertaining work, starting out with a refined sense of mystery and taking off on entirely different paths, and with the added colour of two flutes this is a symphony with plenty of secrets to be revealed. The last Symphony in F major has nicely prominent parts for two clarinets and is nicknamed ‘La chasse’ for its energetic and galloping final movement. The horn parts might have been expected to be a little more prominent, but the natural horns used here balance more with the rest of the orchestra rather than leaping over the strings and drowning everyone out.

There is another disc of Carl Stamitz’s symphonies on the Chandos label: CHAN 9358, with the London Mozart Players directed by Matthias Bamert. This is a somewhat bigger-boned recording, the larger orchestra creating a fatter sound and the period feel only really pointed out by the addition of a harpsichord as continuo, something not used by L’arte del mondo. The symphony La Chasse is also different, the one in D major rather than the one in F on the present disc, so the Chandos recording can be seen more as a companion than a competitor. With fine performances and a very good recording, this CPO disc is a welcome release, showing us a strong side to a rather neglected name.

-- Dominy Clements, MusicWeb International

Classical Music

Blessed with a gift for musical invention and structural organization, Johann Stamitz was one of the pioneering figures in symphonic music before the emergence of Haydn. He drove the development of symphonic form via the assimilation of the new operatic overture style resulting in works of brilliance and skillful orchestration. His Op. 3 symphonies, though not composed as a set, showcase why Stamitz was held in such high regard and was so influential: outer movements fizz with energy, and contain virtuosic string writing with frequent dynamic contrasts, while slow movements are intricate and refined.

Destination London

During his lifetime Carl Stamitz, the firstborn son of Johann Stamitz, the famous founder of the Mannheim School, became a violin and viola virtuoso and successful composer. In our Carl Stamitz Edition we are now releasing four more symphonies that were regarded as a practically ideal embodiment of sensibility because his “heart full of feeling left its imprint on his music.” Stamitz’s desire to discover and explore new paths in the composition of symphonies took him to the programmatic pastoral symphony “Le jour variable” (La promenade royale) designed in Versailles in the fall of 1772. What Stamitz presents to the ears in the way of previously “unheard-of” music would completely outshine even the programmatic pieces produced at the end of the nineteenth century. Many experts, including Hugo Riemann, were very much aware of the fact that this program symphony is a particularly interesting and remarkable composition.

Includes work(s) by Carl Stamitz. Ensemble: Czech Philharmonic Collegium. Conductor: Ondrej Vrabec. Soloist: Gabriela Demeterová.

Carl Stamitz's Clarinet Quartets Op. 8 and Op. 19 are amongst the earliest compositions for clarinet and string trio and document the increasing significance of the clarinet in the second half of the eighteenth century. These quartets demonstrate Stamitz's profound understanding of the instrument and also allow an illuminating insight into his idiom. With his sensitive interpretations, Arthur Campbell manages to emphasise the cantabile quality of the clarinet, which dominates all the quartets recorded on this SACD.

Arthur Campbell was born in Canada and studied at the Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, USA, where he was taught by the renowned clarinetist and pedagogue Robert Marcellus. He has won numerous international and national competitions, including the International Clarinet Competition and the National Music Festival of Canada. An internationally sought-after clarinet virtuoso, Arthur Campbell has toured throughout the USA, Canada, Europe and Asia. He regularly presents international master classes at universities, conservatoires and conventions. Arthur Campbell was appointed professor at the Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids Michigan, where he has been teaching a class of clarinet students from across the globe.

Carl was the elder of two musical sons of Johann Stamitz, leading light of the Mannheim school. In 1770 he left for Paris, subsequently travelling widely and composing extensively. Although a violinist, a series of clarinet concertos are amongst his best known works. These have previously been issued on Naxos (8.553584 and 8.554339), discs which are highly recommendable.

In 1776 Stamitz published six quartets. Numbers 1 and 4 were specifically intended for orchestra, 2 and 5 were marked as “concertante” works and the remaining two (not played here) for undefined forces. If I have understood the booklet correctly, and my ears do not deceive me, there are no important differences between works here in the size of forces – all are for a modest-sized string orchestra. In the concertante works it sounds as though the top part is frequently for solo violin – presumably Donald Armstrong who leads and directs. Unfortunately the booklet lacks specific information on the instrumentation. Although the ambiguities of score markings are mentioned it would be of interest to know how they were interpreted by these players. Otherwise the documentation is excellent and has the authority of Allan Badley who edited the scores.

All the works are full of charming tunes and number four in particular is delightful within a standard fast-slow-fast movement structure (number five deviates in having two movements). The second movement is not very slow – almost Allegretto – and the finale has an unexpected and tantalising close. The concertante works add variety in the middle of the disc and the Presto finale of the G major work is greatly enjoyable. The “orchestral” works have a bit more substance and the disc closes with the initially rather grand C major quartet and its humorous finale.

The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra Chamber Orchestra (to give its full title) will be twenty years old in 2007. They have previously recorded a disc of Beck symphonies (see review) and I was impressed enough with the music and playing to make that one of my discs of 2005. If this offering is not quite in the same league, it is not down to the sensitive playing or natural recording – Stamitz’s music is just not as provocative as Beck’s. But it is well worth hearing; anyone who enjoyed the clarinet concerto recordings mentioned above is unlikely to be disappointed. Haydn and Mozart didn’t have it all their own way towards the end of the 18th century – Stamitz was recognised in his lifetime and is worthy of retaining a foothold in the repertoire two centuries on.

-- Patrick C Waller, MusicWeb International

J. W. STAMITZ Flute Concertos: in D; in C; in D; in G • Robert Aitken (fl); Donatas Katkus, cond; St. Christopher CO • NAXOS 8.570150 (69:15)


The music of Johann Stamitz (1717–57) is largely known through a handful of works. For clarinetists, the B? Concerto is arguably one of (if not the) earliest written for the instrument that uses both the upper clarion and the lower chalumeau registers, and thus earns its reputation for its modernity. Orchestral trios foreshadow the emerging symphony; and his later works, including the La melodia germanica series published in Paris in 1756, not only are some of the earliest to establish the four-movement conventional symphonic pattern, but they also popularized the orchestral effects associated with the Mannheim orchestra, of which Stamitz was the concertmaster. These include rapid scales (the so-called coup d’archet ), the layered crescendo (the original Mannheim steamroller), and the rapidly ascending triads known as the Mannheim rocket. Less well known is the fact that he was a prolific composer, who, in his position, was able to experiment with the capabilities of his instruments, the various textures that could be obtained, and with form and structure. As a result, his efforts had far-reaching impacts upon the music and composers that followed him.


Stamitz was active during a period that one either can characterize as galant or (to borrow a term from literature) empfindsam . Both of these are tricky to translate accurately in musical terms, the former meaning something like “polite” or “well bred” and the latter “emotional” or “sensitive” (and there are other words that work as well). But what it really means for the listener is that there is a new sense of freedom to explore the capabilities of the music, to play with rhythm and contrast, and to develop new genres and styles. This disc presents four of his flute concertos, probably written for Johann Baptist Wendling, a flutist who was arguably one of the best of the entire century. Considering that the instrument was made of wood and had only a couple of keys, both the tone production and technical capability was limited, making the instrument more appropriate to chamber work than playing versus an orchestra, particularly one the size and power of Mannheim. In all four works, Stamitz demonstrates a skill that focuses on a dazzling display of technical virtuosity that is rarely overshadowed by the accompaniment. Even when he adds horns, as he does in the two D-Major concertos, the use is sensitive to the overall sonority. As for the flute part itself, if the listener, spoiled by the long, lyrical lines and regular phrases of the two Mozart pieces, seeks such in these works, disappointment will follow. Instead, there is a virtual compendium of pyrotechnics that leaves the listener breathless (not to mention the poor flutist). Rapid runs, leaps between registers, perpetual-motion figuration, and the rapid oscillation between duple and triple rhythms make this a flute virtuoso’s delight, as these works push the envelope of what is technically possible with the instrument. Moreover, in the C-Major Concerto, even the orchestral ritornello is technically demanding for the strings. These are not student works, but require the utmost of agility and ability to perform.


Aitken, fortunately, is quite up to the task. He takes the break-neck tempos of the opening movements with apparent ease and clarity of tone, allowing the display to come through. In the slow movements, he pulls back the throttle, but never enough to dull the sometimes-sensitive lyrical writing. For instance, in the C-Major Concerto, the second movement’s minor key, replete with echo effects, is delineated with precision and displays considerable musical deftness. In the G-Major final movement, he allows for the folk-like main theme to peer through the leaps and runs, providing a contrast that is both pleasing and a welcome relief to the pyrotechnics. Only occasionally does he blur his scales and leaps, though this may be an aftereffect of using a modern instrument.


The Lithuanian St. Christopher group provides a precise and understated accompaniment. One might have wished for more presence in the recording, but perhaps this was a decision by the sound engineer to focus on the flute. It is true that the music on this disc is mostly all about the flute and its ability, and this lends a certain sameness to each of the concertos, but if one concentrates upon the remarkable technical display, then one will find a perfect example of what can happen when a composer of this pivotal period pushes the aerobatic envelope of a more reticent and intimate instrument. We would be lucky to have the remaining 10 recorded in the future. Highly recommended.


FANFARE: Bertil van Boer


Johann Stamitz is a name well known in musical history, but his voice is seldom heard. This latest Naxos disc of flute concertos - two volumes of symphonies and one of orchestral trios are already available - is therefore a welcome release.

Famous as a virtuoso violinist and then as Kapellmeister of the celebrated Mannheim court orchestra, Stamitz presided over the establishment of that band of players and over the development of what became the ‘Mannheim style’ – disciplined playing, thrilling dynamics and innovative instrumentation. He played a key role in developing the symphonic form, and in transforming musical composition from the Baroque style to the nascent Classical sound.

As well as symphonies, Stamitz left behind a large number of concertos, including fourteen for flute. The four featured on this disc probably date from the 1750s and may well have been played by the Elector Carl Theodor, and by Mannheim virtuoso Johann Baptist Wendling, who so impressed Mozart on his visit to Paris in 1763 and Mannheim in 1777-78.

They are beautiful works, but the main problem is that there is little to distinguish one from the other. The two D major concertos in particular sound very much alike, although the horn parts in the second at least differentiate it from it predecessor. The C major concerto’s shift into C minor for the slow Andante offers some tonal variety, while rapid triplet figures for the soloist in the first movement keep the momentum alive.

But one cannot escape the feeling that these works were really vehicles for Wendling’s – or someone else’s – prodigious talents. Attention therefore falls on soloist Robert Aitken. His flawless technique and lightness of touch make him perfectly suited to this kind of repertoire. He is particularly impressive in the hugely demanding cadenzas in each concerto, although his forward positioning in the recording can make the flute sound a little shrill on the ear in some of the higher registers.

For their part, the St Christopher (formerly Vilnius) Chamber Orchestra under Donatus Katkus have few opportunities to shine. Nevertheless, they keep the accompaniment chugging along nicely, hinting at Haydnesque and Mozartian sounds to come.

-- John-Pierre Joyce, MusicWeb International

Includes work(s) by Carl Stamitz. Conductor: Drostan Hall.

Recorded in: St Jude on the Hill, Hampstead, London 24-25 October 1994 Producer(s) Ralph Couzens Sound Engineer(s) Ben Connellan

In 1778, music was booming in Mannheim, thanks to its 90 players- strong orchestra’s unique blend of instrumental virtuosi and innovative composers: Johann and Carl Stamitz, father and son, the most original and prolific composers of the Mannheim school – a still somewhat underrated period. The importance of Carl Stamitz’s clarinet concertos cannot be overestimated; while laying the foundations for similar works by Mozart, Weber and Spohr, he also created inspiring masterpieces. Eduard Brunner is an ideal advocate, fusing the Mannheim idiom with modern sensitivity.