Release Date: 12 January 2004
Label: Naxos - Nxc / Naxos Classics
Packaging Type: Jewel Case
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 747313243129
Genres: Classical
Composer/Series: SAMMARTINI
Description
Giovanni Battista Sammartini (c.1700/01-1775):Maria Addolorata, J-C 121 Il pianto di San Pietro J-C 117Giovanni Battista Sammartini, son of the French oboistAlexis Saint-Martin, was most likely born in Milan in1700 or 1701; his death certificate, dated 1775, giveshis age as 74. Not much is known about his childhood.In 1724 he is already documented as being a maestro dicappella; we also know that he was active as aperformer on the oboe and organ, winning admirationfor the individuality of his touch on the latterinstrument.Over the course of a long life, Sammartini had abusy, not to say frenzied, musical career as, amongother things, maestro di cappella and organist ofassorted confraternities, the moving spirit behind theorchestra of the Royal Ducal Theatre in Milan (whichwas to be replaced, after its destruction, by La Scala), amuch admired conductor both of \academies (concertsheld outdoors or in the homes of the aristocracy) and ofreligious music, a composer of operas and cantatas, aprolific writer of symphonies, maestro di cappella atthe ducal court, co-founder of the AccademiaFilarmonica (an orchestra made up of skilled nonprofessionals),and a respected teacher who was on thefaculty of various colleges attended by local nobility.Today, Sammartini is remembered primarily as the'father of the symphony'. This description is amplyjustified by the attention he dedicated to the genre,which he was among the first to treat as one of realimportance.Sammartini's fame and success are abundantlytestified to by his contemporaries, sometimes in oddways. Their judgements can be contradictory, tendingto reveal a certain alarm in the face of his exuberantpersonality and musical unorthodoxy. Haydndenigrated him as a mere scribbler, while LeopoldMozart, in his letters, spoke of him with the respect dueto an authority, without, however, expressing anopinion of his music. The writers Laurence Sterne andCharles Burney, both of whom attended performanceswhere Sammartini conducted his own works, weremuch struck with his personality and charisma; nor canthey have been alone in this, given that the twenty-yearoldGluck was sent to Milan by his patron PrinceLobkowitz for the express purpose of advanced studywith Sammartini, with whom he remained from 1737 to1741.The long career of Sammartini covers a span goingfrom the maturity of Vivaldi and J. S. Bach to theemergence of Haydn and the young Mozart. Thus hiscompositions, especially the earlier ones, revealconceptions typical of a time of transition between theaesthetics of the late Baroque and those of the fullblownClassical style, and we find, along the way, themost diverse admixtures of elements. Nowadays, hedeserves to be considered the most important Milanesemusician of the eighteenth century, and a key figure inthe broader musical world of the period.As we have noted, Sammartini had a brilliantcareer as a maestro di cappella; during the last decadeof his life, in fact, he worked, whether in that capacityor as organ
Tracklisting
Dariia Lytvishko
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; Marin Alsop
Alice Di Piazza; Basel Sinfonietta; NDR Bigband; Titus Engel
Anna Alas i Jove; Miquel Villalba
David Childs; Black Dyke Band; Nicholas Childs
Yaqi Yang; Margarita Parsamyan; Robynne Redmon; Minghao Liu; Frank Ragsdale; Kim Josephson; Kevin S
Vilmos Csikos; Olivier Lechardeur; Manon Lamaison
Tomas Cotik; Martingale Ensemble; Ken Selden
