Release Date: 10 January 2005
Label: Naxos - Nxc / Naxos Classics
Packaging Type: Jewel Case
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 747313283620
Genres: Classical
Composer/Series: HUMMEL
Description
Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837)FantasiesJohann Nepomuk Hummel was born in 1778 inPressburg, the modern Bratislava, where his father,Josef Hummel, served as conductor at the theatre and asa military bandmaster. In 1786 the family moved toVienna and Josef Hummel took there the position ofconductor at the Theater auf der Wieden, managed byEmanuel Schikaneder, librettist of Mozart's DieZauberflote and the first Papageno in 1791. Like hisfather, Johann Nepomuk had originally learned theviolin, but in Pressburg his destiny as a pianist becameapparent. In Vienna, at the age of eight, he played forMozart, who for two years generously gave him freelessons and lodged him in his house, finally advising theboy's father to take his son on a concert tour of Europe.After four celebrated years of travel in Bohemia,North Germany, Denmark, Scotland and London,Hummel and his father returned to Vienna, the FrenchRevolution having prevented them from going to Franceand Spain. In Vienna he took lessons from GeorgAlbrechtsberger in counterpoint, and in aesthetics, thephilosophy of music and musical dramatic techniquefrom Salieri. He had already taken lessons withClementi and Haydn in London. The latterrecommended him as his successor at the head of theEsterhazy musical establishment in Eisenstadt, and in1803 Hummel took the nominal position of concertmaster,while Haydn retained his title as director for life.His employment there came to an end in 1811, as hegave more time to composition and began to neglect hisduties as director of the orchestra. Recently discovereddocuments reveal, besides, the dissatisfaction of thePrince at the endless financial demands of his concertmaster.Hummel had already given up his career as avirtuoso and intended to establish himself as a composerand teacher in Vienna. There he met the Burgtheatersinger Elisabeth Rockel, sister of the tenor who hadsung Florestan in the second version of Beethoven'sopera Fidelio. They married in 1813, with Salieri astheir witness, although Beethoven had also showninterest in her. The daughter of a hosier from thePalatinate, she had made her debut as a singer in 1810 atthe age of seventeen. In three years she had made hername at second class German opera houses, as DonnaAnna in Mozart's Don Giovanni in Bamberg, where theconductor E.T.A. Hoffmann, a married man, butsusceptible to young women, was so captivated by heras to make her the principal character in his eroticdecadentnovel Don Juan. After their marriage ElisabethHummel took over the management of her husband'scareer, persuading him to resume his activity as avirtuoso pianist.In 1819, after two unfortunate years as director ofthe opera in Stuttgart, Hummel became ArchducalKapellmeister in Weimar, a position he retained until hisdeath. There he finally joined the freemasons, as histeacher Mozart and Haydn had done, an influence on histhinking since childhood. His brother and friend in thefamous Amalia Lodge was Goethe, who wrote with himthe song Zur Log
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
The Brahms Trio
Roman Fediurko
London Symphony Orchestra; Rafael Sanz-Espert
