Release Date: 01 February 2005
Label: Naxos / Naxos Classics
Packaging Type: Jewel Case
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 747313572229
Genres: Classical
Composer/Series: WEISS
Description
Silvius Leopold Weiss (1686-1750)Lute Sonatas, Volume 6The three sonatas recorded here span the whole of thecareer of the great lutenist Silvius Leopold Weiss. Thecomposer himself dated the Sonata in C minor(Smith/Crawford No. 7) as one of his earliest works,from the first decade of the eighteenth century, while theSonata No. 45 in A major is one of a series of matureworks which may have been completed as late as the1740s. The Sonata No. 23 in B flat major comes from aperiod roughly midway between the other two, probablycomposed not long after Weiss's appointment to theDresden court in 1718, a position he retained until hisdeath in 1750.The magnificent A major sonata is one of Weiss'scrowning achievements as a composer for the lute, andtherefore among the greatest works for the instrumentfrom any period. His choice of the Italian wordIntroduzzione for the sonata's opening movement, in theform of a French overture, is no mere whim; it issuffused with the spirit and style of the advanced Italianorchestral music favoured in Dresden rather than theformality and decorum of the French. The central fugalsection presents not just a single theme, as in aconventional French overture (Weiss left several ofthese for solo lute), but also an accompanying countersubjectwhich makes use of repeated notes in the mannerof the latest galant music from Italy. This section hasmuch of the flavour of the concerto about it, just as someorchestral overtures by Telemann do, and Weiss relishesthe opportunity for a little virtuoso display in the courseof a movement of great energy and wit.The following Courante is one of his longest,perhaps the longest courante ever composed. At 183bars it far exceeds the normal extent of the dancemovements of the old suite form. Compare, for example,the 49 bars of the early C minor Courante included here,itself notably longer than most courantes composed byhis contemporaries such as Bach or Handel. As was hishabit in these extended dances, Weiss traces a kind offantasia-like exploration of a few musical ideas, whichhe subjects to ever-evolving transformation andmodulation in a way entirely his own, yet firmlydelineating the structure of the movement with greatclarity. In others of his later works we find abstractmovement-titles (Allegro, Adagio, and so on) rather thandance-names; the connection with the old French courtlydances is here stretched about as far as it could be. Thesame might be said for the somewhat shorter Bourree,which might easily be imagined shorn of its danceassociations with an abstract title such as Allegro. YetWeiss retains the feeling of the dance throughout thiscatchy movement. The Sarabande, in the relative key ofF sharp minor, is, unusually, in 6/4 metre, but is markedGrave, lest a player be tempted to confuse its rhythmwith the siciliano which it superficially resembles. HereWeiss exploits his famous skill in the cantabile style byusing discreet embellishment of a singing melody over asimple bass line rather than u
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
Various
The Vanbrugh Quartet
Soloists:New Budapest 4Tet
