Styrian Harpsichord Concertos

Description

The term used to describe the epoch in which the works brought together on this CD were composed is a matter of dispute. Did it come before the period of Viennese classicism, which means that it represents pre-Classicism? Or is it part of this period, that is, Early Classicism? The Austrian musicologist Rudolf Flotzinger came up with a pithy formulation for this phase of music history, terming it the epoch between the epochs, which means that it is no longer Baroque and not yet Classicism. During this period, in the middle of the eighteenth century and in the age of Empress Maria Theresa, the genres of instrumental ensemble music continuing even today to dominate the concert repertoire were developed – including the clavier concerto, which was performed in equal measure on the organ, on the harpsichord, and later on the pianoforte. A collection of clavier concertos extant in the Studies Library in Ptuj (Pettau), Slovenia, preserves the compositions recorded here in manuscript form. The harpsichordist Michael Hell, along with the Neue Hofkapelle Graz, led by him and Lucia Froihofer, performs these exciting works.