L’arte del mondo – Schmittbaur: Symphonies (2023) [Official Digital Download 24bit/48kHz]

“Inexhaustible for every kind of music, with a special peculiar beauty, dignity, and truth,” is how Carl Ludwig Juncker expressed himself enthusiastically in 1776 about the music of Joseph Aloys Schmittbaur (1718-1809). The fact that this unjustly forgotten composer has written great music is proved by the new recording by Werner Erhardt and his ensemble Larte del mondo with selected symphonies by Schmittbaur, all but one of which were composed in Cologne. Schmittbaur, who was born in Bamberg, received his education from the Würzburg organ builder Johann Seuffert, and he was also a pupil of Niccolo Jacomelli in Bologna. in 1754 he got a job in the Rastatt Court Chapel, in 1766 he became its Kapellmeister. After the dissolution of the Rastatt Chapel, he was concertmaster in the Karlsruhe Hofkapelle. From January 1775, Schmittbaur was appointed to the position of cathedral Kapellmeister in Cologne, where he had a lasting impact on musical life through the concerts of the “Musical Academies”. In 1777 he became court Kapellmeister in Karlsruhe, where he helped the local chapel to a high reputation. After Schmittbaur’s death, his music fell into oblivion for a long time. But wrongly, as this recording of l’arte del mondo under the direction of the conductor Werner Ehrhardt shows. Three symphonies Op. 2 (1776) can be heard, which originate from Schmittbaur’s Cologne time as cathedral Kapellmeister and have a consistently cheerful, sometimes even humorous character. The fourth symphony has the title “bey opportunity of the Highest Marriage” and was composed by Schmittbaur in 1797 for the wedding of the daughter of the Baden hereditary Prince Carl Ludwig. This late work also proves to be a colorfully instrumented and high-contrast piece. Werner Erhardt is enthusiastic about the discoveries that appeared as the first recording with deutsche harmonia mundi: “Schmittbaur possessed unbroken creative power and great ingenuity until old age. One can see very well from the symphonies how very individually he developed his very own formal concepts and at the same time composed in an incredibly creative, funny, surprising and humorous way. Rarely have my musicians been in such a good mood as when recording his music. The guy from Cologne would say: ‘Von nix kütt nix’, and that’s the biggest praise, so to speak!“

Paying homage to some of their greatest influences including John Cage, Wayne Shorter, Keith Jarrett, Charlie Haden, Duke Ellington and George Gershwin, the album’s 18 tracks are a tribute to the quiet moments and magic of daily life.

With a strong undercurrents of contentment, curiosity and exploration, each piece has a strong thematic focus and is almost programmatic in nature. “Everyday” celebrates the peace and happiness one can find in the routines of their lives, “Kids Playing” explores the innocence and freedom found innately in children, and “Memories of Summer” is about the simplicity of just recalling past summers, but also with an inherent melancholy regarding the passing of time and of past memories.

Delivering comfort and melancholy in equal measure, stylistically the pair’s compositions sit somewhere between the traditional, European, and free sub-styles of jazz. The gentle swing feel and familiar standard structure of ‘I Loves You Porgy’ provides a stark contrast to the exploratory freeness and unpredictability of ‘Birds Flying Suite’, which is impressively the first time the experienced duo have attempted to perform in this style.

Ebbing and flowing between composition and improvisation, the duo navigate their garden of ethereal contemporary harmony and meandering melodies with the ease and a sense of playfulness. The beautifully captured natural recording enables the listener to picture themselves in the room with these masters of the Scandinavian idiom, and reflect on the magic of their own stories.

Tracklist:
1-1. L’arte del mondo – I. Allegro molto (02:43)
1-2. L’arte del mondo – II. Andante molto (03:36)
1-3. L’arte del mondo – III. Menuetto – Trio (03:00)
1-4. L’arte del mondo – IV. Presto assai (03:44)
1-5. L’arte del mondo – I. Allegro assai (05:32)
1-6. L’arte del mondo – II. Allegretto (03:23)
1-7. L’arte del mondo – III. Menuetto – Trio (03:30)
1-8. L’arte del mondo – IV. Rondo. Andantino – Prestissimo (06:53)
1-9. L’arte del mondo – I. Allegro con spirito (03:25)
1-10. L’arte del mondo – II. Andante cantabile (02:33)
1-11. L’arte del mondo – III. Menuetto – Trio (03:18)
1-12. L’arte del mondo – IV. Rondo. Allegro assai (02:13)
1-13. L’arte del mondo – I. Adagio pianissimo – Allegro assai (09:17)
1-14. L’arte del mondo – II. Romance. Adagio molto (04:37)
1-15. L’arte del mondo – III. Menuetto. Allegro – Trio (03:53)
1-16. L’arte del mondo – IV. Prestissimo (04:16)