In his thirty-nine years (1786 – 1826), Weber managed an intense diversity of activity. Liszt admired him as a pianist; as a conductor he abandoned direction from the keyboard in favour of a consistent use of the baton and rearranged the positioning of the players for purposes of tonal blend. As an opera director he exerted an influence on stage presentation by the use of subtler lighting, costume and set design. As a writer of articles, letters and an autobiographical novel he expressed his ideals with force, eloquence and humour; among his achievements as a composer are the inception of German romantic opera and the development of imaginative orchestral techniques which were to influence Berlioz and Mahler and to be admired by Debussy and Stravinsky.
This 2-CD download complements several of the composer’s dashing overtures with the two less well-known but no less sparkling symphonies, as well as the Horn Concertino in E major. The performances – on period instruments – bring out all the colour and nuance of these gloriously romantic scores.Weber: Horn Concertino, Overtures, Symphonies Nos 1 and 2 – The Hanover Band, Roy Goodman
In his thirty-nine years (1786 – 1826), Weber managed an intense diversity of activity. As a pianist, he was admired by Liszt. As a conductor, he abandoned direction from the keyboard in favour of a consistent use of the baton and rearranged the positioning of the players in terms of tonal blend. As an opera director, he exerted an influence on stage presentation by subtler lighting, costume and set design. As a writer of articles, letters and an autobiographical novel, he expressed his ideals with force, eloquence and humour. Among his achievements as a composer are the inception of German Romantic Opera and the development of imaginative orchestral techniques which were to influence Berlioz and Mahler and were admired by Debussy and Stravinsky. This disc comprises his two sparkling symphonies, some of his dashing overtures and the more rarely heard Horn Concertino, all superbly played on period instruments.
