Franz Danzi: Duo for Viola and Cello in C major, E.Posvanecz (viola), B.Máté (cello)

Описание: Franz Danzi - Duo for Viola & Cello in C major, Balázs Máté (cello), Éva Posvanecz (viola)
I. Allegro – 00:00
II. Andante con moto – 07:55
III. Allegretto – 11:00
Franz Ignaz Danzi (June 15, 1763 – April 13, 1826) was a German cellist, composer and conductor. Born in Schwetzingen, Franz Danzi worked in Mannheim, Munich, Stuttgart and Karlsruhe, where he died.
“Franz Danzi was born into a family of Italian musicians. His father, Innocenz Danzi, was a virtuoso cellist and composer, the best-paid musician of the orchestra of the Mannheim elector prince. Franz received his initial musical education from his father and he made such progress that he was appointed court cellist at fifteen.
Danzi created significant works in almost every instrumental and vocal genre. He was a successful artist in his capacity as a composer, a conductor (he was apparently among the first to use a baton) and as a cellist. His biographers invariably highlight his friendship with Weber, which started in Stuttgart in 1807. Danzi did play a decisive role in the life of his friend, 23 years his junior.
For a better understanding of Danzi, here are a few quotations by Danzi's friends and first biographers, F J. Lipowsky and Fr. Rochlitz. "Even as a youth of twelve or thirteen he was composing all sorts of things, which appealed to his father and the small circle of people who had the opportunity to hear them. These were songs and pieces for cello." As regards Danzi's education, they wrote, "Throughout his life, whose solid foundations he had laid very early, he had a thorough understanding of numerous disciplines and worldly matters not necessarily connected to music, and everything that he ever learnt was available to him, classified and in context. Consequently, he spoke well and wrote well; he was able to eloquently express his intentions and actions; as a conversation partner he was initiatory and captivating; his behaviour was polite and likeable, making a good impression on everyone he dealt with.” Contemporary papers willingly published the writings of this highly cultivated man, and praised his "mature and rational works that reflected his erudition and mentality - profoundly philosophical and rooted in his knowledge of the Classics."
The four duos on this recording afford a glimpse of Danzi's rich output of chamber music. Probably created around 1800, these remarkable pieces give a good idea of Danzi's wonderful early Romantic musical idiom, his brilliant gift to form melodies that highlight the characteristics of each instrument, do not lack virtuoso passages, are poetic in every moment and never artificial. Being an outstanding player of both instruments, particularly the cello, he was able to create—by means of double stops, chords and rapid accompanimental figures—a rich sonority frequently resembling that of a trio or even a string quartet, while also giving an equal importance to both instruments in terms of presenting the themes and motifs, and the brilliant solo parts.” (from Album Notes by B. Maté)