František Krommer (1759 - 1831) was a Czech composer
of classical music, whose 71-year life span began half
a year after the death of George Frideric Handel and
ended nearly four years after that of Ludwig van
Beethoven.
The two versions of Franz Krommer's name exist because,
in common with many Bohemian composers of the time who
found favor in Western countries, "Frantisek Vincenc
Kramar" Germanized his name to Franz Vincenz Krommer.
After a long stretch of dues-paying (mostly involv...(+)
František Krommer (1759 - 1831) was a Czech composer
of classical music, whose 71-year life span began half
a year after the death of George Frideric Handel and
ended nearly four years after that of Ludwig van
Beethoven.
The two versions of Franz Krommer's name exist because,
in common with many Bohemian composers of the time who
found favor in Western countries, "Frantisek Vincenc
Kramar" Germanized his name to Franz Vincenz Krommer.
After a long stretch of dues-paying (mostly involving
jobs in the wilder, eastern provinces of Hungary), he
found favor in Vienna, around 1795, and became a
favorite composer of Emperor Franz I, who named him
court composer. By the time this concerto was written,
he was widely famous in Europe and sometimes ranked
with such geniuses as Mozart and Haydn; later, some
would elevate him to a status similar to Beethoven's.
This concerto appeared in print in 1803. It is in the
form of a standard Classical concerto, with a first
movement that is long because it has a double
exposition, one with orchestra only and the other
featuring the soloist. Despite the form, there are
ample anticipations of coming Romantic styles. These
include a yearning second movement that begins with an
astonishing pre-echo of Donizetti's bel canto operatic
aria "Una furtiva lagrima."
The orchestra is relatively large, with a full standard
woodwind section in twos, a pair of horns, and even
brass and timpani, which were rare for wind concertos
at the time. The opening Allegro movement is serious,
with a mood similar to Mozart's Prague Symphony and a
sense of the heroic. The Adagio movement is in song
form, resembling an operatic aria of the time, and
leads directly into a Rondo finale in moderately fast
tempo. The proto-Romantic qualities of the music are
most evident in the frequent and dramatic shifts to
minor keys, which occur throughout.
The concerto is not a virtuoso work. Krommer's intent
seemed to be to showcase the clarinet's strengths as a
lyrical instrument, and the piece is indeed especially
pretty. Even if Krommer no longer ranks with the giants
of the Classical era, this concerto is nevertheless
well worth hearing as a strong representative of the
wind concerto in the age of Beethoven.
(by Magatagan, Michael)613x⬇ 1,040x
