Romberg: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3

Griffiths, Kevin, Phion, Orchestra of Gelderland and Overijssel

CPO 777 052-2

Symphonies by a Classical Composer from Lower Saxony

Andreas Romberg is now more than an insider’s tip; he is a recognized composer situated on the interface between Classicism and Romanticism. Romberg was regarded as a celebrated violin virtuoso, concertmaster, and composer, and his stays in Paris, Vienna, Prague, and Italy spread his fame internationally. He met Ludwig van Beethoven, Joseph Haydn, and many other musical personalities of his times. A great deal of his oeuvre covering all sorts of different genres was forgotten, but this is slowly changing, primarily owing to the »Arbeitsstelle Andreas Romberg« at the University of Vechta, a research center that since 1993 has engaged in the systematic investigation of this composer’s works. Of his ten symphonies, only six are extant, and only four of them were printed during his lifetime. However, his symphonies were extremely popular when they were written. In 1817 the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung praised »what Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Romberg have accomplished so far in this genre of musical works.« With these words the author numbered Romberg among the absolute »masters« in this field. For quite some time the performance figures for Romberg’s symphonies ranked second only to those for works by the Viennese Classicists. Now here it is: Vol. 1 with his Symphonies Nos. 1 and 3!

CD x 1

CPO

15/01/2021

761203705221