Hummel/Bertini: Chamber Music (1996)

The small German label MDG here once again offers a disc that will interest specialists while still offering a very pleasant hour of entertainment to any casual lover of chamber music or, for that matter, to anyone who wants something new for a cocktail party. These six "wind symphonies" by Johann Christian Bach sound from the name as though they're part of an unfamiliar genre. In fact they're three-movement divertimenti similar in their formal outlines to the divertimenti of the young Mozart, whose music was influenced ... Read More

The small German label MDG here once again offers a disc that will interest specialists while still offering a very pleasant hour of entertainment to any casual lover of chamber music or, for that matter, to anyone who wants something new for a cocktail party. These six "wind symphonies" by Johann Christian Bach sound from the name as though they're part of an unfamiliar genre. In fact they're three-movement divertimenti similar in their formal outlines to the divertimenti of the young Mozart, whose music was influenced heavily by that of the so-called "London Bach." Liner-note writer Gerhard Pätzig points to the "elegant blend of vibrancy, virtuosity, lyrical expression, brightness, and melodic beauty" in these pieces, and it is just that blend that Mozart accomplished so well. Bach's wind symphonies are written for paired clarinets, bassoons, and natural horns, with an unobtrusive double bass that is sometimes played pizzicato. They're in three (or four) movements, with clear but not highly... Read Less