Ignace (Ignaz) Joseph Pleyel - Symphonie Concertante in A Major, B. 114, (1792), David Perry and Isabella Lippi (violins), Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Markand Thakar (conductor)
I. Allegro - 00:00
II. Adagio - 14:12
III. Rondo moderato - 18:34
The Symphonie Concertante in A for two violins was also issued in an authentic version for piano and violin. I posted this version, which I really like, 6 years ago.
Ignace Joseph Pleyel (June 18, 1757; Ruppertsthal, Austria - November 14, 1831; Paris, France) was an Austrian-born French composer and piano builder of the Classical period. Remembered mostly as Haydn's rival during his London journey of 1792, Ignaz Josef Pleyel was the 24th child of an impoverished schoolteacher. However, he received sufficient education, including music lessons, to qualify for admittance to the class of Wanhal. Thanks to the generosity of Count Ladislaus Erdödy, he became Haydn’s pupil and lodger in Eisenstadt (c. 1772-77), and in the early 1780s he traveled widely in Italy. He composed lira (hurdy-gurdy) pieces for King Ferdinand IV of Naples to play and wrote an opera, Ifigenia in Aulide, that was premiered at the Teatro San Carlo (Naples' major opera house) in 1785. Its success generated a further 18 performances.
In 1783 he became 2nd Kapellmeister at the Strasbourg Cathedral; was advanced to the rank of Ist Kapellmeister in 1789, but lost his position during the turbulent times of the French Revolution (in 1791, the French Revolution abolished musical performances in church as well as public concerts). Seeking alternative employment, Pleyel traveled to London, where he led the "Professional Concerts" organized by Wilhelm Cramer. In this capacity Pleyel inadvertently played the role of his teacher's rival, as Haydn was at the same time leading the concert series organized by Johann Peter Salomon. Although the two composers were rivals professionally, they remained on good terms personally.
In general, the years 1785 to 1795 were Pleyel most productive period as a composer.
“Pleyel was prolific, composing 41 symphonies, 70 string quartets and several string quintets and operas. During his life, his tuneful music, often not too difficult for home music-making, was very popular.
Pleyel's symphonies concertantes are characteristic expressions of his idiosyncratic style. They are expansive, leisurely-paced works, texturally transparent in their solo sections and rich in melodic invention. Their emphasis on melody rather than on complex thematic manipulation and development, a by-product of Pleyel's fascination with the Italianate style, marks a significant stylistic departure from the works of Haydn and no doubt contributed to the phenomenal contemporary popularity of the works. Although Pleyel courted popularity in that he respected current fashions and local tastes, he approached the composition of works such as the symphonies concertantes with great care and professionalism, aiming always to please his performers as much as his public.” (excerpt from album booklet by Allan Badley)