Paul Wranitzky, born Pavel Vranicky, is almost forgotten today, but to a Viennese in the late 18th century, he would have been a familiar name. He conducted the premiere of Beethoven's Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21, and an early performance of Haydn's The Creation, and he wrote numerous operas and symphonies. For some time, he has been considered a hidden gem among those in the know; even in the late 19th century, Fétis wrote that his work could stand up to Haydn's. His music was state-of-the-art for the 1790s, and ...
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Paul Wranitzky, born Pavel Vranicky, is almost forgotten today, but to a Viennese in the late 18th century, he would have been a familiar name. He conducted the premiere of Beethoven's Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21, and an early performance of Haydn's The Creation, and he wrote numerous operas and symphonies. For some time, he has been considered a hidden gem among those in the know; even in the late 19th century, Fétis wrote that his work could stand up to Haydn's. His music was state-of-the-art for the 1790s, and there are hints here and there that Beethoven listened to it closely. This release is the second in a series by the Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice, and it's superior to the first for listeners wanting to check one out. Wranitzky's work is a bit uneven, as with many highly prolific composers, but here, there is one real masterpiece, the Symphony in D minor, "La tempesta." As the title suggests, it depicts a storm, and it is entirely original in its construction. The storm...
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