Paul Wranitzky, or Pavel Vranicky in the language of his native Moravia, was almost a household name in Vienna at the end of the 18th century. He conducted the premieres of both Haydn's The Creation and Beethoven's Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21, and his Symphony in C major, Op. 19, recorded here, was composed for the coronation of the emperor Franz II in 1792, about as prestigious a commission as can be imagined. He was a student of Joseph Martin Kraus, and perhaps of Haydn. As it happens, that rather colorless symphony ...
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Paul Wranitzky, or Pavel Vranicky in the language of his native Moravia, was almost a household name in Vienna at the end of the 18th century. He conducted the premieres of both Haydn's The Creation and Beethoven's Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21, and his Symphony in C major, Op. 19, recorded here, was composed for the coronation of the emperor Franz II in 1792, about as prestigious a commission as can be imagined. He was a student of Joseph Martin Kraus, and perhaps of Haydn. As it happens, that rather colorless symphony may make the listener wish Mozart had lived another year, but the Symphony in B flat major, Op. 33, of several years later, is a much stronger piece in the post-Classical vein with a fluent slow movement and effective handling of the winds throughout that does not resemble Haydn or Mozart. There are also sprightly instrumental operatic excerpts present, suggesting that Wranitzky's talents may have lain in the direction of dramatic music. Whatever the case, this is the first volume...
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