Werner Ehrhardt, L'arte del mondo - Johann Franz Xaver Sterkel: Symphonies (2014)

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Werner Ehrhardt, L'arte del mondo - Johann Franz Xaver Sterkel: Symphonies (2014)

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Johann Franz Xaver Sterkel was born in 1750, died in 1817. He first prepared for a service in the church, taking holy orders in 1774. Being musically gifted he was educated on organ and fortepiano and regularly played in the cathedral and at the seminary Stift Neumünster in Würzburg, his native city. When a minister in the service of the Elector of Mainz heard him play he invited him to visit the court in Mainz. Apparently the Elector liked his playing and offered him a permanent position. The political situation was difficult and considerably influenced his career. In 1792 French troops attacked Mainz and the court moved to Aschaffenburg; the chapel was disbanded. When the city was recaptured by the German troops the court returned and the Elector appointed Sterkel as Kapellmeister. He immediately started to restore the chapel to its former glory. But in 1797 the French returned; the court moved to Aschaffenburg once again and the chapel was given leave of absence. Sterkel moved to Würzburg but the ties with his employer remained intact. He entered the service of the new Prince, Carl Theodor, who resided in Regensburg. When he was appointed Grand Duke of Frankfurt in 1810 Sterkel moved to Aschaffenburg once again where he headed the court orchestra which consisted mainly members of the former chapel of Mainz.
In his liner-notes Olaf Krone states that the composer's oeuvre hasn't been fully examined and catalogued. This may explain that the article on Sterkel in New Grove is very short on his compositions; his symphonic output is almost completely ignored. The work-list refers to 22 symphonies, the first of which were published in Paris in 1782. The present disc includes the two symphonies op. 35, originally called symphonies périodiques. They were published in 1792; if one listens to these two works one notices that they are considerably more 'modern' than Sperger's. Krone sees a clear influence of Sterkel's symphonies in the oeuvre of Beethoven. That is not surprising as the latter was a life-long admirer of Sterkel.
Symphony in D opens with an energetic allegro con spirito; it is notable for its wide dynamic range. In both op. 35 symphonies the second movement is in a slow tempo - larghetto and adagio un poco respectively - but both include episodes in a fast tempo, in the former movement played forte. In particular the last movement of the first symphony reminds me of Beethoven. The second symphony's first movement opens with a slow introduction in dark colours; the ensuing allegro assai includes episodes of contrasting character and some harmonic tension.
The programme closes with the Ouverture à Grand Orchestre. It is in four movements, opening with a lyric andantino followed by a brilliant and dynamically explosive allegro. The following andantino links up with the opening movement whereas the piece closes with an allegro which has the same dynamic power as the previous allegro. The date of composition is not given but this has to be the latest piece in the programme.
The comparison with Beethoven is a tricky one and not very useful. If we want to take a composer seriously we should treat him as a master in his own right rather than compare him with what many consider the 'standard'. Sterkel's symphonies and his overture have much to offer and if you like orchestral music from around 1800 you will certainly enjoy this recording. Sterkel's oeuvre deserves to be explored and hopefully this will result in a more complete picture of his oeuvre and his place in music history.
Werner Ehrhardt and l'arte del mondo deserve much praise for bringing the orchestral music of Sterkel to our attention. The performances are as good as one would wish. They make these works appear in the best possible light.

–Johan van Veen

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Werner Ehrhardt, L'arte del mondo - Johann Franz Xaver Sterkel: Symphonies (2014)

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